Refer to Admission: Registered Nursing (NURS) Programs in Admission Information for special admission procedures and criteria.

As defined by the American Nurses Association, professional nursing is the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual and high-risk health problems. The Associate Degree Registered Nursing program at Grossmont College prepares men and women for national licensure to practice professional nursing in critical, acute, chronic, ambulatory and home health-care settings. For students without previous nursing education, the nursing courses cover four semesters in addition to the prerequisite courses required to apply. Nursing didactic is coordinated with laboratory experience in local hospitals and health agencies under the supervision of nursing faculty members. In addition to the nursing courses, the major requires selected general education courses from the natural, behavioral and social sciences.

Students are admitted to the Nursing Program based on a multi-criteria selection process which includes the following criteria: GPA of 2.5 or higher in the required sciences and general education courses for the Nursing major, previous degrees or certifications, life experiences, proficiency in a California State chancellor’s office approved second language, and the individual composite score of 62 or greater for the Test of Essential Academic Skills exam. Program applications are accepted during specific application periods and is a separate process from an application to Grossmont College. No waitlist is maintained however, for those applicants not selected, the opportunity exists to reapply during future application periods.

For all information on admission criteria, see the Nursing Program website at https://www.grossmont.edu/academics/programs/nursing/index.php.

California Licensed Vocational Nurses are eligible to apply for an LVN-RN Transition Program. Upon successful completion of required nursing courses, students will receive a total of 13 units of credit for Fundamentals of Nursing and Obstetric and Pediatric Nursing. Placement in the program is done on an individual bases. Please refer to the website for more information.

Grossmont College prepares the student for an Associate Degree in Science in Registered Nursing. In addition to the nursing courses, the major requires selected general education courses to be successfully completed for the degree. Upon completion of all degree requirements, the graduate is eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). The Associate Degree Nursing Program is an approved School of Nursing by the California Board of Registered Nursing located at 1747 N. Market Blvd., Suite 150 Sacramento, CA 95834. The Associate Degree Nursing Program at Grossmont Community College located in El Cajon, California is accredited by the:

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, CA 30326.

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the associate degree nursing program is Continuing Accreditation. 

Graduates of the ADN program are also eligible to transfer into a BSN program upon completion of the program. Appropriate courses are fully accepted on transfer by the University of California, the California State University and by private four-year colleges and universities.  View the public information disclosed by ACEN regarding this program at https://www.acenursing.org/search-programs/entry/2630/.

Important: Any prior conviction of a misdemeanor or felony may influence eligibility for licensure as a Registered Nurse. A flagged background check or drug screen may also prohibit participation in the Nursing program, eligibility for state licensure and securing employment. Applicants with prior convictions are urged to visit the California Board of Registered Nursing prior to applying to the program at https://www.rn.ca.gov/

Application Period

An online application for the nursing major is required and will only be accepted during the application periods specified on the Nursing Program website. The application must be complete and include all required documentation. Incomplete packets will not be considered for admission. No waitlist is maintained for the program. The application must be complete and include all required documentation.

All prospective nursing students must pass the Test of Essential Academic Skills exam (TEAS). This is a pre-entrance test that covers basic Math, Reading, English and Science. All applicants must pass the most recent TEAS version in order to apply to the program; no previous versions will be accepted. Students may prepare for this exam by going to the ATI testing website (https://www.atitesting.com). TEAS study guides and online practice exams are available for purchase through the website https://www.atitesting.com/teas/teas-prep.

Under the multi-selection criteria, points are given for a successful TEAS exam score. All applicants are strongly advised to visit the program website for all TEAS policies, procedures and detailed information on remediation and repeating the exam at https://www.grossmont.edu/academics/programs/nursing/students/future/apply.php.

Please review the entire TEAS policy prior to taking the exam.

For all information on admission criteria, see the Nursing website at https://www.grossmont.edu/academics/programs/nursing/.

Career Opportunities

https://www.grossmont.edu/student-support/career-center/resources.php

Administrator¹
Clinic Nurse (Ambulatory Care)
Critical Care Nurse¹
Emergency Room / Lifeflight Nurse¹
Home Health Nurse¹
Hospital Staff Nurse
Industrial Nurse
Medical Researcher¹
Nurse Anesthetist¹
Nurse Midwife¹
Nurse Practitioner¹
Office Nurse
Public Health Nurse¹
Teacher / Educator¹

¹

Additional education is required.

Program Learning Outcomes 

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Provide caring, patient-centered, safe and holistic care that is culturally sensitive and utilizes critical thinking within the framework of the nursing process and evidence-based principles.
2. Communicate effectively when providing care for multicultural patients and effectively promote patient advocacy for patients and families with integrity.
3. Safely implement the professional nursing role as defined by the California Nursing Practice Act and the American Nurses’ Association principles of ethical practice.
4. Engage in life-long learning as part of the professional commitment of the Registered Nurse role.

All Allied Health and Nursing students adhere to the graduation requirements outlined in the college catalog for the academic year in which they enter the program.

Associate Degree Major Requirements

​Note: All courses must be completed with a letter grade of “C” or higher or “Pass.”

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Choose one of the following sequences:		8
Sequence A.
BIO-140	Human Anatomy
BIO-141	Human Physiology
BIO-141L	Laboratory in Human Physiology
Sequence B.
BIO-144	Anatomy and Physiology I
BIO-145	Anatomy and Physiology II
BIO-152	Paramedical Microbiology	5
COMM-120	Interpersonal Communication	3
or COMM-122	Public Speaking
Select one of the following:		3-6
ENGL-120	College Composition and Reading
ENGL-124	Advanced Composition: Critical Reasoning and Writing
ESL-122	College Rhetoric
NURS-118	Nursing Pharmacology	2
NURS-120	Fundamentals of Nursing	8
NURS-130	Medical-Surgical Nursing I	5
NURS-132	Obstetric and Pediatric Nursing	5
NURS-220	Medical-Surgical Nursing II	5.5
NURS-222	Psychiatric and Community Health Nursing	5.5
NURS-230	Medical-Surgical Nursing III	8
Select one of the following:		3
PSY-120	Introductory Psychology
or PSY-150	Developmental Psychology
Select one of the following:		3
SOC-114	Introduction to Race & Ethnicity	3
or ETHN-114	Introduction to Race & Ethnicity
or SOC-120	Introductory Sociology
Units in the major		67-70
Plus Remaining General Education Requirements for Nursing Majors		6
Total Units		73-76

Maximum totals include the 4 unit Anatomy course and the 6 unit ESL-122 College Rhetoric course.