Collin College Nursing Program Review

Collin College (CC) in Texas, previously called Collin County Community College District (CCCCD, CCCC) began by teaching classes at area high schools in 1985. It has grown to become the only public college in the county. It currently has over 100 degree and certificate programs, and enrolls over 53,000 students.

The college offers classes at its network of campuses, area businesses, or online. Campuses are located in McKinney (Central Park Campus and the Collin Higher Education Center-CHEC), Plano (Courtyard Center and Spring Creek Campus, Frisco (Preston Ridge Campus), Allen (Allen Center), and Rockwall (Rockwall Center).

Nursing Programs

Collin College is the only Center of Excellence in Nursing Education in the state of Texas. This designation has been given by the National League for Nursing to only 19 of the more than 1800 nursing programs in the country.

Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)

This program is for unlicensed students who want to become practicing Registered Nurses (RNs). Courses for the ADN program are only offered at the Central Park Campus. Students are admitted to the program in the fall and in the spring. Students that complete this program will be awarded an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree, and will be allowed to take the RN licensing exam.

To be able to apply to the ADN program, students need to take the prerequisite classes of Statistics, Anatomy and Physiology I and II, and Microbiology, with a 2.5 GPA. They also need to submit their transcripts and TSI test results, take the PSB Nursing School Aptitude exam, and show proof of immunizations.

Applicants are assigned points based on the grades they received in their biology and math courses, their GPA in prerequisite courses, their cumulative GPA, and their results on the PSB Nursing School Aptitude Exam. Applicants will be ranked based on the points they receive.

Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)/Paramedic Bridge Program

This program is for students who are already either an LVN or a Paramedic. Students must have at least one year of work experience in their field. There are two tracks for this program.

Track I allows students to enter the ADN program in the second semester. Students in this track will sit for the Nursing Accelerated Challenge Exam (NACE) – PN to RN. After passing this exam, they will show their knowledge of first semester nursing competencies, and take Transition from Vocational/Paramedic to Professional Nursing. Once they finish the transition course, they will receive credit for the Integrated Nursing Skills I and Introduction to Professional Nursing for Integrated Programs classes. If students fail any of these requirements, they may apply to enter the standard ADN program.

Track II lets students enter the ADN program in the second year. Students must be able to complete all the requirements for Track I, and have work experience in medical/surgical and mental health. Students will need to complete the Nursing Care of Adults I and the Comprehensive Psychiatric Nursing exams, and show their competency in second semester nursing skills. Students will then receive credit for the courses of Integrated Nursing Skills II and Integrated Care of the Client with Common Health Care Needs.

To qualify for either of these tracks, students must meet the selection criteria for the ADN program, and be eligible for admission based on the point system used. They must also take the prerequisites of Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Microbiology, Composition/Rhetoric I, Statistics, General Psychology, and Life Span Psychology.

Enhanced Skills Certificate (ESC) – Healthcare Case Management

This certificate introduces students to specialized topics and practice with healthcare case management. This program is nine credit hours. Students must have an AAS in Nursing or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, or be licensed in a healthcare field.

Certified Nurse Assistant

Collin College offers a Certified Nurses Assistant (CNA)/Marketable skills course. This course is a combination of lecture, skills, and clinical time. Students will earn a Marketable Skills Achievement Award, and be allowed to sit for the CNA licensing exam.

This is a 14 credit hour course. To apply, students must have a high school or equivalent diploma, be 17 years old, have a driver’s license, health insurance, and CPR certification, be up to date on immunizations, have a clean drug screen, and submit the forms for a background check.

There is a non-credit version of this class available through Collin College’s Continuing Education program.

Associate of Arts (AA) Nursing Field of Study (FOS)

This is a program designed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to set up a curriculum for the lower level BSN courses. The curriculum will meet the lower level BSN requirements of all public, four year Texas institutions. Students that complete the 38 credit hour program will be awarded a certificate stating they are ready to transition to a BSN program.

While taking the FOS program, students at Collin are admitted to the ADN program, but will not earn an AAS degree or be allowed to take the RN licensing exam. To earn the AA degree, students must take an additional 28 credit hours of general education classes.

Texas Tech Concurrent Admission

Students that want to earn their AAS degree and then transfer to a four year university may consider the Texas Tech Concurrent Admission program. This articulation agreement allows students to declare their intent to transfer to the Texas Tech University Health Science Center and take the RN to BSN program. By doing this, students have provisional admission to the School of Nursing.

To apply, students in the ADN program must have a GPA of at least 2.5, and have earned at least a C in all pre-nursing classes. They must also have completed at least 52 credit hours of general education courses. If they are already ADN graduates, they must be licensed as RNs.

Contact:

Central Park Campus
2200 W. University Drive
McKinney, TX 75071
Phone: 972-548-6790

Spring Creek Campus
2800 E.Spring Creek Parkway
Plano, TX 75074
Phone: 972-881-5790

Collin Higher Education Center
Northeast corner Hwy 121 and 75 Central
3452 Spur 399
McKinney, TX 75069
Phone: 972-599-3100

Allen Center
300 Rivercrest Boulevard
Allen, TX 75002
Phone: 972-377-1060

Courtyard Center
4800 Preston Park Boulevard
Plano, TX 75093~
Phone: 972-985-3790

Rockwall Center
2610 Observation Trail
Rockwall, TX 75032
Phone: 214-771-4573

Preston Ridge Campus
9700 Wade Boulevard
Frisco, TX 75035
Phone: 972-377-1790