Community College Nursing Programs

Community college nursing programs can be completed in as little as 2 years where the graduate would then have an Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN) also known as an; Associateds of Sciences in Nursing (AS), Associates of Applied Science in Nursing (AASN) as well as an Associates of Nursing (AN) which all will allow you to become a Registered Nurse (RN) once you pass the national certification exam.

Attaining an associates degree from a community college with a nursing program can allow you to enter into the highly demanded profession of nursing and earn what is a median salary for AA’s in nursing which is at $68,450 with lowest and highest percentiles ranging from $47,120 to $102,990. This is according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics information, which was updated in 2016. This is nearly 25% higher than the average LVN salary.




An ADN can also prepare one with both the schooling and experience to advance to higher levels in their career through taking an RN to Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) bridge program or an ADN to Masters Degree in Nursing (MSN) program.

The best part about starting doing completing nursing school at a community college is that it is both very cheap compared to university costs as well as you many community colleges offer online courses allowing you to design your own learning schedule to a certain extent.

Community College Nursing Programs Requirements For Admittance

In order to get into a nursing program at a community college you will most likely need to meet certain prerequisites in order to become a student, which below are the general requirements that most all accredited ADN nursing programs require. Before we get into the requirements you should first check if the community college nursing school is accredited by the National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) which this is a requirement to take the National Council License Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

  • A high school education or GED
  • SAT scores that should be a minimum score, usually anything higher than 940
  • Prerequisite courses that can include; English, Human Anatomy & Physiology, Psychology, Computer Literacy, Mathematics and Physiology among others. Classes need to be completed with a C or better as well as the possiblity of being completed with a minimum cumulative GPA.
  • Certain vacinations which most always consist of negative Hepatitis B tests
  • ACT and COMPASS scores may be required as well.
  • A backgound check may be required which all you have to do is sign a background check disclosure form.
  • The English proficiency examination will be required out of students who are from another country.




To make sure you take the correct prerequisite courses, contact the community college that offers the nursing program that you wish to attend as they can provide you with a current list of all requirements. Once you pass a community college nursing program, you will then have to apply for licensure through the Board of Nursing as well as stated above, take the NCLEX-RN, which upon passing the exam you will be able to start applying for RN jobs.

Community College Nursing Program Curriculum

As far as what you learn in community college nursing schools, you will be aquiring knowledge that will allow you to succeed once you obtain a job as a Registered Nurse, information that will allow you to practice the most up to date standards of the nursing practice. Your ADN schooling will consist of theoretical learning (classroom), skills laboratory training as well as clinical rotations where you will visit a healthcare facility and monitor working RN’s. Below is an example of the subjects that are touched upon in community college nursing programs.

  • Intermediate Nursing Process
  • Mental Health
  • Pharmacology
  • Psychology
  • Ethical & Legal Issues
  • Sociology
  • Biological Sciences
  • Childbearing Family Care
  • Adult Health Concepts




If you happen to have come to this information on community college nursing programs while still being enrolled as a high school student, you can consider taking some of your prerequisite courses now and knock them out so once you enroll in the community college you will have a lot less prerequisite work to do.