Associate of Science in Practical Nursing

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Associate of Science in Practical Nursing
DEGREE

Associate of Science in Practical Nursing

Total Credit Hours: 76-77


About Associate of Science in Practical Nursing
The mission of the Nursing and Allied Health Department is to generate locally educated and licensed nurses to work in the various health care provider agencies on Guam and the Pacific region. The Guam Community College Nursing Program is committed to providing career guidance and education in nursing to those students from Guam and the Pacific region who desire to become Practical Nurses. Upon completion of program requirements, students will earn an Associate’s Degree in Practical Nursing and will be eligible to apply and take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN). Licensure is granted through the Guam Board of Nurse Examiners.
 

Academic Advising

To ensure success, an academic advisor is available to guide students in our programs. Meeting with our counselors or an academic advisor is the first step in starting an educational plan for any of our programs. The counselors are located in the Student Services & Administration Building 2000. The Nursing Department is located on the second floor of the Anthony A. Leon Guerrero Allied Health Building 3000. For more information contact the Nursing & Allied Health Administrator Dorothy-Lou M. Duenas, MSN, RN, dorothylou.duenas@guamcc.edu for assistance.


Start dates for upcoming Practical Nursing Cohorts: 

Spring 2024 (Application deadline: June 26, 2023)
Fall 2025 


Start dates for upcoming Practical Nursing Cohorts: 

Spring 2024 (Application deadline: June 26, 2023)
Fall 2025 

REQUIREMENTS TO APPLY FOR THE PROGRAM
Students can declare in the A.S. in Practical Nursing Program, but to enter into the Nursing Cohort (NU Level Courses) you must complete the following:

  • Have a GPA of 2.5 or higher

  • Must take the NLN PAX Exam (Pre-admission Assessment Exam)

  • One Page Essay “Why I Want to Be a Nurse”

  • General Education Requirements are highly recommended to complete before applying into the Nursing Cohort.


Below are the required courses for the A.S. in Practical Nursing.
Please see the Nursing & Allied Health Department for more information.
 

General Education Requirements
Course Course Name Credits
English (Choose 1)
EN110A Freshman Composition with Instructional Lab 4
EN110 Freshman Composition 3
Course Course Name Credits
MA___ Mathematics Requirement 3-4
SI131/131L Human Anatomy & Physiology I (3) and Human Anatomy & Physiology I Lab (1) 4
CS151 Windows Applications 3
CO125 Introduction to Human Communication and Speech 3
PY120 General Psychology 3
Major Requirements
Course Course Name Credits
ED220 Human Growth and Development 3
HL120 Medical Terminology 2
HL131 Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers 1
HL202 Nutrition 3
NU110 Nursing Foundations 8
NU160 Pharmacology for Practical Nurses 5
NU220 Adult Medical-Surgical Nursing 8
NU230 Maternal and Newborn Concepts & Skills 3
NU240 Pediatric Nursing Concepts & Skills 3
NU250 Mental Health Nursing 3
NU280 Nursing Trends 1
NU281 NCLEX-PN Review and Transition 2
NU292 Practical Nursing Practicum 6
SI106 Drug Calculations for Practical Nursing 1
SI132/132L Human Anatomy & Physiology II: Theory (3)/Human Anatomy & Physiology II Lab (1) 4
SI150/150L Introduction to Microbiology: Theory (3)/Introduction to Microbiology Lab (1) 4
Program Total 76-77

2024-2025 College Catalog
 

Recognizing the necessity for students to succeed in the complex and rapidly changing workplace, Guam Community College offers a general education curriculum that introduces students to major areas of knowledge and methods of inquiry. All degree programs require an interdisciplinary general education component that promotes the development of intellectual skills that enable students to become effective learners and informed citizens. Critical thinking, the use of language and computation, appropriate social skills, global awareness and respect for diverse opinions are among the learning outcomes provided in the general education requirements of each program.

Guam Community College believes that general education provides the academic foundation necessary for students to achieve their life goals. General education is intended to offer students a breadth of quality student learning experiences, encourage their respect for cultural heritage, promote their ethical and responsible social behavior and facilitate their lifelong learning.

The General Education program strives to foster student learning and skill development in civic engagement, critical thinking, understanding of the relationship between the individual and society, information literacy, oral communication, quantitative reasoning, and written communication.

Guam Community College believes that high quality general education opportunities for all citizens are necessary for democratic principles and practices to exist and for a sound economy to flourish. The College continually scrutinizes the general education curriculum in order to assure that all degrees and certificates granted by the College support this vision of general education and that it serves as a means to inspire hope, opportunity and responsibility in all its constituencies.

Requirements for General Education follow the options described below. Students declared prior to fall 2010 will follow the requirements indicated in the applicable catalog in which they first declared their major program at the College.
 

Notes on General Education requirements

Students are advised to check the requirements for their specific programs before taking General Education courses.
Courses chosen to meet the general education requirements may not be used to meet the Major Requirements of a student’s specific degree program.

The list contains courses with pre-requisites, so students should make their choices carefully and thoughtfully. Students may consult a counselor or an academic advisor for guidance in choosing any of the course options listed.


IMPORTANT NOTE: Some programs require different levels of coursework to meet General Education requirements, please review the individual programs for more information.

