Nursing Associate in Science Degree

RN Program Informational Sessions are required. Click here for schedule.

The Associate Degree Nursing Program prepares men and women for licensure as Registered Nurses. The graduate will be able to: (1) utilize critical thinking to integrate principles and concepts from the discipline of nursing, biopsychosocial sciences and liberal arts to assist individuals toward achieving optimal wellness, (2) utilize the nursing process to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate care for the individual throughout the lifespan, (3) utilize therapeutic communication when interacting with individuals groups, and members of the health care team, (4) demonstrate principles of teaching/learning when providing nursing care in assisting individuals to meet their identified needs, (5) practice nursing within the discipline's legal and ethical framework, (6) develop personal learning strategies and activities related to nursing practice which support a commitment to life-long learning, and (7) manage care for clients in structure setting throughout life span.

The program integrates Dorothea Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory of Nursing and the five roles of the professional registered nurse with courses. Nursing skill and knowledge is developed through didactic classroom laboratory instruction, planned community observational experience and faculty supervised clinical rotations. Clinical experiences can vary in time and in location, days or evenings. Students spend a significant part of the program in clinical experiences. To ensure safety and well being of others, the program subscribes to the American nurses Association Code of Ethics and the College Work-based Learning (WBL) Standards.

The nursing process, a dynamic problem-solving method, is foundational to nursing theory and clinical practice. Content in pharmacology, nutrition, growth and development, legal and ethical concepts are integrated within each nursing course. The nursing curriculum includes a strong general education component that broadens the nursing curriculum. Course descriptions, credit hours and prerequisites are subject to change. Admitted program students follow the curriculum in place at the time of admission. The degree may be completed on a full-time or part-time basis. The nursing courses are sequential and once admitted to the first nursing course, the nursing sequence is completed within two years. Associate degree nursing students must complete degree requirements within five years from the first nursing course completion. Students who do not have recent prerequisite courses or are taking instructional courses to prepare themselves for the associate degree nursing curriculum, will need additional time to complete the associate degree. Classroom and clinical nursing components must be completed concurrently. A nursing GPA of 2.7 or B- (80%) and a grade of Satisfactory (S) in the lab/clinical components are required to continue in the program. The minimum requirement for the associate degree in nursing is 65 credit hours. To ensure academic progression, students are strongly advised to work less than 24 hours per week.

Nursing students must earn a minimum grade of C in Anatomy and Physiology I and II and in Microbiology for successful transfer of sciences into the nursing program. Because concepts of Chemistry are essential to nursing courses, students must have high school Chemistry or an equivalent for admission.

Technical Standards

After acceptance in the program and prior to registration, all nursing students must:

1. Submit proof of physical exam and health history in the year of admission

2. Possess and maintain medical insurance, covering accidental injury and sickness.

3. Submit proof of immunization status (MMR, Tdap, Chicken Pox, and Hepatitis B)

4. Submit results of annual Tuberculosis screening

5. Show evidence of CPR (BLS - Health Care Provider Level) throughout the program

6. Possess and maintain professional liability insurance (available at College)

7. Be responsible for their own transportation to and from the clinical sites.