Miles Community College Nursing Program Review
Custer County Junior College, the college destined to become Miles Community College (MCC) was established in 1939. Classes for this college were being offered in temporary facilities through hosting by high schools. 28 years down the line, the college managed to build its own property through a federal grant. One year prior to that relocation, in 1966, the name was changed to Miles Community College to reflect an expanded college offering a diverse range of academic programs.
Nursing at Miles Community College
Miles Community college nursing program is approved by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and also follows licensure standards set by Montana State Board of Nursing. The program leading to an associate degree prepares students to become registered nurses by becoming eligible for the NLCEX-RN. Eligible candidates for the program are required to complete a special entrance exam upon which a formal selection will be based upon. There is also a LPN to RN bridge program that helps practical nurses to make the transition into professional nursing as explained herein:
Associate of Science in Nursing Degree
The associate degree at Miles Community College is a highly intensive 73 credit hours program. This is because unlike many colleges that offer the prerequisites courses on a summer session prior to admission, Miles has all the courses in the four semesters. There is no summer session to ease the course work load when students are taking nursing courses. However, students who cannot follow this 2-year full time program can consult with their academic advisor for the sequence of personalized part time study plans.
LPN to RN Completion Program
The LPN to RN completion program gives recognition of skills acquired by licensed practical nurses from an accredited program or vocational nursing program. Miles Community Colleges accepts applications from active LPNs and also those expecting to graduate and obtain licensure from an LPN program prior to the fall semester.
The generic option is for students who enter the program at 2nd year and completed their LPN program is not more than five years. For those with who graduated over five years prior to admission, they have the option of getting into the associate program as 2nd semester freshmen. Admission into the program requires that students take two online entrance exams from Assessment Technologies Inc. including the ATI LPN Step Exam, offered twice per year. The scores from these exams form the basis for the selection of successful candidates. Completion of the LPN to RN program leads to eligibility to apply for NCLEX-RN exam to become a registered nurse.
Articulation Agreements with Miles Community College
Associate of Science in nursing graduates of Miles Community College have the great opportunity to complete a baccalaureate in nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. This is as a result of a special articulation program between those to institutions to allow students enjoy a direct transition into the RN to BSN program at the university. This is a flexible RN to BSN online program enabling students to complete the bachelors’ degree right in Montana.
Contact:
Miles Community College
2715 Dickinson Street, Miles City,
MT 59301
Carroll College Nursing Program Review
In 1909, Mount St. Charles College was founded by Bishop Carroll. Just over 20 years later, the college changed its name and named in honor of the founder bishop. As was the intentions of the founder, Carroll College still holds to it the Catholic ecumenical traditions of the second Vatican Council. It is a college where students engage in career entry programs with a liberal arts outlook and a tradition of nurturing social and spiritual awareness.
The Nursing Program at Carroll College
One nursing program is offered at Carroll College (CC) giving students a coursework progression that leads to a bachelor of science in nursing. The baccalaureate program with a major in nursing is offered on a full time basis and students enjoy undivided attention from the nursing faculty. Accreditation for the program is through the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and it has been approved by the Montana Board of Nursing.
Baccalaureate Nursing program
For the four years of the nursing program at Carroll, students start-off with a pre nursing status and only progress to the nursing major after the pre-nursing and co-requisites courses are completed. Students who have completed at least 30 credits in sophomore standing are ready to start on their nursing courses at the second semester of the sophomore year. In this case therefore, student nurse at the college begin their clinical experience from as early as the 2nd year. Largely, clinical sessions are completed at Montana State Prison in addition to other health agencies around Helena. Completion of the required curriculum leads to eligibility to apply for the NLCEX-RN exam and become registered nurses
Special Features of the Nursing Program at Carroll College
Sigma Theta Tau
Carroll College is part of the Sigma Theta Tau international Honor Society. The College is under the Zeta Upsilon Chapter of the honor society which was started as joint effort between Carroll College and Montana State University. The chapter recognizes advanced achievement from student nurses at either undergraduate or graduate level. On this note, 22 student nurses had been inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society from Carroll College as of 2011.
