Nursing (ADN)

Upon completion of this program, you should be able to:

• Evaluate nursing care provided to patients, families, and communities across the lifespan from diverse backgrounds in a variety of settings to ensure that it is compassionate, age and culturally appropriate and based on a patient's preferences, values and needs.
• Collaborate with members of the interprofessional health care team to manage and coordinate the provision of safe, quality care for patients, families, and groups.
• Demonstrate use of best current evidence and clinical expertise when making clinical decisions in the provision of patient-centered care.
• Use evidence-based information and patient care technology to communicate relevant patient information, manage care and mitigate error in the provision of safe, quality patient-centered care.
• Use evidence-based quality improvement processes to effect change in the delivery of patient-centered care.
• Demonstrate effective use of strategies to mitigate errors and reduce the risk of harm to patients, self and others in healthcare, home, and community settings.
• Use leadership, management and priority-setting skills in the provision and management of safe, quality patient-centered care.
• Assimilate integrity and accountability into practices that uphold established regulatory, legal, and ethical principles while providing patient-centered, standard-based nursing care.
• Provide health-related information to patients, families, and communities using varying teaching methods, which facilitate the acquisition of new knowledge and skills.
• Model verbal and nonverbal communication strategies that promote an effective exchange of information, development of therapeutic relationships and shared decision making with patients, families, and communities from diverse backgrounds.

*Note: Consult the Nursing Department for the sequence of nursing courses

Graduates of this Nursing Program are exempt from the college general education requirement in Health.

The California Board of Registered Nursing mandates this option, and candidates completing it are eligible to take the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Examination (NCLEX) to acquire licensure as a Registered Nurse in the State of California. Other states may not recognize this option as valid preparation for R.N. licensure and, therefore, not grant interstate licensure.

Individuals completing this option are not graduates of Los Angeles Southwest College’s Nursing Program and are not eligible to wear the program’s cap or pin. The Associate Degree in Science with a specialization in Nursing is not awarded upon completion of the 30-Unit Option. A grade of “C” or better is mandatory for all courses required in the 30-Unit Option. Applicants are admitted on a space available basis.

Application Process

If you are selecting this option, please go to the Nursing Department Office to receive an application. Once you complete the application, write on the front of the form in the upper right corner, “30-Unit Option.” Return the application to the Nursing Department Office along with:

1. Verification of a current California LVN license
2. Verification of U.S. high school graduation, G.E.D., or California Proficiency Examination
3. Official college transcripts listing the required prerequisite courses
4. Education Plan completed by a college counselor at LASC.

If you are selecting this option, you are also required to take the Nursing Department’s tests to demonstrate math computation and reading speed, proficiency, and comprehension. If needed, we have assistance services to help you achieve the required skill levels you’ll need prior to enrolling in the first Nursing course.

Admission Requirements

1. Completion of all health, immunization and laboratory tests required for students enrolled in the generic Nursing Program.
2. Professional liability insurance.
3. CPR certification for health care providers, which includes adult, child, and infant airway management information and competencies

If you have military experience and education in a healthcare occupation, you may qualify for advance placement into LASC’s Nursing program. Below is further information on what you will need in order to obtain advance placement.

We recommend also reviewing this information in the current Course Catalog for any updated information. In the catalog and Nursing Student Handbook, you can also review our current policies on Petitioning for Credit by Examination and how to Challenge for Nursing Course Credit:

Military Personnel Advance Placement Requirements
If you have documented military education and experience in health care occupations, specifically one of these:

• Basic Medical Technician Corpsman (Navy HM or Air Force BMTCP)
• Army Health Care Specialist (68 W Army Medic)
• Air Force Independent Duty Medical Technician (IMDT 4NOX1C)

You may be eligible for advanced placement into the LASC nursing programs. You’ll need documentation of your education and experience to qualify for the specific Military Health Care Occupation, as well as successful completing the appropriate challenge exams, dosage calculation exam, and skills competency evaluation. Official transcript(s) and documentation of your experience (on official letterhead) must be submitted. You must have been discharged under “honorable” conditions.

Please review and follow the policies below:

1. Your documentation of education and clinical experience for military health care occupations must demonstrate satisfactory completion of education and experience. Official transcript(s) and documentation of experience (on official letterhead) must be submitted.
2. As an applicant, you must meet all general entrance requirements of the Associate Degree Nursing program, including completion of designated prerequisites and achievement of required cut score of 62% on nursing readiness entrance examination, ATITest of Essential Academic Skills (ATI-TEAS). If you do not meet the cut scores, you will have six (6) months to one (1) year to remediate and re-take the exam. If you do not meet the cut score the second time, you will not be eligible for entry into the nursing program.
3. Your acceptance as a military challenge/ advanced placement student into the Associate Degree Nursing Program is contingent upon space availability and successfully passing the skills competency exam, achieving 75% or above on the challenge exam and 95% on dosage calculation exam.
4. As a Military Challenge student, you will not be eligible for admission into the Associate Degree Nursing Program if you earned a substandard grade of “D”, or “W” in a previous nursing program.
5. You must adhere to the challenge policy and procedure, as stated in the Student Handbook and College Catalog (Petition for Credit by Examination) and as stated below in the Procedures section.
6. You must adhere to LACCD’s Administrative Regulation E10 guideline as stated on the LACCD webpage and the LASC nursing program Progression and Retention policy.

PROCEDURE:
If you are interested in applying to the Nursing program, you must request an appointment with the program director at least four (4) weeks prior to the application period to discuss eligibility requirements for the Associate Degree Nursing.

You must:

1. Satisfy the rules and regulations established in the LASC policy for petitioning for Credit By Examination (refer to current LASC catalog for the established criteria)
2. Have satisfactorily completed the prerequisites of the Nursing courses being challenged
3. Submit to the Department Chairperson documentation of all previous course work and/ or experiences you believe qualifies you for course credit by examination
4. The petition, document, and recommendations of the Chair will be presented and discussed with the Nursing Program’s Policy/ Admission committee at the next regularly scheduled meeting
5. The Nursing Policy /Admission committee will determine eligibility
6. If you qualify, you will be contacted by the examiner following the decision of the Policy/ Admission committee advising:
7. The date the course materials will be available
8. Suggested dates and location of the examination dates of scheduled clinical experiences that include development of nursing care plans (nursing care plans will be graded as Pass/Fail).
9. A letter grade will be given once you complete your theory and clinical examination. You will be notified what grade you achieved for the course, and credit will be issued if you pass the exam
10. Once you are notified of your grade, the grade will be submitted to the Admission and Records Office. The Nursing Program requires clinical experience that will be observed at local hospitals and other health care settings in the community. All clinical experience is coordinated with classroom instruction. Lecture hours will be assigned

Approved by the LACCD Nursing District Discipline Committee: 04/13/16

Dates for Nursing Department meetings can be found at this link.

Meeting agendas and minutes for the Nursing Department are below: