Associate Degree Nursing (RN)

Essential Functions Required of All Nursing Students

Motor Capability

1. Move from room to room and maneuver in small places.
2. Transfer patients who may require physical assistance.
3. Guard and assist patients with ambulation.
4. Lift and carry up to 50 pounds and exert up to 100 pounds force for push/pull.
5. Squat, bend/stoop, reach above shoulder level, kneel, use standing balance, and climb stairs.
6. Use hands repetitively; use manual dexterity.
7. Adjust, apply, and clean therapeutic equipment.
8. Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
9. Travel to and from academic and clinical sites.
10. In the average clinical day, students sit 1-2 hours; stand 6-7 hours, travel 1-2 hours.

Sensory Cabability:

1. Coordinate verbal and manual instruction.
2. Assess a client 10 feet away to observe client's posture and respond to treatment.
3. Respond to a timer, alarm, or cries for help.
4. Monitor vital signs.
5. Auditory, visual, and tactile ability sufficient to assess patient status and perform treatments (Example: color changes in skin, hear heart and lung sounds).

Communication Ability:

1. Communicate effectively in English with patients, families, and other health care providers, both verbally and in writing (Example: explain treatment procedures, teach patient and families, document in medical records).
2. Effectively adapt communication for intended audience.
3. Interact, establish rapport with individuals, families, and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds.
4. Assume the role of a health care team member.
5. Function effectively under supervision.

Problem Solving Ability:

1. Function effectively under stress.
2. Respond appropriately to emergencies.
3. Adhere to infection control procedures.
4. Demonstrate problem solving skills in client care (measure, calculate, reason, prioritize, synthesize data).
5. Use sound judgment and safety precautions.
6. Address problems or questions to the appropriate person at the appropriate time.
7. Organize and prioritize tasks.
8. Follow policies and procedures required by clinical and academic settings.

All prerequisites must be completed and posted to the appropriate Official College Transcript before submitting an application to the Associate Degree Nursing Program. Prerequisites “in progress” are not accepted.

Program Prerequisites

Demonstrate reading proficiency per Sierra College graduation requirements.

Complete the following courses:

• English 1A: Composition and Literature
• Psychology 100: Introduction to Psychology [NOTE: If completed prior to Fall 2011, Psych 1 will be accepted]
• Human Development 1
• *Bio Science 4 or 8A/B: Microbiology
• *Bio Science 5 or 7A/7B: Anatomy
• *Bio Science 6: Physiology
• *Nutrition 10: Fundamentals of Human Nutrition

One of the following math courses:

• Math A: Elementary Algebra
• Math D: Intermediate Algebra
• Math 12: College Algebra
• Math 16A or 16B: Calculus Life and Social Sciences
• Math 29: Pre-Calculus
• Math 30: Calculus I
• Math 31: Calculus II
• Math 42: Business Calculus

Completion of one year (two semesters) of Algebra II or Integrated Mathematics III or higher level mathematics in high school with grades of “C” or better.

(*) Indicates course must be completed within seven (7) years of admission into the Associate Degree Nursing Program.

Advisory

Statistics courses at any level do not meet the math prerequisite.

Co-Requisites

• Comm 1: Fundamentals of Public Speaking
• Soc 1: Introduction to Sociology OR Anth 2: Cultural Anthropology

Advisory

Co-Requisites must be completed before the student enters the last semester of the Associate Degree Nursing Program. Courses must be completed with a grade “C” or higher.

Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS)

Only students selected for enrollment are eligible to take the TEAS assessment. The only score accepted for enrollment in the Sierra College Associate Degree Nursing Program is the score students achieve when completing the test at Sierra College after receiving an offer of provisional acceptance into the program.

Students must achieve a cumulative score of 67% to maintain provisional acceptance into the program.

Applications for the Associate Degree Nursing Program are accepted each spring semester beginning February 1 until 4:00 p.m. April 15 (or the last business day prior). Only complete application packets are evaluated for potential admission. A complete application packet consists of the following:

• Completed, signed Program Application.
• Official College Transcripts for all prerequisite courses completed at colleges INCLUDING SIERRA COLLEGE.
• Note: Do not have transcripts sent to the Nursing Office. Transcripts must be included in the application packet.
• Official Transcripts for all colleges referenced in the Program Application.
• Official High School transcript ONLY if using high school math to meet math prerequisite.
• Official course descriptions for all courses referenced in the application completed at colleges OTHER THAN SIERRA COLLEGE.
  • Note: Courses referenced are all prerequisite courses and any course documented on the application to meet the qualifying requirements.
• Copy of DD214 if a veteran.
• Verification of reading competency by course, assessment, or Bachelor’s Degree from a regionally accredited educational institution.
  • Students may download assessment results from mySierra.
  • If assessment is completed at another institution, contact the Assessment at Sierra College (916-660-7430) for an equivalency form.

Advisory

Associate Degree Nursing Program: Selection

Once the application acceptance period has ended, all applications will be randomized. Selection will be based the following criteria: submission of a complete application, completion of all program prerequisites, and an 84% Chancellor’s Office Predictor of Success score (Community College Nursing Prerequisite Validation study).

