Associate in Arts Degree - Major in Nursing

NOTE: This degree program will not accept students after Spring 2021.

The Associate’s Degree in Nursing meets the standards for and has been approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, leading to a California Registered Nurse (RN) license. Students who wish to practice in a state other than California may or may not have additional educational and/or non-educational requirements to complete prior to applying for the RN license. Prior to enrollment, prospective students must review the Associate Degree in Nursing state authorization and professional licensure webpage to determine whether this program meets the educational requirements in a specific state. MSMU would like to help our applicants and students navigate the licensure process. Contact the ADN office at (213) 477-2630 or via email at adn@msmu.edu to discuss the process of obtaining an RN license in a state outside of California.

ADN Program Objectives

Upon completion of the program, the student will have met the following objectives:

Provider of Care

Utilize Roy Adaptation Model to:

Recognize, assess and define the factors influencing the person's/family's adaptive level, adaptive response, and consequent position of the health-illness continuum;
Identify, assess and validate the person's/family's adaptive level and response;
Define patient/client goals based upon a clear analysis and synthesis of data in collaboration with patient, nursing and other disciplines;
Define and perform those nursing interventions which affect the patient/client goals;
Evaluate the consequences of nursing interventions in terms of the person's/family's behavioral change and the achievement of both patient/client and nursing goals, and modify those nursing actions, if desired adaptive outcomes are not achieved.

Utilize the nursing process as a scientific method.
Utilize knowledge of health-illness (normal/disruption) as it pertains to patient/client care.
Demonstrate competency in common nursing procedures.

Communicator

Utilize effective communication skills with clients and peers.

Use communication skills as a method of data collection, nursing intervention and evaluation of care.
Communicate and record assessments, nursing care plans, interventions and evaluations within the protocol of the institution.

Client Teacher

Apply principles of the teaching/learning process.
Develop short-range teaching plans based on the learning process.

Manager of Client Care

Function effectively as a member of health care team.
Utilize basic leadership skills in practice, based on small group patient care management and primary nursing.

Membership within the profession of Nursing

Make judgments based on moral, ethical, and legal principles.
Continue to evaluate and enhance personal and professional behavior.
Assume responsibility for self-development and use resources for continued learning.
Maintain the role of the nurse as a patient advocate.

Upon completion of the program, the student is eligible to take the California State Board examination for registered nurses (R.N.) licensure.

ADN Program Admission Policy

In addition to meeting the general admission requirements, acceptance into the Department of Nursing is determined by the Admission Committee of the department/program. Admission is based upon a consideration of the student's academic achievement, University Entrance Examination scores and previous university experience (if any).

In order to be eligible for review, applicants must be admitted to the University and then fulfill the nursing admission requirements. Admission to the ADN Program is considered for the fall semester and for spring semester with a specific deadline for each semester. Admission is based on:

Completed application form
Satisfactory fulfillment of pre-requisite classes
Cumulative GPA of at least 2.75
Cumulative Science GPA of at least 2.50
Letters of reference
Passing score on the nursing entrance examination

Personal interviews may be scheduled for qualified applicants admitted directly to the ADN Program. Students admitted as Pre-Nursing will not be asked to interview until the point of admission into the nursing program.

Priority is given to students who:

Meet the required criteria.
Have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 for all transferable college work attempted.
A GPA of 2.50 for university science courses is required for admission to the nursing program. The science GPA will consist of grades received from scientific concepts or chemistry, anatomy, physiology, and microbiology.
A student may repeat a course required for the nursing major no more than once. Failure (C- and below) of any two required science or pre-requisite courses results in non-admission.
A student may repeat the nursing entrance examination no more than once. Failure to meet the required benchmark results in non-admission.

Candidates who have 30 units of general education requirements completed (except RST 41) prior to admission may be admitted into the first year of the nursing program.

LVNs who have met the admission requirements for the ADN program must notify Admissions and Advisement of their intent to pursue the Mobility Option prior to their admission into the program. In the Mobility Option, LVNs are awarded 10 units of nursing course credits (NUR 23 series, NUR 24 series, and NUR 30). Successful completion of NUR 20 is required during the first semester session for continuation in the LVN Mobility Option.

A non-degree option is available for LVNs who meet the university entrance requirements. The student is eligible to take the NCLEX-RN examination for the registered nurse licensure after completing 29 units of prescribed courses. The student is not awarded a degree from Mount Saint Mary’s University. The same admission policy applies to individuals wishing to pursue the 30-unit option

Candidates with previous Registered Nursing education may be given transfer credit for previous nursing courses equivalent to the Nursing Department courses. Admission of these candidates will be on a probationary status. The student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or better in the nursing courses for admission consideration. A minimum of 18 units of nursing courses must be completed during the last two semesters at Mount Saint Mary’s University. Candidates who have taken courses related to nursing with a theoretical foundation and are currently practicing in the healthcare setting (i.e., CNA, Respiratory Tech, Hemodialysis Tech, LPT) may challenge specific courses. The student must make an appointment with the Program Director to discuss this option and his/her qualifications.

