Odessa College Nursing Department

Degree Plan

For a printable version of the Application for Admission to Health Care Programs click here. For a printable version of the Program Fact Sheet click here. You will need Acrobat Reader to open the document.

PROGRAM FACT SHEET For ASSOCIATE DEGREE NURSING (R.N.)

Associate Dean of Nursing Education: Carmen Edwards, MSN, RN
Assistant Director, ADN: Gail Meagher, MSN, RN
Phone: 432-335-6672 FAX: 432-335-6873
E-mail: cedwards@odessa.edu
WEB Site Information: www.odessa.edu/dept/nursing

Accreditation Status:
The Odessa College Associate Degree Nursing Program is approved by the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas (BNE). The nursing curriculum plan is approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). The Program is accredited by The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC). NLNAC may be reached at 61 Broadway, New York, NY 10006, phone 212-363-5555 ext. 153.

The Associate Degree Nursing Program (A.D.N.)
Nursing is a care-oriented profession requiring a well-educated nurse. The curriculum of the Odessa College Nursing Program prepares graduates to assume beginning staff positions under supervision as providers of care, coordinators of care, and members of the nursing profession. Upon successful completion of the licensing examination, N-CLEX-RN©, the graduate becomes a Registered Nurse.

Odessa College offers three options to obtain the Associate Degree in Applied Science for nursing. Each option requires the same non-nursing courses to complete the degree requirements. The Day Option and Evening Option also require the same nursing courses. The Transition Option allows the licensed vocational nurse (L.V.N.) to receive credit for selected nursing courses through advanced placement. Transition students must hold a license to practice nursing as a L.V.N. in Texas.

Generic students are those who do not hold a licensure to practice nursing as a L.V.N.. Once admitted into the Nursing Program, generic students take nursing courses for two years or four semesters. Transition students take nursing courses for three semesters. Generic and transition students receive clinical education each semester in various hospitals and health care agencies.

Day Option:
The Day Option track allows generic students the opportunity to take classes and receive clinical education during weekday daytime hours. Odessa College admits students into the Day Option track each fall and spring semester.

Evening Option:
The Evening Option track is designed for generic students to attend nursing classes during weekday evening hours. Clinical education occurs on Saturdays and some weekday evenings. A new class for the Evening Option begins in the fall semester of even numbered years. The group of students completes the two year curriculum before another class is admitted.

Transition Option for the LVN:
The transition student enters the curriculum in the second semester, receiving advanced placement credit for Introduction to Nursing (RNSG 1309), Nursing Skills I (RNSG 1105) and Health Assessment (RNSG 1215). Pharmacology (RNSG 1201) and Dosage Calculations (RNSG 1108) must be taken or the candidate may opt to receive advanced placement credit by examination. Transition students begin by taking Transition to Nursing Practice (RNSG 2207) with its corequisite clinical course to prepare them for their role as an R.N., as well as Complex Concepts of Adult Health (RNSG 1443).The second year of the curriculum is the same as that for the generic student. Transition students are admitted each fall and spring semester. Students starting in the spring semester (January) take summer nursing courses and complete the curriculum in one year. Students beginning in the fall (August) do not take summer courses and complete the curriculum in eighteen months.

Academic Advisement for Prospective Nursing Students:
Prospective nursing students are encouraged to visit with the Associate Dean of Nursing Education or the Assistant Director of A.D.N. to develop a plan of study. The plan of study will assist the student to meet the requirements for program admission.

Application Deadline:
Students must apply to the program by coming by the Nursing Office on the second floor of the Composite Technology Building or by going onto the department’s home page on the college’s WEB site. Students are encouraged to apply after completing the first semester of anatomy and physiology, BIOL 2401. The application deadline is May 20 for fall (late August) admission and August 20 for spring (mid January) admission. Letters of acceptance are sent in a timely manner after each deadline, usually within three weeks.

Pre-requisites for Admission:
This program has selective admission criteria. Students who have met all the admission criteria are ranked according to the GPA and NET reading score. The number of students admitted each semester depends upon faculty availability.

