Nursing AAS

The Nursing AAS program is designed to prepare you to function as a professional nurse in a variety of health care settings including hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and private homes and offices. Become an RN at a fraction of the cost of a four-year university.

Requirements and Guidelines

A Word About Costs

In order to become a licensed registered nurse, you must successfully pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN). Please see the National Council of State boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN) web site, at www.ncsbn.org for current cost information regarding registration and licensure fees.

Be aware that as a student in the nursing program, you will also incur costs including, but not limited to books, vaccinations, background check, medical exam, Tuberculosis (TB) testing, drug screening, health insurance, CPR (Basic Life Support) certification.

Credit Hours to Complete: 69-73. Total degree hours will be 73 for students needing BIO 157.

Starting in Catalog 2020/2021, total degree credit hours will be 66-70. Total degree hours will be 70 for students needing BIO 157.

What makes MCC's Nursing AAS program better than, or distinct from, similar programs at other institutions?

• MCC nursing program graduates pass the NCLEX at a rate that is above both state and national averages for both associate and bachelor degree programs.
• MCC partners with four-year institutions to allow you easy transition into a BSN program after graduating from MCC. See RN to BSN transfer guides.

How will MCC's Nursing AAS program prepare me for my career or connect me to opportunities?

• Graduates of the program are eligible to take the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Examination (NCLEX-RN), which may lead to licensure as a Registered Professional Nurse (RN).
• You will experience 12 hours a week of hands-on, clinical instruction in a hospital or healthcare setting beginning with the first semester, and continuing throughout the program.
• Graduates are well-versed in and prepared to use, the technological tools and systems that are the standard in healthcare today.

What have graduates gone on to do?

• Students have obtained employment at Advocate Health Care, Northwestern, Presence Health, Mercy Health System, and several area assisted-living and long-term care facilities
• Our graduates have worked in nearly every facet of nursing from ER, OB, ICU, acute care, hospice, physician offices, assisted living, telehealth, and long-term care
• Some graduates have received bachelor degrees in nursing and are currently enrolled and pursuing their master's degrees

Outside the Classroom

• MCC's Student Nursing Organization (SNO)
• National Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (N-OADN)
• National Student Nurses Association (NSNA)

• Mission

  The mission of McHenry County College’s Nursing Degree Program is to develop students who are skilled in the profession of nursing, which is recognized as the environment, patient, health, and nurse. MCC students shall be distinguishable by their critical thinking, effective communication, professionalism, and technical competency. Students will use current and contemporary practices to demonstrate mastery in the Program Learning Outcomes.

• Program Learning Objectives
  1. Demonstrate the attitudes, values, and behaviors consistent with the standards of professional nursing practice.
  2. Demonstrate effective therapeutic communication with clients, families, significant others, and members of the healthcare team.
  3. Utilize the nursing process as a basis for clinical decision-making in providing client, family, and community care.
  4. Incorporate evidence-based interventions in individualized plans of care.
  5. Provide individualized nursing care to diverse patients across the lifespan.
  6. Adhere to professional standards to maintain the safety of self, patient, and environment.