Carl Sandburg College Nursing Program Review

Carl Sandburg College (CSC), which is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, has campuses in Galesburg, Carthage, and Bushnell, Illinois. Over fifty different work-training and continuing education programs are available through the college, including distance learning programs.

Nursing is one possible career path open to students at Carl Sandburg College; prospective nurses in western and central Illinois can pursue an associate degree or certificate in nursing through the college. All nursing programs at Carl Sandburg College have approval from the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and the Illinois State Board of Nursing.

Nurse Assistant Training Program

Prospective nurse assistants can gain the skills they need to enter the workforce in just eight weeks through Carl Sandburg’s Nurse Assistant program. Twenty students are accepted into each class; typically the Nurse Assistant class is offered twice a semester. The class meets four mornings a week. After completing the course, graduates are eligible to take the Illinois Nurse Aide Training Competency Evaluation Program exam and become Certified Nurse Assistants (CNA).

Practical Nursing Certificate

The quickest way into the nursing field as a full, licensed nurse is through a practical nursing certificate program like the one offered at Carl Sandburg College. The entire program, including prerequisites, takes a year to complete. Students start in the summer with a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) training course and one English course. The nursing curriculum begins in the fall, and continues throughout the spring semester. The following summer, students take one transitional course and then sit for the National Council Licensing Exam for Practical Nurses (NCLEX_PN). After earning only forty-five-and-a-half credits and spending only a year studying, students are eligible to work as Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN). Carl Sandburg offers this program during the days at the Galesburg campus; forty students are accepted each year. The college also offers this program as an evening/distance learning program at the Galesburg campus and at the Carthage campus; twenty students are admitted to each program every year.

Associate Degree in Nursing

Carl Sandburg College also offers an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) for students who wish to take on more responsibilities than LPNs in the nursing field. These students prepare to become Registered Nurses (RN) over the course of the two-year program. As with the practical nursing program, students begin by earning CNA certification in the summer before the program starts. They spend the next two years (including the summer session) taking both general education courses and nursing courses, earning a total of seventy-seven-and-a-half credits. When they graduate from the ADN program, they are eligible to take the National Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX_RN). The program is offered on both the Galesburg and the Carthage campuses; the program on each campus accepts forty students per year.

Associate Degree Nursing – LPN to RN

LPNs who wish to become RNs can earn an ADN through the LPN to RN bridge program. LPNs take a transitional course during the summer session, and then begin with the second-year nursing classes in the ADN program. Although they can skip the first-year nursing courses, they cannot skip the general education requirements, and must fulfill those like the traditional ADN students. LPNs can bridge into the ADN program on either the Galesburg or Carthage campus, but the college does not save a set amount of seats for LPN to RN students. The number of students admitted to the program depends upon the available space.

Contact:
Carl Sandburg College
2400 Tom L. Wilson Boulevard
Galesburg, IL 61401

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Carl Sandburg College – The Branch Campus
305 Sandburg Drive
Carthage, IL 62321

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