Amarillo College Nursing Program Review

Amarillo College (AC) is a public community college that was founded in 1929 to serve the West Texas area. The school has six campuses and an outreach center, to cover a three county area. AC enrolls nearly 12,000 academic students and almost 28,000 continuing education students each semester.

Nursing Programs

Pre-Nursing Associate of Science (AS)

AC offers an AS degree in Pre-Nursing. This degree program is designed to parallel the first two years of a bachelor’s degree program at a four year school. This allows the student to transfer seamlessly into a four year program.

In the Pre-Nursing curriculum at AC, students will take 42 hours of general education courses and 17 hours of major course requirements. They will also receive advisement as to what electives to take, based on what school they plan on transferring to.

Traditional Generic ADN Program (Associate Degree Nursing -ADN)

This program is designed to teach students the basics of the nursing profession, so that they may enter the workforce after graduation. This program takes five semesters or 28 months to complete. After graduation, students will be eligible to take the state’s Registered Nurse (RN) licensing exam. Graduates of this ADN program will be conferred a Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Nursing.

Admission to the ADN program is based on a point system, and is limited to the number of spaces available in the program each fall and spring semester. Applicants are ranked based on their GPA in the general education courses they’ve taken, their score on the HESI Admission Assessment exam, how many general education courses they’ve completed with a grade of C or higher, and whether or not they are a resident of one of the 26 Texas panhandle counties.

The general education courses for this degree program are Speech, Composition I, Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Microbiology, Contemporary Mathematics, General Psychology, and Principles of Nutrition.

Fast Forward ADN

This program allows students to take an accelerated path through the ADN program. Students that enroll in this course of study will graduate 18 months after admission into the program. This program begins once a year during the second summer session.

To apply, students must have completed the general education courses for the ADN program (except Speech and Humanities), take the HESI exam, have a GPA of 3.0 or better, and be a resident of one of the Texas panhandle counties.

Fast Forward Transition (LVN to RN Program)

This program is an advanced placement option for Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) who wish to earn their AAS degree and become RNs. It takes approximately 12 months to complete the program, which begins once a year during the first summer session.

Students must have an active LVN license and LVN work experience in the past four years, or have been enrolled in an LVN program during that time. They must complete the same general education courses required for the Fast Forward program, and take the HESI exam.

Vocational Nursing Program

The Vocational Nursing Certificate is a one year program to prepare a student to become aLicensed Vocational Nurse (LVN). Students will take a total of 44 credit hours to complete this program. Graduates will be eilligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) so as to become licensed vocational nurses.

To be eligible to apply to the program, students must be high school graduates or equivalent, and take the prerequisites of Anatomy and Physiology I and Principles of Nutrition.

Nursing Continuing Education

AC has a Center for Continuing Healthcare Education that offers Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) courses. Nurses must take 20 hours of CNE courses every two years to maintain their licenses.

The Center also offers a program in Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) for interested students. This entry level program can be finished in 12 weeks or less. Students will need to show proof of current immunizations, and complete a criminal background check to be able to enroll. The CNA classes are offered in the evenings and on weekends.

Contact:
Amarillo College
1314 S Polk Street,
Amarillo, TX 79101