How many times per year does MCCC accept nursing students?
The AAS-Nursing (Registered Nurse) Program at MCCC accepts up to 30 students two (2) times per year – a fall nursing cohort (August start) and a winter nursing cohort (January start)
When is my application due?
Students interested in applying to the RN program must have their completed application and all requirements (including official transcripts) to the Admission’s Office by the application deadlines: the third Monday in May or the first Monday in October. Students that apply and are accepted through the May application will have the fall semester to complete non nursing coursework and will start the first nursing course in the winter semester. Students that apply and are accepted through the October application will have the winter semester to complete non-nursing coursework and will start the first nursing course in the following fall semester.
How long does it take the College to process applications? Will all students be notified on the status of their application and how will students be notified?
Applications are processed through the Admission’s Office. The process generally takes 3 to 4 weeks for all applications to be processed. All applicants will be notified of the status of their application, including applicant applications that do not meet the minimum criteria. Notifications are sent via postal mail to the address on file with the College, therefore, it is very important that the applicant’s contact information/address is current and accurate.
What if I don’t get accepted? Does MCCC maintain a waiting list of applicants?
MCCC does not maintain a waiting list of applicants. If a student applies to the program and is not accepted, the student must re-submit an application to be considered for the next application cycle.
If I chose to retake the ATI TEAS test to earn a higher score, do I have to retake the whole test? Or can I just take certain sections?
The College allows students to take the ATI TEAS up to 3 times. Any attempts after the first three attempts will not be considered regardless of score earned. Also, the College will only use the results of one test to determine application points– whichever attempt earns the student the most points on the selection criteria. The College will not ‘split’ tests (using subsection scores and/or overall scores from different tests) when calculating points earned on the selection criteria; therefore, students will need to retake the entire ATI TEAS if choosing to repeat the exam.
How many points on the selection criteria do I need to get accepted?
Students are ranked according to selection criteria published on the program’s webpage (https://www.monroeccc.edu/programs/nursing-registered). As long as the student meets all the requirements for application, including a minimum overall score of 60 on the ATI TEAS, there isn’t a minimum number of points required to be considered for admission. The minimum number of points earned by students on their applications is different from deadline to deadline and varies according to the academic achievement of the group that applies at that time. Sometimes the number of points for students accepted into the program is higher; sometimes it is lower. It all depends on who is applying and how the points calculate for that group at that time.
If accepted, what will my schedule look like?
The AAS-Nursing program is rigorous and requires a significant time commitment on behalf of its students. Course schedules vary semester-to-semester requiring students to be flexible in their availability. The lecture portion of classes are generally offered on Mondays and Tuesday (2 to 5 hours per class). The Nursing Skills Lab portion of courses are generally offered on Wednesdays and Thursdays (3 to 6 hours per class). Clinical is scheduled 1 to 2 days per week, generally 6 to 12 hours per clinical day. Clinical rotations vary and are generally scheduled Wednesday through Sunday, day shift or afternoons. By general rule, students should expect to devote at least 3 or 4 days for theory, lab, and clinical, in addition to amply time for study.
It is notable that nursing courses are associated with higher credit hours. For example, NURS 103 (Fundamental Nursing Care) is a 9-credit hour class which would otherwise equate to three 3-credit hour college classes. Students should be prepared to schedule their time accordingly to accommodate higher credit hour courses.
|
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
|
| Example A: | Class 8-11:30 a.m. |
Class 8 - 10:00 a.m. |
Skills Lab | Skills Lab | Open Lab/Practice | Open Lab/Practice | |
| Example B: | Clinical | Clinical | |||||
| Clinical | Clinical | ||||||
| Clinical | Clinical |
If accepted, can I pick where and when I want to attend clinicals?
Students are assigned clinical rotations by the Nursing Program Coordinator (NPC). Clinical dates/times are offered and approved by the clinical partners, taking into consideration all of the nursing schools in the region and their requests. Some clinical assignments are limited to certain days of the week. For example, pediatric clinicals tend to be held on Saturdays and Sundays. For these reasons, students have to be available for any assignment on any shift. The NPC does facilitate a trade opportunity in the event a student has difficulty or a conflict with their clinical assignment. However, there is no guarantee a trade will be approved. Some students may have academic reasons that necessitate a specific assignment with a specific instructor. Given the number of students to be placed, special accommodations cannot be made due to student work or personal schedules.
A hallmark of the RN program is NURS 212, Nursing Practicum, which includes a preceptorship. This course scheduled during the last four weeks of the program pairs students one-on-one with a practicing RN. Each student works the full-time schedule of their preceptor for three weeks. Preceptor schedules could be 8- or 12-hours shifts, days, afternoons, midnights, weekends, and holidays. Students plan accordingly to complete this capstone course which is a required part of the RN program.