Nursing Outreach
The nursing outreach program at Carroll College takes nursing students for an outreach program in Swaziland-Southern Africa. The outreach focuses on the perspectives of the HIV/ AIDS pandemic on the South African nation which has almost quarter of its population infected with the virus. The Swaziland destination was chosen seeing that it had almost the same population as Montana but had an infection ratio approximately of 750:1 (UNICEF) as compared to Montana.
During the outreach program, Carroll Students nurses interact with the country’s Parish nurses in their work towards helping the HIV/AIDS victims. Although the Parish Nursing program was scraped from Carroll College nursing curriculum, the Swaziland Study Abroad course is a kind on integration that reflects on holistic, empathic, spiritual and community nursing tasks of parish nurses.
Army ROTC Nursing Scholarships
For students who enroll for Army ROTC courses, there are Army ROTC scholarships for them at Carroll. The Army ROTC scholarships are great for nurses who want to serve in the military as Nurse Corps.
Contact:
Carroll College
1601North Benton Avenue, Helena,
MT 59625
Montana State University-Bozeman Nursing School Review
Montana State University-Bozeman (MSU) has it history dating back to 1893 as an agricultural college. It was one of the states’ land-grant colleges and was offering programs in agricultural studies and mechanic arts. In 1965, the college had advanced in regard to the number of programs and its commitment to scientific research. With this advancement came a new name; Montana State University. It serves as the flagship campus of the Montana State University system.
Montana State university Bozeman-College of Nursing
The college of nursing is devoted to offering healthcare education and providing nurse training to the rather rural state of Montana. As a rural state, the nursing programs at the university have a focus on training nurses to cater for underserved citizens. Two baccalaureate nursing tracks and three Master of Science in nursing tracks are offered at the university. Nursing programs are offered at five campus locations of the university and are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and approved by the States Board of Nursing. Montana State University-Bozeman also prides itself to be the only educator of graduate level nurses in the state.
Baccalaureate Program (BSN)
The Bachelor of Science in nursing degree at the university is offered at five locations of the university namely Bozeman, Great falls, Billings, Missoula and Kalispell. It is designed to take eight semesters of full time study whereby, in the first two years, students complete pre-nursing and core curriculum courses. During the junior and senior years, students take upper division courses and clinical practicum sessions in the above mentioned campuses. A minimum of 120 credits is required to prepare for the NLCEX-RN exam and graduation with a Bachelor of Science in nursing degree
Accelerated BSN Option
The program at Montana State University was developed to cater to for the increasing needs of nurses in the underserved, rural and remote areas of the state. It is designed to help graduates of other non nursing degrees to complete a bachelor of science in nursing degree in a short time. Candidates for this option enter the BSN program only at Bozeman campus as nursing majors, if they have completed core pre nursing courses
Once admitted into the nursing major, students take 15 months to complete the program. The 15 months include four semesters of year-round study, a full time study plan and a highly intense and fast paced study commitment. Completion leads to the award of a second degree in nursing and eligibility to apply and write the NCLEX-RN exam.
Distance Master of Nursing (MN) Graduate Degree Program
The Master of Nursing (MN) at Montana State University has focus on the delivery of healthcare to sparsely populated locations. It is the only Master of Science in nursing program in the state and has a focus on the challenges on management of health and wellness for people living in rural areas. As mentioned above, the program delivers curriculum in a variety of teaching methods including synchronous, asynchronous, webinars, intensives and teleconferencing. The intensive modes requires students to attend the main campus at Bozeman for two days every fall semester and not more than 2 times per semester at their respective coordinating campuses mentioned earlier. BSN prepared students interested in this program can choose from the following tracks on the Master of Nursing:
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) with2 or 4-year study plans
- Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (FPMHNP) with 2 or 3-year study plans
- Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) with 1.5 or 2.5-years study plans
A Doctor of Nursing Practice is pending approval at Montana State University and the first class is expected to start very soon.
