Associate Degree in Nursing Program (ADN)

Associate Degree in Nursing Program Overview

A total of 97 quarter credits are required to earn the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), which includes completion of these courses:

• General education
• Fundamentals of nursing
• Beginning, intermediate and advanced medical/surgical nursing
• Obstetrics and pediatrics
• Behavior health
• Geriatrics

The ADN program also requires clinical rotations in both inpatient and outpatient care settings.

Select courses in the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program will be in a blended delivery format. Blended courses combine traditional or face-to-face classroom instruction with an online learning environment to optimize the learning experience of the user. 

Using Dorothea Orem’s Theory of Self-Care, college students, in collaboration with interdisciplinary team members, assist patients through self-care deficits and health deviations as a part of the ADN degree program.

The Associate Degree in Nursing program is approved by the the California Board of Registered Nursing.

Board of Registered Nursing
1747 North Market Boulevard, Suite 150
Sacramento, CA 95834
Phone (916) 322-3350 / Fax (916) 574-7697

Challenge/Advanced Placement into ADN Program for Military Personnel

Individuals who have held Military Health Care Training may be eligible to receive credit for previous education training.  According to the ACC Catalog, “The College will conduct an evaluation of previous education and training for all Veterans and eligible persons, grant appropriate credit, shorten training period proportionally, and notify the Veterans Administration and student accordingly.”

Challenge Credit examinations may apply and will follow the processes outlined in the ACC Catalog.

The Associate Degree in Nursing program is available at the following campus: Los Angeles Associate Degree in Nursing program.

Graduates of the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program may pursue nursing positions such as:

• Registered Nurse (RN)
• Charge Nurse, Director of Nursing (DON)
• Emergency Department RN (Emergency Department Registered Nurse)
• Oncology RN (Oncology Registered Nurse)
• Operating Room Registered Nurse (OR RN)
• Public Health Nurse (PHN)
• School Nurse, Staff Nurse, or Staff RN (Staff Registered Nurse)

These may be in a variety of health care settings. In the state of California, all applicants for RN licensure must qualify for and pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), which relates to the practice of registered nursing in California.

Registered Nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members. Here are some additional examples:

• Addiction nurses care for patients who need help to overcome addictions to alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and other substances.
• Cardiovascular nurses care for patients with heart disease and people who have had heart surgery.
• Critical care nurses work in intensive care units in hospitals, providing care to patients with serious, complex, and acute illnesses and injuries that need very close monitoring and treatment.
• Genetics nurses provide screening, counseling, and treatment of patients with genetic disorders, such as cystic fibrosis.
• Neonatology nurses take care of newborn babies.
• Nephrology nurses care for patients who have kidney-related health issues stemming from diabetes, high blood pressure, substance abuse, or other causes.
• Rehabilitation nurses care for patients with temporary or permanent disabilities.

Some nurses have jobs in which they do not work directly with patients, but they must still have an active registered nurse license. For example, they may work as nurse educators, healthcare consultants, public policy advisors, researchers, hospital administrators, salespeople for pharmaceutical and medical supply companies, or as medical writers and editors.

The nursing program is divided into eight 10-week quarters and is in a blended format with each course sharing a percentage of instruction online and a percentage of instruction face-to-face. Graduates of this college program may pursue entry-level positions as Registered Nurses in a variety of health care settings. In addition to general education courses, core courses in American Career College's Associate Degree in Nursing program include:

Human Anatomy* - Provides an in-depth introduction to the physiology of the human body. Provides students an opportunity to study the functions and physiological mechanisms of several important organ systems from the molecular level to the body’s gross entirety. Organ systems are studied with respect to their interactions under normal and abnormal conditions. Major topics include cell function, tissues, organization of the human body, and physiology of all body systems.

General Microbiology* - Representative examples of bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and multicellular parasites are studied, with special concentration given to microorganisms that are significant to human health. Aspects of classification, metabolism, genetics, control mechanisms, chemotherapy, and antibiotic/resistance are considered. Topics covered include principles of infectious disease transmission, immunology, biotechnology, bioterrorism, and environmental remediation.

Fundamentals of Nursing* - The purpose of this course is to understand the practical science of nursing as it applies to caring for patients through the continuum from illness to wellness using Dorothea Orem’s Theory of Self-Care and the three important nursing systems: wholly compensatory, partial compensatory, and supportive-educative. The Nursing Process, legal and ethical considerations, patient rights and privacy, growth and development as related to the patient’s therapeutic self-care demands are introduced. This course also provides basic patient care skills and focuses on the essential principles and practices of safe, effective care in the multifaceted and multicultural nursing field.

Introduction to Psychology* - Introduction to scientific study of behavior, lifespan development, learning & cognition, personality, social interaction, psychotherapy, and other selected topics.

Introduction to Sociology* - This course questions basic sociological concepts, such as socialization and culture; social organizations; stability and change in societies; cooperation and conflict among human groups; religious, political, economic, technical, and scientific institutions. Sociological concepts and issues such as culture and subculture; development of the self; gender and age roles; social class and caste; groups, communities, collectives, and organizations; deviance; racism; human institutions: family, religion, education, government, economics; population change in society are discussed.

