I am reading some of the evaluations of my SDV 101 faculty and some students will make the comment that they have already taken SDV 100-College Success Skills.
The following students are exempt from taking SDV 101 for program admission:
You have already taken SDV 100 or another SDV course at NOVA
You have transferred in an SDV elective from another college (verified by NOVA transcript evaluation)
You have a transferrable associates degree or higher from a U.S. college or university (verified by NOVA transcript evaluation)
You have passed the NOVA SDV ABLE Examination
All first-time college students interested in MEC are encouraged to take SDV 101 within their first 16 credits at NOVA. You can take the course on MEC campus or online through NOVA Online.
The SDV course is centered on college success skills. Often students misinterpret the 101 courses to be Health Science 101 or Nursing 101. The discipline is STUDENT DEVELOPMENT. The learning outcomes are the same as SDV 100 courses but we adjust our instruction, textbook, and assignments to students who are interested in healthcare careers.
You have the opportunity to learn more about MEC admissions if you take the SDV 101 course. You can also experience the campus environment and some facilities if you take the in-person courses in Springfield.
The Nursing application window opens July 20 this Sunday and will close September 20, 2019. Use our tool to see if you qualify to apply. This tool is for informational purposes only, please follow up with MECCounselor@nvcc.edu if you have any questions. You will need to log into the form via your NOVA student email. Make sure to either log out of your other Gmail accounts or open the link in the incognito mode in chrome or InPrivate mode for IE.
Over the coming weeks, programs will begin ranking students and making their final admissions decisions. Given the competitive nature of each of our programs, some will fall short of their goal. We understand the pressures and demands that face many of our students. Admission into a program can often be life-changing for a person seeking a better life for themselves and their family.
RANKING
Students are ranked based on a spectrum of indicators. Not surprisingly your performance on your prerequisite courses, specifically your science grades are the most critical factor for most programs at the Medical Education Campus. Other factors include your results on the ATI TEAS test. Our post, “Am I a competitive applicant” delves into the competitive criteria for programs at the MEC.
Meeting Minimums
Having the minimum requirements for any program places a student on the margin. Meaning that if the applicant pool is competitive, they will be the first to be passed over. Because our programs do not have wait-list, an applicant competes every year they apply. If that student does not improve a grade, or a TEAS result or acquire more hours or complete co-requisite courses, they will not move themselves up on the rankings.
Applying without meeting the minimum requirements
Students who apply and do not satisfy the minimum entry requirements will be rejected automatically. You may have an impressive GPA or TEAS results, but if you are missing a requirement or attachment, an application will be denied.
The Health Science and nursing application, as well as all information pertaining to applying to any programs offered here at the Medical Education Campus can be accessed via the new link https://www.nvcc.edu/medical/apply/index.html
There will no longer be separate Health Science and Nursing application pages.
Applications are compared to the criteria established by a program by Student Services staff. If an applicant does not meet the minimum standards, an advisor will mark that application ineligible. This excludes that applicant from the ranking and pool of applicants that will be considered for admission into a program. It is essential that an applicant satisfies all minimum criteria before they proceed with any application.
Reasons your application may have been flagged ineligible include:
A required prerequisite course was
not taken
OR
if taken did not meet the minimum grade requirement
OR
if taken at another college not transferred
OR
if taken at another college than not transferred as the required course ( student assigned BIO EEE for example)
OR
College Science course is more than ten years old
Failure to provide required documentation along with your application
Attaching wrong ATI result to the online application
Failure to attach requested high school documentation (Nursing and Dental Assisting)
International High School Documents not evaluated by an evaluation agency such as www.ece.org or www.ierf.org
Required high school courses grades below C ( nursing only)
Did not submit OTA observation hours via the online application
Did not Submit PTA observation form via certified mail
Did not meet the minimum number of observation hours
For programs that require observation hours failing to meet their minimum will result in an application being marked ineligible.
Did not attend a mandatory in-person information session or provided wrong information session code
For programs with mandatory in-person information sessions, not having gone or not having gone within the last year, is grounds for being marked ineligible.
