Nursing and Allied Health Program
Registered Nursing (RN) Program
The goal of the American River College Associate Degree Nursing Program is to prepare a graduate who is eligible for licensure to practice as a registered nurse. In addition, graduates are prepared to utilize the nursing process effectively with patients of all ages and within a variety of healthcare settings. The graduate will have a solid foundation in providing competent nursing care at the entry level of registered nursing practice.
The Nursing program consists of a combination of general education and nursing courses with related laboratory experience in local health agencies. Successful completion of the program qualifies the student to take the National Licensing Examination to become registered as a nurse and eligible for employment. A grade of "C" or better is required in each nursing course for progression in the program and for an Associate Degree in Nursing. The nursing curriculum is a two-year program offered in four sequential semesters. There are two application periods per year and students are accepted for the spring and fall semesters. There are morning, afternoon, evening, and weekend clinical experiences required which may change with limited notice.
Transfer students are those who have successfully completed some portion of their core nursing courses in an accredited nursing program. Admittance is based on space availability. Students who wish to transfer into the second, third, or fourth semester of the ARC nursing program must contact the department office by email.
In addition, transfer students should be aware that the ARC Nursing Program:
- Has a very low attrition rate. There is rarely space for transferring students. Second and third semester transfers are the most difficult to obtain. Priorities for admission are detailed in the ARC Nursing Student Handbook.
- May have different sequence of nursing specialty courses (obstetrics, pediatrics, and psychiatry) from the transfer college. This may result in repetition of one or more semesters of study.
- Allows students only one year out of active nursing school enrollment to be considered for transfer. Students who exceed this timeframe must apply to the nursing program as a new student.
- Will evaluate all prerequisite and co-requisite course work for equivalency, including achievement of the required grade point averages in the sciences and support courses (see "Credit for Prerequisite Course Work" below).
- Does not require challenge examinations for nursing theory or clinical practice. Transfer students will be given credit for nursing course work after the department has reviewed course descriptions, transcripts, and skills lists.
All nursing students including transfer or advanced placement students must meet the prerequisites for program entry. Students may satisfy the prerequisites through a variety of college procedures:
- Course Substitution: Students who have prerequisite course work in California should check the "ARC Nursing Program Articulation Grid" on the ARC Nursing Program website. Courses on this grid are approved as equivalent, comparable, or acceptable substitutes to the pre/co-requisites for the ARC Nursing Program.
- Petition for Course Substitution: Students who have completed pre/co-requisite course work not listed in the articulation grid or who have completed course work outside of California will need to complete a petition for substitution. This process begins with a visit to an ARC counselor. Counseling appointments may be made by calling (916) 484-8572.
- Credit by Examination: Under special circumstances students may seek credit for course work by examination. This option is not applicable to all courses. Students interested in credit by examination should consult the dean of the appropriate area (e.g., for psychology course work the student would contact the dean of Behavioral and Social Sciences). Further restrictions apply to this option; details are found in the ARC Catalog.
The Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) receives applications from persons seeking RN licensure per BPC 2736(b) who have completed their nursing education in a nursing program located in countries other than the United States. Due to not meeting required or equivalent curriculum, per CCR 1426, applicants may be found not eligible for RN licensure.
This guideline provides information for graduates of international nursing programs seeking California RN licensure and addresses questions related to the most common applicant situations. There may be specific situations that other laws and rules may apply and requires individual consultation by Licensing staff.
To read more about licensure for international nursing graduates, click here.