LVN-RN Transition to Registered Nursing

The Associate in Science LVN-RN Transition Registered Nursing Program at Sacramento City College is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing. Students enrolled in this program are required to complete general education, science, and nursing courses with related clinical experiences in local hospitals. The nursing courses are three semesters in length.

In addition to regular expenses such as enrollment fees, living costs, activity fees, and books, nursing students have the expense of uniforms, equipment, malpractice insurance, graduation, and licensing costs. They also are responsible for their physical examination, immunizations, background check, and drug screen, as well as transportation to and from clinical agencies for day and evening learning experiences. All enrolled students must have a current American Heart Association Health Provider CPR with Automated External Defibrillator (AED) card. The nursing program is a rigorous course of study. In order to ensure academic success and to protect students’ health, full time employment is not advisable. It is recommended that students who must continue outside employment reduce their hours to improve their success in the program.

Nursing courses must be taken in sequence. Informational meetings are held several times each semester to provide prospective students with information about program prerequisites, enrollment process, and other requirements in the program.

A 75% passing grade is mandatory in theory and clinical practicum of each nursing course for progression in the program. In order to obtain a Registered Nursing license as a graduate, a student must have an Associate in Science Degree in Nursing an pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX).

Enrollment options for Licensed Vocational Nurses: LVNs seeking entry are subject to space availability. These applicants have several options for becoming Registered Nurses. In the "30 Unit Option" the LVN must complete physiology and microbiology prior to entering the second year nursing courses. This option does not lead to an Associate in Science Degree. The LVN to RN Transition option does lead to an Associate in Science Degree in Nursing. This LVN must meet all the program requirements of the generic program. After successfully completing NURSE 307, they transition into the second year of the Registered Nursing Program. A third option is completion of the entire generic associate degree nursing program and all enrollment requirements.

A Diploma RN graduate of a hospital school of nursing who is currently licensed in California may earn an Associate in Science Degree. This Registered Nurse will need to complete requirements for an Associate in Science Degree and fulfill a residency requirement by completing at least 12 units at Sacramento City College.

Transfer students must present evidence of comparable theory and clinical practice courses. Transfer students are admitted on a space available basis.

Provide licensed vocational nurses with a pathway to become a registered nurse with an associate’s degree in science at Sacramento City College.

·       integrate the nursing process with clinical reasoning skills, in direct and indirect nursing care, to meet the patient’s basic human needs.

·       plan individualized safe nursing interventions to assist patients of all ages in need of preventative, restorative, or rehabilitative care measures.

·       analyze evidence-based practice, with patient care standards, informatics, and critical thinking skills, to enhance the quality and effectiveness of nursing care.

·       evaluate therapeutic, respectful, and caring communication with patients and families,while promoting collegiality with peers and colleagues.

·       generate accurate and timely documentation of patient assessments, interventions, progress, and outcomes of care in the written and electronic medical record.

·       develop patient-centered teaching plans and assist patients and their families in developing self-advocacy skills that are necessary to maintain optimum levels of functioning and health.

·       plan nursing care for patients, using leadership skills, collaboration, resource utilization,delegation of tasks, and supervision of team members consistent with their scope of practice guidelines.

·       appraise patient care needs, using critical thinking and time management skills to organize and provide safe nursing care in a responsible and accountable manner.

·       incorporate ethical provisions, legal boundaries, and cultural sensitivity in all areas of nursing practice.

·      formulate personal learning needs and use resources to engage in ongoing learning and improvement in skills and knowledge.

Associate in Science Degree

The LVN-RN Transition to Registered Nursing Associate in Science (A.S.) degree may be obtained by completion of the required program, plus general education requirements, plus sufficient electives to meet a 60-unit total.