Area of Study

Registered Nursing (RN)

NPC's RN program boasts a nearly 100-percent employment success rate! Best of all, your nursing education costs a fraction of what you would pay for comparable nursing programs available elsewhere in Arizona.

NPC’s high-quality, two-year, accredited Registered Nurse (RN) program prepares you to take the Arizona RN examination and excel in the exciting field of professional nursing. Through hands-on experiences working in the classroom, clinicals, and the community, you will receive the education you need to achieve your career goals in the healing profession.

Our holistically-oriented faculty members are careful to provide you with planned experiences and individualized, up-to-date evidence-based instruction. Best of all, your nursing education costs a fraction of what you would pay for comparable nursing programs available elsewhere in Arizona. At NPC you will:

Be a part of nursing classes small enough that you can take advantage of personal tutoring and help from our highly experienced instructors.
Choose a nursing program that has nearly all nursing graduates finding employment within six months of graduation!
Pursue a nursing degree that provides both hands-on labs and clinical experience every semester to gain the practical real-world skills you need to succeed as a nurse.

Students must apply to be admitted into the NPC Nursing program. BEFORE you can be accepted, you must complete certain prerequisite courses (see entry requirements below). Admission to NPC does NOT guarantee admission to the Nursing program.

For more information about this program, please contact an NPC Academic Adviser. Also, see the current NPC College Catalog and class schedule.

Complete a NPC Student Application Form

Labs and Classrooms

Required general education courses are offered at all NPC locations. Nursing classes are only offered at the Show Low and Winslow campuses.

Entry Requirements

1. Applicants must hold a current Arizona Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA) license in good standing.

2. The following prerequisite courses are required BEFORE Nursing program admission and must be completed with a “C” grade or better before July 1 of the admission application year. A cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 is recommended.

BIO 181 - General Biology I
BIO 201 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I
BIO 202 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II
BIO 205 - Microbiology
CHM 130 - Fundamental Chemistry
ENL 101 - College Composition I
MATH: Next Gen. ACCUPLACER QAS score of 250+; Classic ACCUPLACER Elem. Algebra score of 57+; ASSET Elem. Algebra score 41+; COMPASS Algebra score 46+; or ACT Math score of 21; OR completion of MAT 142 or higher with a “C” or better within one year prior to application to the nursing program.

College credits more than eight years old may be accepted with appropriate documentation and approval. See an NPC academic adviser for details.

3. NPC strongly recommends that you also complete the following general education requirements BEFORE applying to the Nursing program:

ENL 102 - College Composition II
PSY 240 - Developmental Psychology
PLUS, one of the following: ANT 102 - Cultural Anthropology –OR– SOC 101 - Introduction to Sociology

4. Applications and Information: (PDFs)

Admission Packet 2022 for 2023 (PDF)
Nursing Program Application (PDF)
LPN to RN Application Packet 2022 for 2023 (PDF)
Paramedic to RN Application (PDF)
Nursing Student Handbook (PDF)
HESI Admission Test information & dates

Already have your LPN Certification?

If you have already earned your LPN, either from NPC or from another institution and you wish to return to college to gain your RN credential, you first need to complete an LPN-RN Transition Application. Additional details are available by contacting the NPC Nursing Department.

5. Program Costs: (PDFs)

Work Environment

Registered Nurse is the largest healthcare occupation. They work in hospitals, physicians’ offices, home healthcare services and nursing care facilities. Others work in schools, outpatient clinics or serve in the military. Home health and public health nurses travel to patients’ homes, schools, community centers and other sites.

Job Outlook

Employment of Registered Nurses is projected to grow 16 percent through 2024. Job opportunities for Registered Nurses are expected to be good. However, the supply of new nurses entering the labor market has increased in recent years. This increase has resulted in competition for jobs in some areas of the country.

Generally, Registered Nurses with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN) will have better job prospects than those without it. Employers also may prefer candidates who have some related work experience.

Job opportunities should be good because of the need to replace workers who retire over the coming decade and because of the growing number of people with access to healthcare services.

Accreditation/Affiliations

The Associate Degree nursing program at Northland Pioneer College is accredited by the Arizona State Board of Nursing and by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326
Phone: (404) 975-5000

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the Associate Degree nursing program is continuing accreditation.

View the public information disclosed by the ACEN regarding this program at http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programSearch.htm

Articulations

Bachelor's of Science in Nursing
After you complete your AAS degree in nursing at NPC you can easily transfer to Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University or Grand Canyon University to finish a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing degree (BSN), if desired. We work with you every step of the way to make transferring easy.

Student Outcomes

NCLEX-RN First Time Pass Rate

January 2022 – September 2022: 92%
January 2021 – December 2021: 90%
January 2020 – December 2020: 91%
January 2019 – December 2019: 94%
January 2018 – December 2018: 88%

On-Time Graduation Rate

2022 Graduates - 73%
2021 Graduates - 79%
2020 Graduates - 65%
(Historically, Graduation Rates were calculated at 150% of expected (6 semesters). Beginning in 2020, the rate is now calculated at 100% of expected (4 semesters) - a much lower completion time frame than given in prior years.)
2019 Graduates - 84%
2018 Graduates - 75%

Job Placement Rate