Upon successful completion of the associate degree nursing program requirements, graduates are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses. The curriculum is divided among nursing courses and non-nursing courses. The nursing courses consist of classroom activities and hospital experience caring for clients of all ages with a variety of health deviations.

Note: This program admits students in the Spring Semester and it is a modified evening/weekend program.

Program accreditation is held through the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). For current information on the program status, please go to http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programsearch.htm and search for Cuyahoga Community College.

Accrediting Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 975-5000

Program contact: Learn more

Learn more about how certificate credits apply to the related degree.

Related Degrees and Certificates

Program Admission Requirements

Starting Spring 2021 the Division of Nursing will be implementing a concept based curriculum for LPN-to-RN (ACCESS Track). This track offers advanced standing to practicing licensed practical nurses graduating from a nursing program other than the Cuyahoga Community College Practical Nursing Program or those completing the current practical nursing program at Cuyahoga Community College prior to the fall semester of 2020.

Upon successful completion of the associate degree nursing program requirements, graduates are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses. The program is highly individualized and blends classroom instruction that offers students excellent hands-on experience in real world health care settings.

Note: This program admits students in the Spring Semester and it is a modified evening/weekend program.

All students are admitted using the admission process below for the LPN to RN ACCESS Track:

Step One:  Seek advisement from counseling

Step Two:  Prior to requesting admission into the Nursing Program the following must be done:

  • Students must be 18 years or older and have a high school diploma transcript, GED Equivalency or higher degree transcript on file in the Office of the Registrar.
  • Complete the following required pre-requisite coursework with a "C" or higher unless otherwise stated:

Prerequisite Course work

BIO-2331Anatomy and Physiology I (Must be completed with a grade of "B" or higher) 14
MATH-1410Elementary Probability and Statistics I 23
NURS-1250LPN to RN Transitions I 33
Select one of the following:3
ENG-1010
College Composition I 4
ENG-101H
Honors College Composition I
Select one of the following:3
PSY-1010
General Psychology
PSY-101H
Honors General Psychology
1

BIO-1100 Introduction to Biological Chemistry, or CHEM-1010 Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry and CHEM-1020 Introduction to Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry with a grade of “C” or higher in each, or appropriate score on Biology Placement Test is required to enroll in BIO-2331 Anatomy and Physiology I.  BIO-2331 must be completed with a grade of "B" or higher.

2

MATH-1240 taken prior to Fall 2024 will be accepted to meet the math requirements for admission.

3

NURS-1250 may not be repeated.

4

  Students who transfer credits for ENG-1020 College Composition II with a grade of “C” or higher and do not have credit for ENG-1010 will have ENG-1010 waived, but the required 6 credit hours in Communication/Mathematics/Natural & Physical Sciences must be earned

  • LPN-to-RN applicants must have these additional requirements:
    • Licensed in Ohio without restriction (Student must maintain a license without restriction during program attendance)
    • Graduated from an approved practical nursing program
    • Submit an official transcript from Practical Nursing Program.
    • Credentialed to administer medication by the Ohio Board of Nursing (OBN)
    • Transcript(s) from other college(s) filed with the Office of the Registrar as required under general admission requirements
    • All transcripts should be mailed to the:
      • Office of the Registrar, P.O. Box 5966, Cleveland, OH 44101-0966 for all Advanced Placement LPN-to-RN applicants.
  • AP credit accepted by the college can be used to meet prerequisite requirements. Please refer to https://www.tri-c.edu/get-started/credit-for-prior-learning/advanced-placement-credit.html for additional information about the College's policy regarding AP credit.
  • Students who transfer in credits for ENG-1020 with a grade of C or higher, without having credit for ENG-1010 will have ENG-1010 waived, but the required 6 hours in Communication must be earned.
  • Courses used as prerequisites or core courses for the Health Careers Programs must have a traditional letter grade. The Pass/No Pass option for prerequisites and core courses will not be accepted by the Health Career and Nursing Programs. Students are responsible for consulting with their program director or counselor to determine Pass/No Pass grading options.
  • A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.75 from Tri-C with a minimum of 9 credit hours from courses that maybe used to meet the general education requirements for the Associate of Applied Science Degree. If an applicant’s Tri-C GPA is less than 2.75, transfer GPA from an accredited institution as recognized by the college can be used for admission criteria only if the student has 9 credit hours of courses that maybe used to meet the general education requirements and an overall GPA of 2.75 or higher.
  • Students who have completed Health related courses may apply to use these courses to meet the 9 credit hour requirement. These courses are subject to division approval only.
  • Applicants to the Advanced Placement LPN-to-RN program may use their LPN official transcript to meet GPA requirements for entrance if the overall GPA is a 2.75 or higher.

