6 Best ADN Programs in Nevada – (2-Year RN Programs)
Written By: Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH
As a graduate of one of the ADN programs in Nevada, you’ll qualify for employment opportunities in hospitals, physician practices, and outpatient clinics throughout the state. You’ll earn an average salary of $96,310 per year, and your already great employment opportunities will rise by more than 23 percent in the next 10 years. Most of the Silver State’s associate degrees in nursing only take two years or less to complete. If, at a future date, you decide to continue your nursing education, you’ll find it’s easy to transfer credits to a bachelor’s or graduate nursing program. Could this be a career path for you? This guide to the 6 best ADN programs in Nevada can help you decide.
WHAT ARE THE BEST ADN PROGRAMS IN NEVADA (ONLINE AND CAMPUS)?
Based on our Ranking Methodology, the following are the 6 best nursing schools for ADN programs in Nevada. You can complete most of these programs in 2 years.
1. Great Basin College - Elko
Program Details: Great Basin College’s 2-year RN program in Nevada was specifically designed to help offset the shortage of registered nurses throughout rural parts of the Silver State. This 70-credit program consists of 21 credits of general education and prerequisite courses followed by 49 credits (four semesters) of core nursing classes. The program is only open to applicants who have current Nevada CNA licenses.
Lecture classes taught at GBC’s campuses in Elko, Ely, Pahrump, and Winnemucca are delivered over the Internet using synchronous technology. You’ll take courses like “Fundamental Concepts in Nursing,” “Nursing Care: Acute and Chronic Illness,” and “Patients with Complex Health Problems.” You’ll learn basic nursing hands-on skills in person at Grand Basing College’s Practice Lab, which is equipped with high-tech simulation equipment replicating various practice settings and the patients you can expect to find in them. Clinical rotations are scheduled at hospitals, long-term care centers, and other healthcare facilities throughout Elko, Ely, Pahrump, and Winnemucca.
Why Choose This Program
• First-time NCLEX-RN pass rates for graduates of this ADN program in Nevada are consistently above 95 percent.• Over 90 percent of Great Basin College’s ADN graduates find employment within six months of finishing this program.
• Great Basin College offers an online RN-to-BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) course for ADN graduates who want to continue their nursing education.
2. Truckee Meadows Community College - Reno
Program Details: When you graduate from Truckee Meadow Community College’s 72-credit, 2-year nursing program in Nevada, you’ll receive an Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) degree. All applicants to this program must complete Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training within five years of their application to be considered for admission.
Your curriculum will include coursework like “Nursing Care 1-4,” “Cultural Aspects of Nursing Care,” and “Professional Behaviors.” You’ll pursue clinical experiences while you’re enrolled in lecture courses. Clinical experiences are generally scheduled on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and some weekends. Clinical sites include local hospitals, long-term care facilities, doctors’ offices, community agencies, and other healthcare facilities throughout Truckee and surrounding communities. Truckee Meadows Community College also has a sophisticated nursing simulation lab equipped with four state-of-the-art practice environments where you will learn the hands-on skills you’ll use to deliver direct patient care.
Why Choose This Program
• More than 90 percent of TMCC’s RN graduates find jobs within six months of receiving their nursing licenses.• TMCC’s first-time pass rates on the NCLEX-RN are consistently higher than 90 percent.
• If you want to continue your nursing education once you attain your ASN, Truckee Meadows Community College’s Maxine S. Jacobs Nursing Program offers an online RN-to-BSN degree.
3. Carrington College - Las Vegas & Reno
Program Details: Carrington College offers ADN programs in Nevada in Las Vegas and Reno. The 72-credit curriculum includes courses such as “Medical Surgical Nursing I-IV,” “Pediatric Nursing,” and “Maternal Child Nursing.”
Both campuses have nursing simulation labs designed to replicate professional healthcare settings and outfitted with hospital equipment and manikins; these labs are where you’ll learn essential bedside nursing skills. The college also partners with area hospitals, clinics, and skilled nursing facilities in Reno and Las Vegas to offer clinical rotations that introduce students to the experience of delivering direct patient care.
