Academics

The nursing program at EPCC offers two tracks by which students can graduate with an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing:

• The Generic or Regular track (where a student begins at the beginning) which is under Specialized Admission requirements. Students are accepted into the program after being competitively ranked. The top 70 RN students are accepted.
• The LVN to RN Transition Track which is designed for LVNs who want to obtain their Associate of Applied Science in Nursing Degree. This program requires applicants to establish their proficiency at the vocational nursing level in order to be accepted into the program which is two semesters in length. The first semester addresses leveling of student’s nursing knowledge and skills and transitioning from vocational nursing to professional nursing roles. In their second semester transition students complete the last semester of the nursing program which includes courses in complex medical-surgical nursing, nursing leadership/management, and preparation for taking the NCLEX-RN Licensing exam.

Students in the RN program also have the option of taking the third semester of the Vocational Nursing Program in the summer after they complete their first and second semesters of the RN program. This prepares the students to take the Licensed Vocational Nursing Exam (NCLEX-VN). When the summer is over these students continue on in the nursing program

Coursework

All of the nursing courses offer an online component giving the students the opportunity for improved communication with the instructors, availability of assignments, power points, grades, and in some cases testing capabilities. In addition, the nursing programs now have Facebook pages set up for every semester. These allow for communication between faculty members and students as well as for various students within a cohort group. We utilize electronic charting in all courses. We also have online resources through Assessment Technologies Inc. and Course Point through Lippincott. These resources offer multiple mechanism for learning and reviewing course material, practicing what you have learning, and conducting evaluations of your learning. They offer a variety of web based text books, videos, and virtual clinical simulations. Combined they help to prepare students to be successful graduation from the programs and passing their licensing exams.