Table of Contents
Click on the topic of interest
Accreditation & Approval | Learning Outcomes |
Philosophy | |
Eligibility & Prerequisites | Program Costs |
Program Requirements | Application Info |
International RNs | Transfer Students |
We are pleased that you are interested in the Registered Nursing Program at College of the Desert. To learn more about our programs, please attend an Information Session.
If you still have questions after reading through the materials below please feel free to contact either the Health Sciences/Nursing Office at (760) 773-2578 or the Nursing counselor. To make an appointment to see the Nursing Counselor please email NursingCounselor@collegeofthedesert.edu or call 760-773-2578. Be sure to include your full name, availability, phone number and student ID (if applicable).
For specific questions about financial aid, FAFSA, BOG waivers, etc., please check with the Financial Aid Office at (760) 773-2532.
Effective May 24, 2022, this nursing program is a candidate for initial accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. This candidacy status expires on May 24, 2024.
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) 3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite
1400 Atlanta, GA 30326 (404) 975-5000
http://www.acenursing.com/candidates/candidacy.asp
Note: Upon granting of initial accreditation by the ACEN Board of Commissioners, the
effective date of initial accreditation is the date on which the nursing program was
approved by the ACEN as a candidate program that concluded in the Board of Commissioners
granting initial accreditation.
The program is approved by the California State Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). (916) 322-3350
Mailing Address: Board of Registered Nursing
PO Box 944210
Sacramento, CA 94244-2100
Physical Address: Board of Registered Nursing
1747 N. Market Blvd., Suite 150
Sacramento, CA 95834-1924
By the end of the program, the student will be able to:
We believe community college students bring a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds,
life experiences, learning styles,
and developmental levels to the learning environment. The college community provides
the opportunity for students and
faculty to participate in cultural exchange; it encourages the examination and development
of ideas through a balanced social
forum and provides an environment for growth. We support self-development, including
ongoing self-assessment and
evaluation.
We believe each person, regardless of race, creed, religion, or culture, is a unique,
complex, holistic being and deserving of
respect. All persons share with others common human attributes and basic human needs,
adapting to physical and psychosocial experiences and stresses. Individuals have an
inherent right to strive to attain optimal health and achieve their full
potential in life. They possess dignity, and self-worth and have the right to information
that will assist them to make informed
decisions regarding health care. We believe that access to health care is the right
of each member of society.
We believe health and illness are relative, ever-changing states of being. Individuals
exist on a continuum ranging from a state
of optimal functioning to the absence of discernible disease, to obvious disease that
can result in death. Illness occurs when
there is an alteration in the function of one or more body systems. We believe the
health care delivery system is changing
quickly in response to societal demands, rapidly changing technology, and the increasing
lifespan. These changes have
resulted in a collaborative level of interaction between health care workers and the
consumer.
We believe that nursing is a dynamic profession in which nurses work collaboratively
to provide safe, compassionate, clientcentered, holistic health care. As members of
the health care team, nurses have an evolving practice, based on innovations,
emerging technologies, and changing societal needs based on the Art of Caring. Nursing
blends evidence-based practice with
the altruistic art of caring to promote, maintain, and restore wellness. Nursing demonstrates
professionalism and caring for
vulnerable individuals throughout their lifespan using cognitive, psychomotor, and
affective skills. Nurses assist individuals to
use their available resources to adapt to an optimum level of functioning.
Nursing education occurs in a variety of settings and prepares graduates with different
levels of expertise. The nursing faculty
uses a systematic approach to instruction that builds on previously learned knowledge
from related disciplines and life
experiences.
We believe that sound nursing education is based upon concepts relating to the individual,
health/illness, environment, and
nursing. Nursing education values and adheres to professional standards and regulatory
guidelines and incorporates
knowledge from a variety of disciplines including the humanities, social, physical,
and natural sciences. nursing education
facilitates students gathering the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that provide the
framework for students to assume
responsibility and accountability as nurses.
Nursing education provides the environment which fosters students to become managers
of care, learn to anticipate the
needs of their patients, and how to advocate for health promotion and risk reduction.
nursing education provides students
with the tools necessary to become change agents for the individual as well as for
the profession of nursing. We believe that
nursing education provides students with the foundation for safe nursing practice.
We believe nursing education is a transformative process that builds upon past learning
and serves as the beginning of a journey of lifelong learning for the
professional nurse.
A variety of caregivers are educated at different levels to provide health care services
to the public. The Vocational nurse is
educated to be a responsible member of a health care team, performing basic therapeutic,
rehabilitative, and preventive care.
The role of the Vocational nurse is an evolving one and encompasses providing specific
services to patients under the
direction of a licensed physician and/or registered professional nurse.
Registered nurses with an Associate Degree in nursing function as designers, providers,
managers, coordinators of care, and
are members of the profession. They utilize critical thinking and clinical reasoning
processes in their practice, including the
establishment of priorities, performance of therapeutic interventions, and evaluation
of client outcomes.
We believe that learning results in a change in behavior that can be measured, and
which persists. Optimum learning for a
diverse student body occurs in a non-threatening, supportive environment, in which
frequent feedback is an essential
element. Learning is a life-long process. We believe that optimal learning occurs
when multiple evidence-based teaching
methodologies are utilized in an environment with mutual respect and collaboration
between learners, faculty, and
healthcare team members.
