Program Codes:
NRB.AS
Associate in Science Degree
Explore careers, salaries, and local job opportunities >
This program prepares students for entry-level positions in nursing and for taking the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®). It has been approved by the New Jersey Council of Presidents and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, Georgia 30326, 404.975.5000, http://www.acenursing.org and the New Jersey State Board of Nursing, 124 Halsey Street, 6th floor, Newark, NJ 07101, 973.504.6430, http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov
Below are required courses and recommended course groupings and sequences for program completion.
Courses may have prerequisite and corequisite requirements. Check course descriptions for details.
A study of cellular transport mechanisms and tissues as they relate to organs and systems. Structural and functional features of the skeletal, muscular and nervous systems and special senses are examined. Recommended for students in the health sciences.
Provides a psychological basis for the understanding of human behavior. A survey of fundamentals that are necessary for subsequent psychology courses. Topics include but are not limited to: learning, motivation, cognition, personality, abnormal behavior, development and social psychology.
Through a variety of writing projects requiring competence in clear, correct, and effective English, students use inferential and critical skills in the process of composing documented essays. Extensive reading materials serve as structural models and as the bases for discussion and for the writing of essays involving response, analysis, and synthesis.
RDG-011 may be taken as a co-requisite if not previously completed with a grade of "C" or better.
This course provides students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for introductory professional nursing practice. Students develop competencies and skills basic to the role of the nurse in the contemporary healthcare environment. The care of the patient in multiple settings using evidence-based practice is stressed. Students are introduced to the concepts of safety, hygiene, therapeutic communication, clinical judgment, interprofessional collaboration, physical assessment, oxygenation, pain and comfort, elimination, fluid and electrolyte balance, documentation, reporting, pharmacology, and medication management. Faculty supervised learning laboratory and clinical practicum provide students with opportunities to develop professional competencies.
American Heart Associate Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification for the Healthcare Provider
BIO-111 and PSY-123
A continuation of BIO 111. A study of the structure and function of the body is continued by examining the endocrine, reproductive, circulatory, digestive, respiratory and excretory systems.
BIO-111 with a minimum grade of “C”
This course introduces students to the psychological development of the individual across the life span. Developmental concepts and theories are reviewed and applied in the study of the various stages of life.
This course provides students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for the care of adults with acute and chronic medical, surgical, and behavioral health alterations. This course builds on previous learning and clinical experiences. Students have the opportunity to develop the competencies needed to assess, plan, manage, and evaluate nursing care of patients in multiple healthcare settings. The focus of this semester is evidence-based practice, safety, communication, patient-centered care, interprofessional collaboration, clinical integration, and nursing judgment. The care of patients with faculty supervised learning laboratory and clinical practicum assist in the development of clinical competencies.
BIO-112, PSY-232 and NRB-135
For the past decade, nurses have ranked first in national surveys about trustworthiness and ethics. Today's graduate nurse requires an appreciation of the legal, ethical, economic, and social issues impacting healthcare. This course is offered in a hybrid (blended) format and will explore the many roles of the nurse in contemporary society and as a member of an interdisciplinary healthcare team.
NRB-132
An introductory study of the microbial world with emphasis on the nature and behavior of microorganisms, the interrelationships that operate between microbes and the human host in health and disease and the principles of prevention and control of infectious disease. Laboratory experience develops techniques in the proper handling, observation and identification of microbial cultures. Recommended for students in the health sciences.
A grade of “C” or better in ENG-121
This course provides students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for the holistic care of the childbearing woman, children, families, and the geriatric populations. This course builds on previous learning and clinical experiences. Students have the opportunity to develop the competencies needed to assess, plan, manage, and evaluate nursing care for diverse patients in multiple healthcare settings throughout the life cycle. The focus of this semester is health promotion, growth and development, evidence-based practice, safety, communication, patient-centered care, interprofessional collaboration, clinical integration, and nursing judgment. Faculty supervised learning laboratory and clinical practicum assist in the development of clinical competencies.
BIO-211
Choose one course designated in the course descriptions as General Education Humanities (GE HUM).
This course provides students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to care for patients with high acuity health alterations. This course builds on previous learning and clinical experiences. Students will have the opportunity to develop competencies for patients with advanced medical surgical conditions, emergencies and crisis situations, and global health needs. Students will develop the needed competencies to integrate the multiple dimensions of patient centered care including clinical reasoning and judgment, teamwork, communication, and collaboration, evidence-based practice, and the principles that guide safe nursing care.
Criminal Background and Drug Testing: Prior to matriculation, a nursing student must undergo a complete history and physical examination and be in compliance with the MCC and Nursing Program policy on immunizations. A student is required to have a criminal background check and drug test performed with satisfactory results acceptable by MCC and the Nursing Program and/or participating clinical facility as a condition of admission, initial enrollment and/or continued enrollment. An offer of admission will not be final and enrollment not permitted until the completion of a satisfactory criminal background check/drug test. Admission may be denied or rescinded or enrollment terminated based on the results of the criminal background check and drug test.
