Nursing

Katrina Einhellig, Director of Nursing Education programs at Aims, shares how you will get support you need for fundamental practical nursing skills like starting an IV and drawing blood and professional skills like how to remain calm under pressure. Gain hands-on experience in an environment where it's safe to learn from mistakes, and prepare for the certification exam after graduation.

The nursing associate degree program at Aims combines lectures, labs and an internship to give you the medical knowledge and hands-on training that will help you start your nursing career.

In this nursing school program, you’ll gain skills in:

• Performing head-to-toe physical assessments 
• Giving patients a variety of medications and vaccinations
• Inserting Foley catheters
• Operating various medical equipment and medical computer systems

After studying a procedure in the classroom, you’ll gain hands-on guided practice in the lab. The Aims nursing lab has many of the same instruments and equipment you’ll use in the field, and lab simulators allow you to gain hands-on practice.

The nursing degree program also teaches you essential soft skills that employers desire. Gain practice thinking quickly in high-pressure and fast-paced environments. Learn how to present a professional demeanor and remain calm in a variety of medical situations. 

In your second year, you’ll learn advanced concepts in medical and surgical nursing and pharmacology. The final semester includes a transitional capstone course in a clinical internship setting. Integrate and apply everything you’ve learned and practice managing multiple patients at once.

At the end of your second year, you’ll take a one-week seminar to prepare you for the National Council Licensure Examination - Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN), a national certification standard. Aims Community College has a 95% pass rate for the NCLEX-RN, which is 10% higher than the national average. After completing your nursing associate degree program, you’ll sit for the exam with confidence and become a certified registered nurse. 

Are you a practicing Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) currently working in the field and looking to take your nursing career to the next level? Aims is excited to offer a new LPN to RN degree track for working LPNs who meet enrollment requirements.

You can apply for free in two easy steps:

1. Apply to Aims 
2. Apply to the LPN to RN Program 
   1. Make sure to submit your application between March 3, 2025, and March 28, 2025.

Once enrolled, you can earn your degree in less than one year, from June to the following May.

• First, you’ll take the Nursing 1089 class during the summer semester.
• Nursing 1089 is designed to help you transition from an LPN to the nursing associate degree program.
• The rest of the program is identical to year two of the Aims Nursing A.A.S. degree program.
• In the following fall and spring, you’ll complete the third and fourth semesters of the traditional nursing program.
• After that, you’ll graduate with an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Nursing.

For more information and for application information, email Katrina Einhellig at Katrina.Einhellig@aims.edu or call (970) 339-6234.