We as nurse educators believe that accountability, ethical standards, moral values,
and high-level integrity lead to a successful
nursing graduate. Learning is maximized when the student feels a need to learn and
accepts a share of the responsibility of
planning and implementing the learning experience. The engaged, motivated learner
enters the educational process with
valuable life experiences, personal initiative, commitment to the profession, and
a belief in the worth and dignity of all
persons. Through passionate engagement, critical reflection, and multiple ways of
knowing, relating, and learning, students
will apply theory to ensure safe nursing practice.
We as nurse educators are an expression of the profession and facilitate a safe, collaborative,
interactive learning
environment. In an environment of student-centered learning, faculty foster and stimulate
critical thinking, clinical reasoning
and judgment, and an appreciation of social, ethical, and cultural diversity. In collaboration
with the student, the nurse
educator utilizes a multi-level curriculum moving from simple to complex concepts
to develop safe, competent, caring,
professional nurses.
We believe that a curriculum producing well-educated nursing professionals should
include the following program concepts
holistic patient-centered care, evidence-based practice, professionalism, safety,
caring, and collaboration/communication.
Adopted: 02/20; Revised: 05/22
Reviewed: 05/22
Students must apply to the College of the Desert prior to applying to the nursing programs. Information on application can be found on the Admissions & Records webpage.
If you are a past COD student, who has not enrolled in a course over the last academic year, you will be required to reapply to COD.
*When the application asks you for a major, you will not have an option for "nursing". Please select "health sciences", once accepted into the nursing program, we will manually change your major to Nursing.
Eligibility criteria for the RN program includes:
Although not required for eligibility, the multi-criteria worksheet is used to establish points for each applicants. The higher the points, the more likely the applicant is to gain entrance to the program.
Transcripts can be evaluated by a counselor to ensure equivalency of courses at other institutions. For a list of courses, already evaluated and deemed equivalent, click here to use our equivalency database.
In addition to eligibility and prerequisite requirements, once a student is registered, further items are required to begin courses and clinical rotations. You will receive information on how to complete these items once admitted to the program.
Valid Social Security card | Valid Government ID |
Clear background check | Clear drug screen |
Malpractice Insurance | Physical Exam |
Communicable disease clearance (titers & Vaccinations) | Current American Heart Association CPR card |
Meet core performance standards | TEAS exam with a score of 62 or greater |
iPad, iPad pencil, iPad keyboard (more information provided upon admission) |
College of the Desert Kinesiology offers American Heart Association (AHA) CPR courses for both the first time certification and for recertification.
For first time certification, students can register for KINE-001
For recertification, students can register for KINE-302
KINE-001 and KINE-302 will be offered during Summer and Winter sessions based on enrollment numbers.
CPR cards are required prior to the start of the semester, please plan accordingly.
Please note that costs are estimated. Depending on insurance coverage and financial assistance, costs may vary. Total cost of the program is estimated at $5,180.00 Click here for a detailed list of associated costs.
All grades must be posted and included with the application in order to receive points.
Effective Spring 2020, the Nursing Program is accepting online/hybrid courses until further notice.
Courses receiving emergency withdrawals (EWs) will not be counted as repeats under our repeat policy (two in seven years).
Pass/no Pass or Credit/no Credit courses will NOT be accepted for any pre-requisite or degree courses.
All applicants will utilize the updated multi-criteria found here.
Fall 2024 - Application open February 1-February 28, 2024
Spring 2024 - Application open August 1- August 31, 2023
All future applications for the RN program will be available in February for fall admissions and in August for spring admissions.
Applications will be digital with automated responses. Please make sure to read the instructions thoroughly before beginning the application. The application will take approximately 1 hour to complete and must be completed at one time (no save option).
Applicants with a regionally accredited bachelor’s degree from the US will have certain courses waived.
See the Statistical Information tab
Once admitted to the program, students will take all of the following courses in the following sequence:
Term | Core Course: 11-week Courses | Specialty Course: 5-week Courses |
First Semester |
NRN 110: Foundations of Nursing Practice NRN 110C: Foundations of Nursing Practice: Clinical |
NRN 130: Concepts of Nursing: Mental Health NRN 130C: Concepts of Nursing: Mental Health Clinical OR NRN 140: Concepts of Nursing: Gerontology NRN 140C: Concepts of Nursing: Gerontology Clinical |
Second Semester |
NRN 120: Alterations in Health NRN 120C: Alterations in Health: Clinical NRN 120L: Alterations in Health: Lab |
NRN 130: Concepts of Nursing: Mental Health NRN 130C: Concepts of Nursing: Mental Health Clinical OR NRN 140: Concepts of Nursing: Gerontology NRN 140C: Concepts of Nursing: Gerontology Clinical |
Third Semester |
NRN 210: Chronic Alterations in Health NRN 210C: Chronic Alterations in Health: Clinical NRN 210L: Chronic Alterations in Health: Lab |
NRN 230: Pediatric Health & Wellness NRN 230C: Pediatric Health & Wellness: Clinical OR NRN 240: Health & Wellness in the Growing Family NRN 240C: Health & Wellness in the Growing Family: Clinical |
Fourth Semester |
NRN 220: Acute Complex Alterations in Health NRN 220C: Acute Complex Alterations in Health: Clinical NRN 220L: Acute Complex Alterations in Health: Lab |
NRN 230: Pediatric Health & Wellness NRN 230C: Pediatric Health & Wellness: Clinical OR NRN 240: Health & Wellness in the Growing Family NRN 240C: Health & Wellness in the Growing Family: Clinical |