Nursing (A.S.)

Award: Associate of Science degree, A.S.

Code: AS.NUR.RN

Total Credit Hours: A minimum of 67

Learn more about the Nursing Degree program

Purpose: For students who wish to complete formal education with an Associate of Science degree. Graduates of the nursing (RN) program are eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). The nursing program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. (ACEN), 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326 (404-975-5000) and approved by the Maryland Board of Nursing.

AACC cannot confirm whether the course or program meets requirements for professional licensure in states other than Maryland. If you plan to apply for licensure in a state other than Maryland, contact that state’s licensing board to determine whether the AACC course or program meets requirements for licensure in that state. If you need assistance finding contact information for your state, or if you need additional information regarding professional licensure, please contact the School of Health Sciences at 410-777-7310.

Range of Occupations

Additional Program Requirements

A grade of B or better is required in BIO 231 and BIO 233 and a grade of C or better in all NUR and all general education courses to progress in the program.

Students practice selected procedures on each other in the college laboratory. All nursing students must receive a mark of satisfactory in the clinical laboratory. Students who receive a mark of unsatisfactory in the clinical laboratory at any time during the nursing course sequence will not be permitted to continue in the clinical laboratory and will receive a final grade of F.

Special Conditions

Health Manpower Shortage: This program of study may be designated a Health Manpower Shortage Tuition Reduction Program. This means that some residents of Maryland (see the Tuition, Fees and Payments section of this catalog) enrolled in this program of study by the first day of the term may be eligible for in-county tuition rates for courses required for program completion. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm that this program still maintains a Health Manpower Shortage Program status before enrolling. Please refer to the college’s Accounts Receivable Office to confirm this designation.

*Beginning with the fall 2018 class, the program is no longer rolling admission. Applications for the fall 2018 class will be available December 2017 and due March 15, 2018.

Anne Arundel Community College and/or the School of Health Sciences reserves the right to revise requirements for admission into the Health Sciences programs, the selection criteria and procedures, and the required courses for programs of study as deemed necessary without prior notification.

Entrance/Admission Requirements

Admission Requirements

  1. Attendance at a program information session or call 410-777-7310 for schedule. Detailed information regarding program, profession, admission and academic requirements and selection criteria will be discussed.
  2. Submit a completed program application by the application deadline.
  3. Take the Arithmetic Placement Test and receive a score of 27 or higher or enroll in MAT 005 and complete it with a grade of C or better prior to submitting program application.
  4. The Test of Essential Academic Skills (ATI TEAS) is required prior to submitting program application with the scores indicated in the program admissions requirement booklet.
  5. High school graduate or equivalency or bachelor’s degree or higher from nationally recognized institution or 27 college credits with “C” or better from nationally recognized institution will also meet this requirement. Official transcripts required.
  6. United States high school general chemistry (1 credit), CHE 011 (non-credit), or a college-level chemistry (CHE 111 or CHE 103) with a grade of C or better. If home schooled, the high school curriculum must be under a recognized umbrella organization with the supervision of a state-approved curriculum. AACC may require a course syllabus so that our chemistry department chair can review and approve the curriculum.

Selection Criteria

Students will be admitted to the registered nursing course sequence each fall and spring semester as the number of students permit. Complete applications received by the deadline will be given a seat once confirmed complete and qualified. Seats are assigned on date and time complete application is received. Students will apply for the RN program only after meeting all academic and admission criteria. Once the applicant’s admission criteria have been verified, that student receives conditional acceptance for the next available seat. Applications will be rejected if incomplete. Incomplete applications will be sent back to the student and can be resubmitted once they are complete. Once the class is full, even if it is prior to the deadline, students will have to wait for the next admission cycle to start in order to apply.

To be considered for conditional acceptance, the applicant must meet the following criteria:

Technical Standards

Students who are conditionally accepted to this program of study will be required to submit a Health Examination Record completed by a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant validating that the student meets the technical standard of good physical and mental health as established by the School of Health Sciences, and verifying that the student is free of communicable diseases as evidenced by required immunizations/titers.

CPR

Students must successfully complete the American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR course by designated deadline.

Enrollment Restrictions

State requirements and limitations of hospital facilities necessitate enrollment restrictions. An applicant who has been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor may not be eligible for licensure as a registered nurse. (See nursing department director for additional information.) Students enrolled in the nursing course sequence are required to comply with the Maryland Nurse Practice Act.

Readmission to the Nursing Course Sequence

Students who leave or are dismissed from the nursing course sequence may address a written petition for readmission to the department director. Readmission cannot be assured and is based on the criteria described in the readmission requirements available in the Health Sciences office. Requests for readmission must be received by the nursing department by Aug. 1 for spring term readmission and by Jan. 10 for fall term readmission. Prior nursing courses must have been taken within the previous two years.

Transfer from Other Nursing Programs

Students who have successfully completed nursing courses within the past two years in an accredited RN nursing program may be eligible to transfer into the nursing course sequence. Transfer cannot be assured and is based on the evaluation of completed nursing courses. Transferring students must contact the director of nursing and healthcare initiatives for direction.

Transfer to Baccalaureate Nursing Programs

Nursing graduates may transfer up to 60 general education credits to state baccalaureate nursing programs. They will be awarded 30 additional credits for an unencumbered RN license.

