Image of a female nursing student adjusting a bag valve mask on a nursing sim

Nursing

Are you ready to enter the exciting world of healthcare?

Nursing Program at TCC 

Nursing is an exciting career with a bright economic future. Nurses make up the largest health care profession in the United States. They work in a variety of settings, including clinics, hospitals, long term care facilities, and community centers. TCC has been successfully training registered nurses for many years.

At TCC, we offer quality education and produce competent, skilled nurses who excel in all facets of health care services. We are proud of our graduates.

New Admission Process Update (revised 4.24.24)

Tacoma Community College’s Nursing program is committed to reducing barriers for students to earn a nursing degree and is still developing a more equitable and holistic admission process. We thank you for your patience as we navigate this complex process. All future updates will be placed on this website once they have been finalized and implemented.

We have are very pleased to announce that beginning with the next application cycle, starting on June 1, 2024:

  • The Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) exam will NO LONGER be required for admission to the traditional RN and the LPN to RN programs.
  • The CNA (NAC) certified nursing assistant credential will NO LONGER be required for admission to the traditional RN program. LPNs will still be required to have an unencumbered LPN license for the LPN to RN program application.
  • Please note that applicants with specific healthcare experience and/or credentials (such as CNA/NAC, MA, EMT, RT, etc.) may receive additional points in the new scoring system, however the CNA/NAC credential is no longer mandatory.
  • Retakes or repeats for ANY pre-requisite course will NO LONGER carry a penalty such as deduction of points in the new scoring system. There continues to be no time limit on the age of prerequisite courses.
  • The following prerequisites are required:

NOTE: The only changes to prerequisites are the added additional options for Communication courses.

Completion of the courses listed below with a 'B' or higher. There are no attempt or expiration date rules. 

  • ENGL& 101 (English Composition I)
  • CHEM& 121 (Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry or CHEM& 161 (General Chemistry w/lab I)
  • BIOL& 241 (Human Anatomy and Physiology I)
  • BIOL& 242 (Human Anatomy and Physiology II)
  • BIOL& 260 (General Microbiology)
  • PSYC& 200 (Lifespan Psychology)

Completion of the courses listed below with a 'C' or higher. There are no attempt or expiration date rules. 

  • ENGL& 102 (English Composition II: Argument and Persuasion) or ENGL& 103 (English Composition III: Writing about Literature) or ENGL& 235 (Technical Writing)
  • CMST& 210 (Interpersonal Communications) or CMST 320 (Professional and Organizational Communication) or CMST& 220 (Public Speaking) or CMST& 101 (Introduction to Communications) or CMST 110 (Multicultural Communications)
  • Nutrition 250 (Nutrition in Health Care) or NUTR& 101
  • PSYCH&100 (General Psychology)
  • BIOL&160 (General Cell Biology). BIOL& 211 (Majors Cellular) or BIOL& 222 (Introduction to Cellular & Molecular Biology) may also be used to meet this requirement.  
    NOTE: If you are a Tacoma Community College student and have taken a higher-level Biology class, you can contact Ken Cushman to arrange taking a challenge exam for BIOL&160 credit.
  • MATH&146 (Statistics)
  • Humanities - 5 credits (Choose from the Approved Humanities Distribution List.

Revision of the new scoring system and our final admission process are still in process, so we ask your continual patience as we develop a more equitable admission process.

APPLICATION CYCLE DATE CHANGE UPDATE:
 
All prerequisite coursework must be complete, and all official transcripts must be to our college before the application deadline. We ask that you please don't apply to the nursing program until you have completed all prerequisite courses. There will be no exceptions to this.  
 
To accommodate students that are finishing prerequisites in the summer quarter, we will be separating the Fall/Winter application cycle in to two cycles moving forward. We will now have three 2-year program application cycles and one LPN to RN application cycle per year as follows: 

2-Year Students 

  • Fall (Starts in September)  
    • The application is open from June 1-July 1. 
  • Winter (Starts in January):  
    • The application is open from August 1-September 1. 
  • Spring (Starts in April):  
    • The application is open from Dec 1-Jan 1 

LPN to RN Students: 

  • Winter (Starts in January):  
    • The application is open from July 1-Oct. 1 

Jillian T. Edwards, DNP, MN, BSN, ARNP, FNP-BC, RN 
Associate Dean of Nursing
Tacoma Community College

 

Before You Begin Your Nursing Journey

Attend an Information Session

March 4, 2024
3:00pm - 4:30pm
Building 13, Room 222

CAMPUS MAP

Covid-19 Notice

COVID Prospective Student Notice

 Nursing Pathways

three TCC nursing students smiling

Nursing Assistant Certified (NAC)

More Info
TCC nursing student with needle

Associate Degree in Nursing (DTA/MRP)

MORE INFO
TCC nursing student at a computer

Pre-nursing Transfer Degree (DTA/MRP)

MORE INFO
TCC nursing students with baby simulator

LPN to RN Bridge Program (DTA/MRP)

MORE INFO

Student Achievement Data

TCC has helped hundreds of nursing students achieve their goals. 

86% NCLEX pass rate for 2023
95% 2022-2023 program completion rate for generic nursing students
91% 2022-2023 program completion rate for LPN to RN nursing students

Graduate and Employer Satisfaction

Employers are highly satisfied with TCC nursing students. 

91%  of 2022-2023 survey respondents were employed as an RN
100% of 2022-2023 survey respondents feel the program prepared them to be an RN.
95% of 2022-2023 employer survey respondents are extremely satisfied to satisfied with the TCC graduate

Our Stories

Any Other Questions?

Send us an email at nursing@tacomacc.edu if you have any questions. We are here to help you through this challenging time and we look forward to providing you with the information you need to become a nursing student at Tacoma Community college.

It's also a good idea to research careers in nursing.

If you aren't sure about nursing, TCC offers other healthcare programs.