Nursing, Associate in Science Degree

San Joaquin Delta College offers a state and nationally accredited Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program. The ADN program prepares graduates to take the National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Once licensed, graduates are qualified to provide patient care in a variety of health care settings within the Registered Nurse scope of practice. The program is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, 3343 Peach Tree Road, NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326.

Dameron Hospital, Doctor's Hospital Manteca, Kaiser Manteca Medical Center, Kaiser Modesto Medical Center, Lodi Memorial Hospital, St. Joseph's Medical Center, San Joaquin General Hospital, and Sutter Tracy Community Hospital are among the local health care facilities providing clinical training sites as well as assistance in clinical instruction.

Admission Information

Students are admitted each fall and spring semester. Prior to ADN Program admission, the student must:

  • Be admitted to San Joaquin Delta College, in good standing with no holds on college records, and have an "active application" on file
  • Satisfy the College assessment placement test requirements
  • Complete all prerequisite courses with a "C" or better grade
  • Have a minimum cumulative college grade point average (GPA) of 2.50 in science prerequisites and a 2.50 GPA in the non-science prerequisite courses
  • Complete the Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) Exam with a composite score of 62 or better (best score of first three attempts is accepted)
  • Complete the online ADN Program Application
  • Complete all health and safety requirements necessary for admission to hospital clinical practice sites (details will be provided in the ADN Admissions Packet) including:
    1. Background Clearance for criminal history
    2. Physical Exam
    3. Immunizations, TB, and Hepatitis and other disease screening
    4. Drug Screen
    5. Current CPR card - The only CPR accepted is American Heart Association BLS [Basic Life Support] for Healthcare Providers; (Online CPR courses are not accepted)
    6. Professional Liability Insurance
    7. Possess a valid Social Security number (SSN) as required by the State Board of Registered Nursing for licensure

Information concerning requirements and the application process for the Associate Degree Nursing Program (Registered Nurse), may be obtained online at nursing.deltacollege.edu. Other immunizations and lab tests may be required by the different hospitals. Further information regarding medical screening will be provided upon acceptance into the program.

Prerequisite Course Information

Nursing program prerequisites include:

Math 092G or higher; and

Non-Science Prerequisites:

  • ENG 001A (Reading and Composition); or
  • ENG 001B (Written Communications II, A Critical Introduction to Literature); or
  • ENG 001D (Advanced Composition and Critical Thinking); and
  • FCS 019/HS 019 (Human Development) and

Science Prerequisites:

  • BIOL 022 (Introduction to Medical Microbiology); or
  • BIOL 023 (General Microbiology); and
  • BIOL 031 (Human Anatomy); and
  • BIOL 032 (Human Physiology)

The science courses have a prerequisite of CHEM 003A which requires completion of MATH 090 with a grade of "C" or better. Applicants who have completed at least two semesters of high school chemistry with a grade of "C" or better, and Algebra 1 in high school, with a grade of "C" or better, may have met these requirements. Please see a College counselor to discuss this option. Please note that the MATH 092S or higher requirement will not be used in computation of science or non-science GPA.

Application Procedure

The online application will be available during posted submission dates at the Health Sciences/ADN Program web site, Applications are accepted twice a year for entry into fall semester and for entry into spring semester. Submission dates will be posted online at nursing.deltacollege.edu.

Prerequisite courses completed at United States regionally accredited colleges and universities other than San Joaquin Delta College must be comparable in theory and laboratory content, and hours of instruction to Delta College courses. Official transcripts for prerequisite courses taken at other colleges and universities must be submitted in the event that the student meets minimum qualifications and is asked to provide supporting documentation to the online application. Course descriptions must come from the specific catalog year in which the course was taken. Course descriptions may be obtained from the College Catalog or web site where the course was taken or may be obtained at www.collegesource.org Determination of course equivalency will be completed by the San Joaquin Delta College Evaluations Office.

If the student is asked to submit an Official Transcript, it must be presented in an official, sealed envelope from the originating college or university.

Selection Procedure

The selection procedure will be a blended combination of multi-criteria screening (90%) and random selection (10%) process. Details are available online, nursing.deltacollege.edu

Additional Information

Information regarding program requirements and courses is available online at nursing.deltacollege.edu

Recognition is given for prior education and training. Psychiatric Technicians (PT) and Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN) who hold a current license may be eligible to enter the program as an advanced placement candidate. Information for PT-ADN and LVN-ADN is available online at nursing.deltacollege.edu. Students requesting advanced placement must apply during one of the regular online application periods. Up to fifteen units of credit may be earned through challenge examinations. Refer to "Credit by Examination" in this catalog.

Students requesting transfer to the ADN program from other registered nursing programs must apply during one of the regular online application periods and choose the "transfer" option. Submission of official transcripts from the college where course work was completed along with detailed nursing course syllabi, course outlines, objectives, and catalog descriptions and a recommendation letter from the former Dean/Director is also required. Applications for transfer will be reviewed by the nursing program faculty and Director of Nursing for determination of acceptance and placement in the program. Information for transfer is available online at nursing.deltacollege.edu The San Joaquin Delta College ADN program policy does not permit transfers from students who have not successfully completed courses in prior programs.