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Program Overview

Learn more about the ADN pathway

The Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Program at Modesto Junior College prepares students to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN), leading to licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN). The program is approved by the State of California.

The ADN Program begins in the fall and spring semesters of each year. It is a four-semester program. Although most classes are scheduled during the day, clinical experiences may include both morning and evening hours and weekends. In the last semester of the program there is a five-week preceptorship. During that time, students are expected to be in the clinical setting on a full-time basis. Students must be flexible and prepared to accept these assignments.

The ADN Program uses a Multicriteria Screening Process for admission. The annual application is online and The ADN Program application period includes the second Thursday through the fourth Thursday each February. Detailed information is posted under the Multicriteria Screening Process Advising Record (MSPAR) and the Online Application Instructions. Students interested in obtaining information about the program and the selection process should enroll in NURSE 115: Introduction for Nursing Majors. The program prepares students to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN), leading to licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN) and is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN).

The MJC ADN program offers classes at two different locations: MJC west campus in Glacier Hall and via video conferencing at Columbia College (located in Sonora, California) in the Redbud building. Students in the Columbia cohort receive synchronous theory classes via videoconferecing with the Modesto cohort, onsite skills lab instruction and general clinical placement in Sonora whenever possible.

ADN Online Application is open the second Thursday through the fourth Thursday each February

Starting the ADN Program


Student Resources


Nursing Philosophy

The philosophy of the Associate Degree Nursing Program reflects the faculty’s beliefs about persons, the art and science of nursing, and nursing education. These beliefs are embodied in program terminal objectives and offer a compass for the instruction of nursing. Similarly, the program philosophy is congruent with the Modesto Junior College Mission Statement which acknowledges the uniqueness of individuals and a commitment to excellence in education.

We believe that each person is an individual worthy of respect and caring. Each person possesses a unique combination of attitudes, values, life experience, learning styles, culture, ethnicity, and support systems. Each person is a complex entity with biological, psychological, social, and spiritual needs. As described in the Roy Adaptation Model, each person is in constant interaction with a dynamic environment. Multiple factors from the environment, both past and present, challenge the person to make adaptive responses. The well-being or survival of the person depends on coping mechanisms which lead to adaptation to an ever-changing environment.

By its nature and process, we believe that nursing is a profession of both art and science. The art of nursing lies in caring. Caring is defined as a way of being within the context of a therapeutic relationship. It is through caring that the patient is empowered to perform activities that promote health, prevent illness, and maintain or restore an optimal level of wellness across the lifespan. As Madeleine Leininger states, “Caring is the central and unifying domain for the body of knowledge and practice in nursing.”

 In the practice and profession of nursing, it is the ethic of care that paramountly distinguishes nursing as holistic, differentiates it from other health professions, and therefore, comprises its essence. Caring is evidenced by respect for persons, sensitive and therapeutic communication, and the nonjudgmental provision of care. These behaviors are extended to patients, their families, and their support systems. Caring is also manifested by respect for self, colleagues, and the profession of nursing. It is in the milieu of respect for persons, the fundamental principle of our profession’s Code of Ethics, that nursing care occurs. Conversely, in its absence, nursing care cannot take place.

The science of nursing lies in the nursing process, the problem-solving approach to nursing care grounded in the scientific method, and in the application of knowledge from an array of related scientific disciplines. Equally important to the science of nursing is its own evolutionary heritage contributing to the body of knowledge comprising nursing theory. We therefore acknowledge the historical roots of the nursing profession and recognize the contributions to the development of nursing theory by pivotal nurse leaders.

Nightingale defined nursing as “the care that puts the patient in the best possible condition for nature to act” and described health as not only being well, but “to be able to use well every power that we have.” Henderson described the process of nursing as “assisting the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or recovery (or to a peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will, or knowledge.”

Based on these ideals, we believe that a major role of nurses, who care for persons at various points along the health-illness continuum, is to promote the person’s well being and to manage or prevent complications of illness. In our conceptual framework, the nurse primarily achieves these goals by facilitating adaptation when there are identified alterations in health and coping along this continuum.

While promotion of health and adaptation is a salient role in nursing, it is the nursing process that provides the methodology for nursing care. Nursing process, implemented with critical thinking and skill and drawing on relevant scientific knowledge, provides the essential framework for organizing and delivering care. When this process is delivered with caring, the union of art and science in nursing is complete.

Nursing education may be defined as the acquisition of a unique body of knowledge that is continually expanding and increasing in complexity. This learning includes knowledge of nursing theory and core principles as well as knowledge drawn from the physical, biological, and social sciences. The knowledge of theory is fused with practical applications of learning in a variety of health care settings where patients are experiencing alterations and needs along the health-illness continuum. The evolving nature of nursing mandates that nursing learning transcends the time frame of the educational setting and is, in fact, lifelong.

 No less important than the acquisition of knowledge and skills in nursing education is the acceptance and development of values resulting in a professional work ethic. As we believe that respect and caring are essential behaviors in the provision of nursing care, it is important that these and other professional values be taught as well. The socialization of the student of nursing into the profession of nursing, then, is an educational goal of the highest order.

 Our beliefs about nursing education also acknowledge the diversity of our student population and the uniqueness of the individual learner. We identify multiple factors in the adult learner, including learning styles, values, attitudes, culture, ethnicity, life experience, and support systems as significant characteristics to be appraised. Assessment of these factors identifies students’ learning needs and goals, as well barriers to their success. We believe that sensitivity and responsiveness to the needs of individual students is a precursor to facilitating the academic success of all students.

 While embracing individualism in the academic environment, successful nursing education must also result in measurable and consistent standards of student achievement culminating in competent entry-level practice. We believe this can best be achieved by excellence in education and a collaborative partnership between instructor and student. The instructor serves as learning facilitator, role model, support person, expert teacher, resource person, advisor, and evaluator. The student, as an adult learner, takes responsibility for learning by sustainable commitment to academic expectations, communication of learning needs, and accountability for self-behavior.


Additional Program Information

 

 

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Contact Info
Martha Lee
Administrative Specialist
 
Location
MJC - West Campus
  • Glacier Hall
Columbia College
  • Redbud