Step Three: 

Meet criteria and request to be reviewed.

Submit an Online Request for Review once the above criteria has been met at https://www.tri-c.edu/programs/nursing/admission-information.html 

Please note, having one of these areas missing will result in a declined review.

***Applicants are encouraged to submit an application as soon as admission requirements are completed in order to reserve a space in the program. Support courses can be completed during the interim period while waiting to enter the Nurse Program sequence. Admission is based on first come basis until program is filled.

***Students who accept a slot in the nursing program (with a specific starting date for nursing courses) and do not attend orientation, decline a slot after orientation, do not attend the first day of class, do not meet all medical record, health insurance, CPR, and/or background check requirements will be required to re-start the application process. Students admitted for a fall semester may reapply after Sept. 1st; students admitted for a spring semester may apply after February 1st. Students must meet all current admission requirements at the time of application.

Background Check Information (BCI)

The completion of a criminal background check (BCI) is one of the admission requirements to the nursing program. The background check is required to ascertain (I) the ability of students to eventually become licensed in the profession and (II) the ability of students to attend mandatory clinical rotations at external facilities in accordance with the requirements of the program.

Because a criminal history can have different effects at the educational, licensure, and employment levels, when a person is considering pursuing a nursing career, it is best to have as much information as possible prior to deciding to enroll in a nursing program. The Board encourages individuals who have criminal histories and who are interested in pursuing a nursing career to: (1) Contact approved nursing education programs and ask about the programs’ enrollment criteria with respect to criminal convictions; (2) Review the criminal history information available on the Board’s website under the Criminal Records Check, and (3) Contact healthcare facilities and inquire about hiring criteria with respect to criminal convictions.  https://nursing.ohio.gov/licensing-certification-ce/

Effective January 12, 2013, the BCI process may begin no sooner than six months prior to entry into the program. (Program entry is defined as the first day of class in which the student begins the nursing program).

The BCI must be completed, reviewed and cleared prior to full acceptance into the program. The BCI will be valid as long as the student is continually enrolled in the nursing program. Students who leave and return to the program may be required to complete another BCI check.

Background checks completed by another vendor, employer, or while enrolled at another school/institution will not be accepted.

For general information on student BCIs please see:  http://www.tri-c.edu/programs/healthcareers/Pages/BackgroundCheckInformation

IMMUNIZATIONS

For the most current immunization requirements please visit:  https://www.tri-c.edu/programs/health-careers/health-career-immunization-information.html?_ga=2.190568875.1079450956.1646230832-63629315.1646230831  You are encouraged to review and begin obtaining the required documentation as soon as possible. Please note that the requirements can change depending on the hospital/health care facility agreements.

BLS/CPR CERTIFICATION

A course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation must be completed prior to the scheduled orientation date. Students are required to provide documentation of the current professional level CPR course. The required CPR course must be a BLS for Healthcare Providers course earned through the American Heart Association (AHA). No other course will be accepted. When submitting documentation of AHA certification a copy of the card, certified letter, certificate, electronic verification, eCard, or other form of validation deemed acceptable by the program may be used. When submitting a CPR card for documentation of certification, the copy of the card must be front and back of the card. The card, letter, or certificate must be signed. If submitting the eCard certificate of completion, it must show the unique ID and QR code for verification purposes. Students who fail to complete the approved course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation will be administratively dropped from the program. Students must maintain current CPR certification throughout the Nursing Program.

Health Care Requirement

Prospective students must complete and submit certain requirements for consideration and/or placement in the nursing program. Once accepted into the program, nursing students must maintain these requirements or they will not be permitted into any clinical setting. The maintenance of accurate and up-to-date information of all requirements is the sole responsibility of the student.

