Practical Nursing

CCD’s Practical Nursing program utilizes a holistic admissions process to evaluate candidates.  The holistic admission process evaluates students’ academic performance, work experience, and training in healthcare, as well as other socioeconomic variables, to determine a student’s preparedness and fit for the nursing program.  

Applicants who qualify for the program will be invited to participate in an interview with the admissions committee and to write an essay on a pre-determined topic.   

Applicants will be awarded points for each category and then ranked with other applicants based on their total scores.  Applicants with the highest scores will be offered admission until all seats are filled. A wait list will be created in the event a student who is offered admissions declines or is otherwise deemed ineligible to start the program.  

CCD's Practical Nursing program requires accepted students to perform a background check and drug screen through the CCCS CastleBranch website.  The drug panel is a 10-panel drug screen that includes THC (marijuana).  The Practical Nursing program requires a negative drug screen for all ten drugs screened, including marijuana and prescription marijuana, to enable students to participate in patient care. Students may be subject to further drug testing while enrolled in the program and will be required to maintain a negative drug screen as a student of the program. The cost for both tests is the responsibility of the student. 

Please read the disqualifying offenses before applying to the program to understand which offenses will disqualify you from being accepted into the program.

A copy of your results should be transferred to CCD’s Human Resources department. Please obtain a copy of your results for your personal records in the event records are not transferred.

To register for the practical nursing program, you must be a current CCD student. If you have not done so yet, please complete the free CCD application. When completing the application, enter either Associate of Science or Associate of General Studies as the program option (you may not self-select the practical nursing program as an option). You will be issued a student S number and student CCD email address, which will be required for your Practical Nursing application.

Please note that enrolling in CCD does not enroll you in the Practical Nursing program, as this is a separate application process. 

Apply to CCD

Students must complete or currently be enrolled in the prerequisite courses below before applying to the Practical Nursing program.

Prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of  "C" or higher by the end of the Spring semester for the August start and by the end of the Fall semester for the January start.

If you have taken these classes at other colleges, you must submit official transcripts to CCD's Office of Registration and Records to ensure prior coursework will be transferable and credited before applying to the Practical Nursing program.

The BIO 1006 (or BIO 2101 and 2102) courses cannot be more than ten years old at the time of application and will need to be retaken if they are older than ten years. For example, if applying in Spring 2024, a course that was taken in fall 2014 or earlier would be too old and would need to be retaken.

Required Prerequisite Courses

• ENG 1021 English Composition 1
• HPR 1039 Medical Terminology for two credits or HPR 178 Medical Terminology for two credits. Any one-credit Medical Terminology class will not be accepted.
• BIO 1006 Basic Anatomy and Physiology*

* BIO 2101 (Anatomy and Physiology 1) and BIO 2102 (Anatomy and Physiology 2) may be substituted for BIO 1006. 

 No other substitutions can be made for these courses.

*Effective Fall 2025, the Practical Nursing Program will require the following prerequisites:

Required Prerequisite Courses

• ENG 1021 English Composition 1
• MAT 1120 Math for Clinical Calculations
• HPR 1039 Medical Terminology for two credits or HPR 178 Medical Terminology for two credits. Any one-credit Medical Terminology class will not be accepted.
• BIO 1010 Biology Foundations
• BIO 2101 Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab
• BIO 2102 Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab

* BIO 1111 General Biology can be substituted for BIO 1010 Biology Foundations 

 No other substitutions can be made for these courses.

What is the TEAS test? The ATI TEAS® measures essential skills in the academic content areas of reading, mathematics, science, and English and language usage. The test is intended primarily for adult nursing and allied health applicant populations. The objectives assessed on ATI TEAS are those that nurse educators deemed most appropriate and relevant to measure entry-level academic readiness of nursing and allied health program applicants.

The total adjusted national mean for LPN programs will be the benchmark for applying to the CCD nursing program. TEAS score must be 58% in each individual subject area for consideration into the PN program. Students who do not satisfy this minimum score will not have their applications considered.

ALL TEAS exams must have been taken within one year of the application. Applicants may take the exam a maximum of three times in the 12 months before application. An applicant must wait at least 30 days between retakes. Please plan sufficient time for a second test attempt. If you do not meet the minimum score and need to retake the exam, you must do so in time to meet the application deadline.