GENERAL EDUCATION
Scope 1: Skills for and Application of Lifelong Learning
Freshman Composition (Choose one course from the following to meet the required 3-4 credits)
Course # Course Name Credits
EN 110 Freshman Composition 3
EN110A Freshman Composition with Instructional Lab 4
EN 111 Writing for Research 3
Mathematics (Choose one course from the following to meet the required 3-4 credits)*
Course # Course Name Credits
MA 110A Finite Mathematics 3
MA 115 Fundamentals of College Algebra 3
MA 161A College Algebra & Trigonometry I 3
*Any college level math will be considered for the completion of this category
Literacy for Life Skills (Choose one course from the following to meet the required 3 credits)
Course # Course Name Credits
CO 110 Critical Thinking for Civic Engagement 3
CS 151 Windows Applications
CS 152 Macintosh Applications
Scope 2: Broad Comprehension of the Development of Knowledge, Practice and Interpretation
Humanities & Fine Arts (Choose one course from the following to meet the required 3-4 credits)*
Course # Course Name Credits
ASL 100 American Sign Language I 4
CH 110 Chamorro I 4
ED 265 Culture & Education in Guam 3
CO 125 Introduction to Human Communication and Speech 3
EN 210 Introduction to Literature 3
HI 121 World Civilization (Pre-historic Time to 1500) 3
HI 122 World Civilization (1500 to Present Time) 3
HI 176 Guam History 3
HM 110 Introduction to Community Services 3
HM 201 Social Welfare & Development: Global Challenges 3
HU 120 Pacific Cultures 3
HU 220 Guam Cultures & Legends 3
JA 110 Japanese I 4
KE 110 Korean I 4
PI 101 Introduction to Philosophy 3
TH 101 Introduction to the Theater 3
VC 101 Introduction to Visual Communications 3
*Any foreign language, humanities, or fine arts course will be considered for the completion of this category
Natural & Physical Sciences (Choose one course and the corresponding lab from the following to meet the required 4 credits)**
Course # Course Name Credits
SI 101/101L Introduction to Chemistry: Theory (3) & Introduction to Chemistry Laboratory (1) 4
SI 103/103L Introduction to Marine Biology: Theory (3) & Introduction to Marine Biology Laboratory (1)
SI 105/105L Introduction to Physical Geology (3) & Introduction to Physical Geology Laboratory (1)
SI 110/110L Environmental Biology: Theory (3) & Environmental Biology Laboratory (1)
SI 141 Applied Physics I
SI 150/150L Introduction to Microbiology: Theory (3) & Introduction to Microbiology Laboratory (1)
SI131/131L Human Anatomy & Physiology I: Theory (3) & Human Anatomy & Physiology I Laboratory (1)
SI132/132L Human Anatomy & Physiology II: Theory (3) & Human Anatomy & Physiology II Laboratory (1)
**The exception to this would be SI141 which does not include a laboratory requirement
Scope 3: Preparation for and Acceptance of Responsible Participation in Civil Society
Social & Behavioral Sciences (Choose one course from the following to meet the required 3 credits)
Course # Course Name Credits
EC 110 Principles of Economics 3
PS140 American Government 3
PY 100 Personal Adjustment 3
PY 120 General Psychology 3
PY 125 Interpersonal Relations 3
SO 130 Introduction to Sociology 3
CJ 100 Introduction to Criminal Justice 3
WG 101 Introduction to Women and Gender Studies 3
*Any social and behavioral science course will be considered for the completion of this category
Minimum General Education Requirements 19

2024-2025 College Catalog
 


This suggested sequence of courses is based on the 2024-2025 College Catalog. 
Year 1
Semester 1 Semester 2
Course Course Name Credits Course Course Name Credits
EN___ English Requirement 3-4 SI150/
150L
Introduction to Microbiology: Theory (3)/Introduction to Microbiology Lab (1) 4
MA110A Finite Mathematics 3 HL131 Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers 1
SI131/
131L
Human Anatomy & Physiology I: Theory (3) and Human Anatomy & Physiology I Lab (1) 4 SI132/
132L
Human Anatomy & Physiology II (3)/Human Anatomy & Physiology II Lab (1) 4
HL120 Medical Terminology 2 PY120 General Psychology 3
HL202 Nutrition 3 ED220 Human Growth and Development 3
Total 15-16
 
Total 15
Year 2
Semester 3 Semester 4
Course Course Name Credits Course Course Name Credits
NU110 Nursing Foundations 8 NU220 Adult Medical-Surgical Nursing 8
NU160 Pathophysiology & Pharmacology for Practical Nurses 5 NU230 Maternal and Newborn Concepts & Skills 3
SI106 Drug Calculations for Practical Nursing 1 NU240 Pediatric Nursing Concepts & Skills 3
CO125 Introduction to Human Communication and Speech 3
 

 

 

 
Total 17
 
Total 14
Year 3
Semester 4 Semester 5
Course Course Name Credits Course Course Name Credits
NU250 Mental Health Nursing 3
 

 

 
NU292 Practical Nursing Practicum 6
 

 

 
NU280 Nursing Trends 1
 

 

 
NU281 NCLEX-PN Review and Transition 2
 

 

 
CS151 Windows Applications 3
 

 

 

 
Total 15
 
Total 0
 Program Total 76-77

2024-2025 College Catalog



Career Opportunities...
Opportunities for employment in the healthcare industry are increasing on Guam and nationwide. Whether you want to work in a hospital or nursing setting, an ambulance, a clinic, or any healthcare related area, GCC’s Nursing & Allied Health Department is here to help you succeed. We employ qualified faculty who are experts in their area of instruction and work together to provide students with the best education available. Successful completion of our programs provide the opportunity for both local and national certifications.

Upon successful completion of the AS in Practical Nursing program, students will be able to:
  1. Utilize established standards and practice guidelines to help client restore, promote and maintain physical and mental health throughout their lifespan.
  2. Apply therapeutic communication with patients, patient support-persons and members of the health-care team.
  3. Employ evidence-based decision making to deliver safe and effective client care and to evaluate client outcomes.