Lawrence Memorial/Regis College Nursing Program

Where is the school located?

170 Governors Avenue, Medford, MA - next door to the Lawrence Memorial Hospital (exit 33 off Route 93). Students attend all nursing classes at the Medford site. Students attend the Regis College campus in Weston, MA (off of Route 95/128) for the non-nursing courses in the curriculum. Clinical experiences are part of each nursing course. For the clinical portion of the program, students have early experiences in major medical centers, local hospitals and community sites.

What type of nursing degree do you offer?

An Associate of Science degree with a major in nursing is conferred by Regis College upon completion of program requirements.

What is the course of studies?

The curriculum consists of four nursing courses and ten non-nursing courses. All nursing courses have both classroom and clinical components. Student may choose either the day or the evening/weekend option. In the Day option, both classes and clinical experiences are offered on weekdays during the day. In the Evening/Weekend option, students attend classes on weeknight evenings (beginning at 5:30 pm.). Clinical experiences are offered every other weekend on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday (during the day) and, in some courses, on Monday evenings.

How long does the Program take to complete?

Most students complete the program in two and a half to three years. In general, students complete the non-nursing courses before the clinical nursing courses.

What are the admission requirements?

All applicants must have a high school diploma or GED. For applicants with a high school diploma, an overall average of B or better in high school. Applicants with a GED must have earned a minimum of 450 in the math and science components on the 2002 Series GED. Those applicants with a GED prior to 2002 must have earned a minimum of 45 in each of the five test areas.

• Required perquisite courses: all applicants must have completed high school (or college) algebra, biology and chemistry courses with a final grade of 75% (C) or better prior to enrolling in the nursing program.

• SAT scores: required for applicants who have graduated from high school within the past five years. Scores of above 480 critical reading, 440 math and 480 writing on SATS are preferred.

• TOEFL score: (Test of English as a Foreign Language) required for all applicants who have completed any of their primary education (grades 1-12) outside of the United States. The preferred score is 213 or better. This test must have been completed within the last 2 years. The TOEFL requirement is NOT waived by completion of college degrees or English courses at the college level.

I have attended college or have a college degree. Can I transfer any of my courses?

Accepted students may transfer up to 6 (out of 10) equivalent non-nursing courses from another accredited college.

• There is no time limit on transferring the following courses: Writing Seminar (English Composition), Critical Reading,Thinking and Writing, Intro to Sociology, Ethics and Statistics.

• Science courses: Anatomy & Physiology 1 w/ lab, Anatomy & Physiology 2 w/lab and Microbiology w/ lab, must be completed within 4 years of entering the nursing program. Accepted students who have these courses but took them over 4 years prior to entering the nursing program may take review courses offered at Regis College (these courses are shorter and less expensive than the full course).

• Human Growth & Development (a life span course) must be completed within 7 years of entering the nursing program to be eligible for transfer.

What is the LM/RC pass rate for the NCLEX-RN exam?

The LM/RC 2010 percent passing rate for NCLEX-RN licensing exam is 97%.  The Massachusetts State first time rate is 88.53% and the National rate is 87.42. 

LM/RC is the top among all Associate Degree programs within the state of Massachusetts. 

This information may also be found on the Office of Health and Human Services website.   

What is your graduation rate?

The most current graduation rate from 2010 is 83%.  The cumulative LM/RC graduation rate representing the first 22 classes is 79%.  This is well above the national rate for 2-year private colleges of 50%.

What is the employment rate for graduates of the program?

As of December 2010, 97.9% of LM/RC graduates were employed as RN's within 6 months of graduation.

Are your graduates satisfied with education provided by the Nursing Program?

All graduating senior students complete a comprehensive assessment of the program just prior to graduation. In December 2010 and May 2011, graduates rated their overall program satisfaction with mean scores of 4.29 and 4.48 respectively on a 5(high) to 1 (low) scale, indicating high satisfaction with the program.

How satisfied are the employers of new graduates?

Employers of recent graduates are sent a survey with 16 behavioral descriptors to elicit their satisfaction with graduates of the Lawrence Memorial/Regis Program one year after the employee's graduation. Employers of the graduates of December 2009 and May and December 2010 indicate a high level of satisfaction with a mean rating of 4.53 on a 5 (high) to 1 (low) scale on the survey's 16 behaviors.