Nursing AAS (RN)
ACC offers an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree. This program is nationally approved by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. (ACEN), the Colorado State Board of Nursing and the Colorado Community College System (CCCS).
The program prepares ACC graduates to take the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) and for employment as a registered nurse. You will develop entry level skills to work in hospitals, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation units and clinical settings in the areas of Medical/Surgical, Obstetric & Pediatric, and Psychiatric Nursing. The ACC Nursing Program consistently maintains high pass rates on the NCLEX and works closely with an Advisory Committee that provides feedback on nursing/health care industry graduate standards, requirements and desired new graduate outcomes.
While in the Nursing program at ACC, you will benefit from:
- High professional standards
- Superior reputation in the community and excellent rate of hire
- Seamless progression to earn both your AAS and BSN degrees at ACC
- Active learning in the classroom, labs and supervised clinical experiences
- Simulation experiences state-of-the-art labs
- NCLEX high pass rates
- Accessible faculty and staff — Director and Faculty who are MSN (Master of Nursing Science) prepared, Retention Coordinator, Simulation Coordinator, Lab Coordinator and Clinical Coordinator
- Competitive application process
ACC Nursing AAS Information Sessions
Attending a Nursing Program Information Session is one of the application requirements for the Nursing AAS degree. We highly recommend attending an information session as soon as you begin planning for eventual admission to the nursing program. You will gain valuable information about the program, and important details about the application process will be explained. You may request an attendance waiver if you live more than 50 miles from ACC. Please contact the nursing program office at nursing [at] arapahoe [dot] edu for more information.
Nursing AAS Admission / Application Process
The Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree (AAS) program is approved by the Colorado State Board of Nursing and the Colorado Community College System. You will develop skills to work in hospitals and clinical settings in the areas of Obstetric and Pediatric, Medical/Surgical, and Psychiatric Nursing, and prepares you to take the NCLEX exam to become a Registered Nurse.
If you do not have a Nursing AAS, associate degree, or diploma, you should select "Health" as your Area of Interest and "Nursing (Pre-admitted Program)" as your degree when you apply to ACC even if you intend to continue on to earn your BSN. You will then need to fill out the Nursing AAS application and attend a Nursing AAS information session.
Application Deadlines
FALL Semester:
- Applications for fall semester will open on the 3rd Monday of April at 9:00am and close on the 3rd Friday of May at noon
SPRING Semester (January) Starts:
- Applications for spring semester will open on the first Monday of November at 9:00am and close on the 2nd Friday of December at noon
To get started on your journey to become a Registered Nurse, download the Nursing Program Application
LPN to ADN Program option
The LPN to ADN program is for students who possess a License as a Practical Nurse and wish to complete the ADN program. The LPN to ADN Program at ACC is temporarily closed to new applicants at this time.
Before Submitting Your Application
- Read the Nursing Program Information Packet to learn about admissions requirements, prerequisite courses, and other general program application information.
- HESI Pre-Registration Information
- Attend a required Nursing Program Information Session.
- Prepare for the Information Session by reading these Nursing FAQs and the Nursing Student Handbook.
- Familiarize yourself with the Associate of Applied Science - Nursing degree requirements.
- Review the list of Disqualifying Criminal Offenses that would prevent your admission to the Nursing Program. You will need to undergo a criminal background check as part of the admissions process.
Admission into our Nursing program is competitive and selective, based on a point system based on the following criteria after meeting the minimum requirements. Applicants will be ranked starting with the highest point value first. Random selection is used when applicants have been awarded the same number of points.
Ranking Criteria
Criteria Points
GPA
GPA POINT VALUE ACHIEVED = POINTS AWARDED
Maximum Point Award is 4.00
GPA calculated based on prerequisite classes ONLY:
- ENG 121 (3 credits)
- PSY 235 (3 credits)
- BIO 201 (4 credits)
- HPR 108 (1 credit)
- HWE 100 (3 credits)
A = 4, B = 3, C = 2. Multiply grade value by number of credits for each class. Divide by the total number of credits for GPA. If you took HPR 108, divide by 11; if you took HWE 100, divide by 13.
Healthcare Employment
Employer verification of healthcare employment in the last 5 years
- 600-750 hours = .5 points
- 751-1000 hours = .75 points
- 1001-1500 hours = 1.0 points
- 1501-1750 hours = 1.5 points
- 1751-2000 hours = 1.75 points
- 2001-2500 hours = 2.0 points
- 2501-2750 hours = 2.5 points
- 2751-2000 hours = 2.75 points
- Over 3000 hours = 3.00 points
HESI Nursing Admission Assessment Exam
Maximum Point Award is 3 - Science Composite Score
- 70%-80% = 1 point
- 81%-90% = 2 points
- 91%-100% = 3 points
Healthcare related certification, licenses and degrees
Maximum Point Award is 1 point.