Contact:
Montana State University-Bozeman
1501 South 11th Avenue, Bozeman,
MT 59715
Montana State University-Northern Nursing School Review
Montana State University-Northern (MSUN, MSU-Northern) is the sixth oldest university of the Montana State University System. It was established in Havre High School in 1929 and remained there temporarily until its own departments were built at the current main campus in Havre. Then, it was known as Northern Montana College but after joining the Montana State University system, it was renamed to the current name.
Nursing at Montana State University-Northern
The nursing department at the university offers three programs leading to the award of associate and bachelor degree in nursing. One of the programs leading to an associate degree is a LPN advanced placement option for Licensed Practical Nurses who wish to become registered nurses. The programs are approved by the Montana State Board of Nursing and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission.
Associate of Science in Nursing Program
The ASN coursework offered at Montana State University Northern qualifies students to write the NCLEX-RN exam to become registered nurses. The sequence of the first year courses of the ASN are offered on a full time basis at Lewistown and Havre main campus. After completion of the first year courses, students at Havre have the chance to proceed to Great Falls campus to finish the sophomore year or remain at Havre. On the other hand, those who start their program at Lewistown must complete the entire curriculum there. 72 to 75 credits are required to graduate with an associate of science in nursing degree. LPN advanced interested in becoming RNS, details are given below.
LPN Advanced Placement
Licensed practical nurses are welcome to apply for advanced placement for the ASN degree. Eligible candidates must be graduates of an accredited practical nursing program but holding licensure is not mandatory to be admitted. Applications for the program are accepted all year long for any of the three teaching semesters at Northern.
An LPN to RN Transition course must be completed through an online summer session prior to the semester of enrollment into the ASN program. However, students who have graduated from a LPN program that have used the Montana Statewide Curriculum in the last three years do not take the transition course. Articulation into the ASN for those students is automatic provided they become admitted.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program (Distance)
The Bachelor of Science in nursing is a completion program that allows RNs to progress and complete their baccalaureate. As such, the program requires RNs who have current and active licenses for the states in which their clinical practicum sessions will be conducted. It builds on earlier nursing experience through innovatively scheduled classes to allow adult RNs to work as they study.
For this program, students can complete the entire curriculum without having to come to campus using non-traditional internet/ Desire2 Learn methods of curriculum delivery. RNs are also free to attain clinical experiences at their geographical locations of choice especially their neighborhoods or places of work. There are full time and part time study plans but all requirements for graduation must be completed within five years.
Contact:
Montana State University-Northern
300 West 11th St, Havre,
MT 59501
Montana Tech of the University of Montana Nursing School Review
Montana State School of mines opened doors for the first batch of students in 1900, offering two degrees in mining and electrical engineering. As more programs were added to the school by 1965 the name ‘school ‘was dropped and ‘college of technology’ was added. When the Montana State University system was undergoing restructuring in 1994, Montana Tech (MTech, MTUM) became part of it. This again led to the change of the name to Montana Tech of the University of Montana along with introduction of more academic programs.
Nursing at Montana Tech of the University of Montana
Montana Tech offers a sequence of coursework and clinical experience that leads to the award of an associate degree and a bachelor of science in nursing degree. Preparation of the students for the NCLEX-RN exam leads to them becoming registered nurses. The nursing program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and is approved by the Montana State Board of Nursing. More details about the programs are given herein:
Associate of Science in Nursing
The ASN degree from Montana Tech requires a five semester both full time and part time study commitment. Students get admitted into the school and take the first portion of the program referred to as pre-nursing courses. These courses take the first two semesters in the school and a second admission into the nursing courses depends on the scores of those two semesters. Students who pass the first two semesters continue to take the nursing and supporting courses of 48 credits in a period of four semesters.
