Nursing (Registered Nursing)
Associate in Applied Science Degree (A45110)

Overview

The Associate Degree Nursing curriculum provides knowledge, skills, and strategies to integrate safety and quality into nursing care, to practice in a dynamic environment, and to meet individual needs which impact health, quality of life, and achievement of potential.

Coursework includes and builds upon the domains of healthcare, nursing practice, and the holistic individual. Content emphasizes the nurse as a member of the interdisciplinary team providing safe, individualized care while employing evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and informatics.

Career Outline

Graduates of this program are eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEXRN). Employment opportunities are vast within the global health care system and may include positions within acute, chronic, extended, industrial, and community health care facilities.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Practice professional nursing behaviors incorporating personal responsibility and accountability for continued competence.
• Communicate professionally and effectively with individuals, significant support person(s), and members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team.
• Integrate knowledge of the holistic needs of the individual to provide an individual centered assessment.
• Incorporate informatics to formulate evidence-based clinical judgments and management decisions.
• Implement caring interventions incorporating documented best practices for individuals in diverse settings.
• Develop a teaching plan for individuals, and/or the nursing team, incorporating teaching and learning principles.
• Collaborate with the interdisciplinary healthcare team to advocate for positive individual and organizational outcomes.
• Manage health care for the individual using cost effective nursing strategies, quality improvement processes, and current technologies.
• Prioritize assessments and client-centered nursing interventions relevant to clinical decision making.

Curriculum

• In addition to other published documented admission requirements, ACA 118                must be successfully completed no later than summer semester prior to fall        admission to the ADN program.   First Semester (Fall) Class Lab Clinical Credit BIO 168 Anatomy & Physiology I (within 10 years) 3 3 0 4 ENG 111 Expository Writing 3 0 0 3 NUR 111 Introduction to Health Concepts 4 6 6 8   10 9 6 15 Second Semester (Spring)         BIO 169 Anatomy & Physiology II (within 10 years) 3 3 0 4 PSY 150 General Psychology 3 0 0 3 NUR 112 Health Illness Concepts 3 0 6 5 NUR 211 Health Care Concepts 3 0 6 5   12 3 12 17 Third Semester (Summer)         BIO 275 Microbiology (within 10 years) 3 3 0 4 PSY 241 Developmental Psychology 3 0 0 3 CIS 110 Introduction to Computers (within 5 years) 2 2 0 3 NUR 114 Holistic Health Concepts 3 0 6 5   11 5 6 15 Fourth Semester (Fall)         ENG 112 Argument Based Research or ENG 114 Professional Research and Reporting or ENG 113 Literature-Based Research     3     0     0     3 NUR 113 Family Health Concepts 3 0 6 5 NUR 212 Health Systems Concepts 3 0 6 5   9 0 12 13           Fifth Semester (Spring)         NUR 213 Complex Health Concepts 4 3 15 10 Humanities Elective (Literature, Religion, Philosophy, Art, or Music) 3 0 0 3   7 3 15 13

  Total Hours Required for Graduation: 73 Hours

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  Program News & Links

• Printable Information Sheets	Application Checklist	2011-2012 Nursing Handbook	2013 ADN Application
  Information Session Schedule

  Admission Information

  For all programs, the following steps must be completed for admission into Gaston College:

• Complete and submit application online or pick up application at the Admissions Office on the main campus, Dallas Campus, 2nd floor Myers Center.
• Request that your high school mail an official high school transcript to Gaston College Office of Admissions. The documentation listed below can be submitted in the place of a traditional high school transcript: Official Adult High School transcript, official copy of GED scores, official transcript from an accredited correspondence school/institution, official transcript from Home School, official transcript from a regionally accredited college or university reflecting an Associate Degree or higher.
• Request that all colleges/universities previously attended submit official transcripts to above address. Transcripts must be in the registrar’s office by the third Friday of January in order for courses to receive points for admission in the nursing program.
• Take the placement test as determined by the Gaston College Admissions Office. If you have taken the Accuplacer (CPT), COMPASS, and/or ASSET within the past five years at another college or university, please request that the scores be submitted to the Admissions Office.
• Complete new student orientation.
• Meet with a counselor or academic advisor for selection of courses, registration and specific information about the nursing program.
• Provide proof of English proficiency. This may be established by making a minimum total score of 6 (Internet-based), 207 (computer based), or 540 (paper-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
• Complete an application for the Associate Degree Nursing Program in addition to the general application to Gaston College. Application sessions are scheduled through the nursing department beginning the first Tuesday in September and ending the last Friday in November each year.

