CCI Colleges
A two-year path to registered nursing

Registered Nursing.

Build the science, nursing knowledge, clinical judgment, and hands-on experience needed for entry-level registered nursing practice. CCI’s Lancaster-based Associate Degree Nursing program combines classroom instruction, skills and simulation practice, and supervised clinical learning while preparing graduates to pursue California RN licensure.

No pressure. Just answers.

Career Care Institute graduates in caps and gowns sit during a graduation ceremony.
Program length
2 years
Campus — Lancaster
1
California Board of Registered Nursing
BRN Approved

Your nursing path, closer to home.

Registered Nursing is offered at CCI’s Lancaster campus. Explore the campus, review the current application process, and ask about upcoming cohort dates and schedules.

Choose the campus that works for you

Class and clinical schedules may include mornings, afternoons, evenings, and weekends and are subject to change. Admissions can explain the current schedule and application timeline.

How You’ll Learn

Learn. Practice. Apply.

The program moves from science and nursing foundations to simulation, skills practice, and supervised clinical learning.

  1. learn

    Classroom Foundations

    Build knowledge in anatomy, physiology, microbiology, communication, behavioral science, pharmacology, and the nursing principles behind safe patient care.

    A CCI science classroom with microscopes, anatomy models, and instructional space.
  2. practice
    CCI’s nursing skills lab includes hospital beds, clinical equipment, and practice stations.

    Skills and Simulation Practice

    Practice assessments, medication safety, procedures, communication, documentation, and clinical decision-making with faculty guidance before applying them in patient-care settings.

  3. apply

    Clinical Experience

    Apply classroom and lab learning in supervised healthcare environments while developing judgment, teamwork, and confidence across the program.

    Registered Nursing students in white uniforms stand together during a CCI pinning ceremony.

What you’ll build

Clinical judgment. Care that connects.

Registered Nursing brings science, skilled care, communication, and clinical judgment together. You’ll build the knowledge to understand changing patient needs and the practical ability to respond safely as part of a healthcare team.

  1. Assess and monitor patients

    Gather health information, perform focused assessments, recognize changes, and report findings.

  2. Plan and prioritize care

    Use the nursing process, evidence, and clinical judgment to organize safe care.

  3. Manage medications and treatments

    Build pharmacology, dosage-safety, treatment-order, and medication-check knowledge.

  4. Provide safe clinical care

    Practice infection prevention, wound care, mobility support, comfort measures, documentation, and essential procedures.

  5. Communicate and coordinate

    Develop patient education, therapeutic communication, teamwork, delegation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

  6. Care across life stages and specialties

    Prepare for adult medical-surgical, maternal-newborn, pediatric, and mental-health care.

Your Journey

A Six-Term Associate Degree Journey

The standard ADN pathway begins with science and general-education foundations, then advances through nursing coursework, clinical learning, specialty care, and NCLEX-RN preparation.

  1. Term One

    Science and Study Foundations

    Begin the standard pathway with the science, communication, mathematics, and study foundations that support nursing education.

    • Anatomy
    • Physiology
    • Algebra
    • Oral communication
    • Study skills

    Build the academic foundation for the nursing sequence.

  2. Term Two

    Microbiology and the Human Context

    Connect microbiology with written communication and the behavioral and social sciences used in patient care.

    • Microbiology
    • Written communication
    • Psychology
    • Sociology

    Complete the core science and general-education foundation.

  3. Term Three

    Beginning Medical-Surgical Nursing

    Enter the core nursing sequence through beginning adult care, ethics, and pharmacology preparation.

    • Beginning medical-surgical nursing
    • Ethics
    • Pharmacology preparation

    Begin the core nursing sequence.

  4. Term Four

    Maternal-Newborn and Intermediate Adult Care

    Advance clinical judgment through maternal-newborn learning and intermediate medical-surgical nursing.

    • Labor and delivery
    • Intermediate medical-surgical nursing
    • Clinical judgment

    Advance from beginning to intermediate nursing care.

  5. Term Five

    Pediatric and Mental-Health Nursing

    Broaden care across ages and specialties through pediatric, psychiatric, and family-centered nursing.

    • Pediatric nursing
    • Psychiatric nursing
    • Family-centered communication

    Broaden care across ages and specialties.

  6. Term Six

    Advanced Nursing and NCLEX Preparation

    Bring advanced adult care, prioritization, readiness, and licensure-exam preparation together.

    • Advanced medical-surgical nursing
    • Prioritization
    • Clinical readiness
    • NCLEX-RN preparation

    Complete the ADN curriculum and prepare for the separate licensure process.

Licensure & Career

What comes next

Completing the degree is the first step in a separate California licensure process.

A woman in white holds a bouquet while posing with another woman at a ceremony.

From Graduation to Licensure

  1. Complete CCI’s Associate Degree Nursing program
  2. Receive the Associate Degree in Nursing
  3. Apply to the California BRN and register for the NCLEX-RN®
  4. Pass the NCLEX-RN® and meet all California licensing requirements
  5. Become eligible to practice as a Registered Nurse after the BRN issues a license

Completing the ADN program does not itself grant RN licensure. Graduates must apply to the California Board of Registered Nursing, pass the NCLEX-RN®, and satisfy all current licensing requirements before practicing as a Registered Nurse.

Review California RN licensure requirements

Where Registered Nurses May Work

  • Hospitals
  • Clinics and physician offices
  • Ambulatory care centers
  • Surgical centers
  • Community health settings
  • Post-acute and skilled nursing facilities
  • Schools and other applicable healthcare settings

Getting Started

Admissions and student support

The RN application uses a multi-step selection process, while academic and career support continues throughout the program.

A CCI staff member presents to seated students in a classroom.

Admissions stages

  1. Speak with Admissions and review the current RN application
  2. Submit required transcripts, documents, and essay
  3. Complete the NLN-NEX or TEAS 7 and the Program Director interview
  4. Complete selection review and, if admitted, health, background, and drug-screen requirements
  5. Complete school, nursing-program, and clinical orientations
Review complete requirements in the Program Quick Facts

Student support

  • Nursing faculty and Program Director guidance
  • Skills and simulation practice
  • Tutoring and academic remediation
  • Computer lab and library access
  • NCLEX-RN readiness resources
  • Student advising and support services
  • Career-services assistance
  • Financial-aid guidance for those who qualify

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Your next step

See where your nursing education could begin.

Visit CCI’s Lancaster campus, explore the learning environment, and get answers about the current RN application process.

No pressure. Just answers.