Did not meet a minimum testing requirement
ATI TEAS minimum was not meet for a specific program
minimum math placement scores not met
GPA below the minimum established by a program
GPA at last school attended and/or NOVA GPA below the established minimum.
ATI TEAS taken outside of applicable period
For Fall 2019 Nursing applicants TEAS scores must be from the period December 3rd 2018 to March 20 2019. Any scores from outside of that period will not be considered.
Test Scores are older than allowed for your program. Please check our ATI TEAS post for the time frames.
If your application was marked ineligible, it will have been for one of the above reasons. Students are invited to correct any errors they may have made and apply during the subsequent application period for their desired program of study.
Please review our FAQ to learn how to avoid any pitfalls that will prevent your application from being considered in the future.
You can learn how to be a competitive applicant here.
The first priority period for the 2019 Fall Physical Therapist Assistant program opens March 15, 2019, and closes March 30, 2019.
Only submissions sent via the Online Health Science and Nursing Application will be processed. Physical Applications mailed via certified mail will not be processed.
You can access the Health Sciences and Nursing application HERE
Prerequisite Course Requirements
BIO 141 and BIO 142- Anatomy and Physiology 1&2 OR NAS 150-Human Biology with a grade of B or better
HLT 141 or HIM 111- Medical Terminology with a B or better
ENG 111 College Composition or higher with a B or Better
Observation Hours
In addition, you must complete a minimum of FOUR clinical observation hours with a PT or PTA.
Clinical Observation hours must be mailed via certified mail in advance of the deadline for the period you are applying to.
DO NOT OPEN AND SCAN OBSERVATION HOUR FORMS. They must be mailed in via certified mail. Only Hours received by the priority period deadline will be counted.
Attn: Student Services Room 202
6699 Springfield Center Drive
Springfield, VA 22150
Testing Requirements
The program requires that you satisfy two different Testing requirements.
Take and pass the VPT Math Placement test at the MT 154 level or higher OR complete developmental math to qualify you for MT 154 or higher OR transfer MT 154 or higher to the college.
Take and pass the ATI TEAS exam with a minimum score of 50% in the English, Reading and Human Anatomy and Physiology subsection of the Science portion.
It is important that a student submit their full results packet with their PTA application. Directions on how to download results can be found HERE. Failure to do so will result in a delay in the processing of an application.
Lastly, only students that have attended one of the mandatory in-person workshops within the last year will be considered for admission.
Attachments
The only attachment that should be included with your PTA Application is a PDF version of your ATI TEAS Results. Please do not attach additional items unless specifically instructed to do so.
One of the most common questions that come into the office is, “Am I a competitive applicant?” The answer is almost always it varies. Some programs might accept all eligible applicants one year, and the next only have room for 10% of the qualified applicant pool.
That question is also tied to its sister, “Why was I not accepted.” Due to the limited availability of clinical rotations, our programs can only accept but so many students. This will mean that many well-qualified applicants will apply, but not all will be admitted. Students meeting that just meets the minimum requirements are the most at risk of not being accepted. Likewise, if you were a well-qualified applicant, but applied to a high demand program it may be that your domicile status placed you behind other students.
So how do you get in?
Some programs outline the criteria that are used to rank and select their students. Where available we have included the criteria used by a program. In general science courses and/or prerequisite courses and ATI TEAS scores are used to rank students. That, however, is not the case for all programs. Where available we have indicated a programs competitive criteria and source of information for your review.
Letters of recommendation resumes and personal statements are not used in the admissions decision for any program.
The number of observation hours and/or work hours with an OT or OTA based on signed and dated form(s). Points are awarded after completing 25 hours or more.
Earned a Health Science Career Studies Certificate
Due to limited laboratory, classroom and/or clinical space, certain programs have restricted enrollment. As stated in the NOVA catalog, students are accepted on either a competitive or a first-come/first served basis.
Priority is given to:
Legal residents domiciled in the cities and counties supporting the College
Other Virginia legal residents
Out-of-state applicants
International students requiring form I-20.
