PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Associate of Science Degree in Nursing (ASN) is a 60 credit program that spans over 5 semesters designed to prepare the graduate to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) for registered nurses and to enter a career as a beginning practitioner of nursing. It is intended that the courses in nursing will provide the students with an awareness of the value and dignity of people and a view of the patient as an integrated, unique individual requiring nursing knowledge and skill.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Blue Ridge Community and Technical College Associate of Science in Nursing Program is to enhance the health status of the region by educating professional nurses for entry into practice as caring and competent nurse generalists.
End of Program Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completing the Associate of Science in Nursing Program, the graduate will:
- Provide compassionate nursing care to patients regardless of different values, beliefs, cultures, and lifestyles.
- Demonstrate appropriate verbal, non-verbal, therapeutic, and professional communication skills.
- Use the nursing process to demonstrate proficiency in planning safe and effective patient care.
- Provide nursing care according to legal, ethical and professional standards.
Accreditation
The associate nursing program at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College at 13650 Apple Harvest Drive located in Martinsburg, WV is accredited by the:
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 975-5000
The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the associate nursing program is Continuing Accreditation with Conditions. View the public information disclosed by the ACEN regarding this program at http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programSearch.htm
APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION TO THE NURSING PROGRAM
Students may apply to the Nursing program during the fall or spring semester. Click the Nursing Program Application link for more information including:
- Application Requirements and Deadlines
- Decision Criteria and Process
- Application Checklist
- Nursing Program Application
Transfer of Credit Policy
Students may transfer credits earned from other accredited post-secondary institutions towards general education core courses. Transfer credits are reviewed and articulated using official academic transcripts by Blue Ridge CTC’s Registrar’s Office. Nursing courses from other programs are not eligible for transfer towards the Blue Ridge nursing program.
Core Performance Standards
Because the Nursing Program seeks to provide a safe environment for nursing students and their patients, students will be required to demonstrate physical and emotional fitness to meet the essential requirements of the nursing program. Such essential requirements include freedom from communicable disease, the ability to perform certain physical tasks, and suitable emotional fitness. Any appraisal measures used to determine such physical and emotional fitness will be in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, so as not to discriminate against any individual on the basis of handicap.
The essential requirements of the nursing program, with examples of activities required of students during their nursing education, are listed in the Essential Requirements of Nursing Programs document. This document is based on The Americans with Disabilities Act: Implications for Nursing Education. Southern Regional Education Board (March 1993), www.sreb.org.
COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS FOR NURSING MAJORS
Refer to the Nursing Student Handbook for policies related to:
- Completion requirements and progression
- Grading System
- Classroom requirements
- Clinical Requirements
- Professional conduct, and more
Licensure
Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are eligible to apply to any state Board of Nursing to take the NCLEX- RN examination. Each state has individual requirements of applicants for licensure for examination. The nursing law of West Virginia addresses criteria for application for licensure. The West Virginia RN Board has the power to deny the opportunity to procure licenses through testing if the applicant has willfully committed a felony under the laws of West Virginia.
As of July 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education has implemented (Regulation 34 CFR 668.43 (a) (5) (v)) which requires Blue Ridge CTC’s Nursing Program to provide a list of all states where our curriculum meets state educational requirements for professional licensure. Please see list here that shows states where our students have sat for the National Council’s Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Students should contact the Board of Nursing in the state they would like to be initially licensed for more specific information or may click here to find professional nursing licensure requirements for any state and jurisdiction.
Career Options
Our growing population yields a high demand for skilled nurses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that career opportunities for nurses are expected to grow, giving nursing students peace of mind that they may secure jobs in settings including hospitals, clinical practices, nursing homes, home healthcare, or in military service.
Reportable Statistics
| What was our license pass rate for 2020? * Number of people who sit for the NCLEX-RN for the first time divided by the number of first-time test-takers in a calendar year, expressed as a percentage. For example, if 22 out of 25 students pass the NCLEX-RN the first time they take it, then the passing rate would be 0.88, or 88 percent. |
84.62% |
| What was our attrition rate for 2020? * Number of students who left the program in a calendar year divided by the number of participants at the beginning of the program, expressed as a percentage. For example, if 2 people left a program of 25 people then the attrition rate would be 0.08, or 8 percent. |
8%
|
| What was our graduation rate for 2020? * Number graduating/progressing to the next course, divided by the number of participants of the program in a calendar year, expressed as a percentage. If 23 graduates from a class of 25 the graduation rate would be 0.92, or 92 percent. |
92%
|
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