Progression: Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 and achieve a “C” grade or better in all nursing courses (NRB-131, NRB-132, NRB-135, NRB-231, NRB-232) in order to progress in the curriculum. A “C” in nursing is 77-80. Students must achieve a “C” grade or better for all science courses in the Nursing Program. If a student receives a grade less than “C” in any science course of the nursing program, the student is allowed to repeat one science course only once. Any other unsatisfactory science grades will result in program dismissal.
An unsatisfactory grade (i.e. a grade less than “C”) in NRB-131 results in dismissal from the Nursing Program. Students have the option to reapply to the program once if they are dismissed. Students are allowed only one reapplication/readmission to the nursing program. If the student is readmitted to the nursing program and achieves a final course grade of “D” or “F” in NRB-131 on the second attempt, the student is dismissed and is ineligible to reapply for admission.
If a student earns a grade of “D” in any nursing course other than NRB-131, the student may apply for re-entry to the course once (space permitting and providing the GPA is at least 2.0) and must achieve a grade of “C” or better. If the student returns to the nursing program and achieves a final course grade of “D” or “F”, the student will be dismissed from the Nursing Program and is ineligible to reapply for admission.
If a student achieves a grade of “F” in any nursing course other than NRB-131, the student will be dismissed from the Nursing Program. The student will be ineligible to reapply for admission to the Nursing Program.
Students must adhere to the policies of MCC and affiliated health care agencies. A student should complete the nursing program within three years of beginning enrollment in the first nursing course, unless written allowance by the nursing director or Dean of Professional Studies is provided. A student who does not successfully complete the major nursing sequence under the above conditions may not continue in the program.
Contact Name: Ms. Nancy Berger, Director of the Nursing Program
OR Jeffrey Herron, Dean, Division of Professional Studies
Contact Phone: 732.906.4660
OR 732.906.3502
Contact Email: NBerger@middlesexcc.edu
OR JHerron@middlesexcc.edu
Department Web: https://www.middlesexcc.edu/nursing/
The pass rate for the NCLEX is as follows:
Class of 2016 - 92.75%
Class of 2017 - 92.41%
Class of 2018 - 90.28%
Raritan Bay Medical Center (RBMC) (now part of Hackensack Meridian Health) is the Nursing Program partner and is the primary clinical site for the Nursing Program.
No. When an applicant is admitted to the nursing program, the student starts the first nursing course in September. If you are not admitted, then you may reapply for the next class.
The standard duration of this Associate Degree program is four semesters (two years). Many students elect to take the science and general education courses required in the program before entry into the program. However, once starting the nursing program, four semesters of nursing courses are required before graduation. Each nursing course may require Monday through Friday attendance.
The student must maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher and meet the academic standards of progress to stay in the nursing program.
The New Jersey State Board of Nursing requires that an applicant for licensure as a registered nurse must submit to the Board evidence, in such form as the Board may prescribe, that the applicant is of good moral character, is not a habitual user of drugs and never been convicted or has not pleaded nolo contendere, non vult contendere or non vult to an indictment, information or complaint alleging a violation of any Federal or State law relating to narcotic drugs. Application for licensure may be denied by the Board if violations exist. All licensure candidates must undergo a criminal history record background check, including fingerprinting prior to the issuance of the license.
The courses students take may be applied to the Bachelor of Science (BSN) Degree. Any final decision regarding transfer courses will be made by the receiving college. MCC has articulation agreements with Felician University and Kean University that makes the transfer process as seamless as possible. The articulation between the colleges provides students the opportunity to complete their BSN on MCC’s campus.
Yes, there are practical considerations, health considerations and legal considerations that you should review before making the decision to choose nursing as a career:
The following Practical Considerations are listed so the students may be better able to assess their career choice in terms of ability to succeed in the program and gain employment in the field:
Due to the nature of clinical experiences in the Nursing Program, students will be participating in a work environment that has the potential of exposure to bloodborne pathogens and infectious diseases. All students accepted into the Nursing Program are provided with instruction on infection control protocols specific to the Program in order to reduce the risk of disease transmission. Students are required to get a flu shot annually.
Students in the Nursing program must provide proof of having health insurance every semester.
A student is required to have a criminal background check performed with satisfactory results acceptable by Middlesex County College and the Nursing Department and/or participating clinical facilities as a consideration of admission, initial enrollment and/ or continued enrollment. An offer of admission will not be final and enrollment not permitted until the completion of a satisfactory criminal background check. Drug testing is a requirement for the program. Admission may be denied or rescinded or enrollment terminated based on the results of the criminal background check and the drug testing.