Nursing
Answer the call to care with Butte College’s Nursing programs. Whether you're beginning your journey as a certified nurse assistant (CNA) or advancing as a registered nurse (RN), our rigorous training and clinical experiences will prepare you for a fulfilling career in healthcare.
Programs
Goal
Career or TransferLength
2-2.5 yearsFlexibility
- Main Campus
- Offsite Clinicals
Associate Degree or Certificate of Achievement in Licensed Vocational Nursing
The Licensed Vocational Nursing program is a state-approved program that prepares students to qualify for the state board examination for licensure as a vocational nurse. The curriculum includes prerequisites and the equivalent of three academic semesters of nursing theory and supervised clinical experience, emphasizing bedside nursing across a variety of clinical settings. Students study common medical-surgical conditions, their causes, prevention, and treatment, with a focus on related nursing care, as well as psychology and sociology concepts relevant to the development, motivation, and reactions of both healthy and ill individuals. With additional GE graduates can attain an Associate Degree in Licensed Vocational Nursing.
Flexibility
Both programs in this cluster share the same pattern: general education courses are widely available at Chico Center, Glenn Center, and Online, but the required nursing coursework itself doesn't reliably run at any single location. Main Campus offers only a small piece of that core sequence, so completing it typically means combining locations and terms in a customized plan. Because this pattern shifts from term to term, meet with a counselor before registering to map out a realistic path through the required coursework.
Goal
Career or TransferLength
1-2 yearsFlexibility
- Main Campus
- Glenn Center
- Offsite Clinicals
Associate Degree or Certificate of Achievement Registered Nursing: LVN to RN (ADN)
The Associate in Registered Nursing: LVN to RN (ADN) program prepares Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) for licensure as Registered Nurses (RNs) at the Associate Degree level. The Certificate of Achievement program will provide training as a vocational nurse, and prerequisite courses are applied as the first year of a traditional two-year program. Two semesters of clinical nursing and additional GE provide the additional coursework required for RN licensure. Graduates are eligible to take the national/state examination for licensure and may pursue careers in hospitals, community and home health, long-term care, clinics, physicians’ offices, and private industries connected to health care.
Associate Degree or Certificate of Achievement in Accelerated Registered Nursing: LVN to ADN
A 30-unit option is available through the Certificate of Achievement in Accelerated Track Registered Nursing: LVN to RN (ADN) program, a state-approved pathway that provides Licensed Vocational Nurses with the coursework necessary to apply for licensure as Registered Nurses. The program applies vocational nursing training and prerequisite classes toward the first and second semester requirements, allowing students to move through the curriculum more quickly. With additional GE graduates can attain an Associate Degree in Accelerated Registered Nursing: LVN to RN (ADN).
Flexibility
Most programs in this cluster center your major coursework at Main Campus, with Chico Center, Glenn Center, and Online serving well for general education but not for the required nursing classes themselves. The Accelerated Track options are the exception: no single location covers the full nursing sequence, so you'll need to combine two or more sites — typically Main Campus and Online — to complete your major coursework. Across all four programs, plan to meet with a counselor to map out your sequence and locations term by term.
Goal
Career or TransferLength
2-2.5 yearsFlexibility
- Main Campus
- Offsite Clinicals
Associate Degree in Registered Nursing
The two-year traditional Registered Nursing Associate Degree program prepares students for licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN) at the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) level. This four-semester program provides the theory and clinical training required for licensure, and upon completion, graduates are eligible to take the national/state licensure examination for registered nursing. Registered nurses may find employment in acute care hospitals, community and home health care, long-term care and skilled nursing facilities, clinics, physicians’ offices, and private industries that intersect with health care delivery.
Associate Degree in Accelerated Registered Nursing
The Associate Degree in Accelerated Track Registered Nursing program prepares students for licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN) at the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) level. This three-semester program provides the theory and clinical training required for licensure, and upon completion, graduates are eligible to take the national/state licensure examination for registered nursing. Registered nurses may pursue employment in a variety of settings, including acute care hospitals, community and home health care, long-term and skilled nursing facilities, clinics, physicians’ offices, and private industries connected to health care delivery.
Flexibility
These programs rely mainly on Main Campus for nursing coursework, with Online sometimes needed to fill gaps, while Chico Center and Glenn Center cover general education only. The regular track is centered primarily at Main Campus with occasional supplementing elsewhere, while the Accelerated Track requires regularly combining Main Campus and Online, since neither location alone covers all major requirements. Because the exact sequencing varies by term, meet with a counselor to plan which courses to take where.
Goal
CareerLength
1 semesterFlexibility
- Main Campus
- Glenn Center
- Offsite Clinicals
Certificate of Completion in Acute Care Nurse Assistant
(Not Eligible for Financial Aid) The Certified Nursing Assistant/Home Health Aide program prepares students for state certification as a Nursing Assistant through a minimum of 190 hours of instruction, including 82 hours of theory and 108 hours of supervised clinical training in a nursing facility. The program is offered in a 12-week format, three days per week, with classes scheduled for eight hours per day. Upon successful completion, students are eligible to take the written and manual skills exam for state certification.
Certificate of Completion in Home Health Aide for the CNA
(Not Eligible for Financial Aid) The Home Health Aide for the Certified Nurse Assistant program is designed to prepare students to care for clients in the home care setting. Successful competition of the program allows a student to be certified in the Home Health setting.
Certificate of Completion in Certified Nursing Assistant
(Not Eligible for Financial Aid) The Certified Nursing Assistant/Home Health Aide program prepares students for state certification as a Nursing Assistant through 190 hours of instruction, including 82 hours of theory and 108 hours of supervised clinical training in a nursing facility. Offered in a 12-week format, with classes held three days per week for eight hours per day, the program provides the knowledge and skills needed to qualify for the state written and manual skills certification exams.
Flexibility
The Certified Nursing Assistant certificate offers the most reliable path, with required coursework consistently available at Main Campus or Glenn Center. The other two certificates in this cluster are less predictable — none of Butte's locations show a steady pattern for their required courses, so general education work can be done at any center or Online, but the core coursework requires checking with a counselor each term to find where it's actually being offered. Across all three programs, plan on some flexibility in where you'll need to show up, and confirm current course locations with a counselor before building your schedule.
Department Contacts
Office: AHPS 251
Department phone: (530) 895-2328
Contact phone: (530) 895-2356
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