Nurse Education Program - A.A.S. Degree

SCCC has entered into a unique collaboration with Passaic County Community College to enable PCCC students to obtain an outstanding nursing education here in Sussex County. In this program, students take the pre-nursing courses with SCCC. Admission to the PCCC Nursing Program is competitive. The selection at the SCCC campus is limited to 20 students. Applicants must note that at the Sussex Campus, priority is given to the residents of Sussex County, NJ and Pike County, PA only. The Sussex Campus also gives preference to applicants who have completed a majority of the required general education credits at SCCC. The priority at the PCCC campus is given to Passaic County residents with others being considered on a space availability basis. The PCCC Nurse Education Program also offers an LPN-RN mobility option.

This option allows LPNs who wish to continue their education to become an RN to get credit for Nursing I after certain admission requirements are met. Nursing II, III, and IV must be completed with the PCCC Nurse Education Program at either the SCCC Campus or the PCCC campus. Acceptance is based on several criteria and the availability of a seat in Nursing II at either campus.

Qualified students who are admitted to the PCCC Nurse Education Program, offered in conjunction with SCCC, take the clinical nursing courses with PCCC here on the SCCC campus and in clinical sites throughout northern NJ. These clinical courses comprise a four-semester sequence which begins every year in January. General education courses from the sciences and liberal arts enhance the students’ understanding of clients with acute and chronic health problems. The curriculum prepares students to practice in hospitals and healthcare agencies within the framework of the American Nurses Association’s Standards of Practice and the New Jersey Nurse Practice Act. Applicants for admission to the Nurse Education Program must be high school graduates or have high school equivalency diplomas (GED). They also must meet admission criteria selected to ensure that accepted candidates have the potential to succeed in a rigorous academic program.

Admission criteria are minimum standards and, in most cases, applicants accepted into the program exceed these requirements. The following requirements must be met prior to admission.

Meet PCCC admission criteria:

• Achieve satisfactory scores on the Accuplacer Placement Test for placement in college-level mathematics/English courses, OR complete the required remediation with a grade of “C” or higher.
• Complete CHEM 100 – Introduction to Chemistry with a grade of “C” or higher within the past five years. If you have not completed at least one high school laboratory science course within the past five years, it is recommended that you complete a general science laboratory course with a grade of “C” or higher.
• Achieve a passing score on the TEAS (entrance exam) with a minimum of 50% in three subject areas, Math, Reading, and English. A passing score is required but does not guarantee acceptance. Acceptance is based on a point score for three areas, GPA, Number of college credits, and results of the TEAS.
  Applicants are admitted in rank order of their point score along with other considerations listed in the program description.
• The TEAS test is offered several times each semester through the Testing Center.

The objectives of this program are to:

• Integrate into practice knowledge and skills from the sciences, liberal arts, and nursing.
• Apply the nursing process when caring for clients to promote, restore, and maintain health.
• Individualize nursing care to accommodate cultural, ethnic, and economic differences in clients and families.
• Practice nursing based on ethical considerations within the legal parameters of the Nurse Practice Act and the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics and Standards of Care.
• Communicate in an effective manner with clients, clients' families, and the interprofessional health care team.
• Demonstrate accountability for personal and professional development.
• Integrate developmental principles when caring for clients of all ages.
• Implement evidence-based clinical judgement as an associate degree nurse as a provider of care, manager of care, and member of the interprofessional health care team.
• Collaborate with the interprofessional health care team to ensure continuity of care for clients and their families.

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Thank you for choosing Sussex County Community College as the place to begin your education. We pride ourselves on giving you the individualized attention you need to be successful.

Once you have been accepted, choose the correct path with, What Type of Student are you? This will give you the important Steps to follow from application to registration.