ADN Program Academic Policy

The faculty of the Department of Nursing has the right and the responsibility for judging and evaluating the quality of the student's achievement, both in the mastery of theoretical content and in clinical competence.

Student Success Alerts, probation, or dismissal is used when deemed necessary. A grade below C (2.0) in a course (Nursing or General Education) is considered a failed course and must be repeated. A student may have only one failed course during the entire nursing program. A student may repeat only one failed course in the entire program. A second failed course or a failed repeated course results in dismissal from the program. A failure of more than one course in a series of courses (e.g., NUR 24, 24A, 24L, 25) taken concurrently, counts as one failed course. If a student's level of clinical practice is unsatisfactory or unsafe, the student may fail before the end of the semester.

Readmission may be granted by special action of the ADN Admission Committee, per the ADN Program readmission policy. Students seeking readmission must reapply via the admissions online process within one year of termination. Any subsequent course failure will result in termination from the ADN Program without consideration of future readmission. Readmission of a student who was dismissed from the nursing program due to unsafe practice is not permitted.

Prior to admission to the ADN program, a nursing entrance examination is administered, i.e., ATI TEAS test. The score benchmark for the ADN Program as determined by the ATI norming process must be achieved. Students who score below the passing score are recommended to utilize a remediation program prior to retaking the test. A student may retest only once. The purpose of this test is to determine the student's knowledge related to math, English, sciences and critical thinking.

During the clinical portion of the program, students must carry malpractice insurance, have a current CPR card (American Heart Association (AHA) Health Care Provider or BCLS/Professional Rescuer CPR), and an LA City fire safety card.

Dosage Calculation Examination: Accurate calculation of drug dosages is a skill that is necessary for the safe and effective practice of nursing. Serious harm to a client can result from math errors. Incorrectly calculated or measured dosages are the leading cause of error in the administration of medications. A drug error is a violation of a client's rights. Therefore, it is extremely important that nurses and nursing students demonstrate competence in such calculations. A dosage calculations exam will be given regularly throughout the curriculum. A minimum 100% score is required on this test. If a score of less than 100% is achieved, a second test will be given. The second test must be passed with 100% proficiency to remain in this course. If unsuccessful on the second attempt the student must drop the theory, skills lab, and clinical courses for that session. If in a subsequent course the math proficiency test is not passed at the 100% benchmark, the student may be disqualified from the program.

ADN/RN to BSN Bridge Program

Mount Saint Mary's University ADN/RN to BSN Bridge Program is intended for ADN candidates with the intention to proceed to the RN-BSN program. Upon admission to the ADN program, self-declared bridge students will sign a letter of commitment and take RST 149 during the summer of their ADN program as a bridge to the RN-BSN program. After successful completion of the ADN program, students who meet RN-BSN eligibility will sign the inter-program change (IPC) form for the RN-BSN program.

Pre-requisite Courses for Nursing Programs

FYS 1 and FYS 2	First Year Seminar	2,2
ENG 1A and ENG 1B	Freshman English	3,3
	or
ENG 5H	Freshman Honors English	3
SOC 1	Introduction to Sociology	3
PSY 1	Introduction to Psychology	3
MTH 10	Quantitative Reasoning and Mathematical Ideas	3
SPE 10	Introduction to Communication	2
PHS 1	Scientific Concepts	3
	or
CHE 3	Foundations of Chemistry	3
BIO 50A	Human Anatomy	3
BIO 50AL	Human Anatomy Laboratory	1
BIO 50B	Human Physiology	3
BIO 50BL	Human Physiology Laboratory	1
BIO 3	General Microbiology	3
BIO 3L	General Microbiology Lab	1
PSY 12	Lifespan/Human Development	3
	or
PSY 15	Global Lifespan Development	3

*PHS 1/CHE 3, BIO 50A, BIO 50AL, BIO 50B, BIO 50BL, BIO 3, and BIO 3L: must have been completed within 5 years prior to admission.

*FYS 1 & FYS 2: not required for students entering MSMU with over 24 transferable units.

