Nursing Division Associate Degree Nursing - Associate of Applied Science
Dr. Lara Collum, Program Coordinator
The Associate Degree Nursing Program provides students with educational opportunities for personal and intellectual development and for a career to help meet the health care needs of the community.
MCC’s program prepares graduates for beginning staff level positions as registered nurses. A graduate receives an Associate of Applied Science degree and is eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination for licensure as a registered nurse. The program is accredited by the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning with Continuing Accreditation and by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc., 3390 Peachtree Road, NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA, 30326, 1-404-975-5000, www.acenursing.org (continuing accreditation with a revisit in eight years, scheduled for 2026).
The program includes a balance of general education and nursing courses, along with planned experiences in patient care. Students learn basic nursing techniques in the college laboratory and care for patients in affiliated hospitals and other clinical agencies.
In addition to regular college tuition and fees, students will have additional expenses for clinical apparel, standardized tests, background checks, drug screening, organizational dues, books, and insurance. A detailed cost sheet is available from the program coordinator. Students are responsible for their own transportation between the college and clinical agencies.
Legal limitations for licensure as a registered nurse:
Information related to applying for licensure to practice as a registered nurse, upon completion of the Associate Degree Nursing Program, is contained in the Mississippi Nursing Practice Law and Rules and Regulations. Graduates must apply to the Mississippi Board of Nursing to write the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®). Applicants to the Associate Degree Nursing Program should be aware of the following restriction regarding who may qualify to write the NCLEX-RN®:
“The Board may, in its discretion, refuse to accept the application of any person who has been convicted of a criminal offense under any provision of Title 97 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, as now or hereafter amended, or any provision of this chapter.”
**Mississippi Nursing Practice Law
Mississippi Law now requires health care professionals or Workforce Education students enrolled in programs whose primary purpose is to prepare professionals to render patient care services to submit to criminal background checks and fingerprinting prior to beginning any clinical rotation in a licensed health care entity. If such fingerprinting or criminal background check of the student discloses a felony conviction, guilty plea or plea of nolo contendere to a felony of possession or sale of drugs, murder, manslaughter, armed robbery, rape, sexual battery, sex offense listed in Section 45-33-23 (g), child abuse, arson, grand larceny, burglary, gratification of lust, aggravated assault or felonious abuse and/or battery of a vulnerable adult which has not been reversed on appeal or for which a pardon has not been granted, the student shall not be eligible to be admitted to such health program of study, nor will he/she be eligible to participate in clinical training in a licensed entity. In addition, clinical affiliates have identified “other exclusions” or other criminal offenses that will preclude a student from participating in the clinical practicum. The student’s eligibility to participate in the clinical training phase of his/her health care program shall be voided if the student receives a disqualifying criminal record check; therefore, the student will be dismissed from the nursing program.
If a student currently enrolled in the nursing program is prohibited from participating in clinical experiences by any clinical affiliate of Meridian Community College (e.g., positive drug screen, egregious behavior, violation of patient safety, non-compliance with the College’s “Student Behavior Code,” etc.), then the student will be dismissed from the program of study. The student is not eligible for program readmission until the clinical restriction is removed.
Progression: A grade of “C” for each nursing course listed in the nursing curriculum (NUR courses plus general education courses) and a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 (“C” average) or higher on all college courses are necessary to progress and to graduate from the Associate Degree Nursing Program. In addition, students must demonstrate a satisfactory pattern of behavior according to the “Criteria for Responsible Behavior,” published in the Associate Degree Nursing Student Handbook.
Minimum admission requirements (in addition to general admission requirements):
Attain an 18 composite score on the national ACT (if taken prior to October 1989, a composite of 15 is acceptable); complete the prerequisites of Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs with a “C” or higher; have a grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 (“C” average) or higher on all previous college coursework and a grade of “C” or higher on all ADN curriculum courses;
Or
Attain a 17 on the national ACT; complete Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs with a “C” or higher and 16 additional hours of general education courses as listed in the ADN curriculum; have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.50 or higher on all previous college coursework; and a grade of “C” or higher on all ADN curriculum courses;
Or
A student with a bachelor’s degree or higher may be admitted without an ACT score but must have completed all prerequisites listed in the course of study: have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 (“C” average) or higher on all previous college course work; and a grade of “C” or higher on all ADN curriculum courses.
And
Participate in a mandatory ADN information session and take the TEAS Admission Assessment Exam. The mandatory information session and TEAS exam will be scheduled for the prospective student only after all other requirements have been met. Students will receive notice from the Registrar’s Office about scheduling their information session and the TEAS exam.
The ADN Admissions Committee will select each semester’s class from the pool of applicants who meet minimum admission requirements. Any application with incomplete records will not be considered for admission. The admission process is competitive, and completion of minimum requirements is not a guarantee of admission. Priority consideration for admission will be given as follows: 1) In-district students who complete program prerequisites and/or general education coursework at MCC; 2) Out-of-district students who complete program prerequisites and/or general education coursework at MCC; 3) Mississippi residents who complete program prerequisites and/or general education coursework elsewhere; 4) Out-of-state students. In addition to residency points, an applicant’s competitiveness is determined by national ACT score, GPA, TEAS exam score, and grades in courses completed. See the ADN website or nursing advisor for additional details. Please be aware that there is no minimal TEAS exam score that must be earned for admission consideration; these scores are converted to points and used in the competitive process. Students scoring less than 60 on the TEAS exam will be required to enroll in Nursing Enhancement courses and pass the corresponding nursing enhancement courses with a “C” or better each semester.
After program admission and prior to the first day of class, students must obtain American Heart Association CPR certification. Students must provide proof of immunization for MMR. A Mantoux Two-Step TB Skin Test is required prior to the first day of class. Students must comply with vaccination requirements of clinical agencies. Drug screening will be scheduled after enrollment. Electronic textbooks are used for the nursing program. Software requirements and other information will be provided in the admissions notification.
All students admitted into the program will be required to pay for fingerprinting and background checks, which will be performed after admission and prior to clinical laboratories. These fees will be attached as registration fees. There are certain convictions that will prevent an individual from being eligible to participate in clinical experiences. If a student is unable to participate in clinical experiences, he/she will be dismissed from the program. For additional information, please contact the program coordinator.
The deadline for application is January 15th for fall admission and September 1st for spring admission. The application information which must be submitted by the deadline includes submission of all official transcripts, national ACT score, and MCC admission application. There is not a separate application for the nursing program. On the MCC admission application, applicants should mark Associate Degree Nursing-Pre/ADN-Pre as the program of interest. The admission application should also be marked for the term admission is being sought.
Admission requirements, curriculum, and other program information are subject to change. See your program advisor/counselor for additional information.
Students in the Associate Degree Nursing Program must attend MCC at least 12 semester credit hours each semester.
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