For additional information on the Health Care Requirements, please visit:  https://www.tri-c.edu/programs/health-careers/clinical-compliance-how-to-videos.html

Program Learning Outcomes

This program is designed to prepare students to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

Level 2: Registered Nurse

Human Flourishing

  1. Advocate for patients and families in ways that promote their self-determination, integrity, and on-going growth as human beings. (NLN)
  2. Recognize the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient’s preferences, values, and needs. (QSEN)

Professional Identity

  1. Implement ones role as a nurse in ways that reflect integrity, responsibility, ethical practices, and evolving identity as a nurse committed to evidence base practice, caring, advocacy, and safe, quality care  for diverse patients within the family and community context. (NLN)
  2. Function effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care. (QSEN)

Nursing Judgement

  1. Make judgements in practice, substantiated with evidence, that integrate nursing science in the provision of safe, quality care and promote the health of patients within a family and community context. (NLN)
  2. Minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance. (QSEN)

Spirit of Inquiry

  1. Examine the evidence that underlies clinical nursing practice to challenge the status quo, question underlying assumptions, and offer new insight to improve the quality of care for patients, families, and communities. (NLN)
  2. Use information management (informatics) principles, techniques, and systems, and patient care technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision-making. (QSEN)
  3. Use data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems. (QSEN)
  4. Integrate best evidence-based practice with clinical expertise, patient/family preferences, and values for the delivery of optimal health care. (QSEN)

Note: The first semester of this program is Spring; the Second Semester is the Fall; the Third Semester is Spring, and the Fourth Semester is Fall.

Suggested Semester Sequence

Plan of Study Grid
Program Admissions Requirements SemesterCredit Hours
BIO-2331 Anatomy and Physiology I 4 4
MATH-1410 Elementary Probability and Statistics I 5 3
NURS-1250 LPN to RN Transitions I 2 3
Select one of the following: 3
ENG-1010
 College Composition I 1
ENG-101H
 Honors College Composition I
Select one of the following: 3
PSY-1010
 General Psychology
PSY-101H
 Honors General Psychology
 Credit Hours16
First Semester
NURS-1260 LPN to RN Transitions II 3 6
BIO-2341 Anatomy and Physiology II 4 4
Select one of the following: 4
PSY-2020
 Life Span Development
PSY-202H
 Honors Life Span Development
 Credit Hours14
Second Semester
NURS-1210 Concepts of Nursing Care for Patients in Community and Behavioral Health Settings 2
NURS-1230 Concepts of Nursing Care of Childbearing Families and Children 4
Select one of the following: 3
ENG-1020
 College Composition II
ENG-102H
 Honors College Composition II
 Credit Hours9
Third Semester
BIO-2500 Microbiology 4 4
NURS-2000 Concepts of Nursing Care for Patients with Acute Unstable and Chronic Conditions II 6
 Credit Hours10
Fourth Semester
NURS-2010 Concepts of Nursing Care for Patients with Complex Conditions 6
 Credit Hours6
 Total Credit Hours55
1

Students who transfer credits for ENG-1020 College Composition II with a grade of "C" or higher and do not have credit for ENG-1010 College Composition I will have ENG-1010 waived, but the required 6 credit hours in Communication/Mathematics/Natural & Physical Sciences must be earned.

2

NURS-1250 LPN to RN Transitions I may only be taken once. 

3

After successful completion of NURS-1260 LPN to RN Transitions II and prior to enrollment in NURS-1210 Concepts of Nursing Care for Patients in Community and Behavioral Health Settings, students will be required to apply for Career Transfer Assurance Guide/Industry-Recognized Transfer Assurance Guide credit by completing the verification form through Ohio Department of Higher Education and supplying necessary documentation in order to receive credit for NURS-1000, 1010, 1200, 1220, and 1240 (15 credit hours).

4

A grade of "B" or higher is required in all science coursework for graduation.

5

MATH-1240 Contemporary Mathematics taken prior to Fall 2024 will be accepted to meet the mathematics requirement for this program.

MATH-1140, MATH-1141, MATH-1200, MATH-1270, and MATH-1280 can no longer count towards fulfilling the college-level mathematics requirement.  These courses were re-classified as developmental mathematics by the state of Ohio in 2016.  Tri-C established a 5-year transitioning window for students who had completed these courses prior to 2016 to apply them towards meeting graduation requirements, which expired in Summer 2021. It is highly recommended to see a counselor to determine the appropriate math required for your current major.