Associate Degree Nursing
Accreditation
The Jones College Associate Degree Nursing Program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. (ACEN), 3343 Peachtree Road, NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326, (404)-975-5000, and the Mississippi State Institutions of Higher Learning, Board of Trustees (IHL). This program consists of nursing and non-nursing courses granting college credit. The program of study qualifies the graduate to be eligible to apply for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN ®). Graduates are prepared to render competent nursing care in a variety of health care settings.
The Associate in Arts degree with a major in nursing requires courses in biological and social sciences, the humanities, as well as in nursing. Non-nursing classes are held on campus along with other college majors. Non-nursing courses may be taken prior to admission into the Nursing Program. BIO 2514 , BIO 2524 , BIO 2924 , and MAT 1313 must be completed with a grade of C or higher prior to program entry. BIO 2514 , BIO 2524 , and BIO 2924 must be completed no more than five (5) years prior to program entry.
Nursing courses are limited to nursing majors. Teaching methods include lecture, demonstration, discussion, projects, and multi-media materials. Off-campus labs are held in various community health care agencies to provide experiences selected by the faculty that develop the understandings and skills taught in the theory classes. Students are responsible for their own transportation for clinical learning experiences.
In addition to regular college tuition and fees, Associate Degree Nursing students will have costs for program-wide testing, criminal background checks, drug testing, uniforms, books, physical exam, two step Tuberculosis skin testing, CPR certification for the Healthcare Provider, and immunizations. Membership in pre-professional student nurse organizations (MASN/MOSA) is an additional elective cost.
Note: The Mississippi Board of Nursing may, at its discretion, refuse to accept the application for licensure of any person who has been convicted of a criminal offense under any provision of Title 97 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, as now amended, or any provision of this chapter. The Mississippi Board of Nursing is now requiring that all students in the final nursing course be fingerprinted for an additional criminal background check prior to application for licensure. This will be at the student’s expense and cannot be billed or paid from the student account.
Admission Requirements
To qualify for admission to the Associate Degree Nursing Program, an applicant must:
1. Have a completed admission application on file in the Jones College Admissions and Records Office and meet the admission requirements at Jones College.
2. Present evidence of graduation from an accredited high school or satisfactory achievement on the High School Equivalency (HSE).
3. Have a minimum composite score of 18 or equivalent, on the ACT.
4. Have a completed application for admission to the Associate Degree Nursing Program submitted prior to the established deadline.
5. Submit score of the required entrance exam: Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS ATI), (minimum score is 58.7 and is subject to change). Dates for the entrance exam are provided on the application instruction sheet and on the Jones College Associate Degree Nursing website during the application period.
6. Have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on all previous college work.
7. Submit official transcripts on all previous college work. Attach a copy of each college transcript to the application for admission to the nursing program.
8. Completion of the following courses with a grade of “C” or higher prior to program entry, but sciences taken no more than five (5) years prior to program entry.
Acceptance Conditions
After acceptance into the Associate Degree Nursing Program, the following are required:
1. Physical examination.
2. Two Step Tuberculosis skin test or follow-up by the State Board of Health.
3. Current Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification; American Heart BLS.
4. Mississippi State Department of Health Certificate of Immunization Compliance.
5. Hepatitis B Immunization series of three injections or signed declination.
6. Tdap Immunization.
7. Completion of an orientation session.
8. Clear criminal background check (no felony). Students whose background check reveals any crime unacceptable by a clinical site may be ineligible to enroll or continue in the program.
*Note: Dates, forms, and instructions for the items in this section will be given to the students selected for the Associate Degree Nursing Program during an appointed time for orientation.
Application Procedure
Applications for the Associate Degree Nursing Program may be obtained from:
1. The Associate Degree Nursing office located in the Allied Health Building.
2. The Jones College Associate Degree Nursing website.
3. The Associate Degree Nursing Division by calling 601.477.4099.
Dates for the entrance exam are provided on the application instruction sheet and on the Jones College Associate Degree Nursing website.
Application Deadlines
Applications will be accepted from the start of classes in January through March 1, for the fall class. Applications will be accepted from start of classes in August through October 1, for the spring class. Mailed applications must be postmarked by March 1, or October 1. Applications are evaluated on a competitive basis. Applicants not selected for the class must reapply to be considered for the next class.
Admissions Procedure
Selections for the Nursing Program are made by the Associate Degree Nursing Admissions Committee using a point system based upon objective data including cumulative GPA, core courses completed, ACT score, and entrance test score. The required science courses are given a higher point value than other core courses in the Associate Degree Nursing curriculum. A grade of C or better is required in all of the core courses. Candidates chosen for the fall and spring classes will be notified by letter. All applicants are ranked according to the total points. In case of tie, the applicant with the highest combination of points from the GPA and ACT will be considered. If there is still a tie, the in-district applicant is given priority and further ties will be broken by a random drawing.
Alternate List
All qualified applicants not selected will be placed on the alternate list. In the event of a vacancy in the class, the alternate list will be used to fill this space. Alternates must reapply and resubmit all required information to be considered for the next class.
Readmissions
1. A student may repeat a nursing course only one time and may be readmitted to the program a maximum of two times.
2. Each readmission applicant must meet all admission requirements of the Associate Degree Nursing Program.
3. Each applicant applying to re-enter the first nursing course or subsequent nursing course after having been out for one semester or longer must have a completed application for readmission on file in the Associate Degree Nursing office. Priority will be given to those submitted by mid-term prior to the semester re-entering.
4. Any student who withdraws or is not successful in a nursing course may apply for re-admission for the following semester prior to the close of school for that semester. Any student who does not apply for readmission within 12 months after withdrawing or not being successful in a nursing course, must reapply as a beginning student.
5. All applicants will be considered by the Associate Degree Nursing Admissions Committee and recommendations will be made individually on each applicant.
Promotion Policies
All students enrolled in the Associate Degree Nursing Program must achieve the minimum grade of “C” and perform satisfactorily in the clinical component in each nursing course in order to progress to the following sequenced nursing course. An overall grade of “C” or better is also required in all core courses attempted for promotion as well as graduation. A student must have completed or be enrolled in all pre- or co-requisite courses to remain in the nursing course and progress to the next nursing course.
Substance Use Policy
Jones College Education Programs have a zero tolerance of illegal substance use, or the abuse or misuse of legal substances. Individuals seeking admission or enrolled in the Jones College Associate Degree Nursing Program will be subject to substance testing at any time upon request. A substance use policy has been adopted that describes the procedure and actions which will be taken for positive drug testing.
Courses
The Associate Degree Nursing core courses (*) are non-nursing courses which may be taken prior to admission and are listed below. The courses are a combination of prerequisite (*) and Co-requisite courses (**) as listed below. Completion of these courses does not guarantee admission to the program, but each course successfully completed awards points toward admission. See the course descriptions for prerequisites and co-requisite sequence of courses.
Admission to the Associate Degree Nursing program requires a separate application in addition to admission to the college. Selections to the Associate Degree Nursing Program are made based on a competitive selection process. The student may apply to the program during the application periods regardless of how many courses have been taken. Nursing courses are limited to students who have been accepted into the program.
Students should take the CORE requirements for the Associate Degree Nursing program shown below before scheduling other, non-nursing electives.
Pre-requisite Courses that must be completed and passed with a grade of “C” or better:
Courses:
BIO 2514 Anatomy and Physiology I*
BIO 2524 Anatomy and Physiology II*
BIO 2924 Microbiology*
MAT 1313 College Algebra*
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