• Grade Point Average (GPA) from all colleges attended where prerequisites were completed.
• Grade for most recent English Composition course completed and documented on a transcript.
• Cumulative GPA in sciences: microbiology, anatomy, and physiology
• The number of times microbiology, anatomy, or physiology courses have been repeated (Repeats after withdrawals have the same negative impact as do repeats after a failure).
• RN Qualifying Worksheet or RN Qualifying Worksheet. Used to determine individual data elements.
• Chancellor’s Predictor of Success Formula: Excel spreadsheet formula (.xls). Used to determine your qualifying score.

Please allow 6 weeks from the close of the acceptance period (April 15) for this process to be completed and results communicated via the email address provided on the application. Please be sure the email address is legible.

Application:

RN Application or RN Application

I know the English 1A is required to get into the program. If I have a better grade in English 1B may I use the English 1B grade in the Chancellor’s Office Predictor of Success formula?
When calculating a student’s predictor of success score, the grade a student achieved in their most recent English composition course is used. This could be English 1A, English 1B, or English 1C depending on when the course was completed.

How many applications do you receive, and how many students are selected?
For the past two years, we have received 300-500 applications for the ADN program. Budget and staffing permitting, we accept 30-40 students and 10-15 alternates, determined by random selection, every Fall semester. Alternates who are not admitted in the class for which they were chosen as an alternate automatically receive placement in the next class.

Do I need to take the CPR course before applying to the program?
No. We no longer require CPR as an application requirement.

I have one pre-requisite course left to take. Can I still apply to the program?
No. All prerequisite courses must be completed and posted to the appropriate transcript prior to applying for the program.

Do I have to have my Communication Studies and Sociology/Anthropology courses completed before I apply?
No. Communication studies and Sociology/Anthropology are co-requisites to third semester of the nursing program. This means you may take these courses concurrently with nursing courses in the third semester or before completion of the fourth semester. This must be completed in order to meet the requirements for the NCLEX-RN licensure examination.

I took my pre-requisites at another college. You are asking for course descriptions for those courses. How do I obtain the course descriptions?
Official college course descriptions may be obtained by photocopying the college catalog for the year and semester the course was completed. Official college catalogs with course descriptions may also be available online through the institution’s website.

I am confused about Math D being required in Fall 2009. Can you explain this?
We recommend you see an academic counselor for all graduation requirements.

I see that the science courses and Nutrition cannot be more than seven years old when I begin the program. One of my courses is older than seven years. Do I need to retake the course?
We recommend that you see an academic counselor regarding course repetition and/or course challenge process.

I took my Anatomy and Physiology at a school where the courses were combined for two semesters. At Sierra they are offered separately. Am I still eligible to apply?
Yes. We accept equivalent course work. Two semesters of combined Anatomy and Physiology is equivalent to two semesters of separate course work.

Some of my pre-requisites are upper division from a four-year university. Is this okay?
We will accept upper division coursework to satisfy prerequisites. Students using upper division coursework to satisfy prerequisites will not receive units for the upper division courses and they may need to complete coursework to satisfy graduation requirements. We recommend that these students see an Academic Counselor for guidance.

Is it okay if I turn my application in late? I have a really good reason.
No. All applications must be received by the due date/time. Postmarks are not acceptable.

I was not accepted into the nursing program. Will my application materials be returned to me?
No. Once application materials are submitted, they become the property of the college and are not returned to the student.

My employer wants to write a letter of recommendation for me to get into the nursing program. Should I enclose that with my application?
Our method is random selection. Letters of recommendation are not considered. We request that you not enclose any in your application packet.

I see that your mailing address is in Rocklin. I thought the nursing department was in Roseville.
We are located in Roseville on Sunrise Avenue. We are part of Sierra College, so our address is 5000 Rocklin Road, Rocklin, CA 95677. We receive our mail through the campus mailroom. It takes several days to receive our mail from the Rocklin campus. Mail addressed to the Roseville address is not delivered to us.

I have work experience in the health field. Will this increase my chances of being admitted?
Our method is random selection. Your experience will benefit you on a personal level, but is not considered when applying to the nursing program.

May I use my TEAS V test results from another college?
In the past we have accepted only those results achieved through TEAS testing at Sierra once a student was selected for enrollment. Effective Fall 2012 we will accept TEAS V results taken at another institution achieved within one year of enrollment into the program. The official TEAS results from Assessment Technologies Institute must be included in the nursing application packet.

Three-Day Mandatory Orientation

2012 dates not set yet

Roseville Gateway Campus - Rooms 107 & 125

333 Sunrise Avenue, Roseville

If you do not attend the three-day Orientation, we will assume you are no longer interested in joining our program and your position will be forfeited.

The Program Orientation provides an opportunity to ask questions concerning books, uniforms, schedules, etc., about your class. The TEAS will be administered on June 20th. Additional assessment testing and general information sessions will be held on the following days.