Associates Degree Nursing Program

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General Information
Application Period
Application Procedures
Prerequisite Requirements
General Education Courses
Recommended Courses
Application Seclection Process
Essential Technical Standards
Physical Education/Drug & Alcohol Screening/ Background Screening
Program Supply Information
Nursing Program Curriculum
Students Transfering to CSUB
Program Accreditation
Licensure/Certification Eligibility

Application Period:

The Allied Health office must receive all application forms and transcripts during the following filing periods (see Application Procedures).  Forms received prior to or after these dates will not be accepted. 

• March 1- March 31 (Business days) for the program scheduled to start in the Fall semester
• September 1 – September 30 (Business days) for the program scheduled to start in the Spring semester

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Application Procedures:

It is the student’s responsibility to do the following procedures listed below: 

If you are a Bakersfield College Student with no other college courses other than Bakersfield College courses: 

Apply to the program during the application periods as follows: 

For Semesters beginning in the Spring (January) apply during the whole month of September. 

For semesters beginning in the Fall (August) apply during the whole month of March. 

Provide the program with either an official transcript from Bakersfield College, or you can print your unofficial transcript off the Web and submit it to the program. 

If you have taken courses from any college other than Bakersfield College: 

Apply for Admission to Bakersfield College either in person at the Admissions and Records office or by going on-line www.bakersfieldcollege.edu, click on Admissions and Records and follow the directions under Enrolling. 

Please note – the next step takes anywhere from 10-12 weeks and must be completed prior to the end of the application period: 

Have your transcripts evaluated by:  

• Ordering an Official copy of your transcripts from your previous college(s);
• Submit the Official copy of your transcripts along with a form “Request for Evaluation”.  You can obtain this form from the Admissions and Records office or from the Admissions and Records web-page (see above) under Other Forms.

Once your transcripts have been evaluated and posted to your Bakersfield College transcripts, either order an official copy to be sent from the Admission and Records office or print your unofficial transcript and submit it to the Allied Health Office.

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Prerequisite Requirements:

All prerequisites must be completed with a "C" grade or higher.

• ENGL B1A (Expository Composition) 4 units at Bakersfield College or equivalent course at another accredited college. 
• MATH BA or B200A (Elementary Algebra) or higher, 3 units at Bakersfield College or an equivalent course at another accredited college, or two semesters of high school algebra.  (If you meet this requirement with high school algebra you must submit an official high school transcript and students still must satisfy the Math requirement for the Bakersfield College general education requirements).  Please note, beginning with the Fall 2009 graduates, the Math requirement for graduation for Bakersfield College will be Math BD or higher. 
• CHEM B11 or B2A or B1A (Chemistry) a minimum of 4 units is required at Bakersfield College or an equivalent course at another accredited college. (CSUB requires Chem B11) 
• **BIOL B16 (General Microbiology) 5 units at Bakersfield College or equivalent course at another accredited college. 

The Anatomy and Physiology requirement can be met by either: 

• BIOL B32 (Anatomy & Physiology I) 4 units at Bakersfield College or equivalent course at another accredited college.

                and

• BIOL B33 (Anatomy & Physiology II) 4 units at Bakersfield College or equivalent course at another accredited college. 

OR 

• BIOL B14 (Human Anatomy) 4 units at Bakersfield College or equivalent course at another accredited college.

                and

• BIOL B15 (Physiology) 5 units at Bakersfield College or equivalent course at another accredited college. 

**Please note that the 2006-2007 written Catalog was misprinted, Microbiology is a mandatory pre-requisite course for the Bakersfield College ADN Program.

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General Education Courses:

General education courses are required to graduate from Bakersfield College with an Associate Degree in Nursing.  It is suggested that most of these courses be completed prior to beginning the Nursing Program.

• English B1A (4 units) (“C” or higher) – prerequisite course for the program
• Mathematics, Logic, Computer Science (3 units) – Math BA or higher (“C” grade or higher- Math BD as of Fall 2009) – prerequisite course for the program
• Social Science (3 units) – HIST B17A (History of the United States) or other social science course in Area A listed in the Bakersfield College Catalog.
• Humanities (3 units) – PHIL B12 (Ethics of Living & Dying) or other humanities course listed in the Bakersfield College Catalog.
• Sociology B1 or Anth B2 (“C” grade or higher)
• *Psychology B1A (“C” grade or higher)
• *COMM B1, B2, or B3 (“C” grade or higher) – COMM B1 is required for CSUB transfer
• Health Education (waived for RN students)
• Physical Education (2 units numbered 3-33) required for students who graduate under the age of 21)
• STDV B1 or B201 (Recommended to be taken during the first semester of courses at Bakersfield College to assure priority registration.)