In order to be admitted into the Nursing Program, the student must:

Be a high school graduate or earned a GED.
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5.
Have acquired satisfactory scores on the NET pre-nursing assessment test. The composite reading score on the NET must be at least 60%. If a score of 60% is not earned, the student should see the Nursing Department for information regarding alternate testing.
Complete the requirements for the college’s Success Initiative Plan, which usually includes passing scores on the COMPASS or the THEA exam, unless an exemption has been earned.
Be currently certified as a Nurse Aide. CNA training is offered through the Odessa College Continuing Education Department. (Not applicable for the L.V.N.)
Present the nursing department with an immunization record and obtain any required immunizations.
Be currently trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, professional rescuer module. CPR must remain current during the two year program.
Have proof of health insurance, which is a requirement of the clinical agencies.
All course work for the degree must be passed with a grade of “C” or better.
The courses required as pre-requisites for admission are the following:
- BIOL 2401 Anatomy and Physiology I (must be current within 5 years of admission)
- BIOL 2402 Anatomy and Physiology II (must be current within 5 years of admission)
- PSYC 2301 Introduction to Psychology
- HPRS 1106 Medical Terminology
- RNSG 1108 Dosage Calculations

Information on the Nurse Entrance Test (NET):
The NET pre-nursing assessment test is given in the Testing Center, located in room 203 of the Student Union Building (SUB). The NET test should be taken 3-4 months before the admission deadline for the desired semester. The NET is given Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Friday from 7:30 to 10 a.m. The cost is $40.00 (subject to change) payable by money order only.

The Nursing Curriculum:
The curriculum for the Associate Degree in Applied Science (nursing) is attached. Please note that there are other non-nursing (general education) courses that must be taken for the degree but are not required as pre-requisites for program admission. Most students take their pre-requisite courses and most of the non-nursing courses over one year to 18 months prior to program admission. This plan allows the student to focus on the nursing courses but may not be appropriate if the student needs to take 12 or more semester credit hours to maintain a scholarship or health care benefits under some insurance plans. There are two nursing courses (prefix RNSG) that can be taken prior to admission. These are RNSG 1201 Pharmacology and RNSG 1215 Health Assessment. Students must have passed BIOL 2401 prior to taking these courses. BIOL 2402 may be taken prior to taking the courses or may be taken concurrently as a co-requisite. (Note that RNSG 1108 Dosage Calculations, a nursing course, must be taken prior to admission.)

Cost of the Nursing Education:
Tuition and fees are payable according to the published table found in the college catalog. For nursing and non-nursing courses, tuition currently costs approximately $3200, depending on the number of courses taken in a given semester. (The more courses taken in a semester, the cheaper the tuition.) The cost of nursing books required throughout the two years totals approximately $1000. Other fees include uniforms, supply kits, and fees for testing and licensing. These costs total approximately $700. Many scholarships are available, especially after acceptance into the Nursing Program. Contact Student Financial Services at 335-6429 for more information, or go by the department which is located in the Student Union Building (SUB).

Ability to Work During the Program:
The nursing curriculum is difficult and demanding. Students who work in outside jobs must be good time managers and have sufficient support systems in place. It is recommended that students not work during the first semester. After that time, a maximum of 20 hours per week is recommended.

Criminal Background Check:
After admission to the program, new students will authorize the nursing department to conduct a criminal background check. This procedure is required for students to go to various hospitals and agencies for clinical education. If the background check is positive for certain offenses, the student may not be able to do clinical education and therefore will not be able to complete the requirements for the clinical courses and continue in the nursing program.

Licensure Information:
The Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas (BNE) approves all candidates for licensure. Good professional character must be present. The BNE runs an FBI check using fingerprint identification for ALL candidates for licensure. Some events, such as having a felony or misdemeanor conviction, being arrested with or without conviction, having action taken against your health care provider license, having certain mental health disorders or a history of substance abuse MAY disqualify a candidate for licensure. (Please note that it does not matter how long ago these events occurred; if they are on your record, they count.) The BNE requires a review of the individual’s situation under a process called a declaratory order.
If you believe you may have licensure eligibility issues, go to the BNE WEB site at www.bne.state.tx.us to the section on Forms. From there, download the information on declaratory order. Licensure eligibility issues should be resolved before beginning the nursing program.

End of Program Achievement Exam:
Students must pass the end of program achievement exam with the passing score set by the faculty before graduation can occur. Currently, students in the fourth semester take the Health Information Systems, Inc. (HESI) exam a few weeks before the end of the semester. Students have three opportunities to achieve the passing score. This exam gives a predictability rating related to passing the N-CLEX-RN© exam.

R.N. Salary Information:
A new associate degree RN in the Permian Basin can make $36,000 or more annually. This figure does not include shift differential, weekend differential or special area pay that most employers provide.

Employment Opportunities:
The associate degree R.N. may seek employment in a variety of structured health care settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, home health care services, rehabilitation hospitals, mental health hospitals and agencies, hospice care, outpatient clinics, ambulatory care centers, schools, and community settings.

Furthering Your Education:
Students completing the Associate Degree in Nursing may continue their education toward a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at an upper level university. These programs are known as RN to BSN programs or bridge programs. Locally, Texas Tech University offers this course of study. Several other universities offer such programs, with some offering on-line options.