A study guide and additional information are available at http://wwwatitesting.com/teas.

To register for the TEAS test, please follow the steps below: (Please note students are not required to take the TEAS exam at CCD's testing site.)

Go to ATI Testing

1. Click on "Create Account" in the upper-right corner
2. When entering the institution, enter "CC of Denver PN."
3. You can take the ATI/TEAS exam 1 of 3 ways:

• CCD Testing Center on the Auraria campus. You must pay the proctoring fee of 35.00 and pay for the exam. The exam ticket is 65.00.  There is a separate charge for individual subject testing. 
• Make sure that you register for the exam  at Testing Center - CCD Course Placement Tests | Community College of Denver
• Online with remote proctoring through ATI. You will need to select this option and pay online.  (There are no refunds available)
• In person at the PSI Testing Center, you must schedule the location and time for testing. 

Please note that the test needs to be scheduled 72 hours in advance.  Documented need for testing accommodations can be provided; however, a request to ATI must be submitted at least 30 days before the date you wish to test.

Please upload the comprehensive list of TEAS scores for every subject test to the application.

Apply to the Program

Once students have applied, the nursing program will evaluate all applications once the application period has ended. Eligible candidates will be invited to participate in an interview and to write an essay to complete their application. Once all candidates have been interviewed, the admission committee will finalize the admission letters and send these to students the week after interviews conclude. Additional requirements, such as orientations, background checks, drug screens and medical records will be requested at that time (See Step 5).

Interview Process

After the admissions committee has reviewed your online application, eligible candidates will be selected for an interview shortly after the application window closes. Applicants will be expected to confirm an appointment for their interview and be available the week of interviews for full consideration. During the interview, you will be asked to complete a written essay. Instructions for the essay will be provided at the time of the interview.  

Final selections will be made shortly after the interview week. You will receive a notification by email and a written letter sent through the mail if you are selected for entry into the program. 

Student Orientation

Admitted students to the Practical Nursing program are required to attend a mandatory pre-orientation immediately after the selection process. This pre-orientation will review final admission requirements, course schedules, textbooks, and uniform requirements.

Admitted students will also attend a mandatory nursing orientation the week prior to the first day of classes. This orientation will review the program requirements, offer tours and introductions, will review policies and the student handbook, provide trainings on programs, utilized in the nursing program, and provide study tips for success.

Students will receive orientation details in their acceptance letters. Failure to attend either orientation will result in automatic removal from the program. 

You may not start this application and return to it later. Please allow 30 minutes to complete the entire application. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please be sure your application contains all of the uploaded documents that are required. Your CCD student email address is the official means of communication. Check your email for notifications about the program. 

You will receive notification of your acceptance by email and a written letter sent through the mail. Please check the email address that you listed on the application.

If accepted to the nursing program, the following requirements will be required as a part of your conditional acceptance to the program:

Medical Records

Students are required to be compliant with State and/or College immunization requirements. Students will need to complete the required medical forms for the Auraria Health Center, including documentation of all required vaccinations and TB screen results listed in the Immunization and Health Requirements form.

To be eligible to work in the healthcare environment as a student, the Practical Nursing program requires many additional health requirements.

Please view the Immunization and Health Requirements and ensure you have completed these. Students will be required to have these completed before the start of classes. You can obtain records and immunizations from your provider's office or get this test done at the Auraria Health Center on the Auraria campus, located in the Plaza building, office 149. While completing our online application, you will have the ability to upload these medical records. 

If you have submitted your immunization record to the health center and did not keep a copy for yourself to upload to the application, you can go to the Plaza Building, office 149, to request a copy of your records. Students should always keep a copy of their personal medical records, as these will be requested throughout the program.

Background Check and Drug Screen

All students will be required to complete a background check and drug screen to be able to participate in patient care in clinical settings.

Instructions on how to complete this process will be provided to students in their admission letters as well as in their student orientations.

Please refer to the Disqualifying Offenses to review the offenses that will disqualify a student from being able to participate in the nursing program.  

The drug screen is a 10-drug panel screen. Students should be aware that THC (Marijuana) is prohibited in healthcare professions. A Positive THC result will result in disqualification from the nursing program.