CAC's new nursing program

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Central Arizona College, Coolidge AZ

Beginning next year, CAC will go from offerring admission only in the fall to offerring it both Fall and Spring. Yay!!!! New director this year and a slew of new instructors as well.

Admission requirements have changed. They're not on their website yet and the details aren't set in stone, but here's a quick run-down:

CNA certification still required

A&P1 and A&P2 are the only major prereq's

HESI nursing entrance exam

GPA of 2.75 or higher

500-word essay on why you want to become a nurse

15-minute interview

Admission based on a point system (still in the works) taking the following into consideration:

essay and interview outcomes

GPA

courses completed or in progress

Pinal County residents given 1 additional point for residency

Application deadline is February 1st for Fall 2007 admission.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I said it before, some of the best nurses I know have come from that school (my mom!). It really is a great school, and it's so quaint how it is settled into the mountains...(or mountain, kinda like a hill really)

I kinda, sorta, in a weird way miss living in rural Az...

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Definitely a beautiful campus! It's the drive which'll kill me though. An hour's drive each way.......until they start more construction in Queen Creek which could make the journey even longer. But I figure it's only twice a week for the first year, then once a week for the second. I'll manage. I'm already thinking "carpool!"

I just wish I knew where they were running clinicals. So far they've contracts with several nursing homes in Queen Creek, which is close enough for me. As far as hospitals though, I've not heard anything yet. If they do Casa Grande, I'm sunk (1.5 hour drive each way). I'm hoping they'll offer some closer to me clinicals but if not, I guess I just find a way to make it work right?

I'm totally sold on their program. It appears much more convenient and thorough than MCCCD's. You come in with your CNA stuff out of the way. Nutrition, PharmI, and PharmII can be taken summers (if you time it right), making it possible to have only one core nursing class (8 credits) to focus on per semester once you get into blocks 2/3/4.

I think if MCCCD's wait list stays where it's at, now that CAC has increased program capacity and has vamped their admittance structure they're going to draw in those MCCCD students with the good GPAs who are tired of the wait. I'm (selfishly, lol) hoping that an influx of Maricopa county students will influence some clinical sites near me.

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UPDATE -- I'm done waivering. MCCCD it is (for me) and here's why:

1) A few days ago I got a packet in the mail from CAC. The program details show that the spring start date isn't a for sure thing yet. It's pending the approval of AZBON.

2) I still have no idea where they're running hospital clinicals out of. I'm not sure they know, lol. I can't see me running to Casa Grande if that's where they decide on (a good guess since their campus is closer to there).

3) I just got a return phone call from CAC regarding the HESI exam (three weeks after leaving multiple messages, but I digress). It includes math, reading, Chem, and A&P (I and II). I'm scheduled to start my first A&P 11/13/06, the second mid-spring semester. Application is due February 1st, and there's no way I'll pass that HESI (which my advisor suggested I take Oct/Nov/Dec) without A&PII knowledge.

I'm good with my choice. :) I wish MCCCD's program was structured a little lighter, but I'll survive. On the plus side, it saves me the expense of a CNA course plus two additional classes I'd have had to take with CAC that I won't through MCCCD.

Yay! AZmom made a decision!!!!!!

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