* Board of Nursing requirement

Note: All graduation requirements of the college must be met to earn an Associate of Science (A.S.) in Nursing and to take the RN – Licensure Exam.

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Recommended Courses:

• Nurs B100, Strategies for Success in a Nursing Program (this course should be taken one or two semesters prior to entering the Program)
• Nurse Assistant Certification  (information available upon request)
• MEDS B60 (Medical Terminology) – highly recommended, prior to taking BIOL B32

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Application Selection Process:

Effective beginning Fall 2008 Application period (September 2008) 

Students will be admitted to the program based on their scholastic eligibility and placement on a nursing assessment test as per SB 1309.

SCHOLASTIC ELIGIBILITY:Scholastic eligibility is determined through a statewide approved formula (California Community College Chancellors Office Pre-requisite Validation) which calculates the student’s probability of successfully completing the ADN program. The formula uses the following criteria:

1.         Core Biology GPA – all Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology courses taken at the college level.

2.         Core Biology repetitions – the number of times a student has repeated a Core Biology course including withdrawals.

3.         English GPA – all credit English course grades regardless of the level of the course.

4.         Overall GPA– the college GPA as it appears on college transcripts.

5.         Students must have a minimum score of 75% designating the probability of successfully completing the ADN program, to be eligible for admission. 

CONDITIONAL ENROLLMENT: All qualified applicants will be placed in a random selection which result in the conditional filling of the program enrollment seats plus selection of 20 alternates.

ASSESSMENT TEST:All conditionally enrolled students plus alternates will be required to take a state approved nursing assessment test. Students must rank at or above the average composite percentage (67%) for each area tested to be eligible for admission into the program. Students who do not meet these criteria will be offered a remediation program. 

REMEDIATION PROGRAM: Students who do not meet the eligibility requirements (Pre-requisite Validation Cut-Score of 75% and/or Composite Score of 67% on the Assessment Test) may successfully complete all of the following remediation requirements to be considered eligible for enrollment into the ADN Program*:

1.      Completion of AC DV B70a-f – Study Skills with a “CR”

2.      Completion of BIOL B34 – Pathophysiology with a “B” or higher

3.      Completion of MED SCI B67/B67L – CNA with a “C” or higher or Current CNA certification with proof of recent work experience

4.      Completion of NURS B100 – Strategies for Nursing Success with a “CR”

5.      Repeat Assessment Testing with a score of 67% or higher 

*Successful completion of the Remediation Program must be completed within 12-months of initial application to the ADN Program to be considered eligible. Students wishing to be re-considered must provide proof of successful completion of all remediation steps.

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Essential Technical Standards:

Nursing students must meet the following essential technical standards to ensure the safety and welfare of the patients, the healthcare team, and themselves.  A physical examination performed by a medical doctor determines whether a student meets the technical standards or any accommodations that may be necessary.

• Standing and/or walking most of a shift.
• Bending or crouching several times per hour.
• Lifting and carrying a minimum of 30 pounds several times an hour.
• Lifting and moving up to 300 lbs. with the assistance of 2-3 persons.
• Reaching overhead above the shoulder 90 degrees.
• Utilizing eyesight to observe clients and manipulate equipment under various illumination levels.
• Hearing to communicate with the patient and healthcare team.
• Manipulating medical equipment and accessories, including but not limited to switches, knobs, buttons, keyboards, patient lines, and tubes, utilizing fine and gross motor skills.
• Performing the assigned job responsibilities with the intellectual and emotional functions necessary to ensure patient safety and exercise independent judgment and discretion.
• Utilizing sufficient verbal and written skills to efficiently communicate in English with the patient and healthcare team.
• Utilizing the above standards/functions to respond promptly to the patient’s needs and/or emergency situations.

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Associate Degree Nursing Program Curriculum:

The following courses are taken after the student enters the Program.

*  The clinical laboratory components of all nursing courses are graded on a Credit / No Credit basis only.

*  ADN students are exempt from the maximum of three (3) Credit / No Credit units that may be taken in a semester and from the maximum of twelve (12) Credit / No Credit units which may be applied toward the AA and AS degrees at Bakersfield College.

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