2 Best ADN Programs in Rhode Island – (2-Year RN Programs)


Written By: Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH

Graduates of ADN programs in Rhode Island are an essential part of the Ocean State’s nursing workforce. The ADN curriculum includes foundational courses in nursing care and nursing theory, as well as clinical rotations that will allow you to perfect hands-on patient care skills. An ADN will qualify you to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam. You’ll have numerous employment opportunities once you attain your Rhode Island RN licensure. In fact, demand for ADN-educated RNs in the Ocean State is expected to rise by more than 5 percent in the next decade. You’ll make a comfortable salary, too—$88,250 annually. One of the 2 best ADN programs in Rhode Island described below could be your passport to an exciting new career!



What Are The Best ADN Programs In Rhode Island (Online And Campus)?

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


1. Community College of Rhode Island - Warwick


About The School: Community College of Rhode Island is home to the only public ADN program in the Ocean State. CCRI is the largest community college system in New England and a designated Hispanic-serving institution.


Program Details: Community College of Rhode Island’s ADN program consists of 65 to 66 prerequisite and nursing-specific credits. It’s offered at CCRI’s Knight (Warwick), Liston (Providence), Newport, and Flanagan (Lincoln) campuses. Between class time, clinical rotations, and studying, you can plan on spending between 55 to 60 hours a week on this 2-year RN program in Rhode Island.

Courses like “Foundations of Nursing Practice,” “Medical Surgical Nursing 1, II, & III,” and “Maternal – Child Health” will teach you how to apply critical thinking and provide evidence-based, patient-centric care in a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, clinics, and medical centers. Core nursing classes and prerequisites take four semesters (two years) to complete.

You’ll learn hands-on skills at CCRI’s state-of-the-art Health Sciences Clinical Simulation Laboratory. In your final semester, you’ll have the chance to participate in a capstone experience during which you’ll partner with an experienced RN in an acute rehab or long-term care facility.


Admission Requirements: Classes commence in the spring and fall of each year. Competition for places in this program is intense and partly based on the results of the ACCUPLACER and HESI A2 tests. You must complete prerequisite English Composition, Biology, and General Psychology courses with a grade point average of 2.7 or higher before you apply.


Why Choose This Program

• CCRI maintains collaborative agreements with Chamberlain College of Nursing, Excelsior University, Southern New Hampshire University, and Salve Regina University that allow ADN graduates to transfer credits seamlessly toward these institutions’ online RN-to-BSN degree programs.
• CCRI’s focus is upon educating a Rhode Island nursing workforce, and its ADN graduates have consistently high job placement rates within the community.
• This is one of the better 2-year RN programs in Rhode Island for students who must work while they pursue their educational goals because it offers evening and weekend classes at the Knight and Flanagan campuses.


2. New England Institute of Technology - East Greenwich


About The School: New England Institute of Technology is a career-focused, private university focusing on workforce development. Its ADN program concentrates on building a strong hands-on nursing skill set as well as a solid foundation in nursing theory.


Program Details: You’ll benefit from NEIT’s practical approach to education from the very start of your time here, as simulation will be integrated throughout all your courses. NEIT’s nursing simulation lab is a 50,000-square-foot space that duplicates hospital, long-term care, and home environments.

Every nursing theory class is paired with a clinical rotation; thus, when you take “Foundations of Nursing Practice,” you’ll also take “Foundations of Nursing Practice Clinical.” Other courses include “Fundamentals of Medical/Surgical Nursing,” “Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing,” and “Nursing Care of the Child and Family.” Clinical practicums are scheduled in a variety of healthcare settings throughout East Greenwich and Kent County, such as hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities.

New England Institute of Technology is one of the ADN programs in Rhode Island that uses the quarter system; you’ll be able to graduate from its 94-credit ADN program in six terms (18 months.)


Admission Requirements: New England Institute of Technology admits more than 75 percent of the students who apply to its ADN program. You must have a high school diploma or its equivalent for acceptance into the program, and all students must pass the Kaplan assessment. NEIT recommends that students submit two to three letters of recommendation and a short essay addressing their educational goals, but these requirements are optional.

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Why Choose This Program

• You’ll begin doing clinical rotations during your very first semester at New England Institute of Technology.
• NEIT’s class sizes are comparatively small, thereby optimizing your ability for one-on-one mentorship with your nursing instructors.
• Graduates of this ADN program in Rhode Island can easily transfer credits to the university’s online BSN-to-RN program.


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Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH
Pattie 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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