Military Policy

FOR MILITARY AND VETERANS

Advanced Placement for Military-Trained Students

Individuals who have held Military Healthcare Occupations may achieve advanced placement (AP) into the Bachelor of Science in Nursing or Entry Level Master’s (ELM) Nursing programs.  They may petition for credit for nursing courses, with documentation of military education and experience, and upon successful completion of the AP challenge exam, AP skills competency assessment, and dosage calculation exam.

Policy

1. Applicants must meet all the application requirements of the BSN or MSN-ELM program, including completion of the designated prerequisites, and hold a Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college/university.
2. Applicants must pass the TEAS Exam with a minimum of 75% overall cumulative and individual module score (includes module, submodule, and subsection scores 75% minimum requirement).
3. Acceptance of military challenge students into the BSN or MSN-ELM program is contingent upon space availability.

Procedure

Interested candidates must request an appointment with the Director of Student Success and Wellness at Mervyn M. Dymally College of Nursing at least one semester before the application period to discuss eligibility requirements for the BSN or ELM program.

1. Applicants who may be eligible for advanced placement include those individuals who present with relevant military education and experience equal to but not limited to the following:
   • Basic Medical Technician Corpsman (Navy HM or Air Force BMTCP)
   • Army Health Care Specialist (68W Army Medic)
   • Air Force Independent Duty Medical Technician (IMDT 4N0X1C)
2. Applicants applying for transfer credit must submit the following materials verifying education and experience to the Program Director or Director of Student Success and Wellness at the College of Nursing, including transcripts from appropriate education program(s), demonstrating satisfactory completion of coursework and clinical experience.

Link: CDU Transfer Credit Evaluation Petition

1. After a review of the applicant’s documentation and upon the determination that the applicant has met the educational and experiential requirements, as well as the additional nursing program admission requirements, the student will be invited to take an AP challenge exam, a skills competency assessment, and a dosage calculation exam.
2. Advanced placement will be granted if the applicant meets the minimum requirements and is based on space availability.  
3. AP Exams for courses must be taken in order of the sequential progression of the curriculum. For example, you are unable to challenge the Psych/Mental Health course without successfully completing prior nursing courses in the 1st or 2nd semester.

Challenge

The didactic/theory component of the challenge examination will complete the HESI Specialty Exam for the applicable area.   Students must achieve a minimum score of 850.

The clinical component of the challenge examination will vary with the area being challenged, but will consist of:

1. Patient assessment. 
2. Development and implementation of a plan of care.
3. Documentation of care given with evaluation.
4. Skills competency.
5. Dosage calculations (Student must achieve 75% or higher with one attempt ONLY).

The examination will be designed to validate that the student possesses the critical skills necessary to perform safely in the theory and clinical areas. The student will be evaluated with the evaluation tool used for the course being challenged.

If the exam is passed, the student will have met the course requirement. They will receive units recorded as “credit by examination” that will count as units toward graduation, but not be included in GPA calculations.

Advanced Placement Exams for courses must be taken in order of the sequential progression of the curriculum. For example, you are unable to challenge the Psych/Mental Health course without successfully completing prior nursing courses in the 1^st or 2^nd semester.

Process

1. Students who request to receive credit for a nursing-prefix course by examination must present documentation of their experience to the Program Coordinator and Leadership at least eight weeks before the start of the course. Communication well in advance of the start of the term is required.
2. Student’s documentation should include transcripts and syllabi that demonstrate prior coursework, documentation of formal instruction in non-collegiate settings, examples of assignments that meet course objectives, proof of work experience, and/or other materials, documents, and evidence for consideration.
3. The program leadership will assess the student’s documentation in the context of the program’s mission and degree objectives. If it is determined that the student has sufficient experience, then they will contact the faculty of record for the course the student wishes to challenge.
4. The program leadership and the faculty of record assess the student’s documentation in the context of the course’s student learning outcomes and make the decision whether or not the student may take a challenge exam.

If the request for a challenge exam is approved

• The student will receive, at a minimum, a copy of the syllabus that states the student’s learning objectives and lists the course textbook and/or other learning materials used in the course. Faculty may provide additional study materials at their discretion. Course items will be provided to the student no less than 6 weeks before the start of the semester.
• Students must complete the challenge exams before the first week of the semester.
• An individual will only have one attempt to challenge a particular course, including one attempt for the didactic/theory and clinical components.
• Grades for challenge examinations in nursing are recorded only if the student is successful. This is to ensure that, if an individual is not successful with the challenge, there is no penalty incurred. If the student is successful with the challenge, “Credit by Examination” and a letter grade are recorded on the college transcript.
• Students who pass the challenge exam will receive “credit by examination” on their transcript.

If the request for a challenge exam is not approved, the program leadership will notify the student and the Office of the Registrar in writing at least one week before the start of the semester. The written notification will identify the reason the request was denied, and a copy will be kept by the department for auditing and evaluation purposes.

Resources

Applicants may use the following resource to evaluate the equivalency for transferable units:

American Council on Education. The Military Guide: About the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services. Click Here