LPN to RN: Advanced Placement Program

This policy is designed for LPNs wishing to attain an Associate in Science in nursing degree and qualify for RN licensure. To be eligible for advanced placement, the candidate must complete the application procedure through the Office of Admissions. The applicant must have graduated from another regionally accredited, post-secondary institution, pre-licensure program recognized by the Department of Higher Education, and be a board of nursing fully approved program. Proof of a current, valid Massachusetts license as a Licensed Practical Nurse is required.

Upon receiving an acceptance letter, a student should contact the Division of Nursing at [phone].  Every student completes the fee-based HESI Fundamentals of Nursing examination, which is offered three times per year.  A student will need to earn a minimum score of 780 on the HESI exam to receive nine credits for NUR 1000.  There will be one opportunity only for a re-test.  Those students who do not achieve a minimum score of 780 on the HESI examination are ineligible for advanced placement status.  These students then enroll in NUR 1000 to continue the program.

Upon successful completion of the Fundamentals of Nursing HESI exam, the student is eligible to enroll in NUR 1020 on a space-available basis.  To enroll in NUR 1020, the student has to have completed ANA 1010 and ANA 1020.  Prior to starting the NUR 1020 course, students need to attend the Nursing PASS Program.  Successful completion of the Fundamentals of Nursing HESI exam makes the student eligible to complete the fee-based Maternity/Pediatric HESI exam.  A student will have to earn a minimum score of 780 to receive eight credits for NUR 2000.  There is one re-test opportunity only.  In the event the student does not achieve a minimum score of 780, the student is required to enroll in NUR 2000. 

Qualifying Requirements for Licensure to Practice Nursing and Good Moral Character

The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing requires all applicants to answer specific questions related to criminal conviction or disciplinary actions when applying for nurse licensure or APRN authorization to ensure that the conduct of each applicant to whom it grants a license, authorization, or both, does not pose an unacceptable risk to the public’s health, safety, and welfare.

Candidates for initial licensure to practice Nursing in Massachusetts are required to submit proof of Good Moral Character when submitting an application for licensure. This application for licensure is completed under penalty of perjury. Documentation must be submitted in accordance with the board’s Good Moral Character Licensure Requirement Sheet. When completing the application and answering “yes” to the questions concerning good moral character, individuals are required to sign permission for an additional CORI check. In addition, special requirements are mandated by the Board of Nursing prior to obtaining candidate approval to take the NCLEX-RN examination. Those instructions are provided on the Moral Character Licensure Requirement Sheet. The Board of Nursing does not review records until the candidate completes the program and has submitted the application for licensure by examination. Students may contact the Chairperson of the Division for additional questions regarding the Good Moral Character requirement for licensure.

Please review the requirements for initial licensure by examination in Massachusetts including the Good Moral Character requirement.

https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/10/wq/good-moral-info.pdf