Nursing, A.S.

The Connecticut Community College Nursing Program at Capital Community College

http://www.ct.edu/academics/nursing

The Connecticut Community College Nursing Program (CT-CCNP) is an innovative associate degree program of study offered at six Connecticut Community Colleges (Capital, Gateway, Naugatuck Valley, Northwestern CT, Norwalk and Three Rivers community colleges). The common nursing programming offers a four-semester curriculum designed to prepare registered nurses to function in the professional role utilizing current standards of nursing practice. In addition, students within the program have the same admission and policy standards, which allows for greater student flexibility.

The curriculum is built upon courses from the social and biological sciences, liberal arts, and nursing; these courses provide the foundation for the practice of nursing. The curriculum is organized by concepts that guide student learning about the nursing profession, health and illness, health care systems and patients who are the recipients of nursing care. The curriculum is guided by local, regional, and national standards and trends within healthcare, higher education, and the nursing discipline. The delivery of the curriculum is accomplished through a dynamic educational experience that involves active and diverse learning processes.

Upon successful completion of the Nursing program, the college awards the graduate an Associate in Science Degree. After the Associate in Science degree is awarded, the graduate is eligible to take the National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Graduates can apply for licensure through the Connecticut Department of Public Health or through the state within which they would like to practice. The graduate is prepared to function as a safe, competent entry-level practitioner within settings across health care systems such as acute care (general or specialty hospitals), subacute or long term care, and community based care settings such as provider offices and clinics.

Approval and Accreditation The newly revised CT-CCNP curriculum has been approved by the by the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education and the Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Nursing, with the consent of the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Each program within the CT-CCNP approaches national accreditation through the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, ACEN, located at 3343 Peachtree Rd NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326; Phone: 404-975-5000, Fax: 404-975-5020, Email: info@acenursing.org. The curriculum is implemented at each of six Connecticut community colleges based upon college level approval processes and the approval of ACEN.

The Nursing Program is a two-year, four-semester program which, upon successful completion, awards an Associate in Science Degree. Sixty-five credits are required for graduation. These include general education courses and nursing courses sequenced to build from fundamental skills to complex critical thinking skills. The program is challenging in nature, demanding mathematics, science, social science and English skills as building blocks to all that encompasses nursing practice.

The Role of the Associate Degree Graduate within the Scope of Nursing Practice

The Nursing program will provide the student with the knowledge and technical skills to practice in a safe, effective and competent manner within the legal and ethical framework for an entry-level Registered Nurse. The scope of practice for the Associate Degree graduate is to provide and manage care for a diverse group of individuals, families and communities in collaboration with members of the health care team.

The Associate Degree Nurse is responsible for his/her continued professional growth and development through continuing education programs and educational advancement to a higher degree level.

The course of study prepares graduates for employment in a variety of settings, extended-care facilities, acute-care hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, etc.

Clinical practice is offered in hospitals, extended care facilities, and community health centers during both day and evening hours. Weekend clinical practice may be required. Faculty cannot address individual student requests for clinical placements.

Students are responsible for their own transportation and must be prepared to travel to facilities a distance from their homes.

Flexibility is required to meet changing course needs.

An orientation session scheduled in June is mandatory for all admitted students

Admitted students must be prepared to submit the following required health information to the Department by June 10 of the admitting year or their place in the program will be relinquished. Instructions for submission on-line will be given at the June Nursing Orientation:

1. Physical examination done within the last year
2. Documentation of required immunizations as described in the Nursing Admission Letter
3. Documentation of current certification in Professional level CPR certification must remain current throughout the program
4. Background check must be received by July 1 of freshmen year. Capital Community College is required to process criminal background checks on nursing students who affiliate at clinical sites. The purpose of the background check is to ensure a safe and protective environment for all clients, particularly populations at risk: children, the elderly, and the disabled. Students must follow the instructions for securing a background check from the Connecticut League for Nursing https://www.ctleaguefornursing.org/register.php and sign a release to allow this information to be sent to the Nursing Department. Students choosing not to consent to this procedure will be ineligible to participate in the required clinical potion of the course and will not progress in the program.
   