Criminal Background Checks and Drug Screening

This program requires the satisfactory completion of a criminal background check and possible drug screening. For complete details, see the Health Sciences section of this catalog.

Graduation Requirements

See Academic Regulations for college-wide Graduation Requirements.

Planning Tool: Two-Year Sequence of Courses

Open/Print this Planning Tool

Recommended Course Sequence - Registered Nursing

Students must have a grade of C or better in all Registered Nursing courses and general education courses (with the exception of BIO 231/BIO 233, which must be a grade of B or better) to progress in the program. General education courses may be taken prior to acceptance into the RN program except for BIO 231/BIO 233, which must be taken prior to submitting application.

Term 1

Must be completed with a B or better prior to submitting application. Must be taken within 7 years of the date the application is submitted.

OR

Must be completed with a B or better prior to submitting application. Must be taken within 7 years of the date the application is submitted. BIO 101 - Fundamentals of Biology is a college prerequisite of BIO 233. Therefore, it will take three terms to complete this science sequence.

(satisfies the college diversity requirements)

English: 3 credits

Successful completion of ENG 121 fully satisfies the college English composition general education requirement. Students who take ENG 121 and not ENG 111-ENG 112 nor ENG 115-ENG 116 may need to take an additional elective course to ensure that they achieve a minimum of 60 credits, which are required for the award of an associate degree. These credit hours must be chosen with the approval of the department chair or program coordinator.

Total credit hours: 16-17

Term 2

Co-requisite for NUR 120, NUR 121, and NUR 122

OR

BIO 232 and BIO 234 must be taken within 7 years of the date the application is submitted.

Total credit hours: 13

Term 3

BIO 223 must be taken within 7 years of the date the application is submitted.

Prerequisite to NUR 221

Total credit hours: 16

Term 4

Total credit hours: 9-12

Term 5

Arts and humanities general education course (except ENG) 3 credit hours

See General Education Arts and Humanities Requirements for a list of approved courses.

Total credit hours: 13

LPN, Paramedic, Veterans to RN Advanced Placement

AACC and the American Public University System (APUS) have created an accelerated, dual enrollment program that combines credential assessment, credit transfer and online education to enable qualified LPNs, Paramedics or Veterans admission into the second year of the nursing program at AACC.

Prerequisites

All prerequisite courses must be completed by the date the application is submitted. All science courses must be taken within 7 years of the date the application is submitted. The prerequisite course BIO 231/233 must be completed with a minimum grade of B. All other prerequisite courses must be completed with a minimum grade of C in each course.

A prerequisite cumulative GPA of 2.5 (no rounding) is also required.

OR

OR

Successful completion of ENG 121 fully satisfies the college English composition general education requirement. Students who take ENG 121 and not ENG 111-ENG 112 nor ENG 115-ENG 116 may need to take an additional elective course to ensure that they achieve a minimum of 60 credits, which are required for the award of an associate degree. These credit hours must be chosen with the approval of the department chair or program coordinator.

Must be taken within 7 years of the date the application is submitted.

Must be taken within 7 years of the date the application is submitted.

Must be taken within 7 years of the date the application is submitted.

OR

Must be taken within 7 years of the date the application is submitted. BIO 101-Fundamentals of Biology is a college prerequisite of BIO 233. Therefore, it will take three terms to complete this science sequence.

Must be taken within 7 years of the date the application is submitted.

Recommended Course Sequence - LPN, Paramedic, Veterans to RN Advanced Placement

A grade of C or better in each Registered Nursing and general education course is required to progress in the program. General education courses may be taken prior to acceptance into the RN program. NURS 152 must be taken the semester prior to starting the nursing course sequence.

Term 1

*NURS 152 Military Nursing Fundamentals and Care of the Adult Childbearing Family 6 credit hours

Total credit hours: 6

Term 2

Total credit hours: 5

Term 3**

Total credit hours: 9

Term 4

Total credit hours: 13

*About NURS 152

NURS 152 is a 6-credit, online, 16-week course through the American Public University System (APUS). AACC will notify APUS of selected students. APUS will then contact student to set up registration. Once student’s registration is confirmed the student will receive information regarding the required books that will be needed for the course. Tuition for NURS 152 is $270 per credit hour plus a $50 technology fee. G.I. Bill benefits are accepted. Once the course is successfully completed the student will request an official transcript be sent to AACC to continue to Term 2.

** For Veterans - Term 3 is not considered Full-Time by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, therefore benefits will be prorated.

Additional Admission Requirements

LPN Training

Official transcript from LPN training must be submitted to verify successful completion of LPN training from a state-approved licensed practical nursing program.

Clinical Experience

The following material must be submitted to continue the application process:

Paramedics

Official transcript from Paramedic training must be submitted to verify successful completion of Paramedic training from a state-approved licensed paramedic program.

Clinical Experience

The following material must be submitted to continue the application process.

Veterans

Clinical Experience

Computer Competency Requirement

Requirement satisfied through a sequence of courses within Program Requirements.

Diversity Requirement

Satisfied by completion of SOC 111.

Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

This program aligns with the college’s core competencies.

Career and Educational Advancement Resources

Career, Workforce Certifications Education and Transfer Resources