The LCC Nursing Program is offered in a full time format on the LCC campus. It begins in August and ends in May. It is an Associate Degree program comprised of two levels. Level I is the first year of the Associate Degree Nursing Program. Students have the option to sit for the PN licensure exam (NCLEX-PN) upon the successful completion of Level I. Level II is the second year of the program. Students who have completed Level I may go directly on to Level II.
Level II is also open to L.P.N.’s seeking an Associate Degree in Nursing and transfer students. Level II completers are awarded an A.A.S. Degree in Nursing and qualify to sit for the R.N. licensure exam (NCLEX-RN).
Learn more about different aspects of the program by exploring the topics below:
The nursing program at (LCC) began in 1989 as a one-year practical nursing (PN) certificate to meet the needs of the health care community in southeast Colorado. The Associate of Applied Science degree was added in the fall of 2000 in order to provide registered nurses (RN’s) for the area.
The current program has a PN exit option after completion of the first year of the nursing program.
The program is approved by the Colorado State Board of Nursing and aligns with the mission and philosophy of its governing bodies.
The LCC Nursing Program was last reviewed by the Colorado Board of Nursing (CSBON) in 2005. Candidacy by the National League of Nursing Accreditation Commission (NLNAC) was received by the Nursing Program in 2009. The September, 2011 (NLNAC) site visit will be concurrent with a CBON site visit.
Community Involvement
The LCC nursing program has strong support from local health care professionals, including long-term care facilities, hospitals, and a state correctional institution. The program utilizes a strong program advisory board and meetings are held twice each year, are well attended, and are representative of health care in our region.
The LCC nursing students are involved in college and community. This is accomplished through student clubs and organizations. The LCC Nursing Student Organization requires affiliated programs to accomplish at least one campus and one community activity to qualify for funds from the LCC Student Government Association (SGA). Each year this is accomplished and the activity this last year resulted in providing services at a campus health fair and provision of food to needy families in the community.
Partnership with the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Current and future engagement of the LCC Nursing Program in accomplishing recommendations noted in the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports (reference The Future of Nursing-Leading Change, Advancing Health, 2010) is reflected in its partnership with the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) to promote RN-BSN completion. LCC and UCCS have been working on this partnership for three years. The two colleges have now entered into a formal agreement that proves for faculty sharing opportunities and they have jointly funded a recruiter to provide tutoring services to nursing students engaged in advanced nursing coursework on the LCC campus.
Integral to the promotion of the RN-BSN is the equipment for distance learning that was supplied by CISCO as a result of the partnership between the colleges. The CISCO Telepresence equipment connects UCCS and LCC. A pilot project was accomplished that demonstrated the use of the equipment in nursing education, both in theory courses and in human patient simulation exercises. This partnership and equipment has allowed LCC nursing students to take advanced level nursing coursework from UCCS, becoming engaged in the UCCS classroom. The Dual Enrollment agreement between the colleges allows nursing students who complete the first year of the program to begin BSN coursework prior to entering the second year of the nursing program. These courses will be offered via CISCO and in an online format.
The collaboration between the two nursing departments has grown to include five departments, to include nursing in the colleges and has also evolved into major grant opportunities for the nursing departments. In April, 2011, the Colorado Health Foundation awarded 2.2 million dollars to continue the successful collaboration among the nursing schools and to increase access to health for Coloradans. A portion of these dollars will be used to accomplish recruitment and retention of nursing students with an emphasis on completion of a BSN.
Associate Degree Nursing