Welcome to the Nursing program at Chemeketa. Our program has a strong tradition of preparing nurses to be life-long learners and to practice safely, accurately and compassionately in varied settings.
Our faculty teaches our nursing graduates to have clinical and professional excellence in response to the changing health care climate. You will learn the attributes of accountability, caring, innovation, safety, social and cultural awareness, critical thinking and decision-making, life-long learning, and respect for the dignity and worth of human life. We believe in allowing a diverse group of students to have affordable nursing education.
The website RegisterdNursing.org ranked Chemeketa's nursing program as one of the leading programs in the state of Oregon. They evaluated state board exam pass rates from 2013-2017 and concluded Chemeketa was among the very best at supporting students towards licensure and beyond. We were also ranked as the second best program in the entire West by NursingProcess.org.
The Nursing Program is approved by the Oregon State Board of Nursing.
What will you learn?
Our experienced faculty will teach you the skills at the LPN level to –
Demonstrate organized and prioritized care in a patient centered manner that advocates for patients and families based on personal preferences, beliefs and values
Demonstrate nursing care that minimizes risk of harm to patients, self and others
Apply the nursing process based on current evidence and patient preferences, needs and values
Demonstrate nursing care that reflects integrity, accountability and legal/ethical practice
Demonstrate nursing care using current technology and patient information to maximize safety and optimize health
Communicate effectively with patients, families, and members of the healthcare team
Our experienced faculty will teach you the skills at the RN level to –
Incorporate novice level management skills while providing patient centered care
Develop nursing care that minimizes risk or harm to patients, self, and others; and uses data to monitor outcomes of patient centered care
Formulate clinical judgments in providing nursing care based on current evidence, clinical expertise, and patient preferences, needs, and values
Design nursing care that reflects integrity, accountability, and legal and ethical practice while modeling the professional roles of coordinator of care, educator, advocate, and leader
Formulate nursing care using current technology and patient information to maximize safety, and optimize health
Communicate effectively and collaboratively in a self-directed manner with patients, families, and members of the healthcare team
Chemeketa's Nursing program prepares students to graduate with an Associate of Science Degree and sit for the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Successfully passing this exam allows the graduate to become a licensed registered nurse.
See Course Sequences for more information. Fees are an estimated cost and subject to change.
Upon entry into this program, you will be required to pass a criminal background check and pass a ten-panel drug screening urinalysis conducted by a college-approved vendor. If you do not pass the criminal background check and/or the drug screening, program registration will not be possible. If you are arrested during the time you are enrolled in the program, you must notify the Nursing Program Chair of the arrest. Your status in the program will be reviewed by the Nursing Program Chair and the Dean of Health Sciences. A possible outcome of the review may be that you are unable to continue in the program. Additionally, two-year programs require you to repeat the processes at the start of the second year.
Below are the required courses for application to Chemeketa's Nursing program. These courses must be completed by the end of winter term (the year of application) with a grade of C or better. See the Course Sequences for our curriculum and prerequisites.
BI231-233 Anatomy and Physiology (completed within seven years)
MTH095 Intermediate Algebra (or higher)
This requirement cannot be waived by a placement test score
Note: BI112 is a prerequisite for BI231.
Most students spend one or more years in pre-nursing courses to prepare for applying to the Nursing program. In order to enhance their chance of admission, most students complete the majority of general education and science requirements prior to application.
Starting 2024, the Kaplan fee will be increased to $100/test for both the Entrance and Fundamentals exam.
Kaplan Entrance Exam Prep Book:
Kaplan has a textbook available entitled "Nursing School Entrance Exams Prep, 10th edition" ISBN# 9781506290362
Chemeketa has the book available for purchase at the Chemeketa Bookstore for $32.99.
The Kaplan exam prep has seven parts to include the following:
Strategies
Diagnostic Quiz
Verbal and Language Review
Mathematics Review
Science Review
Practice Tests and Explanations
Learning Resources
2025 Nursing Program Applicants Kaplan Testing Schedule:
Nursing student applicants will be given the chance to take the Kaplan exam that allows for 50 points on the nursing application. Applicants will be notified of their testing date and time once the application has closed. We do our best to accommodate applicants if the assigned testing date does not work; however, due to the high volume of applicants testing we may not be able to accommodate changes. Students are only allowed to take the entrance exam once per application period.
