NURSING

Deborah Blackwell, PhD, RNC, WHCNP, CNE
Dean, School of Nursing

A Message from the Dean
Thank you for considering Carolinas College of Health Sciences as a place to begin your nursing career. Being a nursing student is both an academic challenge as well as an incredible honor. You will be invited to share some of the most intimate experiences of peoples' lives as you care for them as patients. These experiences will enrich your life in ways you cannot imagine. I invite you to be a part of a special place preparing you for a very special career in nursing.

Program Overview
Nursing is one of the most important and exciting professions in healthcare today. Nurses care for individuals, families and the community by providing care, treatment, counseling and health education to ill or injured people. They also provide education to promote health and prevent injury and illness.

Interesting Facts - Nursing:

NCLEX licensure exam first time pass rate of 97%.
Average Starting Salary is $40,000 per year.
80% of nursing graduates take a position with CHS.
Goals and Outcomes

Nurses' special knowledge and skills are used to monitor patient conditions, give them medications and treatments prescribed by a physician and provide education so that patients can care for themselves at home. Nurses consider the emotional and mental aspects of health as well as the physical aspects. They also have the important role of directing and supervising nursing support personnel.

Nurses may work in a specialty area such as intensive care, surgery, obstetrics or with special populations such as children or the elderly. Nurses also work in a variety of settings such as hospitals, physician offices, community clinics, nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities. Nursing offers many career opportunities that are as exciting as they are rewarding. When you graduate from Carolinas College of Health Sciences, you are an experienced generalist. Our curriculum is designed to give you experience in several different nursing environments. This enables you to experience many different areas before you decide your area of specialty.

Carolinas College of Health Sciences has an excellent track record in our first-time pass rate on the NCLEX licensure examination, well exceeding state and national averages.

The School of Nursing at Carolinas College of Health Sciences is approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC). Graduates are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN licensure examination to become registered nurses and are prepared to meet the challenges which face the entry-level associate degree nurse.

Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nursing (RIBN)
Centralina RIBN (CRIBN) is a four year nursing option that will dually admit and enroll students to both UNC Charlotte and one of these three Associate Degree Colleges:

The CRIBN option will provide a seamless associate to baccalaureate nursing education for top academic students. The first three years of study will be hosted on the Associate Degree College campus along with one course taken each semester through UNC Charlotte. Upon successful completion of the first three years, students will complete their final year of baccalaureate nursing courses online through UNCC. RIBN makes a bachelor's degree in nursing both affordable and accessible. Admission to the CRIBN nursing option is competitive, and students will be selected based upon specific academic requirements. For more information about the RIBN nursing option, please click HERE.

LPN-to-ADN Option
Applicants with a current, unencumbered LPN license may apply for advanced placement into the Nursing Program. Students have to meet regular admission requirements as well as specific curriculum requirements. Students accepted for the LPN-ADN option are granted transfer credit for NUR 100 (Medical Terminology) and NUR 101 (Nursing Fundamentals).

Click here to print the Nursing Curriculum

Why Choose a Two-Year Nursing Program

General Education Course Rationale for Nursing

Nursing Information Sheet