ADMISSION TO THE ODESSA COLLEGE NURSING PROGRAM IS WITHOUT REGARD TO RACE, COLOR, AGE, ETHNIC/NATIONAL ORIGIN, RELIGION/CREED, GENDER/SEX, MARITAL STATUS, VETERAN STATUS, OR DISABILITY.

This Fact Sheet contains information that is current when published. The College and/or Nursing Department reserves the right to modify, amend or revise programs, courses, tuition, fees and any information in this publication.

Associate Degree Nursing Curriculum
For the Generic Student

Prerequisites	Semester Hrs
RNSG 1108 Dosage Calculations	1
BIOL 2401 Anatomy and Physiology I	4
BIOL 2402 Anatomy and Physiology II	4
HPRS 1106 Medical Terminology	1
PSYC 2301 Introduction to Psychology	3
Total Hrs	13

FIRST YEAR
First Semester
*RNSG 1201 Pharmacology	2
*RNSG 1215 Health Assessment	2
RNSG 1105 Nursing Skills I	1
RNSG 1309 Introduction to Nursing	3
RNSG 1341 Common Concepts of Adult Health	3
RNSG 1360 Clinical – Basic	3
Total Hrs	14
*May be taken prior to program admission with BIOL 2401 as a prerequisite and BIOL 2402 as a corequisite.
Second Semester
RNSG 1443 Complex Concepts of Adult Health	4
RNSG 1361 Clinical – Complex	3
ENGL 1301 Composition and Rhetoric	3
COSC 1301 Microcomputer Applications	3
PSYC 2314 Life Span Growth & Development	3
Total Hrs	16

SECOND YEAR
Third Semester
RNSG 2201 Care of Children and Families	2
RNSG 2261 Clinical-Pediatrics	2
RNSG 2208 Maternal/Newborn Nursing and Women's Health	2
RNSG 2260 Clinical-Obstetrics	2
SPCH 1321 Business & Professional Speech OR SPCH 1315 Public Speaking	3
BIOL 2420 Microbiology	4
Total Hrs	15
Fourth Semester
RNSG 2121 Management of Client Care	1
RNSG 2163 Clinical-Management	1
RNSG 2213 Mental Health Nursing	2
RNSG 2161 Clinical-Mental Health	1
RNSG 2331 Advanced Concepts of Adult Health	3
RNSG 2262 Clinical-Advanced	2
PHED 1100 Lifestyle Assessment & Modification	1
Humanities Requirement: select one (1) course from the following list: ENGL 1302 Composition and Literature PHIL 2306 Introduction to Philosophy II (Ethics) SPAN 1300 Conversational Spanish I HIST 1301 United States History to 1877 HIST 1302 United States History from 1877 ARTS 1301 Art Appreciation	3
Total Hrs	14
Total Hours	72

Curriculum plan - Transition Option
For the LVN

Prerequisites	Semester Hrs
RNSG 1108 Dosage Calculations	1
BIOL 2401 Anatomy and Physiology I	4
BIOL 2402 Anatomy and Physiology II	4
HPRS 1106 Medical Terminology	1
PSYC 2301 Introduction to Psychology	3
Total Hrs	13
Second Semester (Starting point for the LVN)
*RNSG 1201 Pharmacology	2
RNSG 2207 Transition to Nursing Practice	2
RNSG 1443 Complex Concepts of Adult Health	4
RNSG 2162 Clinical – Transition	1
PSYC 2314 Life Span Growth and Development	3
BIOL 2420 Microbiology	4
Total Hrs	16
*May be taken prior to program admission with BIOL 2401 as a prerequisite and BIOL 2402 as a corequisite.
Third Semester
RNSG 2201 Care of Children and Families	2
RNSG 2261 Clinical – Pediatrics	2
RNSG 2208 Maternal/Newborn Nursing and Women’s Health	2
RNSG 2260 Clinical – Obstetrics	2
ENGL 1301 Composition and Rhetoric	3
SPCH 1321 Business & Professional OR SPCH 1315 Public Speaking	3
COSC 1301 Microcomputer Applications	3
Total Hrs	17
Fourth Semester
RNSG 2121 Management of Client Care	1
RNSG 2163 Clinical-Management	1
RNSG 2213Mental Health Nursing	2
RNSG 2161 Clinical – Mental Health	1
RNSG 2331 Advanced Concepts of Adult Health	3
RNSG 2262 Clinical – Advanced	2
PHED 1100 Lifestyle Assessment and Modification	1
Humanities Requirement: select one (1) course from the following list: ENGL 1302 Composition and Literature PHIL 2306 Introduction to Philosophy II (Ethics) SPAN 1300 Conversational Spanish I HIST 1301 United States History to 1877 HIST 1302 United State History from 1877 ARTS 1301 Art Appreciation	3
Total Hrs	14
Total hours	60