Career Ladder, Progression, Concurrent Enrollments, & Graduation

The Muskegon Community College Nursing Program offers a career ladder nursing curriculum consisting of the practical nurse diploma and the Associate Degree in Applied Science – Nursing (AAS) with the opportunity to enroll concurrently with other institutions to become eligible to receive a Bachelor of Science Degree (BSN).  {See additional links below.}

Students who successfully complete the Practical Nurse Diploma will be eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) to practice as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).  Students who successfully complete the Associate Degree in Applied Science – Nursing (AAS) degree will be eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN).

Effective Fall 2021, Muskegon Community College updated their biology courses to improve the ability to transfer credits to several universities. Credits obtained under the former biology classes for the MCC Nursing Program will be accepted per the 8-year rule.

MCC NURSING PROGRAM CAREER LADDER

• ASSOCIATE IN APPLIED SCIENCE NURSING DEGREE (AAS) – TOTAL 65 CREDITS (Level 2 – 17 NUR / 8 NON-NUR)
  • Semester 6
    • NUR 222A Managing the Care of the Family (5 credits)
    • NUR 211A Care of the Family in Psychological Crisis (4 credits)
  • Semester 5
    • NUR 212B Care of the Family in Physiological Crisis (8 credits)
    • BIOL 207 LEC Microbiology (3 credits)
      • Coreq: BIOL 207A Lab (1 credit)
      • Prereq: BIOL 152 L&L (formerly BIOL 105 L&L) (4 credits)
• PRACTICAL NURSE DIPLOMA – TOTAL 40 CREDITS (Level 1 – 25 NUR / 15 NON-NUR)
  • Semester 4
    • NUR 141B Care of the Maturing Family (8 credits)
    • ^* Meet the chemistry requirement with one of the following:
      • CHEM109 LEC/109A Chemistry for Health Sciences / Lab (5 credits)
      • CHEM 100 LEC/100A Fundamentals of Chemistry / Lab (5 credits)
      • Complete 1 year of chemistry with a minimum of a C (2.0) from an approved high school within the past 8 years.
      • Pass the Toledo Chemistry Competency Examination in the MCC Testing Center with a minimum of a “C” (70%).
  • Semester 3
    • NUR 131B Care of the Childrearing Family (8 credits)
    • ^* BIOL 252 L&L Human Physiology (formerly BIOL 106 L&L) (4 credits)
      • Prereq: BIOL 152 L&L (formerly BIOL 105 L&L)
  • Semester 2
    • NUR 126A Family Health and Nursing Care (7 credits)
    • NUR 121A Basic Pharmacology (1 credit)
    • PSYC 201 General Psychology (4 credits)
  • Semester 1
    • NUR 100 Overview of the Nursing Profession (1 credit)
    • AH 111 Environmental Stressors and Nutrition (1 credit)
    • BIOL 152 L&L Human Anatomy (formerly BIOL 105 L&L) (4 credits)
    • ANTH 103 Cultural Diversity in Contemporary Society (3 credits)
    • ENG 101 English Composition (3 credits)

^* BIOL 252 L&L and chemistry competency are optional for individuals who plan to exit at the completion of Level 1 (PN Diploma) but must be completed prior to Semester 5 if pursuing the AAS Degree.

• Courses in the Nursing Curriculum (NUR or AH) must be completed in sequence with a minimum of “C+” (2.3) to progress in the Nursing Program. Non-nursing courses may be completed with a C (2.0) or above prior to entry into the Nursing Program sequence.
• Students must make an appointment with the MCC Counseling and Advising Center (231-777-0362) to review requirements, to develop a course plan, and to receive a Nursing Program application. See Requirement Checklist for Wait List Requirements.
• If testing/coursework is over eight years old, competency must be validated on established examinations or by repeating the course.
• General education courses must be completed with a “C” (2.0) or above in adherence to the Muskegon Community College Course Repeat Rule, which was developed to provide fair access to classes.  It allows the student to repeat the course once.  Instructor permission is required to take a course more than twice.  To repeat a course, a student must register for and pay all necessary fees.  Each grade received will appear on a student’s record, but only the last grade awarded is used in computing a GPA.  Keep in mind that if you retake a class and receive a lower grade, the last grade is still the one that counts.  When transferring to another college or university, you may be held accountable for all attempts as grades associated with a course taken at Muskegon Community College.

PROGRESSION IN THE NURSING PROGRAM

To progress, students in the Muskegon Community College Nursing Program must attain a minimum grade of C+ (2.3) in each Nursing course and a C (2.0) or better in each general education course in each term of the nursing curriculum. All courses must be completed in sequence (see Career Ladder). Students failing to meet this progression requirement will be dismissed.

A student who exits the Program for personal or academic reasons is eligible to apply to a course waitlist within two (2) years of exiting. An application for course waitlists can be found on the Blackboard Student Nurse Resource site.

A student who repeats any 3 different NUR or AH courses will be required to write a remediation plan that delineates a clear plan for future success and that is acceptable to the Nursing Faculty Admissions and Progressions Committee prior to readmission. A student with 3 or more different NUR or AH course repeats who is not successful during or following the implementation of a faculty approved probationary remediation plan will be ineligible for readmission.

A student readmitted to the Nursing Program after withdrawal from or failure to achieve a minimum grade of a C+ (2.3) in a Nursing course may repeat the (same) course one time. Students repeating a course are required to complete all components of the course, including theory, labs, and clinical. All work submitted by the student must be completed within the current semester. If a passing grade is not attained when the course is repeated, the student will be ineligible for readmission. A withdrawal (W) or a withdrawal illness (WI) in a nursing course counts as one attempt. Students withdrawing with a withdrawal illness (WI) will need to submit to the MCC Nursing Department official documentation from a physician that indicates the condition requiring the WI has been resolved.

Students who were dismissed from the Program are eligible for readmission after working for five (5) years in the LPN role in Michigan.

CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Muskegon Community College has concurrent enrollment agreements with Michigan State University and Grand Valley State University. The agreements provide a seamless pathway for MCC nursing students to enroll at either university’s RN to BSN program while they are completing their associate degree at MCC.

For more information on GVSU’s Kirkhof College of Nursing, please contact Kristin Williams, MA at willkris@gvsu.edu or 616-331-5637.

For more information on MSU’s College of Nursing, please contact Jessica Knerr, MSEd, BA at knerrjes@msu.edu or 517-355-8311.

GRADUATION

To be eligible for graduation from the Nursing Program, students must meet the following requirements: Complete the nursing curriculum requirements for the diploma/degree desired with a minimum grade point of 2.3 (C+) in each Nursing course and 2.0 (C) or higher in each general education course.

Complete not less than 30 or the last 15 credit hours required in the nursing curriculum at Muskegon Community College.Apply for graduation according to the NUR 141B and NUR 211A course calendars.

This program meets the State of Michigan rules for nursing education programs and prepares graduates to take the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX) for practical nurse and/or registered nurse licensure. Graduates who intend on practicing in another state should review that state’s requirements for licensure at https://www.ncsbn.org/nursing-regulation/education/board-of-nursing-licensure-requirements.page