About Registered Nursing

Do you love to help people and have an interest in wellness and health? The ȷ Nursing program prepares students to work as registered nurses. 

During the RN program, you will take a series of courses that combine academic classes on campus, skills practice in the nursing skills laboratory, and patient care experience in various hospitals and facilities in the San Francisco area. Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive an Associate Degree in Nursing and be entitled to take the California State Board of Registered Nursing licensing exam.

Explore Potential Careers

Upon successful completion of RN program, you will be qualified to pass the NCLEX-RN exam and qualify for entry-level positions of Registered Nursing in health facilities and agencies. Some potential careers are:

  • Registered Nurse
  • Pediatric Nurse
  • Traveling Nurse
  • Mental Health Nurse
  • Emergency Nurse

Registered Nursing Program Information

Please meet with a counselor to personalize the plan for you and your Academic goals.

  • The academic qualifications for this nursing program may differ from other nursing programs or schools. All of the courses listed in group A must be completed. The course number are those listed for City College of San Francisco. Courses are taken at other colleges or universities or subject to evaluation for equivalency (combined courses of Sciences, e.g. Anatomy and Physiology may not be accepted). 
Group A (Required Prerequisites)
Course Number Course Title Units
Biology 108  General Human Anatomy 4
Biology 111 or 112 Intro to Human Physiology 4
Biology 120 Introduction to Microbiology 4
English 1A University Read & Composition 4
Math 40 Elementary Algebra or higher level Algebra or Statistics course 5

Total Units: 21

No “In Progress Courses” are considered for meeting course prerequisites upon RN program application.  Do not ask or complete an RN application until above prerequisites are successfully completed. 

  • Must have an overall GPA of 2.5 in Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, and English 1A courses.  No grade lower than a “C” in any of the above prerequisite courses. Please refer to College Catalog for determining your grade point average.
  • An applicant can repeat only one of the science courses listed in Group A: Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology. More than one repetition of any of these courses will disqualify the applicant.  Repetition of a science course is defined as repeating a course due to a previous grade of “D”, “F” or “W”.
  • ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY, AND MICROBIOLOGY MUST HAVE BEEN COMPLETED WITHIN THE LAST SEVEN (7) YEARS AT THE TIME OF ENROLLMENT TO THE NURSING PROGRAM.
  • Courses in Group B with an asterisk (*) must be successfully completed with grade “C” or higher prior to taking the NCLEX-RN.  Due to the rigor of the program, it is strongly recommended that these courses be taken prior to enrollment in the Nursing Program.
Group B (Required Prerequisites)
Course Number Units
*Sociology 1 OR Anthropology 3 OR Anthropology 3C (Formerly Anth 3AC) 3
*Psychology 1 3
*CMST 1A or 4 or 11 or 12 or 20 or ESL 79 3

Total Units: 9

  • Graduation requirements from the R.N. Program will include all courses in Groups A & B plus additional General Education Courses. Please consult the ȷ Catalog for “Graduation Requirements”.

View Requirements in College Catalog

Semester 1 

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
NURS 50  Fundamentals of Nursing  6  
NURS 50A  Pharmacology in Nursing Part I  2  
NURS 50L  Nursing Skills Lab 1  

Total Units: 9 

Semester 2

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
NURS 50B Pharmacology in Nursing Part II 2  
NURS 51 Basic Medical-Surgical Nursing 6  
NURS 51L Intermediate Nursing Skills 1  

Total Units: 9

Semester 3

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
NURS 53 Maternal Newborn Nursing 6  
NURS 55 Psychosocial Nursing  6  

Total Units: 12

Semester 4

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
NURS 54 Nursing of Children 6  
NURS 56 Advanced Medical-Surgical Nursing 6  
NURS 58 Trends and Issues in Nursing 1  

Total Units: 13

Courses Required by The Board of Registered Nursing

These courses meet the California Board of Registered Nursing Requirement for Licensure and
must be completed prior to taking the R.N. Licensure Examination (NCLEX).

  • PSYC 1 - General Psychology  (3 units)
  • Choose one of the following additional courses required by the Board Of Registered Nursing:
    • SOC 1 - Introduction to Sociology (3 units)
    • ANTH 3 - Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology (3 units)
    • ANTH 3C - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology: Focus on American Cultures (3 units)
  • Choose one of the following additional courses required by the Board Of Registered Nursing
    • CMST 1A - Elements of Public Speaking (3 units)
    • CMST 4 - Group Communication (3 units)
    • CMST 11 - Basic Public Speaking (3 units)
    • CMST 12 - Fundamentals of Oral Communication (3 units)
    • CMST 20 - Interpersonal Communication (3 units)
    • ESL 79 - Advanced Speaking and Pronunciation (3 units)

The ADN-BSN Program is a collaborative nursing program between ȷ and San Francisco State University. It is designed for students who meet University general education and community partner degree requirements to earn both ADN and BSN degrees in two and a half years through full-time study.

Semester 1 (Fall)

ȷ Courses Units SFSU Courses Units
NURS 50 Fundamentals of Nursing 6    
NURS 50A Pharmacology in Nursing Part I 2    
NURS 50L Nursing Skills Lab 1    

Total Units: 9

Semester 2 (Spring)

ȷ Courses Units SFSU Courses Units
NURS 50B Pharmacology in Nursing Part II 2 N 300 Bridge to professional Practice (online) 3
NURS 51 Basic Medical Surgical Nursing 6    
NURS 51L Intermediate Nursing Skills 1    

Total Units: 12

 

Semester 3 (Summer)

ȷ Courses Units SFSU Courses Units
    Upper Divisional GE Course 3
   
  1. N312 GW Research & Evidence Based Practice in Nursing (Hybrid/online) satisfies University Written English proficiency
 3

Total Units: 12

 

Semester 4 (Fall)

ȷ Courses Units SFSU Courses Units
NURS 53 Maternal and Newborn Care 6 N522 Chronic Care and End of Life (Meets
Area D)		 3
NURS 55 Psychosocial Nursing 6 Elective 3

Total Units: 18

 

Semester 5 (Spring)

ȷ Courses Units SFSU Courses Units
NURS 54 Nursing of Children 6 Upper Divisional GE Course 3
NURS 56 Advanced Medical Surgical Nursing 6    
NURS 58 Trends and Issues in Nursing 1    

Total Units: 16

Semester 6 (Fall)*

ȷ Courses Units SFSU Courses Units
    N558 Professional Practice Concepts Theory
(online)		 3
    N559 Professional Concepts Practicum  
    N530 Community and Global Perspectives in Nursing Theory Health(possibly hybrid/online)  
    N531 Community and Global health Practicum 3

Total Units: 12

 

*Summer prior is off for NCLEX

Program Completion

After successful completion of the ADN program; passing of the NCLEX exam and one last full-time semester in the ADN-BSN Program, the student will receive a BSN degree from San Francisco State University School of Nursing.

Notes About the Program

  • The BSN needs 120 units must have 60 units before entering SFSU.
  • Only a maximum of 70 units transfer With transcript evaluation, up to 20 units for passing NCLEX may be awarded.
  • Admission to this program is concurrent with the admission to the Associate Degree Nursing Program (ADN) at City College of San Francisco.
  • The curriculum allows credit for some previous course work, with transcript evaluation and may provide up to 20 units for successfully passing the nursing licensure exam (NCLEX) for the State of California.

Program Admission

The RN Program has an admission process in addition to the ȷ admission program. Applications are accepted once a year. Please review all admission carefully prior to applying.

RN AS Degree Admission Process