Why Choose This Program
• Carrington College devotes an entire class to helping students master the information on the NCLEX-RN exam.• Students graduating from Carrington College’s Reno ADN program have first-time NCLEX-RN pass rates above 85 percent.
• Once you graduate from this ADN program in Nevada, you’ll be able to enroll in Carrington College’s online RN-to-BSN program.
4. College of Southern Nevada - Las Vegas
Program Details: College of Southern Nevada is heavily invested in the success of the students who enter its Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree. You must meet with an advisor before you enter the nursing track and continue meeting with an advisor at the beginning of each semester while you are continuing the nursing track. This 2-year RN program in Nevada is offered at all three of the college’s campuses in Charleston, Henderson, and North Las Vegas.
The AAS curriculum consists of 23 credits of general education courses and 46 credits of core nursing courses and prerequisites. The curriculum includes classes like “Introduction to Professional Nursing Practice,” “Medical-Surgical Nursing I, II, & III,” and “Mental Health Nursing.” You’ll have the opportunity to provide direct patient care during supervised clinical rotations through intensive care, intermediate care, emergency, and med/surg units in local hospitals. You’ll also participate in one-on-one preceptorships where you’ll shadow a registered nurse as they work 12-hour shifts.
Why Choose This Program
• College of Southern Nevada offers an LPN-to-RN bridge program that accepts new students in the fall and spring.• Once you attain your associate degree, you can enroll in the College of Southern Nevada’s RN-to-BSN program to continue your nursing education.
• CSN’s associate nursing program graduates have a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate of more than 90 percent.
5. Western Nevada College - Carson City
Program Details: Western Nevada College’s associate degree nursing program is another one of the 2-year RN programs in Nevada that prefers to admit candidates who hold current Nevada CNA licensure. This 71.5-credit program consists of general education courses, prerequisites, corequisites, and core nursing courses like “Foundations of Nursing,” “Mental Health Nursing,” and “Medical Surgical Nursing.” Lecture courses are paired with laboratory and clinical classes, so you’ll take “Foundations of Nursing Theory,” “Foundations of Nursing Laboratory,” and “Foundations of Nursing Clinical” at the same time. You’ll graduate with an Associate of Applied Science Health Science in Nursing degree.
Clinical experiences play a vital role in Western Nevada College's nursing education. They’re scheduled to occur at healthcare facilities throughout Carson City and the surrounding areas. You’ll learn practical nursing skills at laboratory sessions in WNC’s high-tech nursing simulation lab, which is equipped with seven state-of-the-art medical manikins.
Why Choose This Program
• Western Nevada College offers its associate degree nursing program at its Carson City and Fallon campuses.• WNC’s NCLEX-RN pass rates are typically higher than 95 percent each year, earning the college accolades as one of the best ADN programs in Nevada.
• Western Nevada College has an agreement that allows graduates of this program to easily transfer credits to the BSN program at the University of Nevada-Reno.
6. Las Vegas College - Henderson
Program Details: Las Vegas College pairs its associate degree nursing lecture courses with clinical courses. You’ll take “Nursing Care of the Adult Client” and “Nursing Care of the Adult Client Clinical” simultaneously. Other courses you’ll need to complete to earn this degree include “Fundamentals of Nursing,” “Maternal Child Nursing,” and “Contemporary Nursing in Community Settings.” You’ll have the option of taking lecture courses at the college’s campus in Las Vegas or online, but you’ll be expected to participate in skills labs and clinical rotations in person at healthcare facilities throughout the Greater Las Vegas Metropolitan Area.
Why Choose This Program
• Las Vegas College’s nursing curriculum includes an NCLEX-RN review course• More than 80 percent of graduates from this ADN program in Nevada pass the NCLEX-RN examination on their first attempt.
• Graduates can opt to transfer their nursing credits to Las Vegas College’s online RN-to-BSN program.
Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPHPattie Trumble is a nurse who worked in both California and New York for many years as an emergency room nurse. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an Associate Degree in Nursing from the Samuel Merritt Hospital School of Nursing. After 10 years of providing direct care, she went back to school and earned concurrent Master’s degrees in both public policy and public health from the University of California, Berkeley. Thereafter, she worked for various public health agencies in California at both the community and state levels providing economic and legislative analysis.
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