Registered Nursing Degree, A.A.S.

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Curriculum No. 366

*This nursing education program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.

This degree program prepares students to deliver high-quality, safe and cost-effective health care as a Registered Professional Nurse. Registered Professional Nursing is governed by the State of Illinois Nurse Practice Act 2007. It is designed to prepare the entry-level professional nurse to sit for the licensing examination for professional nurses (NCLEX-RN) after graduation. The Registered Professional Nurse advocates for patient safety through use of evidence- based practice, team work, ethics, technology and a focus on continuous quality improvement. The curriculum includes theory in communications, science and behavioral sciences as well as nursing. The Kishwaukee College Nursing Program curriculum utilizes the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) Institute competencies to provide an organizing framework for curriculum content.

The QSEN competencies include:

• Patient-centered care
• Teamwork and Collaboration
• Evidence-based Practice
• Quality Improvement
• Safety
• Informatics

A vital component of the curriculum is the supervised clinical experience provided in area hospitals and community agencies. The newly remodeled facilities which include classrooms, nursing labs, and a high fidelity simulation lab located within the Terry and Sherrie Martin Health Career Wing, provide a quality environment for learning in the 21st century. Requires 66 credit hours.

Interested men and women should attend an information meeting or contact the Director of Nursing for complete admission, selection, re-entrance, and graduation requirements. Program information is available online and in Student Services.

Specific policies, retention and promotion criteria and graduation requirements are included in the Nursing Student Handbook. A copy of the handbook is available on the College’s website www.kish.edu.

Admission Criteria

Enrollment in the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Program is limited to clinical site capacity.  The Nursing Program typically admits 50 students in the Fall and 40 students in the Spring semesters.  All applications are evaluated without discrimination with regard to age, race, sex, creed, national origin, or disability, Official documentation of completion of ALL ADMISSION CRITERIA must be received before the applicant will be considered for admission.

A variable tuition rate per credit hour in addition to the standard tuition rate will be applied to all nursing courses in the ADN program which was effective January 2015.

Admission into the Kishwaukee Associate Degree Nursing Program requires the applicant to:

 

1. Submit official documentation of high school transcript or high school equivalency certificate to the Student Services Office.
2. Submit official college/university transcript(s), if applicable to the Student Services Office.
3. Attendance of a Nursing Program information session is recommended.  Please check our website at www.kish.edu/nursing for dates, times and to fill out the registration form.
4. Submit the Nursing program application to the Health Sciences Division Office while in the final semester of prerequisites OR AFTER ALL REQUIREMENTS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED.  Applications are available at information meetings, online, or in the kiosk outside of the Health Sciences Division office. 
5. As part of the application, submit three personal reference forms to the Health Sciences Division Office. 
6. The requirements listed above plus criteria outlined below must be met before application may be submitted.

1. Completion of at least 12 credit hours in 100/200 level college course work.
2. Overall GPA of 2.50 or higher in at least 12 hours within the following course work applicable to nursing.  All Kishwaukee College course work must be maintained at a 2.0 GPA or above after completing the first semester of nursing if admitted. 
3. Completion of BIO 103  and BIO 105   with grades of “B” or higher in the last five years.  Students who have completed BIO 258  /BIO 259  with grades of “C” or higher within the last five years may waive this requirement.
4. Completion of COM 100  , ENG 103  , and PSY 102   with grades of “C” or higher.
5. Overall College GPA (Kishwaukee College and other transfer colleges) of 2.5 or above in all 100/200 level coursework.  Once a student has completed at least 12 hours of 100/200 level course work at Kishwaukee, the Kishwaukee GPA will be utilized for this requirement.
6. Completion of MAT 098   or college level math with a “C” or higher or appropriate placement scores.  Math courses expire after five years. Placement scores expire after three years.
7. ATI TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) Testing with a minimum composite score of 60.0%.  Testing includes the areas of Reading, English, Math and Science.  The testing link is located on the nursing website (www.atitesting.com).  Testing is scheduled through the ATI testing website.  Students are encouraged to test at Kishwaukee College.  Testing sessions will be scheduled every 2 - 3 months.  Students may test only once per session (or once every 60 days).  Students who are unable to test at Kishwaukee must submit scores officially through ATI.  (TEAS testing requires pre-registration and there is a cost to take the test.  Current cost is $87 if taken through Kishwaukee College, and $115 if taken remotely through ATI; these fees are subject to change).  Study guides are available for an additional cost at  www.atitesting.com

1. Apply to the nursing program between February 1^st and 28^th for a Fall admission and between September 1^st and 30^th for a Spring admission.  Students are admitted on a space available basis after requirements are completed.  Application submissions should include all of the above elements in a sealed envelope with applicant’s full name and Kishwaukee College ID on the outside.  Applications may be mailed or placed in the Health Sciences Division locked drop box outside of B1222.

Please note - Italicized courses are not required for the application process nor the A.A.S Degree in Nursing, but may be required if you choose to continue towards a B.S.N. - CHE 110  , CHE 111  , ENG 104  , HLT 201  , MAT 208  , SOC 170  

 

Nursing Program Admissions Selection Process

1. Admission to the Nursing Program is limited to a select cohort of students per semester. Review of all admission criteria will be conducted upon review of application. Upon completion of that review, students will be divided into three categories:
   1. Students who have completed ALL admission criteria.
   2. Students who have completed all admission criteria except for TEAS testing
   3. Students who are sitting in final prerequisite. These students may or may not have completed TEAS testing.
2. Within each category, students will then be ranked using the following items (in this order):
   1. GPA in nursing related general education courses*
   2. Number of hours completed in nursing related courses
   3. Overall 100/200 level GPA
   4. Number of hours completed at Kishwaukee College
   5. TEAS test score
3. Students who have completed ALL admission criteria** will be admitted first, followed by students who successfully complete TEAS testing at session held after admission deadline (March and October), followed by students sitting in final prerequisite.

*Nursing related general education courses:

BIO 103 , BIO 105 , BIO 213 , BIO 258 , BIO 259 , COM 100 , ENG 103 , PSY 102 , PSY 280 , CHE 110 , CHE 111 , ENG 104 , HLT 201 , MAT 208 , SOC 170  

**Meeting all admission requirements does not guarantee admission. The ranking described above through GPA, credit hours completed, and TEAS scores serve as the criteria for admission. Kishwaukee College 2021-22 Academic Catalog

Retention

General education courses may be completed prior to final admission. The ADN (Associate Degree in Nursing) courses must be completed within four years of the first admission. All Level II courses must be completed within a two-year time frame. Students who do not complete the Nursing program within the specified time frame are required to repeat all nursing courses for credit. A 2.0 GPA must be maintained in all Kishwaukee College courses once the transfer student enters Kishwaukee College.

Satisfactory completion of pre-nursing course work and first year course work as outlined below is required for Level II status. Level II status is necessary for enrollment in NUR 226 , NUR 227 , NUR 239 , NUR 249  and NUR 262 .

Students must earn “C” or higher grades in all nursing and general education courses included in the Nursing curriculum as one of the requirements for the Associate in Applied Science in Registered Nursing degree.