East Central College offers two programs leading to an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Nursing. This program prepares students to become registered nurses. Upon completion of either program, graduates are eligible to apply to write the NCLEX-RN exam for licensure as a registered nurse. Registered nurses (RNs) are hands-on professionals who provide focused and highly personalized care. These professionals promote health, prevent disease and help patients and families cope with illness. A majority of registered nurses practice in hospitals, though a growing number are employed in long-term care settings, out-patient surgery centers or rehabilitation centers. Others work in community health, industrial or school nursing, clinics and physician offices. The field has a variety of opportunities ranging from entry-level professional to doctoral-level researcher/practitioner.
Extra-Curricular/Cocurricular Opportunities at ECC: ECC Student Nurse Organization
Prerequisites/General Education: A selective admission process is utilized. Students must have a “C” or better in prerequisite coursework and have a cumulative college GPA of 2.75, 75% or higher on HESI A2 exam and a minimum of 8 hours of observation with a registered nurse to apply to the program. Once accepted into the Nursing Program, students must maintain a “C” average and must pass both the lecture and lab components of the course to successfully progress to the next semester/course.
| Campus Offered |
Credits Required |
| ECC-Union & ECC-Rolla |
72 |
Additional Information
In order to achieve success in this program, a student can expect to spend a minimum of 20-30 hours per week, outside of class, studying and preparing for class and clinical experiences. Some examples include: practicing skills in the lab, preparing for clinical assignments, studying for exams, preparing for class, developing written assignments and presentations.
