Nursing (RN), A.S.

The Nursing Program prepares graduates to provide direct client care in a safe, effective manner across multiple settings. The registered nurse (RN) is prepared to manage the care of clients in any setting to achieve an optimal state of health. The RN uses the nursing process to assess and analyze the health needs and/or problems of clients, plan and implement appropriate actions based upon nursing diagnosis or identified client needs, and evaluate the extent to which expected outcomes are achieved. Graduates of the Registered Nurse Program earn an Associate of Science (A.S.) degree and are eligible to sit for the RN licensure examination (NCLEX-RN).

The RN Program articulates with bachelor's degree nursing programs allowing graduates to transfer or challenge credits.

The ratio of credit to clock hours is consistent throughout both nursing programs and both transition and is based on a 15-week semester. The credit-clock allocation in all NUR courses is as follows:

Lecture - one credit hour = one clock hour
Campus Nursing Skills Laboratory - one credit hour = three clock hours
Clinical Laboratory Experience - one credit hour = three clock hours

A grade of B or higher is required in all NUR courses. No NUR course may be repeated more than once. A cumulative grade point average of 2.0 is required for continuation in the nursing course sequence in both nursing programs.

Both nursing programs are approved by the Maryland Board of Nursing and the RN Program is accredited by Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) (formerly National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, NLNAC), 3343 Peachtree Road, N.E., Suite 850, Atlanta, Georgia 30326; telephone 404-975-5000.

Students seeking admission to the Nursing (RN) Program should select this petitioner program for admission to the college.

Graduates of the Nursing (RN) A.S. will be able to:

• Prescribe nursing activities within an environment which reflects ethical and legal standards of nursing practice
• Manage the patient care environment in a variety of settings with regard to factors affecting safety across the lifespan
• Evaluate the patients adaptation to developmental changes across the lifespan
• Evaluate the patients ability for self-care and initiate activities that promote optimal functioning
• Develop a therapeutic plan for patients/family members/significant others with psychosocial health alterations in a variety of settings
• Evaluate the effects of culture, values, and the environment to develop a plan of care that facilitates coping of patients/family members/significant others
• Evaluate therapeutic nursing interventions to reduce risks of patients health alteration within a variety of settings
• Collaborate with member of the health care team to modify the plan of care and promote optimal physiologic function for patients within a variety of settings

Nursing (RN) Student Planning Guide