Jefferson Regional School of Nursing

Jefferson Regional School of Nursing is a hospital-based nursing program in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, operated by Jefferson Regional. Students typically spend much of their time in a healthcare setting rather than on a large college campus, with program expectations aligned to clinical practice standards and Arkansas State Board of Nursing requirements. The school offers two entry points into RN preparation, a Diploma program and an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN).

The nursing school is based in Pine Bluff, with Jefferson Regional located at 1600 West 40th Avenue and the Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree program listed at 4747 Dusty Lake Drive. For most students commuting from within Pine Bluff, this puts the program on the west side of the city near the Jefferson Regional medical campus; if you are driving in from surrounding communities, planning around local traffic patterns and hospital shift-change times can matter for clinical and class start times.

Accreditation and oversight are clearly defined. The associate nursing program holds ACEN accreditation, with the most recent ACEN Board action noted as initial accreditation dated May 14, 2025. The program is also approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing and the institution lists ABHES as its institutional accreditor.

Admission is structured around fixed start dates and up-front readiness checks. A new class is admitted each January and July. Applicants need an ATI TEAS score of at least 60, ACT submission (required but not used for admission decisions), American Heart Association BLS Provider CPR, and completion of prerequisites such as English Composition I and II, Anatomy and Physiology I and II (within five years), Microbiology, College Algebra, and General Psychology. After acceptance, students should expect onboarding requirements tied to clinical placement, including background check and drug screening.

From a budgeting standpoint, the school lists a $200 application fee, a $10 transcript fee, and orientation-related costs that commonly include about $50 for drug screening, $65 for a background check, and an optional $50 CPR class if you need certification. Federal financial aid is coordinated through FAFSA using school code 016498.

On licensure outcomes, Jefferson Regional’s average weighted NCLEX-RN pass rate is 93.0%, compared with the Arkansas 2024 state average of 91.1%.

Not reviewed yet

Updated on: 08 Aug, 2024

The Jefferson Regional Medical Center Nursing program is fully approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing. The program offers a twenty four month program of study leading to a diploma in nursing.

Students admitted into the nursing portion of the program will need to have completed one year of general education before beginning nursing education which will take a two additional two years from January to graduation in December.

The first part of the nursing course will take 17 weeks and the second 12 weeks while the two 3rd level courses are 12 weeks each and the 2 4th level courses are 8 weeks each.

Admission Requirements:

Official High school transcript or GED equivalency certificate
Official transcript for all college courses
ACT score (taken within the past five years)
Personal interview

The school begins to process applications for January enrollment in February.

Applicants will be notified of their status and successful applicants will be required to notify the school of intention to enroll by paying a 100 dollar registration fee within two weeks of receiving the acceptance letter to be applied towards first semester tuition.

All successful applicants will be required to submit CPR certification to be maintained for the duration of the program. All students will be required to undergo drug testing prior to enrollment and to submit to a criminal background check at the time of enrolment and annually.

The criminal check will be conducted by an outside agency at the student’s expense.

Health documents will be required at registration for MMR vaccine, Hepatitis B vaccine series (signed waiver), annual TB test and Diphtheria/ tetanus booster (taken with the past 5-6 years).

Students who meet the graduation requirements of the college are eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses to obtain licensing by the State board.