Skip to Main Content

NURSING- AAS

The Nursing Program at Trocaire College offers a curriculum leading to an Associate in Applied Science Degree. Completion of the program allows the graduate to take the NCLEX-RN and enter the nursing profession as a registered nurse. The program focus is on theory and clinical experiences to prepare the graduate for a beginning level of professional practice within a diverse and changing health care system.

The curriculum emphasizes knowledge and skills needed to promote, maintain or restore health. It prepares the graduate to provide and manage care in structured settings for clients across the life span.

The nursing program offers both a day program and evening program. The evening curriculum is identical in content to the day curriculum. However, the evening curriculum is distributed over a 6 semester (3 year) time period including two summer sessions. In addition to the regularly scheduled evening experiences, selected clinical laboratory experiences for both day and evening programs are scheduled during day, evening and weekend hours. These clinical days provide a comprehensive experience of nursing care activities.

Clinical experiences are provided in a variety of WNY health care settings including hospitals and community health care agencies. Transportation to and from the College and/or the clinical affiliates is the responsibility of the individual student. Students may be required to complete a background check for clinical placement. Students must meet the clinical partners requirements in order to attend and complete nursing clinical requirements. The Catherine McAuley School of Nursing is not obligated to find an alternative clinical experience for a student if they are not allowed to attend a required clinical rotation. If requirements are not met, this will result in removal and will impact course completion.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification completed through the American Heart Association or a provider who meets the ILCOR standards is accepted. The CPR course may be hybrid (online lecture with in-person hands-on skill demonstration) or face-to-face training. Online only CPR courses are not accepted.

NYSED Office of Professions states, under the Professional Nurse Obligations, NYSED does not permit online CPR courses.

The program includes a strong foundation in the liberal arts. This enables the student to discover and confront their own values, beliefs and ideas and to sharpen their skills of critical analysis and expression. Students are encouraged to develop their critical thinking, clinical judgment, and decision-making skills as they participate in their own learning experiences.

Licensure: When a nursing student completes an application for licensure and first registration as a licensed practical nurse or registered professional nurse, questions are asked by the State Education Department about conviction of a crime and pending charges. These questions appear on the application form. If the answers are in the affirmative, there is an automatic referral to the State Education Department, Office of Professional Discipline and the case is assigned to an investigator. Depending upon the results of the investigation, the case may or may not require a hearing. The National Council Licensure Examination may be taken. However, the licensing process and issuance of a license will be held until the process described above is completed. At the completion of the program, graduates are eligible to write the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurse licensure.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

All students completing this program are expected to achieve the General Education outcomes described in the General Studies section of the catalog as well as the following learning objectives:

  • Develop a client concept map of care utilizing the Clinical Judgement Model to safely meet the physical, psychological, cultural, spiritual, social determinants of health, across the life cycle in a variety of health care settings.

  • Apply critical thinking and the Clinical Judgement Model to rationalize solutions to assure safe nursing care, while moving the client towards positive outcomes across the life cycle.

  • Engage in the pursuit of knowledge and life-long learning by analyzing pertinent data that leads to evidence-based decision making, excellence in nursing practice, and improvements in client care across the life cycle in a variety of health care settings.

  • Embody professional, caring attitudes, behaviors, therapeutic communication, functional competence, safety, ethics, and the professional Code of Conduct to clients across the life cycle in a variety of health care settings.

  • Conduct a head-to-toe assessment on clients across the life cycle and interpret the findings.

  • Integrates the principles and nursing interventions to safely administer medications and educate clients and family across the life cycle in a variety of health care settings.

Nursing - AAS Curriculum
           

BIO130 Anatomy & Physiology I - 3 credits
BIO130L Anatomy & Physiology I Lab - 1 credit
BIO131 Anatomy and Physiology II - 3 credits
BIO131L Anatomy and Physiology II Lab - 1 credit
BIO223 Microbiology - 3 credits
BIO223L Microbiology Lab - 1 credit
EN101 English Composition - 3 credits
GS100 or GS 102 College Seminar or College Success - 1 or 3 credits*
MA 107 Logical Reasoning and Decision Making - 3 credits
NU 106 Fundamentals in Nursing – 4 credits
NU107 Fundamentals in Nursing Clinical – 2 credits
NU108 Physical Assessment – 3 credits
NU120 Health Preservation – 4 credits
NU121 Health Preservation Clinical – 2 credits
NU230 Health Restoration Acute/Simple - 5 credits
NU231 Health Restoration Acute/Simple Clinical - 3 credits
NU240 Health Restoration Acute/Chronic/Complex - 5 credits
NU241 Health Restoration Acute/Chronic/Complex Clinical - 3 credits
NU242 Pharmacology for Nurses - 3 credits
PH205 Ethics in Health Care - 3 credits
PSY101 General Psychology - 3 credits
PSY 102 Developmental Psychology - 3 credits
SOC 101 Principles of Sociology - 3 credits

Total Program Credits  - 65 credits

*GS100 College Seminar or GS102 College Success must be taken at the main campus

Additional Degree Requirements

All courses require a minimum grade of “C” and a Quality Point Average of 2.0.

Program Accreditation

The Associate in Applied Science in Nursing Degree and the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing Programs are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), a specialized accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education.

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
3390 Peachtree Road Northeast, Suite 1400
Atlanta, Georgia 30326
(404) 975-5000
www.acenursing.org

BIO (Biology) Courses
EN (English) Courses
GS (General Education) Courses
MA (Mathematics) Courses
NU (Nursing A.A.S.) Courses
PSY (Psychology) Courses
SOC (Sociology) Courses