MA - LVN Pathway - How to Transition to Vocational Nursing

Oct 3, 2026

MA – LVN Pathway at Collin College explains how medical assisting graduates can transition into the Vocational Nursing program by demonstrating competency for VNSG 1502 Applied Nursing Skills. The pathway includes prerequisites such as specific medical assisting credentials and BIOL 2404 (or substitutes), plus TEAS exam score thresholds. Competency is assessed through a written exam and skills demonstrations using pass/fail checklists with two attempts, completed before the first VN semester.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

What Is The Pathway?

Pre-Requisites

How Does It Work?

Written Test

Skills Checklist

How Do I Get Started?

Contacts

MA – LVN Pathway Collin College What Is The Pathway? We are happy to announce a new pathway that can make it easier for medical assistants to transition to the field of vocational nursing at Collin College. Students who graduate from the Medical Assisting Program have knowledge of the skills performed in VNSG 1502 Applied Nursing Skills. This is a 5-credit course in the first semester of the Vocational Nursing program. Many students must work and attend the Vocational Nursing program which is difficult and challenging. Being able to test out of VNSG 1502 Applied Nursing Skills would also increase student success since students could concentrate on the other first semester courses in the Vocational Nursing program while attending class one day less during the first semester. Students who test out of VNSG 1502 would benefit financially since they would not have to pay tuition for VNSG 1502. Pre-Requisites • Complete the Medical Assisting Advanced Practice Level 1 Certificate. • Students must hold a medical assisting credential, either the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) or the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) • BIOL 2404 –Pre-Program requirement . Students will take BIOL 2404 before being accepted into the Vocational Nursing Program . BIOL 2401 and BIOL 2402 can be substituted for BIOL 2404 if a C or better is achieved in both courses . • Take the TEAS Exam – Must score at least 60 on reading, math & science, and 50 on language. How Does It Work? There is a two-step process for showing competency in VNSG 1502. Step \#1 is passing a written exam . Step \#2 is passing skills demonstrations. The student will have two attempts to be successful and show competency for each skill. Both assessments would be completed by the student before entering the first semester of the Vocational Nursing Program . Written Test 75-question multiple choice and fill in the blank paper exam that focuses on underlying principles of nursing skills and their relationship to patient health status and identifying the nursing process. The material will be reviewed in a boot-camp setting and presented by the Vocational Nursing Faculty in collaboration with Medical Assisting Faculty. Students will also have an opportunity to practice skills and review knowledge for this pathway at the end of the Medical Assisting program. Skills Checklist Skills Verification checklists for the following skills: • Vital Signs • Head to Toe Assessment • Medication Administration • PEG Tube feeding administration Each skill is evaluated as a pass or fail, and students have two attempts to demonstrate competency for each skill. All points on the skills verification checklist must be complete to pass the skill. How Do I Get Started? 1. Apply to the VN program-[https://www.collin.edu/department/lvn/index.html](https://www.collin.edu/department/lvn/index.html)[ ](https://www.collin.edu/department/lvn/index.html)2. Apply for Financial Aid-[https://www.collin.edu/financialaid/index.html](https://www.collin.edu/financialaid/index.html) [3](3) . Sign Up for Boot Camp 4. Schedule Exam and Skills Check-off Contacts Leon Deutsch, Program Director, Medical Assisting [ldeutsch@collin.edu](ldeutsch@collin.edu) Kimberly Forcum, Program Director, Vocational Nursing [kforcum@collin.edu](kforcum@collin.edu)

FAQs

Who is eligible for the MA to LVN pathway at Collin College?

Graduates of the Medical Assisting Program with required medical assisting credentials (RMA or CMA) can pursue the pathway. Candidates must also meet the listed BIOL and TEAS requirements before acceptance into the Vocational Nursing program.

What are the two steps to demonstrate competency for VNSG 1502?

Competency requires passing a written exam (75 multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions) and passing skills demonstrations. Students receive two attempts for each skill and must be successful to show competency.

How does the pathway affect tuition and scheduling in the first VN semester?

Students who test out of VNSG 1502 do not have to pay tuition for that course. Since assessments are completed before entering the first semester, students can focus on other first-semester VN courses while attending class one day less during that semester.

Oct 3, 2026

Upload by Aria Callaghan