CUNY Queensborough Community College Nursing Program Review
Queensborough Community College (QCC) is a community college within the City University of New York (CUNY) system. It is located at Bayside in Queens County in New York City. There are around 15,000 students enrolled at the college that offers associate degrees and certificates. The student body is very diverse with almost equal proportions of African Americans, Asians, Caucasians, and Latinos. Almost half of the students were born in another country.
Over half of Queensborough graduates transfer to bachelor’s degree programs. The nursing department at the college is one of the largest associate degree programs in New York State.
Nursing Programs
Associate of Science in Nursing
Queensborough Community College offers an Associate of Science in Nursing degree for those who want to pursue a career as a Registered Nurse (RN). At the completion of the program, graduates qualify to take the NCLEX-RN, the exam that leads to licensure needed to work as an RN. Students complete general education requirements including liberal arts, sciences, social sciences, and nursing. The program trains nurses to be prepared to enter the workforce as entry-level RNs. Students may also choose to continue their studies and continue to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing at one of the CUNY four-year colleges or to another college or university.
Applicants to the program must first complete pre-clinical nursing courses and earn a minimum grade point average of 3.0. These are English Composition, Psychology, Sociology, and Anatomy and Physiology. The Nursing Pre-Admission RN exam must also be taken and passed with a satisfactory score. In addition, placement tests are required in reading, writing, math, and speech. Students not meeting minimum scores in these subject areas need to take remedial coursework at Queensborough.
Admission to the clinical program is extremely competitive, and even if a student meets all of the necessary requirements for admission, the student may not be accepted into the program. Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) may enter the AAS program with advance standing once they complete and pass the required exam. They must also pass and meet a practicum given at the college by the nursing faculty.
While taking nursing courses at Queensborough, students spend time in Queensborough’s Virtual Hospital. This is where they practice their skills using simulation to produce medical scenarios that may occur in their practice as RNs. Simulation labs are becoming popular in almost all nursing schools since it is becoming more difficult to access clinical sites because of increased demand. There are also healthcare restrictions that keep students nurses from spending as much clinical time as required to develop the excellent skills needed before graduation.
This cutting-edge learning facility at the college is maintained by a variety of grants and is supported by numerous foundations. The Virtual Hospital allows students to practice in a safe environment with advanced technology. Another benefit of the virtual learning experience is that faculty members can continually monitor students and work with them to help them perfect their nursing skills. This practice is especially important at Queensborough Community College since many of the students speak English as their second language.
Contact:
Queensborough Community College
222-05 56th Avenue,
Bayside, New York 11364,
(718) 631-6262