For the three-year 72 credit hours required to graduate, 30 are non-nursing and 42 are of nursing courses. All semesters of the ASN program carry an equal course-load of 12 credits each. One of the level 100 nursing courses is offered online while the other ten are offered on-campus. On the other hand, all pre-nursing courses can be completed on a part time study plan. A student who takes the part time option of the pre nursing must switch to full time for the nursing and supporting courses component. Successful students are in a position to write the NCLEX-RN exam to become registered nurses.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
The Bachelor of Science at Montana Tech is an RN to BSN completion program. Candidates must be graduates of accredited ASN programs to be eligible to apply. Students take 48 credits of upper division nursing courses including five supporting courses totaling to 15 of the 48. Students who have completed all the lower division and pre-nursing courses take between 1-2 years depending on how many credits are validated from the earlier ASN degree.
Three nursing major courses can be completed online while those who have do not meet the pre-nursing requirements can finish those courses on a full time or part time mode. Just like the ASN, all the semesters of the RN to BSN have equal course loads of 12 credits each. Students graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree after completion.
Contact:
Montana Tech of the University of Montana
1300 West Park St., Butte,
MT 59701
Salish Kootenai College Nursing Program Review
In 1977, a branch campus of Flathead Valley Community College, destined to become Salish Kootenai College was opened. The same year, the tribal council passed a resolution to have a tribal college in Pablo and the reservation branch of Flathead was chosen. The branch campus operated under Flathead but under a consortium of other 12 other colleges of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. Four years down the line, the reservation college broke ties with Flathead Valley Community College to be the first fully accredited Tribal College on the Northwest. With this came the change of the name to Salish Kootenai College (SKC).
Nursing at Salish Kootenai College
The nursing department at the college has two nursing programs on offer. The programs prepare students to become registered nurses (RNs) via the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) and the Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSN) programs. The baccalaureate program is a completion program which enables RNs to earn a bachelors degree. Both programs are approved by the Montana State Board of Nursing and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. It is worth noting that the college recently stopped offering the LPN to RN advanced placement option. Further details are provided below:
Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN)
The ASN program at Salish Kootenai College is open to both nursing and pre-nursing students. The nursing students start on their nursing courses early while the pre-nursing students tackle the general education courses first. The program is open to all citizens of US but as a tribal college, preference is given to American Indians during the selection process. As a prerequisite, all students must possess a Certified Nurse Assistant certificate to be allowed to apply for the program.
Students who are admitted in the pre-nursing category take three full load semesters of one academic year to take general education courses before being allowed to take the nursing courses. Those who have completed their general education prerequisites courses take six full load semesters; including two winters to complete the program. A total of 76 nursing credits are required for eligibility to apply and write the NLCEX-RN exam to become registered nurses.
Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSN) Program
This degree program at Salish Kootenai is designed for RNs who want to advance their nursing skills by earning a bachelor degree. The coursework for the program builds on prior nursing experience from the ASN program. To be qualified for admission into this program, students must show proof of having practiced as a RN in the last two years whereby, they must have had a minimum of 800hours of supervised RN roles. Those who do not meet the above requirement may be admitted if they graduated from an accredited RN program in the last 9 months and possess a current RN license.
While enrolled in the BSN program, Salish Kootenai college department of nursing makes it mandatory for RN colleagues (students) to maintain their employment as RNs. For this requirement, students must show prove with documentation from their supervisors of at least 8 hours/ week of RN roles.
The program is available on both full time and part time study plans and all students cover their courses in a hybrid format. In this case, general education courses for the BSN can be offered online or on-site. Courses with an online component require a mandatory 1-3 times on-site activities per semester. To be eligible to graduate with a Bachelor of Science Nursing Degree from Salish Kootenai College, RNs must complete 47 nursing major credits, 78 general education credits.
Contact:
Salish Kootenai College
58138 USS Hwy 93, Pablo,
MT 59855
