Johnson County Community College Nursing Program Review
Johnson County Community College (JCCC), which was established in 1967, is the largest community college in the state of Kansas. Over 20,000 students are enrolled in its many different programs, working toward associate degrees and certificates, and also taking non-credit, continuing education classes. Since 1971, shortly after the school was established, JCCC has offered nursing education for residents of Johnson County. JCCC has a practical nursing program and an associate degree nursing program, both of which are approved by the Kansas State Board of Nursing and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC).
Practical Nursing Certificate Program
Before beginning the Practical Nursing Certificate program, a student must complete a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) course and a CPR course. She must also take three prerequisite classes: anatomy and physiology, psychology, and human development. Once these are complete, she can begin the nursing course sequence. This course sequence takes ten months or twenty-four months to complete, depending on whether she decides to study full-time or part-time. The full-time program begins in August; classes and clinical rotations in the full-time program are scheduled during the day. The part-time program begins in January; classes and clinical rotations are offered in the evenings and on the weekends. In total, a student in the Practical Nursing program must complete forty-eight credits in order to earn her certificate. After receiving her certificate, she can take the National Council Licensing Exam for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).
Registered Nurse Program – Associate of Applied Science
After completing the Registered Nurse (RN) program, a student earns an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree. This requires at least seventy-two credits. Before beginning the program, a student must take a CNA course and complete two prerequisites: chemistry and intermediate algebra. Not counting these prerequisites, the program takes four semesters to complete. The RN program starts in both the fall and the spring semesters. A graduate of the program is eligible to take the National Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses (NLCEX-RN).
Registered Nurse Program – LPN to RN Transition
Each fall, JCCC reserves ten places in the RN program for Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) who wish to become RNs. In order to be eligible for the LPN to RN Transition program, an LPN must complete the following prerequisites: a communications elective, intermediate algebra, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, English composition, psychology, and human development. If accepted to the LPN to RN program, he must begin in the summer semester with a six-credit nursing transition course. After this is finished, he can complete the last two semesters of the RN program alongside the traditional RN students. He will graduate in the spring with an AAS degree.
RN Refresher Academy
Each semester, JCCC offers the RN Refresher Academy for RNs who have been out of the nursing field and want to bring themselves up-to-date. The class is offered two days a week, over the course of nine weeks, and includes up to 180 hours of clinical practice. The RN Refresher class is worth nine credits.
Certified Nurse Assistant Course
JCCC offers a five-credit Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) course for students who want to provide basic nursing care to patients in long-term care facilities. The course takes ninety-six hours to complete, and includes both classroom instruction and clinical practice. JCCC offers the CNA course in Olathe, Merriam, Lawrence, and online. (Online students must travel to complete clinical rotations.) Students can choose to complete the class over four weeks, or they may enroll in an eight-week or ten-week CNA course. Completion of the course leads to a certificate, and allows the graduate to take the Kansas certification exam for CNAs.
Certified Nurse Assistant Refresher Course
Kansas mandates that a CNA who has been away from the nursing field for more than two years must complete a refresher course. JCCC offers a one-credit CNA refresher course, which takes twenty-one hours to complete. Twelve hours are spent in the classroom, and nine hours are spent getting hands-on practice.
Contact:
Johnson County Community College
12345 College Blvd.,
Overland Park, KS 66210
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