The nursing program is designed for qualified men and women interested in providing patient care as members of the health team.  The curriculum is a blend of general education, nursing courses and related basic studies. Such a background provides the graduate with the skills necessary to deal effectively with patients and their families. The program focuses on the characteristics of the individual, nursing process, and the core components of Associate degree nursing, as identified by the National League for Nursing. 

Various community health care settings are utilized for students to apply the nursing process in identifying and meeting needs of individuals.  A nursing laboratory containing equipment for practicing skills provides the setting for independent study as well as instructor‑supervised study. 

Graduates of the program receive an Associate Degree in Applied Science and are eligible to take the national licensing examination (NCLEX-RN) to become Registered Nurses in the State of Ohio.

Program Outcomes

LPN to ADN Transition Program

A special program has been developed for those LPNs who might choose to extend their course of study and apply for admission with advanced standing. LPNs who meet the general college admission requirements may enroll in General Studies and most related courses. An applicant must be a graduate of a state‑approved school of practical nursing, show proof of current licensure and meet the same admission requirements as other nursing students. Students will be admitted into the transitional coursework based upon space availability. The nursing technology and related courses must be completed within five (5) calendar years.  See advisor or chair for details. 

The Associate Degree Nursing Education Program serves to change lives, build futures, and improve communities by providing an opportunity for students with diverse learning needs to obtain an affordable, quality entry level professional nursing education, and thereby, meet the community’s need for nurses.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the overall job opportunities for registered nurses are expected to be excellent, but may vary by employment and geographic setting. Employment of RNs is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2016 and, because the occupation is very large, many new jobs will result. In fact, registered nurses are projected to generate 587,000 new jobs, among the largest number of new jobs for any occupation. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of job openings will result from the need to replace experienced nurses who leave the occupation.

Employment is expected to grow more slowly in hospitals—health care’s largest industry—than in most other health care industries. While the intensity of nursing care is likely to increase, requiring more nurses per patient, the number of inpatients (those who remain in the hospital for more than 24 hours) is not likely to grow by much. Patients are being discharged earlier, and more procedures are being done on an outpatient basis, both inside and outside hospitals. Rapid growth is expected in hospital outpatient facilities, such as those providing same-day surgery, rehabilitation, and chemotherapy.

More and more sophisticated procedures, once performed only in hospitals, are being performed in physicians’ offices and in outpatient care centers, such as freestanding ambulatory surgical and emergency centers. Accordingly, employment is expected to grow very fast in these places as health care in general expands.

Employment in nursing care facilities is expected to grow because of increases in the number of elderly, many of whom require long-term care. However, this growth will be relatively slower than in other health care industries because of the desire of patients to be treated at home or in residential care facilities, and the increasing availability of that type of care. The financial pressure on hospitals to discharge patients as soon as possible should produce more admissions to nursing and residential care facilities and to home health care. Job growth also is expected in units that provide specialized long-term rehabilitation for stroke and head injury patients, as well as units that treat Alzheimer’s victims.

Employment in home health care is expected to increase rapidly in response to the growing number of older persons with functional disabilities, consumer preference for care in the home, and technological advances that make it possible to bring increasingly complex treatments into the home. The type of care demanded will require nurses who are able to perform complex procedures.

Rapid employment growth in employment services industry is expected as hospitals, physician’s offices, and other health care establishments utilize temporary workers to fill short-term staffing needs. And as the demand for nurses grows, temporary nurses will be needed more often, further contributing to employment growth in this industry.

Job prospects. Overall job opportunities are expected to be excellent for registered nurses. Employers in some parts of the country and in certain employment settings report difficulty in attracting and retaining an adequate number of RNs, primarily because of an aging RN workforce and a lack of younger workers to fill positions. Enrollments in nursing programs at all levels have increased more rapidly in the past few years as students seek jobs with stable employment. However, many qualified applicants are being turned away because of a shortage of nursing faculty. The need for nursing faculty will only increase as many instructors near retirement. Many employers also are relying on foreign-educated nurses to fill vacant positions.