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TO BE ELIGIBLE TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO THE ASSOCIATE DEGREE NURSING PROGRAM APPLICANTS MUST HAVE:

• A minimum composite score of 65 on the TEAS V taken within 5 years from the date of application. Official scores for the TEAS must be submitted to Gaston College via the testing company. This requirement is waived for those with a Baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited college or university.

             *TEAS retakes must be at least 60 days apart

             *TEAS will be the only accepted test for students applying for Fall 2012 and after.           

•  An overall GPA of at least 2.0 in college level coursework taken.
• Completed a state approved Certified Nurse Assistant I course or NC Health Occupations class with a minimum grade of “C”.   Listing on the Nurse Aide Registry is required by May 1 prior to fall admission in the ADN program. An acceptable CNA I course must have approximately 120 hours and a clinical component. A transcript or certificate must be submitted to verify the CNA I course. State listing on the Nurse Aide Registry does not provide documentation of an acceptable CNA I course.

Competitive Admission Criteria

The following are used by the nursing department admissions committee in the selection process of qualified applicants.

• TEAS score
• Number of required general education courses completed (with a minimum grade of C) by the end of the fall semester in which application is made.
• Grade Point Average (GPA) in required general education courses (see program of study)
• Grade in Allied Health II course on an official High School transcript

Admission points are calculated based on the above criteria. The final selection of applicants into the program is made by the department chair in consultation with the nursing department Admissions Committee.

Students Admitted to Nursing Program

In addition to maintaining a 2.0 GPA and earning a minimum grade of “C” in all nursing curriculum courses, applicants accepted into the ADN program must meet the following requirements in order to enroll and continue in nursing courses:

• Orientation session for ADN Nursing
• ACA 118 College Study Skills course (no later than summer prior to fall admission
• Nurse Aide I registry listing with no findings (no later than spring semester prior to fall admission)
• Adult and Infant CPR certification
• Immunizations required by the NC Community College System and clinical agencies
• Satisfactory physical and emotional health examination documented on a NC Community College Student Medical Form provided by the nursing department
• Criminal background check and fingerprinting
• Drug screen

Clinical agencies reserve the right to deny a student access to the facility based on failure to meet the above requirements. If a student is denied access to any clinical agency, the student will be not allowed to continue in the nursing program. Detailed information regarding these agency requirements will be provided upon conditional acceptance into the nursing program.

Program Costs:
In addition to tuition and textbooks, costs of this program include the following: uniforms, lab coat, stethoscope, a physical examination, immunizations, current CPR certification, criminal background check, FBI fingerprinting, drug screening at a time designated by the nursing faculty, and fees for application for licensure for NC State Board of Nursing and National Council Licensure Examination.

Clinical Sites
Clinical sites for the Associate Degree Nursing Programs are:

• Gaston Memorial Hospital, Gastonia, NC
• CMC - Lincoln, Lincolnton, NC
• Kings Mountain Hospital, Kings Mountain, NC
• Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC
• Cleveland Regional Medical Center, Shelby, NC
• Frye Regional Medical Center, Hickory, NC
• Catawba Valley Medical Center, Hickory, NC
• Broughton Hospital, Morganton, NC
• White Oak Manor, Shelby, NC
• White Oak Manor, Kings Mountain, NC
• Courtland Terrace, Gastonia, NC
• Lincoln Nursing Center, Lincolnton, NC
• Carolina Care, Cherryville, NC
• Stanley Total Living Center, Stanley, NC

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*Registration Fees include in-state tuition, lab supply fees, technology fee, student activity fee, and usage fee based on 2011-2012 prices.     
**Estimated cost based on 2009 textbook prices.

Out of state tuition is currently $248.50 per credit hour, plus fees.

Information on scholarships and loans for nursing students can be obtained from the Financial Aid Office, Myers Center. The telephone number is (704) 922-6227.

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Contact Us

For any further questions you may contact:

Chairperson: Dianne George, MSN, RN
Phone: 704.922.6487
Email: george.dianne@gaston.edu

Jill Coy, RN, MA
Coordinator, Health Programs
704.922.6369
coy.jill@gaston.edu