Healthcare related Certifications, Licenses, Degrees(other than CNA or BLS) = .25 point
HESI English Language Composite and Math
Must score at least 70% in both English Language Composite and Math. These two scores are averaged. Maximum 100 points. The HESI Nursing Admissions Assessment Exam Cumulative Score will be used as the determining factor to rank candidates who share the same total score.
Total
Total combined score of candidate criteria points. HESI average of English and Math scores.
Nursing AAS Course Sequence Guide
5 Semester Plan
1st Semester
- ENG 121 | English Composition I | 3 credits
- BIO 201 | Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 credits
- PSY 101* | General Psychology | 3 credits
- PSY 235 | Human Growth and Development | 3 credits
- HPR 108* | Nutrition | 1 credit
* Any Arts & Humanities or Social & Behavioral Science may be substituted for PSY 101
2nd Semester
Must be admitted into the Nursing Program to take NUR courses
- BIO 202 | Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 credits
- MAT 103 | Math for Clinical Calculations | 3 credits
- NUR 109 | Fundamentals of Nursing | 6 credits
- NUR 112 | Basic Concepts of Pharmacology | 2 credits
3rd Semester
- BIO 204 | Microbiology | 4 credits
- NUR 150 | Maternal Child Nursing | 6 credits
- NUR 106 | Med-Surg Nursing Concepts | 7 credits
4th Semester
- BIO 216 | Pathophysiology | 4 credits
- NUR 206 | Advanced Concepts of Med/Surg Nursing I | 6.5 credits
- NUR 211 | Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing | 4 credits
- NUR 212 | Pharmacology II | 2 credits
5th Semester
- NUR 216 | Advanced Concepts of Med/Surg Nursing II | 5 credits
- NUR 230 | Transition to Professional Nursing | 4 credits
Program Data
NCLEX Pass Rates
| Year | ACC NCLEX-RN Pass Rates | National NCLEX-RN Pass Rates for Associate Degree |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 94% | 85% |
| 2016 | 95% | 84% |
| 2015 | 89% | 84% |
Programs Graduate Job Placement Rates
| Graduation Date | Employment Rate 12 Months After Graduation |
|---|---|
| Spring 2017 | 82% at 6 months |
| Fall 2016 | 88.9% |
| Spring 2016 | 100% |
| Fall 2015 | 97% |
| Spring 2015 | 87% |
Program Completion Rates
| Admission Date | Percentage of Students Completing Program Within 3 Years |
|---|---|
| Spring 2016 | 97.4% |
| Fall 2015 | 90.9% |
| Spring 2015 | 83.33% |
| Fall 2014 | 94% |
| Spring 2014 | 86% |
Nursing Program Outcomes
- ACC’s most recent annual licensure examination pass rate will be at least 80% for all first time test takers.
- 80% of graduates will have employment as an RN within twelve months of graduation.
- 80% of graduates who respond will agree they are satisfied with Arapahoe Community College Nursing Program on the Graduate Employment and Follow-up Survey. 80% of qualitative data will be of a positive nature.
- 80% of surveys returned by employers will state satisfaction with graduate preparation for entry level positions 12 months after graduation.
- 80% of students will complete their program within 12 months of the projected completion date.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Provide safe, quality, evidence-based nursing care in a variety of healthcare settings to diverse client populations across the lifespan.
- Engage in critical thinking and clinical reasoning to make client centered care decision.
- Implement quality measures to improve client care.
- Participate in collaborative relationships with members of the interdisciplinary team, the client, and the client’s support persons.
- Use information management principles, techniques, and systems, and client care technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision-making.
- Provide leadership in a variety of healthcare settings for diverse client populations.
- Assimilate professional, legal, and ethical guidelines in practice as a professional nurse.
- Promote a culture of caring to provide holistic, compassionate, culturally-competent care.
ACC Nursing Degrees:
Partner BSN Tracks
- Metropolitan State University of Denver
- University of Colorado
- University of Colorado - Colorado Springs
- University of Phoenix
Nursing AAS Academic Plans
Nursing AAS Academic Plan PDF | Accessible Word doc
ACC Nursing AAS Application
Admissions Information
- Nursing Degree Information Packet
- HESI Pre-Registration Information
- Nursing AAS Student Handbook
- Disqualifying Criminal Offenses
Accreditation Information
The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. (ACEN), formerly the National League for Nursing Accreditation (NLNAC), officially approved national accreditation for ACC's Associate Degree Nursing program at its March 3, 2011 meeting.
The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. (ACEN), is located at 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, Georgia 30326. Their telephone number is 404.795.5000; the website is acenursing.org.
