NURSING/NON-DEGREE-30 UNIT OPTION LVN to RN

This one-year program is for applicants with valid California Vocational Nurse licenses. The Vocational Nurse who completes thirty additional units beyond the LVN curriculum qualifies to take the licensing examination as a Registered Nurse. This option does not lead to an Associate Nursing Degree.

The program is designed to prepare students for employment as a Registered Nurse, providing direct care to patients. The student should be aware that they may not change their status as a 30 unit option RN with the Board of Registered Nursing at any time after licensure. Individuals who become licensed as Registered Nurses using this option may not be eligible for licensure in states other than California or for any advanced degrees. The program is accredited by the California Board of Registered Nursing.

There has historically been increased interest at RHC for students to enter the ADN program. Applications have been accepted twice a year and over 400 applicants apply each cycle for 40 slots.

The goals and objectives of the RHC nursing program will not change and continue to be student-centered and align with the campus and Chancellor’s office goals and objectives. To offer students degrees that will allow them to secure a job making a livable wage upon graduation and align them to achieve a bachelor’s degree in their chosen major.  

The primary purpose of the change to the program is to develop a common nursing curriculum that is integrated into a fully articulated ADN-BSN concurrent enrollment pathway, decreasing units, and eliminating redundant content. In addition, the program will be seeking National Accreditation, allowing for a partnership with the CSUs. Once implemented, the curriculum will provide a streamlined, cost-effective pathway from AND to BSN, serving the needs of the regional healthcare industry and the diverse students served.

This is not a new program but a change to our existing curriculum allowing our students to be able to complete the program in less time and a curriculum change based on evidence to increase student success by decreasing repetitive content. Teaching the concepts as opposed to the specifics.

The ADN program at RHC will continue to provide students with the required courses and course content to complete their degree and be aligned to not only become a registered nurse but to transfer to a 4-year university to obtain a BSN.

By reducing the number of units required of the student for completion as well as decreasing from 5 semesters to 4 this allows the student to complete the degree in less time and become employed in an occupation to make a family living wage in the area.

This program encompasses the entire training provided to students seeking to become a registered nurse. Upon completion of the curriculum and earning the degree the student has then met all requirements needed to take the NCLEX-RN licensing exam in California leading to becoming a Registered Nurse.

As part of the Regional Nursing Curriculum Consortium (RNCC), Rio Hondo College along with 17 other community colleges in the Los Angeles area collaborated to develop a common concept-based curriculum. With the plan to teach the same concepts in the same order in all the colleges allowing for student transferability if needed. In addition to this it reduced the units in the core nursing courses allowing for the opportunity to partner with the CSUs for a concurrent enrollment. This allows our students to have a smooth transition and completion of a BSN program as they will take courses concurrently at the two schools. Not all schools are at the point yet where they have begun transitioning to the new curriculum. Colleges already teaching the curriculum include Long Beach City College and Cerritos. The new curriculum for Rio Hondo College has had all the courses in the new curriculum approved by both the Chancellor’s office and The Board of Registered Nursing.

1. Cerritos College
2. Citrus College
3. Compton College
4. East Los Angeles College
5. El Camino College
6. Glendale College
7. Long Beach City College
8. Los Angeles City College
9. Los Angeles City College of Nursing and Allied Health
10. Los Angeles Harbor College
11. Los Angeles Pierce College
12. Los Angeles Southwest College
13. Los Angeles Trade Tech College
14. Mt. San Antonio College
15. Pasadena City College
16. Rio Hondo College
17. Santa Monica College

There has historically been increased interest at RHC for students to enter the ADN program. Applications have been accepted twice a year and over 400 applicants apply each cycle for 40 slots.

This is not a new program that is being offered at Rio Hondo College but a change in the entire curriculum. It is a transition to an evidence-based approach to the delivery of the content required by the California Board of Registered Nursing to allow a student to be eligible to take the exam for State licensure as a Registered Nurse in California.