About Our Program

The Associate Degree Nursing Program (ADN) prepares students to take the NCLEX-RN exam. Upon successful completion of the exam, the student is eligible to become licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN).

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

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850
Atlanta, GA 30326 404-975-5000
acenursing.org

Nature of Work and Employment

Positions are available for RNs in long-term care facilities, home health, hospitals, physicians’ offices, and clinics. Employment is available nationwide. Nurses are encouraged to continue their formal nursing education by going on for a baccalaureate degree at a number of institutions. HCC nursing graduates may want to consider pursuing a Master’s degree in nursing in addition to a Bachelors, an option that is becoming more readily available.

Students should check with a student advisor or the Nursing/ Allied Health Coordinator for more information regarding transfer to other institutions and what requirements may be needed before transfer is possible.

Special Considerations

Students entering the health care professions (i.e. nursing, medical assistant, emergency medical technician) must have a positive attitude about the importance of the work that they are being prepared to do. In part, a professional attitude involves personal integrity, the use of positive communication techniques, flexibility in regards to clinical assignments, and taking on a leadership role when necessary.

Physical Demands

The following physical demands are representative of those that must be met, with or without reasonable accommodations, to successfully perform the essential functions of both the clinical experiences and job requirements of a health care professional.  While performing the duties of a health care student, the student is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands and fingers; handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; and see, talk and hear.  The student frequently is required to sit, reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.  The student must regularly lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift and or move up to 200 pounds with assistance.

To Be Considered for the Program, Students Must Have:

1. A completed high school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED) on file with the Admissions Department.
2. Official transcripts from all colleges attended must be submitted to the Admissions Department and an unofficial copy to the Nursing/Allied Health Department.
3. HCC placement test results indicating that the applicant does not need any reading development course, does not need any math course below MATH 090 Intermediate Algebra I, and does not need any English communication course below ENGL 121 Rhetoric and Composition I. Successful completion of appropriate courses will satisfy any deficiency identified by placement tests.
4. Completed all prerequisite courses and a GPA of 2.75 or higher by the end of the semester in which they are applying.
5. Complete program entrance exam.
6. Active on the IDPH CNA registry or equivalent.
7. Submit application & other admission requirements to the Coordinator of Nursing & Allied Health by April 1st for full- time or November 1st for part-time.

Applicants who are not selected may reapply the succeeding year, but need to attend an additional information session to hear about new changes.

All individuals are welcome to apply for the Highland Community College Nursing Program, but we accept all in-district students who qualify and meet our criteria first. If there is space available, out-of-district applicants will be reviewed for admittance into the program. For the nursing program, in-district is defined as “students who meet the residency requirements and/or work 20 or more hours a week in our district."

Please note the application process is the applicant’s responsibility – not the responsibility of the institution. Our responsibility, as an institution, is to fully consider and evaluate each application carefully for admission into our programs. Our responsibility is not to gather appropriate data, but rather to review that data. Data gathering is the responsibility of the person who wishes to be considered for admission.

Program requirements are subject to change. For the most current admission criteria, please contact Alicia Kepner at 815-599-3657 or Stephanie Eymann at 815-599-3439.

Previously Licensed LPNs

Licensed practical nurses may apply to Highland’s ADN program. However, there are limitations.

1. The LPN must submit a new application to the Nursing Program.
2. All ADN admission criteria must be met.
3. Current LPN license must be on file in the Nursing office.
4. A GPA of 2.75 overall.
5. LPN students will be subject to the same admission criteria as other students. Individuals may request to test for prior learning credit for some nursing classes at the discretion of the Dean. All LPN to ADN students will be evaluated on an individual basis. Official transcripts from previous programs must be on file in the Admissions office. The student must meet with the Dean of Nursing and Allied Health, to review their individual situation and develop a course plan to meet graduation requirements. An administrative fee and/or per credit hour tuition fee may apply.

Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Program Prerequisite Courses 1
BIOL 213	Anatomy and Physiology I	4
CHEM 120	Elementary General Chemistry 2	4
ENGL 121	Rhetoric and Composition I	3
PSY 161	Introduction to Psychology	3
Support Courses 3
BIOL 214	Anatomy and Physiology II (must be completed by end of first semester in Nursing Program)	4
BIOL 211	General Microbiology	4
PSY 262	Human Growth\Development	3
Core Curriculum
Fall - First Year:
NURS 103	Pharmacology	3
NURS 191	Fundamentals of Nursing	8
Spring - First Year:
NURS 192	Health and Illness I	8
NURS 291	Family Nursing	5
Fall - Second Year:
NURS 292	Health and Illness II	8
NURS 293	Psychiatric Nursing	5
Spring - Second Year:
NURS 294	Health and Illness III	8
NURS 298	Nursing Leadership	2
Total Hours		72

¹

All prerequisite courses must be successfully completed prior to program entry.

²

One year of high school algebra, completion of MATH 067 Basic Algebra II, or placement into MATH 090 Intermediate Algebra I or higher are the prerequisites to CHEM 120 Elementary General Chemistry.

³

Support courses marked (³) can be taken during the core curriculum. These courses must be successfully completed with a grad of “C” or better in the semester in which they are shown above to be allowed to continue in the nursing program. Support courses (to the left) are not counted in semester credit hour totals.

• Please note that core nursing classes designated with the NURS prefix follow a different grading scale requiring an 80% to successfully complete the course and continue on in the nursing program.
• The curriculum is planned sequentially so that if a student drops, withdraws from, or fails any core course, he/she will need to withdraw from the nursing program. Please consult the Nursing Student Handbook for more details regarding withdraw policy and failed courses.

Program Outcomes

Upon completion of the Associate Degree in Nursing Program at Highland Community College, the graduate will be able to:

• Provide safe, client-centered care in a variety of settings across the lifespan through evidence-based practice.
• Demonstrate personal and professional accountability and responsibility for nursing judgments and actions within an ethical and legal framework.
• Collaborate with others in healthcare and educational communities, demonstrating open communication and mutual respect, with an evolving ability to participate in decision making, resulting in optimization of client health outcomes.
• Communicate effectively to deliver relevant, accurate, and complete information to clients, families, and the health care team, utilizing verbal and nonverbal language and informatics.
• Use knowledge, judgment, and clinical reasoning to ensure safe clinical decisions throughout the nursing process.

Program Contacts

Call Highland for the following program contacts:

• Stephanie Eymann, DNP, RN, Dean of Nursing and Allied Health, 815-599-3439
• Alicia Kepner, Nursing and Allied Health Coordinator, 815-599-3657
• Beth Groshans, Student Advisor, 815-599-3483