Mar 28, 2024  
2011-2012 Academic Catalog 
    
2011-2012 Academic Catalog [THIS CATALOG IS OUT-OF-DATE. USE THE CURRENT CATALOG TO FIND CURRENT PROGRAMS.]

(Nursing) Registered Nursing, A.A.S. (A45110)


The Associate Degree Nursing curriculum provides knowledge, skills, and strategies to integrate safety and quality into nursing care, to practice in a dynamic environment, and to meet individual needs which impact health, quality of life, and achievement of potential.

Coursework includes and builds upon the domains of healthcare, nursing practice, and the holistic individual. Content emphasizes the nurse as a member of the interdisciplinary team providing safe, individualized care while employing evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and informatics.

Graduates of this program are eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN). Employment opportunities are vast within the global health care system and may include positions within acute, chronic, extended, industrial, and community health care facilities.

Program Learning Outcomes:

  1. Practice professional nursing behaviors incorporating personal responsibility and accountability for continued competence.
  2. Communicate professionally and effectively with individuals, significant support person(s), and members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team.
  3. Integrate knowledge of the holistic needs of the individual to provide an individual centered assessment.
  4. Incorporate informatics to formulate evidence-based clinical judgments and management decisions.
  5. Implement caring interventions incorporating documented best practices for individuals in diverse settings.
  6. Develop a teaching plan for individuals, and/or the nursing team, incorporating teaching and learning principles.
  7. Collaborate with the interdisciplinary healthcare team to advocate for positive individual and organizational outcomes.
  8. Manage health care for the individual using cost effective nursing strategies, quality improvement processes, and current technologies.
  9. Prioritize assessments and client-centered nursing interventions relevant to clinical decision making.

Admission Information


For all programs, the following steps must be completed for admission into Gaston College:

  1. Complete and submit application online or pick up application at the Admissions Office on the main campus, Dallas Campus, 2nd floor Myers Center.
  2. Request that your high school mail an official high school transcript to Gaston College Office of Admissions. The documentation listed below can be submitted in the place of a traditional high school transcript: Official Adult High School transcript, official copy of GED scores, official transcript from an accredited correspondence school/institution, official transcript from Home School, official transcript from a regionally accredited college or university reflecting an Associate Degree or higher.
  3. Request that all colleges/universities previously attended submit official transcripts to above address. Transcripts must be in the registrar’s office by January 15 in order for courses to receive points for admission in the nursing program.
  4. Take the placement test as determined by the Gaston College Admissions Office. If you have taken the Accuplacer (CPT), COMPASS Placement Test, and/or ASSET within the past five years at another college or university, please request that the scores be submitted to the Admissions Office.
  5. Complete new student orientation.
  6. Meet with a counselor or academic advisor for selection of courses, registration and specific information about the nursing program.
  7. Provide proof of English proficiency. This may be established by making a minimum total score of 6 (internet-based), 207 (computer based), or 540 (paper-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
  8. Complete an application for the Associate Degree Nursing Program in addition to the general application to Gaston College. Application sessions are scheduled through the nursing department each fall semester.

To be Eligible to Submit an Application to the Associate Degree Nursing Program Applicants Must Have:


  1. A minimum composite score of 70 on the TEAS IV or 65 on the TEAS V taken within 5 years from the date of application. Official scores for the TEAS must be submitted to Gaston College via the testing company (Assessment Technologies, Inc.)*. This requirement is waived for those with a Baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited college or university. TEAS will be the only accepted test for students applying for Fall 2012 and after.

*TEAS retakes must be at least 60 days apart.

  1. An overall GPA of at least 2.0 in college level coursework taken.
  2. Completed a state approved Certified Nurse Assistant I course or NC Health Occupations class with a minimum grade of “C”. An acceptable CNA I course must have approximately 120 hours and a clinical component. A transcript or certificate must be submitted to verify the CNA I course. State listing on the Nurse Aide Registry does not provide documentation of an acceptable CNA I course.

Competitive Admission Criteria


The following are used by the nursing department admissions committee in the selection process of qualified applicants.

  1. TEAS score
  2. Number of required general education courses completed (with a minimum grade of C) by the end of the fall semester in which application is made
  3. Grade Point Average (GPA) in required general education courses (see program of study)
  4. Grade in Allied Health II course on an official High School transcript

Admission points are calculated based on the above criteria. The final selection of applicants into the program is made by the nursing department chair in consultation with the Nursing Department Admissions Committee.

Students Admitted to Nursing Program


In addition to maintaining a 2.0 GPA and earning a minimum grade of “C” in all nursing curriculum courses, applicants accepted into the ADN program must meet the following requirements in order to enroll and continue in nursing courses:

  • Orientation session for ADN Nursing
  • ACA 118 College Study Skills (2 Credit Hours)  course (no later than summer prior to fall admission)
  • Nurse Aide I registry listing with no findings (no later than spring semester prior to fall admission)
  • Adult and Infant CPR certification
  • Immunizations required by the NC Community College System and clinical agencies
  • Satisfactory physical and emotional health examination documented on a NC Community College Student Medical Form provided by the nursing department
  • Criminal background check and fingerprinting
  • Drug screen

Clinical agencies reserve the right to deny a student access to the facility based on failure to meet the above requirements. If a student is denied access to any clinical agency, the student will be not allowed to continue in the nursing program. Detailed information regarding these agency requirements will be provided upon conditional acceptance into the nursing program.

Program Costs:


In addition to tuition and textbooks, costs of this program include the following: uniforms, lab coat, stethoscope, a physical examination, immunizations, current CPR certification, criminal background check, FBI fingerprinting, drug screening at a time designated by the nursing faculty, fees for application for licensure for NC State Board of Nursing and National Council Licensure Examination.

Clinical Sites


Clinical sites for the Associate Degree Nursing Programs are:

  • Gaston Memorial Hospital, Gastonia, NC
  • CMC - Lincoln, Lincolnton, NC
  • Kings Mountain Hospital, Kings Mountain, NC
  • Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC
  • Cleveland Regional Medical Center, Shelby, NC
  • Frye Regional Medical Center, Hickory, NC
  • Catawba Valley Medical Center, Hickory, NC
  • Broughton Hospital, Morganton, NC
  • UNC Hospital Burn Center, Chapel Hill, NC
  • White Oak Manor, Shelby, NC
  • White Oak Manor, Kings Mountain, NC
  • Courtland Terrace, Gastonia, NC
  • Lincoln Nursing Center, Lincolnton, NC
  • Carolina Care, Cherryville, NC
  • Stanley Total Living Center, Stanley, NC

Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from all clinical, laboratory, and class activities. Clinical experiences may be scheduled mornings, afternoons, evenings, or weekends at various clinical sites.

In addition to other published admission requirements, ACA 118  must be successfully completed by the end of the summer semester prior to fall admission into the ADN program.

Total Credit Hours: 15


Total Credit Hours: 17


Total Credit Hours: 15


Total Credit Hours: 13


Fifth (Spring)


Total Credit Hours: 13


Total Semester Hour Credits: 73


Note(s):


* Indicates non-nursing required courses.