Clinton Community College New York Nursing Program Review

Clinton Community College (CCC) is a small residential campus with average class sizes of 18 students. There are just over 2,000 students who attend this college that is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) network. The campus is only an hour’s drive from Montreal, Quebec and very close to Burlington, Vermont. The college is located in a forested area that overlooks Lake Champlain.

Nursing Program

Associate in Applied Science (AAS)

Clinton Community College offers an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) nursing program. Students may choose to complete the program in two or three years. Admission is selective, so not every applicant is granted admission to the program. Applicants must first apply for general admission to Clinton and then to the nursing program. About 70 freshman students are accepted into the nursing program each year. Preference is given to applicants with strong backgrounds in math and science who are judged to have the ability to be successful in the AAS program.

Applicants must meet academic and health requirements and must be emotionally stable and of an ethical character to be admitted to the nursing program. They must also be in excellent health and have the capability of moving heavy patients and of working under stressful conditions. The academic requirements are very competitive since so many applicants want to get into the nursing program. Applicants must have satisfactory ACT or SAT scores and they must have the ability to write at the college level. Health forms must also be submitted upon acceptance into the program. Students entering the program from high school must have completed college preparatory classes, including four units of English, three units of social science, two units of mathematics, and three units of natural science that included biology and chemistry. An overall average grade of 80 or better is expected.

Besides taking the required general education and nursing courses, students are expected to spend time in labs. One of these is the Nursing Skills Laboratory. This facility is used as part of some nursing courses, and students are expected to practice in the lab outside of classes. Here, students practice on patient dummies and perfect their skills in a variety of procedures. Nursing practice at Clinton Community College focuses on the person as a whole being whose culture, environment, and heredity affect their health. The Nursing Department emphasizes that students learn to practice holistic and humanistic care. The current nursing trends of disease prevention, the aging population, health promotion, and disaster preparedness are also focused on in preparing students to enter the workforce as RNs who will encounter experiences dealing with these subjects.

Clinton Community College’s two year program consists of four semesters of study and clinical work. Students must complete courses such as Dosage Calculations, Fundamentals of Nursing, including Lab Time, Medical Terminology, Medical and Surgical Nursing, Mental Health Nursing, and Phlebotomy. The first semester of the freshman year typically includes English Composition, Anatomy & Physiology, Introduction to Psychology, and Fundamentals of Nursing for a total of 17 credits. During the second semester of the first year, Anatomy & Physiology II, Human Development, Medical Surgical Nursing I, and Nursing Care/Child Bearing Family are the required courses. These courses account for 16 credits. In the second year during the first semester, Microbiology, Introduction to Sociology, Medical Surgical Nursing II, and Mental Health Nursing are the required courses that total 16 credits. The final semester consists of Literature & Composition, Medical Surgical Nursing III, and Pharmacology. These final classes total 16 credits.

The three year nursing program has six semesters in which the required courses are completed. Students do not choose this option, but are assigned to this program by the selection committee and admissions officers of the college. The student must maintain a minimum grade of C in all nursing, math, and science courses. When this year of prerequisite courses is completed, the student may enter the regular two-year nursing program, but they only take around 12 credit hours per semester. Students in this program must be enrolled full-time. During the first year, students take English Composition, Anatomy & Physiology I, Library Research Skills, Safety & First Aid, a Humanities Elective, Literature & Composition, and Anatomy & Physiology II.

The second year of the three year program requires that students take Fundamentals of Nursing, Introduction to Psychology, and Microbiology the first semester and Medical Surgical Nursing I, Nursing Care Child Bearing Family, and Human Development the second semester. In the first semester of the third year, students complete Medical Surgical Nursing II, Mental Health Nursing, and Introduction to Sociology. The final or sixth semester includes Medical Surgical Nursing III and Pharmacology.

Clinical practice is required at nursing homes, clinics, hospitals, and other health care facilities near the college. A combination of observation and direct patient care prepares nursing students at Clinton for their future career as an RN. Students are fully prepared to enter the workforce after completing this rigorous course of study offered at Clinton County Community College.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Clinton Community College offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in conjunction with The Sage College. The program is called the 2 + 2 Program because students complete their first two years at Clinton and then transfer to four year colleges within the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Clinton Community College has an agreement with other schools in the SUNY system that their graduates may continue in the four year program after completing their studies at the community college. This program is also called the Bachelor’s Degree Pathway. Students in this learning track must complete their liberal arts and prerequisite classes before transferring to the four year program.

Contact:
Clinton Community College – SUNY
136 Clinton Point Drive
Plattsburgh, New York 12901
(518) 562-4200