2025 Kaplan Testing Schedule: Tuesday, March 25 - 9 am - 12 pm Wednesday, March 26 - 2-5 pm Thursday, March 27 - 2-5 pm Friday, March 28 - 9 am - 12 pm
Official transcripts of courses completed through summer 2022 from other colleges and/or universities along with the “Request for Evaluation and Transfer of Previous Credits” form submitted by this priority deadline will guarantee the evaluation will be complete in time for the nursing application deadline week.
Final Deadline: Friday, January 6, 2023
Submit official transcripts of courses completed through fall 2022 from other colleges and/or universities along with the “Request for Evaluation and Transfer of Previous Credits” form. These must be received by Chemeketa’s Transcript Evaluation office by January 6, 2023. It may take 8 or more weeks for your transcripts to be evaluated– we cannot guarantee the evaluation will be complete by the nursing application deadline week.
Must complete all required prerequisite courses prior to entry
Must successfully pass a background check and drug screening (upon acceptance)
For applicants from another state, check with the Oregon State Board of Nursing by calling 503.731.4745 for information on transferring a license to Oregon.
General Elective Courses:
All students entering into the LPN-RN program are required to have all program general education courses completed (see course catalog for more information). Required science courses (ex: BI231, BI232, and BI233) must be taken within seven years of re-entry or complete an appropriate alternative science course as approved by the Dean of Health Sciences.
Reminder: Only coursework from regionally accredited programs can be considered.
Additional Required Courses:
Applicants must take the following:
NUR272 Pathophysiology for Nurses (3 credits)
Your transcripts must show completion of BI231, BI232, and BI233 to take this course
Instructor consent may be provided if you are in-progress with BI233. This will be reviewed on a case-by-case situation
Kaplan Nursing Transition Exam
The Kaplan Transition Exam is required for all LPN-RN applicants. This exam is offered once a year in April and will be available to applicants who have completed all other entry requirements (see above).
There are no direct study materials for this exam; however, we encourage students to study as though they were preparing for their NCLEX-PN exam.
Kaplan Testing Date 2025: 6/6/2025 at 9 am
Note: Scores remain current for five years after the exam is taken. You can only take this exam twice. More information regarding testing will be provided to eligible applicants after their application review.
Work Experience
Work experience is strongly recommended for applicants who have completed their practical nursing curriculum more than one year before applying.
Applicant/Wait List
Applicants that have successfully completed all the requirements will be placed on an applicant list. The applicants' scores from NUR272 and Kaplan will be averaged to determine placement on the applicant list.
Applicants’ acceptance into the program is based on the space available in our second-year program. This is determined in large part by the number of students moving directly from the first year into the second year of the program and priority entry for returning students.
LPN-RN Process Guideline for New Applicants
Apply for admission at Chemeketa (if you have not already done so)
Request your transcripts to be sent to Chemeketa for review (if applicable)
Once your transcripts have been reviewed, connect with the Health Sciences office one of the following ways to review transcripts to ensure all required prerequisites have been completed.
Our program is a strong advocate for a seamless transition in attaining a bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and advanced degrees.
For registered nurses (RNs) wishing to pursue their Bachelor of Sciences in Nursing (BSN) degree, Chemeketa has established inter-institutional agreements with the following institutions:
Students who are admitted to Chemeketa’s Nursing program are dually admitted to Linfield College. Upon successful completion of the nursing program and passing the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX-RN) student may enroll in the online RN-BSN program at Linfield.
There are various other possibilities for RNs as well. Admission to nursing program is competitive. As such, RNs are responsible for learning the requirements of the school to which they plan to enroll. Applicants should make early contact with an advisor at the institution to learn of these requirements.
Once you apply to the Nursing program, visit the Chemeketa Foundation scholarships website for information and application dates. Scholarship application deadlines are time sensitive.
For questions regarding the application process, contact the Foundation at 503.365.4747.
