6 Best ADN Programs in Nebraska – (2-Year RN Programs)

Written By: Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH

ADN programs in Nebraska can prepare you to take the NCLEX-RN exam in two years or less. Once you pass this exam and attain your Nebraska RN license, you’ll be able to earn $73,510 annually, on average, working at hospitals, ambulatory care clinics, and physicians’ practices throughout the state. If you decide to go back to school, many of your ADN credits will transfer over to a bachelor’s or graduate degree in nursing. But you’ll be in great demand as an ADN-educated RN, too: Demand for the services of ADN-educated RNs in the Cornhusker State is expected to go up by 8 percent in just one decade. Learn more with this guide to the 6 best ADN programs in Nebraska.

WHAT ARE THE BEST ADN PROGRAMS IN NEBRASKA (ONLINE AND CAMPUS)?

Based on our Ranking Methodology, the following are the 6 best nursing schools for ADN programs in Nebraska. You can complete most of these programs in 2 years.

1. Northeast Community College - Norfolk

Program Details: Northeast Community College accepts approximately 60 students each year into its ADN program in Nebraska. The 72-credit curriculum includes 27 credits of general education courses and prerequisites and 46 credits of core nursing classes like “Nursing Process and Critical Thinking I-IV,” “Nursing Science I-IV,” and “Health Assessment and Health Promotion.”

All students admitted into this program must be on the Nebraska Registry as a nurse aide by the time they start this 2-year nursing program in Nebraska. The program’s didactic components are taught at the college’s main campus in Norfolk as well as its extended campuses in West Point, O’Neill, and South Sioux City, but you may have to travel to the college’s cutting-edge simulation lab in Norfolk to complete required nursing skills labs. Clinical rotations will be scheduled at hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, and other healthcare environments throughout Norfolk and other parts of northeastern Nebraska.

Why Choose This Program

• The NCLEX-RN pass rates of NCC’s ADN graduates are consistently above the national average.
• After successfully completing the first two semesters of Northeast Community College’s ADN program, you’ll receive a practical nurse diploma that qualifies you to sit for the NCLEX-PN exam.
• Northeast Community College offers a part-time option for students who want to become RNs but have too many commitments to pursue their educational goals full-time.

2. Metropolitan Community College - Omaha

Program Details: Metropolitan Community College’s nursing curriculum is a blend of lectures, skills labs, and clinical rotations. You’ll graduate from this 99-quarter-credit nursing program with an Associate in Science in Nursing (ASNAS) degree. Classes start in the fall and summer.

Your core nursing coursework will include classes like “Adult Nursing,” “Family Nursing,” and “Concepts of Health Assessment and Therapeutic Interventions.” You’ll gain confidence as you perfect nursing techniques in MCC’s nursing labs and practice your newly learned skills at clinical rotations at medical centers, hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities throughout Omaha.

Why Choose This Program

• Metropolitan Community College has an articulation agreement that will help graduates of its ADN program in Nebraska meet admission requirements for the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s online RN-to-BSN program.
• At the end of your fourth quarter of classes at MCC, you’ll be eligible to apply for licensure as a practical nurse in Nebraska.
• MCC ADN graduates consistently have an NCLEX-RN pass rate of 90 percent or higher.

3. Western Nebraska Community College - Scottsbluff

Program Details: Western Nebraska Community College’s 72-credit ADN program includes 22 credits of prerequisite coursework and 50 credits of core nursing classes, nursing skills labs, and supervised preceptorships. This 2-year RN program in Nebraska is offered at WNCC’s campuses in Scottsbluff, Alliance, and Sidney.

Courses like “Fundamentals of Nursing Practice,” “Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing,” and “Adult Health & Illness” will teach you about the vital role RNs play as members of a collaborative healthcare team in delivering safe, patient-centered care. The John N. Harms Advanced Technology Center at WNCC’s Scottsbluff campus contains a state-of-the-art nursing simulation lab. Your clinical rotations will take place at hospitals, provider’s clinics, community-based settings, and long-term care facilities throughout Scottsbluff and surrounding areas.

Why Choose This Program

• Western Nebraska Community College’s NCLEX-RN pass rates are consistently at or above 80 percent for all first-time test takers.
• WNCC also offers qualified licensed practical nurses advanced placement into its ADN program at all three campuses.
• This ADN program will prepare you to transfer seamlessly into the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s online RN-to-BSN program.

