Practical Nursing – Part Time Evenings

NOTE: Practical Nursing program inquiries and applications are handled through Admissions, at TCAT Shelbyville’s main campus. Failure to follow instructions from Admissions could result in missing deadlines, receiving incorrect information, and a missed enrollment opportunity. Applications for one TCAT are not transferrable to another.

Start Dates for Upcoming Practical Nursing Cohorts:

Part-time, Evening Franklin County Extension Campus

January 2025 (Spring 2025)

May 2026 (Summer 2026)

*TCAT Shelbyville’s Part-time, Evening Franklin County Campus Practical Nursing program operates as a sixteen (16) month “cohort”.  A “cohort” is a group of students banded together or treated as a group in a diploma program of study.   

Class Schedule for Practical Nursing Cohorts:

• The Part-time, Evening Practical Nursing cohorts meet Monday through Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (until clinical practice begins). Prior to beginning clinical practice, an alternate schedule will be provided by the instructor.

Step 1

• Select and complete the 04 Special Industry/Supplemental Application Type for application to the Anatomy &Physiology and/or Math for Meds pre-requisite course(s).
  • Please be advised that it is recommended that the two prerequisite courses be taken in separate trimesters due to the level of difficulty of course curricula.
  • Prerequisite courses are offered at TCAT Shelbyville’s main campus and Franklin County extension campus during the evening hours, starting in January, May and September. Specific course meeting schedules are published to the institutional website by December, April, and August of each year.
• Select and complete the 01 New College Applicant or 02 Returning TCAT Application Type for application to the Practical Nursing program.
• Check your personal and campus email accounts for official enrollment notifications from Admissions and act accordingly.
• Review program Books and Supplies Lists on the institutional website for cost estimations. Do not purchase books or supplies until you begin classes. Books and supplies are subject to change without notice.
• Review Bookstore and Textbook information on the institutional website for the contact and ordering information.

Step 2

Submit the following mandatory items in-person to Admissions in the Office of Student Services at TCAT Shelbyville’s main campus:

1. Proof of High School completion or Equivalent/GED in the form of an official transcript (sealed document from the high school or state).
2. Proof of two Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccinations from a Tennessee County Health Department immunization/shot record. *Pharmacy vaccine consent forms are not accepted.
3. Proof of two Varicella vaccinations from a Tennessee County Health Department immunization/shot record, or laboratory evidence of varicella-related immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in your blood, or written diagnosis of history by a health-care provider.  *Pharmacy vaccine consent forms are not accepted.

Step 3

• Successfully complete the Anatomy & Physiology and/or Math for Meds prerequisite course(s) from TCAT Shelbyville with a minimum grade of 80 (eighty).
• Please be advised that successful completion of pre-requisite courses does not guarantee entrance into a practical nursing cohort program. TCAT Shelbyville Practical Nursing program enrollment is based on a first-come, first-serve basis by date of completed application. A completed application includes all mandatory items required for enrollment.

Transferring of Anatomy & Physiology Credits:  If you have already taken Anatomy and Physiology from a Tennessee college or university that is Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), or Commission on Occupation Education (COE) accredited, your credits may transfer to TCAT Shelbyville. The official college transcript must indicate a grade of B or above in Anatomy & Physiology I and Anatomy & Physiology II, with a successful completion date no more than 5 (five) years prior to starting a TCAT Shelbyville Practical Nursing cohort program.

**TCAT Shelbyville no longer offers the Math Challenge Exam (MET).

Disclosure: 

Students who withdrawal or terminate from another Tennessee College of Applied Technology Practical Nursing program, seeking enrollment into one of TCAT Shelbyville’s programs, will be required to start at the beginning of a practical nursing cohort. TCAT Shelbyville Practical Nursing students that do not successfully complete a trimester, will be allowed to return at the beginning of the unsuccessful term, for one occasion only.

Handbook:

The Practical Nursing handbook can be found below. This handbook will provide information regarding the classroom and outline policies, rules, and regulations.

Practical Nursing Handbook 2024 .pdf

Practical Nursing Handbook 2024 .pdf

Requirements for Clinical Rotations:

Hepatitis B (series of 3 shots)

TDaP (due every 10 years)

COVID (series of two Moderna or Pfizer and one booster) or (JJSN and one booster) or (an approved Medical Exemption from a physician)

Influenza (due annually)

QuanitiFERON Gold -serum test (due annually) *We do not accept TB skin test

MMR x 2 (or titer showing proof of immunity)

Varicella x 2 (or titer showing proof of immunity)

Proof of Medical Insurance

Physical (due annually)

BLS (American Heart Association) Provider Course -Only

*Nursing students are required to pass a Urine Drug Screen and a Criminal Background check