   Students who are found guilty of committing a felony/misdemeanor may be prevented by a facility from participating in clinical experiences. If you cannot participate in a clinical rotation at an assigned facility, you may not be able to complete the objectives of the course and of the program. Here is the procedure:
   
   Should a background check reveal a student is guilty of committing a felony/misdemeanor, the Connecticut League for Nursing agrees to makes two phone calls to clinical agencies where the student will be placed. The clinical site is asked if they will accept the student given the background check found the student guilty of committing a felony/misdemeanor. The CLN does not give the college, student name or actual crime, just the category of offense. If two of the CT-CCNP at Capital Community College’s clinical sites say they will not accept the student for clinical placement, the student is not able to meet the clinical objectives and clinical outcomes of the course. The Director notifies the student and the student is terminated from the Program.
    
5. Drug Screening is required by the Nursing Program and must be received by July 1 of freshmen year. This service is also provided by the Connecticut League for Nursing. A clean screen or MD-approved screen must be obtained to be placed at the clinical sites and continue in the program.

RN Licensure: Legal Requirements

Eligibility for the National Council of State Boards of Examiners Registered Nurse Licensure Exam (NCLEX-RN) to become Registered Nurses in Connecticut is dependent on completion of an approved Registered Nurse program and graduate compliance with Chapter 368a Dept. of Public Health Sec. 19a-14.6

The Department of Public Health is authorized to perform the following functions:

• Determine the eligibility of any applicant for licensure, registration, certification or a permit; and
• Deny any applicant’s eligibility for a permit or licensure by examination, endorsement, reciprocity or for the restatement of a voided license if the Department determines that such applicant has committed or has been found guilty of committing acts which are contrary to public health and safety.
• The Department of Public Health makes the decisions on a case by case basis.

Program Objectives/ Learning Outcomes:

While providing nursing care to individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations within the health care system, the nursing graduate:

1. Demonstrates communication strategies that promote accurate exchange of information, prevent and manage conflict, and establish and maintain therapeutic relationships.
2. Integrates evidence-based practice into clinical decision-making for the provision of patient-centered care.
3. Uses data and patient care technology to communicate, differentiate, and manage patient information to support clinical decision-making for optimal patient outcomes.
4. Integrates leadership and priority-setting skills into the management and coordination of safe, quality, patient-centered care.
5. Uses the nursing process to provide patient-centered care that is responsive to the patient’s physiological, psychological, cultural, and sociological preferences, values, and needs.
6. Integrates integrity and accountability that upholds established regulatory, legal, and ethical principles into cost effective, standard-based nursing care.
7. Uses quality improvement to promote the delivery of patient-centered care and to optimize patient outcomes.
8. Promotes a safe culture that minimizes the risk of harm to patients, self, and others at the work unit and health care system levels.
9. Analyzes the impact of the health care system on the provision of safe, quality patient-centered care at the level of the work unit.
10. Collaborates with the inter-professional health care team to manage and coordinate the provision of safe, quality, patient-centered care.

Program of Study

The following program of study reflects a full-time curriculum plan that students enrolled in the nursing program are required to complete for graduation. Many students make the decision to enroll in the nursing program on a part-time basis, taking the general education courses prior to the nursing courses. Non-nursing courses must be taken in the semester indicated in the plan of study below or may be taken earlier; nursing courses must be taken in the stated sequence.

The admission and pre-requisite requirements of BIO* 211 - Anatomy and Physiology I , BIO* 212 - Anatomy and Physiology II , and ENG* 101 - Composition  are credits (11 credits) that are part of the total 65 credits required for graduation. BIO* 211  and ENG* 101 , both requiring C+ or higher, must be completed prior to submitting an application; BIO* 212  may be in progress and the applicant may be accepted pending successful completion with a grade of C+ or higher. A grade of C is required for all corequisite courses in the Nursing plan of study.

Please see Nursing Program Admissions  for a complete list of nursing admissions requirements.

Please see Becoming Connecticut State Community College  for important information regarding this program and Fall 2023 opening of Connecticut State Community College.