Division of Health Professions

The Associate Degree Nursing Program prepares students for positions as entry level nurses in acute and long term care facilities. Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree. The graduate is eligible to apply for state licensure exam candidacy (NCLEX-RN) to become a Registered Nurse. Nursing students attend classes on the College campus. Selected clinical learning experiences are provided at a variety of health care agencies with direct guidance of the nursing faculty. The purpose of these experiences is to provide the student with the opportunity to apply classroom learning in direct patient care situations. The Associate Degree Nursing and Practical Nursing Programs are approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. Both programs are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). For more information regarding ACEN contact 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850 Atlanta, Georgia 30326, (404)975-5000, http://www.acenursing.org.

Program Competencies

Upon successful completion of this program, the graduate should be able to:

• Formulate clinical judgments, substantiated with evidence based practice, utilizing informatics in response to the evolving healthcare needs of clients, families and communities across the lifespan.
• Implement risk reduction strategies through both system effectiveness and individual performance and offer insight to improve the quality and safety of healthcare delivery.
• Integrate professionalism as a member of the interdisciplinary healthcare team by fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision making to achieve quality client care.
• Integrate professional practice standards, integrity, accountability, responsibility and ethical comportment into the practice of nursing.
• Function as an advocate by providing compassionate and relationship-centered care based on respect, preferences, values, and needs of clients, families, and communities.

New students for this program will be placed into the Health Science Transfer program until they have been admitted through the selective admissions process into the clinical program. Please visit our Enrollment Information page for details on the Selective Admissions process for the Nursing program.