4. Central Community College - Grand Island

Program Details: Central Community College’s core nursing coursework is built around the intersection of the three domains of health and illness, health care recipient, and professional nursing, as well as the needs of patients across the patient lifespan. The curriculum includes courses like “Nursing Judgment I-IV” and “Pathopharmacology I-IV.” This 64- to 65-credit associate degree nursing program is offered at CCC’s campuses in Grand Island and Columbus, as well as at the Kearney Center.

The Grand Island campus hosts a high-tech nursing simulation lab equipped with four adult, one pediatric, one newborn, and one birthing hi-fidelity manikins. Your clinical rotations will occur at local medical centers, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities. By the time you are ready to graduate from this program, you will have completed more than 650 hours of clinical and simulation time.

Why Choose This Program

• This is another one of the ADN programs in Nebraska that qualifies students to take the NCLEX-PN exam if they want to at the end of their first year of studies.
• LPNs admitted into this program will receive advanced placement and begin taking Year 2 coursework.
• Central Community College may be one of the best ADN programs in Nebraska for students motivated to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing because it collaborates with nine separate colleges and universities, including University of Nebraska Medical Center, Nebraska Methodist College, and Bellevue University, to facilitate the seamless transfer of credits.

5. Southeast Community College - Lincoln

Program Details: Southeast Community College’s ADN program in Nebraska admits students in the spring, summer, and fall and is taught at the college’s campuses in Lincoln and Beatrice. You can take lecture courses online or in the classroom, but all skills labs and clinical rotations require face-to-face interactions. Students who want to attend the program part-time will be accommodated every other odd-numbered year in the fall term.

To graduate, you must take 27 credits of general education courses and prerequisites and 39 credits of core nursing coursework. Core nursing coursework includes classes like “Fundamentals of Nursing,” “Medical Surgical Nursing,” and “Gerontological Nursing,” and most lecture courses are paired with a clinical class during which you’ll be taught the hands-on skills associated with caring for a specific demographic. Southeast Community College’s nursing simulation lab is a state-of-the-art facility that replicates several medical settings and is equipped with life-like manikins. You’ll participate in supervised clinical rotations in a variety of healthcare facilities throughout Lincoln, Beatrice, and surrounding communities.

Why Choose This Program

• This is another one of the 2-year RN programs in Nebraska that offers an LPN-to-ADN option for qualified licensed practical nurses.
• Southeast Community College collaborates with the University of Nebraska Medical Center to facilitate the transfer of its ADN graduates into UNMC’s online RN-to-BSN program.
• Graduates of SCC’s ADN program who enrolled full-time consistently score NCLEX-RN pass rates above 95 percent.

6. Mid-Plains Community College - North Platte

Program Details: Mid-Plains Community College’s 66-credit ADN program in Nebraska consists of 24 general education credits and 42 nursing credits. You’ll enroll in classes like “Health Concepts I-IV,” “Professional Nursing I & II,” and “Pharmacology I-III.” You’ll learn hands-on nursing skills in Mid-Plains Community College’s simulation lab, equipped with an Echo Healthcare Immersive Interactive system that replicates the healthcare settings you’ll be working in once you’ve earned your registered nursing license.

At the end of your fourth semester of nursing classes, you’ll participate in a precepted, five-week “Capstone Clinical Immersion” experience at a healthcare facility in North Platte or other communities in Lincoln County. You’ll also take a “Concept Synthesis” course that focuses on strategies for passing the NCLEX-RN exam.

Why Choose This Program

• Qualified licensed practical nurses who are admitted into this ADN program will take a special summer LPN-to-RN bridge course and then join the traditional ADN cohort as they begin their second year of nursing education.
• Mid-Plains Community College maintains an eight-to-one student-to-faculty ratio in its clinical experiences so that students can best benefit from faculty mentoring.
• Mid-Plains Community College has cultivated partnerships with University of Nebraska Medical Center, Bryan College of Health Sciences, Midland University, Clarkson College, and Bellevue University that will allow you to transfer ADN credits seamlessly if you want to enroll in an RN-to-BSN program.


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