Advanced Placement Track LPN-RN Hybrid

This six (6) semester program is an advanced placement track for LPN’s desiring to become RN’s. Courses are delivered in a hybrid format. Students receive transfer credit for their LPN course work, complete a nursing orientation workshop, complete a transitions semester and then take four additional semesters of course work to earn their associate of applied science in nursing degree. The program is completed Summer Semester of the second year.

The Nursing program is an integral part of the University.  Nursing faculty members believe that the best preparation for a career in nursing includes not only the study of nursing and the sciences, but a broad liberal arts education as well. This combination promotes the development   of the student both as a nurse and member of society.  Nursing students have an opportunity to participate in general education classes online with students majoring in other fields of study.

This program is designed to be completed in six (6) semesters on a part-time basis, some students may choose to take more time for a variety of reasons. Those students who wish to progress in school at a slower pace may do so by electing to complete some or all of the general education course requirements prior to applying for admission and being admitted into the Nursing Program. Once a student is admitted into the Nursing Program, however, all general education courses and nursing courses must be taken in sequence and be successfully completed prior to enrolling in the next semester. Continuation in the Nursing Program requires a grade of “C” or better for all required nursing courses and a “satisfactory” designation for the clinical experience in nursing courses where this is a requirement.

Clinical learning experiences are provided in healthcare settings with the elderly, adults, children, new mothers and newborn infants, at a variety of hospital, community health agencies and clinics. Advanced Placement Track LPN-RN hybrid students are required to complete 45 total weeks of clinical throughout the Nursing Program. Clinical experiences are assigned within an 80 mile radius of the University. Transportation to and from the University and clinical agency sites (or field trip locations) is the responsibility of the nursing student.

Nursing faculty supervise students while scheduled for experiences in the clinical agencies. Field trips are also scheduled to various out-of-town specialty units and hospitals. Technical nursing skills and procedures are learned and practiced in the on-campus Nursing Skills Laboratory.

A nursing faculty member is responsible for advising individuals interested in the Nursing Program and will clarify the process which is required for possible acceptance into the Program. Enrollment in University courses neither implies nor guarantees a student eventual acceptance into the Nursing Program. 

Upon successful completion of the Nursing Program, the graduate is awarded the Associate of Applied Science Degree in Nursing Technology (AAS Degree). Nursing students must complete all degree requirements within five (5) years of their semester of initial enrollment.

Required General Education Courses

Students may elect to take the following general education during any semester or term of the program.

Total Hours for Advanced Placement Track LPN-RN HYBRID

*Nursing Transition course credits total 12 and are applied toward meeting admission criteria for entrance into the third semester, as well as meeting graduation requirements.

** Note: If a student has transfer credit from another accredited college/university for any of these courses that would otherwise be listed on the label as proficiency credits only, then the “K” transfer credit and the grade will be used instead on the student’s Rio transcript.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the associate degree-nursing program, the graduate will be able to:

1. Function as a provider of nursing care for patients at various stages of growth and development in diverse health care delivery settings.
2. Use the nursing process to identify patient needs and provide effective nursing care focusing on promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health.
3. Use principles of teaching and learning to provide health education to patients and other members of the multidisciplinary health care team.
4. Demonstrate responsibility for self-development and continued lifelong learning.
5. Use effective communication and collaborative skills in interactions with patients and other members of the multidisciplinary health care team.
6. Demonstrate accountability for nursing practice within the profession’s legal/ethical framework.
7. Organize and direct nursing care for individual patients, small groups of patients and families.

Frequently Asked Questions

General

Applying

Entrance Testing

Program Admission