Category 1 may include areas in which clinical affiliates have contractual agreements with NOVA or students from other VCCS service areas whose community college does not offer the specific program.
Residency and citizenship/visa status will be verified using the current information on file in the Student Information System (SIS). Level I and II domiciliary decisions and appeals are reviewed and determined by Campus Registrar and Dean of Students. Applicants may be asked to provide additional information or documentation before acceptance to the program is considered.
How your domicile relates to rankings
If a program received enough eligible applicants from the first priority group, no students from the subsequent groups will be accepted. Regardless of how competitive they are otherwise. As a result, your likelihood of acceptance as an out of state or “F-1” student drops as the applicant pool grows. However, there have been students accepted from every priority group among the programs offered at the Medical Education Campus.
The application window for the Phlebotomy Program opens March 1 at 12:01 AM. Students are accepted on a first come first served basis. Please make sure that you have an active NOVA student account and have reviewed the information session before submitting. All entry requirements must be satisfied at the time of submission to avoid an application being marked incomplete.
Students must have a GPA of 2.0 and qualify for ENG 111 to be eligible for the program.
TEST OF ESSENTIAL ACADEMIC SKILLS BREAKDOWN OF ATI TEAS
Preparing for the TEAS
The TEAS exam is a proprietary exam offered by the ATI Testing company. They have developed their own study resources for students to review. You can find them on their TEAS homepage. If you have taken the ATI TEAS test before, you can create a My Results. Within the My Results area of your account, next to your score report, you can create a Focused Review. A Focused Review is an online review tool that aligns question topics missed and the relevant study materials for your review.
Students also find it helpful to prepare by reviewing other exams. The Medical Education Campus Tutoring Center has a list of excellent resources for students to help prepare them for an exam.
How to pay to take the TEAS at NOVA
If your program requires that you take the TEAS, visit the Medical Education Campus Application website. Click on “Health Sciences & Nursing TEAS Information” to learn about paying for and taking the ATI TEAS. This includes the form link to receive an access code required to register for the test at the MEC Testing Center.
You will only be able to register for the ATI TEAS at NOVA with this link. Your request for an access code needs to be submitted 24 to 48 hours before when you plan on taking the exam.
Once you have the code you can pay for and register for the ATI TEAS test. This will allow you to come into the MEC Testing center to take the test. The Testing Center administers test on a walk-in basis only. Checking the MEC Testing Center website for hours.
What to bring on test day
Please arrive at the testing center with either your NOVA student ID card or government-issued photo identification. No other items should be brought to the testing center on the day of the exam.
When are results given
Results are printed and presented to the student immediately after the test is complete. Score reports are also available online via the www.atitesting.com website.
* If retest date falls on a holiday or weekend, the retest date will be the following business day
** Applicants may only test up to 3 times in a calendar year regardless of testing location or program
Submitting your TEAS to NOVA
When to submit your TEAS
Your ATI TEAS results must be attached to the application. Therefore the deadline to take and submit the TEAS test is when you are submitting your application.
How to submit your TEAS
The new online application allows you to attach documents. You can download a copy of your report directly from www.ATItesting.com website. Log into your ATI account, under the main menu select My Results, click on the exam attempt and then the download report on the top right of the website.
What it should look like
*PTA students should attach the full report. The anatomy scores are not on the main page.
What it should not look like
Also not this
Submitting your TEAS
If you have already submitted an application, simply open the confirmation email that was sent to you, scroll down and click on “View Request”. This will allow you to open your application and attach your TEAS Results.
This will take you back to the application where you can attach more files.
Please note that when attaching documents to the application after your initial submission, you will not see a new submit button. Your application automatically updates when you click “Attach This File”.
TEST OF ESSENTIAL ACADEMIC SKILLS BREAKDOWN OF ATI TEAS
ATI TEAS Format:
The ATI TEAS test is comprised of 170 questions set up in a multiple-choice format with four-option answers. Questions are designed to test the basic academic skills you will need to perform in class in the areas of: Reading, Math, Science, and English and Language Usage.