Advanced Medical/Surgical Nursing* - The purpose of this course is to present the principles of nursing care utilizing the nursing process and concepts of Orem’s Theory of Self-Care. The focus will include assessment, identifying the client’s universal self-care requisites: air, water, food, elimination, activity, social interaction, safety, and normalcy in the adult and geriatric patient. The three models of nursing systems recognized by Orem’s Nursing System Theory will be addressed: wholly compensatory, partial compensatory, and supportive-educative. Students will gain theoretical knowledge using the nursing process for patient-centered, evidence-based nursing care of adult and geriatric patients with critical health deviations related to sensory (neurological disorders, spinal cord injuries, CVA, brain tumors, and cranial surgeries) and cardiorespiratory disorders (acid-base balance, ARDS, COPD, VAP, pulmonary hypertension, tension, hemo, and pneumothorax, pulmonary edema, chest trauma, thoracic surgical, dysrhythmias, AMI, ACS, CHF, valve disease, and aneurysms), maintenance of central venous catheters and blood transfusions. Content threaded throughout the course includes cultural diversity, nutrition, pharmacology, patient advocacy, and physical, behavioral, and social aspects of human development.

Other core courses in the school's program include:

• College Mathematics I*
• Professional Communication & Role Transition Seminar
• Human Physiology*
• Fundamentals of Nursing, Clinical
• Beginning Medical/Surgical Nursing*
• Pharmacology for Nursing*
• Beginning Medical/Surgical Nursing, Lab/Clinical
• Maternal/Child Nursing*
• Maternal/Child Nursing, Lab/Clinical
• Written Communications I*
• Intermediate Medical/Surgical Nursing*
• Intermediate Medical/Surgical Nursing, Lab/Clinical
• Behavioral Health and Geriatric Nursing*
• Behavioral Health and Geriatric Nursing, Lab/Clinical
• Oral Communication*
• Advanced Medical/Surgical Nursing, Lab/Clinical
• Advanced Medical/Surgical Nursing II/Leadership
• Advanced Medical/Surgical Nursing II, Lab/Clinical
• Cultural Pluralism*

*Courses offered in a blended format, a combination of online and on ground.

Registered nurses work as part of a team with physicians and other healthcare specialists. Some registered nurses oversee licensed practical nurses, nursing assistants, and home health aides.

As a registered nurse, your responsibilities may include the following:

• Recording patients' medical histories and symptoms
• Administering patients’ medicines and treatments
• Setting up plans for patients’ care or contributing to existing plans
• Observing patients and recording observations
• Consulting with doctors and other healthcare professionals
• Operating and monitoring medical equipment
• Helping to perform diagnostic tests and analyzing results
• Teach patients and their families how to manage illnesses or injuries
• Explaining what to do at home after treatment

Registered Nurses' duties and titles often depend on where they work and the patients they work with. They can focus in the following areas:

• A specific health condition, such as a diabetes management nurse, who helps patients with diabetes, or an oncology nurse who helps cancer patients
• A specific part of the body, such as a dermatology nurse working with patients who have skin problems
• A specific group of people, such as a geriatric nurse who works with the elderly or a pediatric nurse who works with children and teens
• A specific workplace, such as an emergency or trauma nurse who works in a hospital or stand-alone emergency department or a school nurse working in an elementary, middle, or high school

Registered nurses may also work to promote general health, by educating the public on warning signs and symptoms of disease. They may also run general health screenings or immunization clinics, blood drives, or other outreach programs.

Associate of Degree in Nursing Program Dean, Dr. Lorna Kendrick, PhD, APRN, PMHCNS

• Dr. Lorna Kendrick is a native Californian. She earned her undergraduate degree in Nursing from Loma Linda University, her Master’s degree in Child/Adolescent Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing from Georgia State University and her Doctorate in Nursing from UCLA.
• In addition to nursing, Dr. Kendrick has 27 years of experience working in academia, she was a tenured full professor before accepting this position. She also maintains a small practice utilizing her Master’s degree to help children and adolescents.  
• Dr. Kendrick is passionate about connecting mental health with disease prevention. She has conducted Ethnographic Fieldwork and Participatory Action Research with young African American men that focused on untreated depression as a primary risk factor for early onset cardiovascular disease.
• Her research interests have taken her to destinations in Europe, Canada, Cuba, Alaska, Turkey, Argentina, Japan, Nigeria, and South Africa. 
•  As part of her professional service Dr. Kendrick is the current Archival Secretary for the Council on Nursing and Anthropology (CONAA). This organization unites nurses, anthropologists and others that are interested in understanding and promoting the health of peoples and cultures around the world through research and practice innovations.
• Dr. Kendrick is the past President-elect for the California Association of Colleges of Nursing. In this role, she worked to advance nursing education in the state of California.