The program is approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing and is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, 3343 Peachtree Road, NE, Ste. 500, Atlanta, GA 30326, (404) 975-5000

Acceptance into a Nursing Major

1. All students, who apply for acceptance to a Nursing Program, have their name placed on a qualified list after they meet the Nursing Program’s Acceptance Requirements which are stated in this catalog. Names are listed on the qualified list, in order, using the date on which documentation was received, verifying that admission criteria have been met. In the event that two or more students qualify on the same day, the date of application to the College is used to rank order these students.

a. All students seeking acceptance into the associate degree nursing program must complete the ACT to qualify for acceptance into the Associate Degree Program.
b. Students who did not score at or above the minimum acceptable level on the ACT test, OR did not meet the high school criteria, may qualify for acceptance to a Nursing Program by successfully completing the respective developmental course(s) with a grade of “C” or higher. The student must complete these developmental courses and maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher before he/she will be eligible for placement on the qualified list. The qualifying date will be the last day of finals week of the quarter during which he/she completed the last course. These courses do NOT count toward graduation.

2. Acceptance into the first Associate Degree Nursing Program clinical course may occur in Fall, Winter or Spring quarter. Students are notified of acceptance approximately six weeks prior to the beginning of the quarter. The program will continue to accept students until all seats are filled.

3. Two seats in either Fall or Winter will be designated for Tech Prep students who have met the minimal qualifying criteria by June 30 and who have graduated from a Tech Prep program during May or June of that same year. Tech Prep students will be listed on the qualified list in the order in which they met all qualifying criteria, using the date on which documentation was received, verifying that all criteria have been met. In the event that two or more Tech Prep students qualify on the same day, the date of application to the college will be used to rank order the students. Tech Prep designated seats may rollover to Spring classes, if no qualified Tech Prep students are available for the Winter class. These two seats will then be filled by Tech Prep designated students, as they are listed on the qualification list, irrespective of high school graduation date.

Remaining seats will be given to students as they are listed in numerical order on the program’s qualified list. Up to 25 seats may be competitively awarded through an Accelerated Clinical Entry opportunity.

4. If you have been convicted of a prior felony and/or some misdemeanors, you may not be able to participate in clinical education experiences at some hospitals or other clinical sites; therefore preventing you from completing the program. A criminal record may also prevent you from obtaining a license or certificate in your chosen healthcare profession.

5. To meet the expanding requirements of our clinical affiliates, both a criminal background check and a drug screen will be mandatory prior to clinical experiences for all students within the division of Nursing. Some program exceptions may apply. You are at risk if you have been convicted of a prior felony and/or some misdemeanors. Students with certain felony, misdemeanor, or drug-related convictions will be ineligible for admission into clinical experiences. A criminal record may also prevent you from obtaining a license or certificate in your chosen healthcare profession. Students admitted to a program containing off campus clinical/practicum experiences will be required to submit to drug screening. Positive drug screenings will result in dismissal from all clinical courses. Any student who refuses/fails to cooperate, or complete any required drug screening will be considered “positive” and dismissed from the clinical component of their program. All students requiring drug screening may be subject to random drug screens and for cause during the program.

Acceptance Requirements
1. General college requirements (see General Admissions Procedures of the General Information section of the college catalog).

2. Writing: American College Test (ACT) scores of 18 or higher in English; or Self-placement into appropriate developmental coursework, COM-098 Developmental Writing, through the College, and completion of such with a grade of “C” or higher,

3. Reading: American College Test (ACT) scores of 18 or higher in Social Science; or completion of appropriate developmental coursework, COM-090 Reading and Study Skills, through the College with a grade of “C” or higher. Developmental course placement made through the Testing Center.

4. Math: American College Test (ACT) scores of 22 or higher in Mathematics; or completion of appropriate developmental coursework, MTH-055 Algebra, through the College with a grade of “C” or higher. Developmental course placement made through the Testing Center.

5. Sciences: (Chemistry and Biology) American College Test (ACT) scores of 20 or higher in Natural Science; or completion of appropriate developmental coursework, CHM 096 Introductory Science and/or BIO 109 Concepts in Biology or Credit by Examination, with a grade of “C” or higher.

6. Computer Skills: 0.5 unit of high school Computer Science with a grade of “C” or higher; or completion of appropriate developmental coursework, CPT 104 PC Microcomputer Lab, through the College with a grade of “C” or higher. While a high school computer science course may have met the qualification criteria for computer skills, it does not meet the prerequisite for CPT-106. Students must either complete CPT-104 with a grade of “C” or higher or receive Credit by Examination .

7. College GPA of 2.5 or higher for all previously completed applicable courses.

8. Certificate of completion of state-approved nurse aide training course.

9. Declaration of Nursing as the major course of study.

10. Evidence of sufficient physical and mental health to engage in the practice of nursing.

11. Current American Heart Association certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation for the Healthcare Provider or other CPR certificate cards as approved by the Dean or Chair.