Nursing
This degree provides students with the skills needed to enter the profession and the ability to assess unique patients of any age in terms of their basic human needs and structural variables. Degree competence will be assessed regularly by evaluations of expected learning outcomes in the clinical setting as well as course examinations. Emphasis is placed on the use of critical thinking and creative problem-solving in the clinical setting. The nursing major prepares graduates to manage and provide skilled nursing care to individuals in a variety of health care settings as entry-level registered nurses. Upon successful completion of the nursing program, the graduate is eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Program assessment is conducted by monitoring student success rates based on the NCLEX-RN exam.
Program Length and Licensing Requirements.
The program is two academic years in length after completion of program prerequisites. Acceptance of qualified applicants to the program does not guarantee graduation from the program/college. Students are eligible to take the licensing examination for registered nurses upon satisfactory completion of the nursing program. Graduates must pass the licensing examination (NCLEX-RN) in order to practice nursing in the state of California. The NCLEX-RN, developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, is administered by computer nationally throughout the year. The nursing program at Compton Center is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing and is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC), 61 Broadway, New York, NY 10006, (212) 363-5555, extension 153.
Special Note Regarding Licensure:
The California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) protects the public by screening applicants for licensure in order to identify potentially unsafe practitioners. The BRN may deny applications for permanent licensure, interim permits and temporary licenses if the applicant has been found guilty of dishonesty; fraud or deceit; felony; child abuse; sex offender crimes; acts involving narcotics, dangerous drugs or devices; assault and/or battery; and other crimes. Applicants who have questions regarding limitations related to licensure should contact the California Board of Registered Nursing (916) 322-3350 or access its website at www.rn.ca.gov. It is the responsibility of the applicant to present sufficient evidence of rehabilitation.
Applicants are advised to explore other career opportunities prior to investing substantial time in a nursing program if it appears that a prior serious act or conviction may jeopardize licensure.
Requirements for Acceptance in the Nursing Program:
In addition to the college application, the completion of a separate nursing program application, verification form, and counseling advisement form is required for application to the nursing program. Copies of program requirements, the application procedure and all application forms are available in the Counseling Center. All applicants must complete the matriculation process with a nursing counselor prior to submitting a Nursing Program application. A copy of the most recent counseling advisement form must be attached to the verification form when the application is submitted.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all official high school and college transcripts, as well as any other requested information, have been received by the Records Office prior to the time of application. If students are transferring prerequisite courses to El Camino College Compton Educational Center, they must have applied for acceptance of these courses and received a response during the counseling appointment prior to making application to the program. Applications from eligible applicants are only accepted during the filing period.
Application Filing Periods: Applications for acceptance to the nursing program are submitted one semester before the applicant wishes to enter.
Fall Semester Admission: Application filing period for the fall semester starts the fourth Monday in March and ends three weeks later.
Spring SemesterAdmission: Application filing period for the spring semester starts the first Monday in October and ends three weeks later.
If the number of eligible applicants exceeds the class limit, a waiting list will be established for that class. An applicant who is placed on the waiting list must reaffirm an interest in enrolling for the following semester by signing and returning a letter of intention. (This letter of intention will be mailed by the Nursing Office to each applicant on the waiting list period to the next semester's filing period.) The student's name will not automatically remain on the waiting list for the next semester.
If a 2.5 GPA is maintained by the Nursing applicant, eligibility continues for one year. Re-application must be made if for any reason acceptance into the program is delayed and a period of one year has elapsed. Upon acceptance to the nursing program, start-up costs for each student are approximately $1,000.
In order to be eligible for the nursing program, students must first satisfy the following requirements:
- Attend a general orientation session for the prospective nursing students.
- Graduate from high school or earn acceptable scores on the G.E.D.
- Complete Mathematics 40 or 41B or higher level Mathematics course or pass the Mathematics Competency Test.
- Complete the Degrees of Reading Power Test.
- Complete the following Nursing Program prerequisite courses with a minimum 2.5 GPA:
Anatomy 30 or 32
English 1A
Microbiology 33
Physiology 31
Note: If a student earns only a grade of C in each of these prerequisite courses, then the 2.5 GPA requirement will not be met.
- Earn a cumulative 2.5 GPA in all college work.
In addition to meeting the above requirements, students must have official transcripts on file in the Records Office showing evidence of high school completion as well as all college and university credits earned. A student must also provide verification of criminal background clearance.
Other Information
Completion of a college-level Chemistry course is a prerequisite to both Physiology 31 and Microbiology 33 at El Camino College Compton Educational Center. A prerequisite challenge may be filed if a student has received a score of 4 or 5 on a high school Advanced Placement Chemistry Test or has passed the El Camino College Compton Educational Center Chemistry Placement Test. Upon successful completion of the first semester of the nursing program, the student is eligible to take the Certified Nursing Assistant Examination.
After a student is admitted into the nursing program, a full-time load is considered 10 units per semester.
Program Readmission and course Repetition
Students who leave the nursing program for any reason (self or faculty initiated) are eligible to be readmitted to the program subject to availability of space. Nursing courses in which a student has received a D or F grade may be repeated one time. However, the total number of repeats and re-entries allowed are determined by program policy. This policy is available for review in the Nursing Office and is published in the Student Handbook. Students academic standing at the time of leaving the program will determine whether academic support courses will be prescribed before re-entry. Students not eligible to re-enter the program may be eligible to appeal their re-entry status through the Acceptance, Transfer and Progression Committee.
A.S. Degree