AA Degree Curriculum Requirements A.D.N. Program

First Year

Courses

NUR 20	Adaptation Model Nursing Theory	2
NUR 23	Principles and Practice of Nursing Skills	2
NUR 23L	Principles and Practice of Nursing Skills	1
NUR 24	Adult Adaptation Nursing I	2
NUR 26	Adult Adaptation Nursing II	2
NUR 24A	Medical-Surgical Principles and Practice Of Skills I	0.5
NUR 24L	Medical-Surgical Principles and Practice Of Skills I	0.5
NUR 26A	Medical-Surgical Principles and Practice Of Skills II	0.5
NUR 26L	Medical-Surgical Principles and Practice Of Skills II	0.5
NUR 25	Medical-Surgical Practicum I	2
NUR 27	Medical-Surgical Nursing Practicum II	2
NUR 28	Adult and Adolescent Mental Health Adaptation	2
NUR 28A	Principles and Practice of Advanced Interpersonal Skills	1
NUR 29	Mental Health Practicum	2
NUR 30	Pharmacology	2
NUR 31	Children: Adaptation	2
NUR 32	Children: Practicum	2
LACE	Critical Thinking Course	3
RST 41	Christian Ethics: Introduction to Christian Ethics	3
	or
PHI 21	Moral Values and Ethical Decisions	3

Summer

Option

Specialties are subject to change at times when students have progressed to taking a specialty. During summer sessions students whom have advanced to specialties may or may not need to increase their units for financial aid. In the case that units are required, students may register for an upper division course that will meet requirements for RN to BSN option if they choose. An appointment with the RN to BSN advisor may need to be scheduled to select an appropriate course.

Second Year

Courses

NUR 33	Professional and Management Issues in Nursing	2
NUR 35	Childbearing: Adaptation	2
NUR 36	Childbearing: Practicum	2
NUR 37	Gerontological Nursing: Adaptation	2
NUR 38	Gerontological Nursing: Practicum	2
NUR 46	Adult Adaptation Nursing III	2
NUR 47	Medical-Surgical Nursing Practicum III	2
NUR 48	Professional Nursing Practicum	2

*SOC 1 and PHI 21 or RST 41 are required as part of the LACE General Education requirements, starting with the Fall 2020 Catalog.

LVN Mobility Option Curriculum Requirements A.D.N. Program

Prerequisites to beginning nursing courses for LVNs are the same AA Degree Curriculum Requirements

Same as AA Degree curriculum requirement.

First Year

Courses

NUR 20	Adaptation Model Nursing Theory	2
NUR 26	Adult Adaptation Nursing II	2
NUR 26A	Medical-Surgical Principles and Practice Of Skills II	0.5
NUR 26L	Medical-Surgical Principles and Practice Of Skills II	0.5
NUR 27	Medical-Surgical Nursing Practicum II	2
NUR 28	Adult and Adolescent Mental Health Adaptation	2
NUR 28A	Principles and Practice of Advanced Interpersonal Skills	1
NUR 29	Mental Health Practicum	2
NUR 31	Children: Adaptation	2
NUR 32	Children: Practicum	2
LACE	Critical Thinking Course	3
RST 41	Christian Ethics: Introduction to Christian Ethics	3
	or
PHI 21	Moral Values and Ethical Decisions	3

Summer

Option

Specialties are subject to change at times when students have progressed to taking a specialty. During summer sessions students whom have advanced to specialties may or may not need to increase their units for financial aid. In the case units are required students may register for an upper division course that will meet requirements for RN to BSN option if they choose. An appointment with the RN to BSN advisor may need to be scheduled to select an appropriate course.

Second Year

Courses

NUR 33	Professional and Management Issues in Nursing	2
NUR 35	Childbearing: Adaptation	2
NUR 36	Childbearing: Practicum	2
NUR 37	Gerontological Nursing: Adaptation	2
NUR 38	Gerontological Nursing: Practicum	2
NUR 46	Adult Adaptation Nursing III	2
NUR 47	Medical-Surgical Nursing Practicum III	2
NUR 48	Professional Nursing Practicum	2

*SOC 1 and PHI 21 or RST 41 are required as part of the LACE General Education requirements, starting with the Fall 2020 Catalog.

LVN 30 Units Non-Degree Option Curriculum Requirements

First Year

BIO 50B	Human Physiology	3
BIO 50BL	Human Physiology Laboratory	1
BIO 3	General Microbiology	3
BIO 3L	General Microbiology Lab	1
NUR 20	Adaptation Model Nursing Theory	2
NUR 28	Adult and Adolescent Mental Health Adaptation	2
NUR 28A	Principles and Practice of Advanced Interpersonal Skills	1
NUR 29	Mental Health Practicum	2
NUR 30	Pharmacology	2

Second Year

NUR 33	Professional and Management Issues in Nursing	2
NUR 37	Gerontological Nursing: Adaptation	2
NUR 38	Gerontological Nursing: Practicum	2
NUR 46	Adult Adaptation Nursing III	2
NUR 47	Medical-Surgical Nursing Practicum III	2
NUR 48	Professional Nursing Practicum	2

Total units required for California RN Licensure Exam: 29