The purpose of the program is to prepare professional nurses as generalists who can assume responsibility for planning and providing health care for individuals, groups, and populations in collaboration with other health professionals. This educational foundation provides a base for graduate study. Designed for graduates of associate degree and diploma nursing programs, it allows these graduates to expand their educational and professional experience. The program provides learning experiences that enable the student to develop the attitudes, knowledge, and skills essential to professional nursing practice.
The nursing courses in the curriculum are taken sequentially, each course building upon previous nursing courses. These courses focus on developing the personal and professional growth, leadership, caring, and teaching role of the nurse; assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating care for individuals, groups, and populations; enhancing communication skills and preparing nurses to be critical consumers of research. Clinical nursing experiences take place in a variety of settings. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from clinical agencies. A grade point average of 2.0 (“C” average) and a grade of “C” or above in each nursing course and safe practice in all clinical experiences are required to progress in the program. In order to progress, students must meet the criteria for academic progress as stated in the Academic Regulations. The basic science, social science, and humanities courses provide a broad educational base for the student.
Admission Requirements
Admission requirements include current professional licensure and evidence of graduation from either an associate degree nursing program or a diploma nursing program, reference from the most recent employer and/or the administrator of the applicant’s basic nursing program, a cumulative GPA of 2.0 (“C” average) with grades of “C” or better in all basic science and nursing courses.
Transfer Credits
Sixty pre-requisite credits (30 credits from support courses and 30 credits from nursing courses) may be transferred from an accredited college or university. All prerequisites required for the RN to BSN Program must be completed prior to entering the first clinical course, and students must satisfy all course prerequisites before enrolling in a university class. In addition to the 60 credits transferred for pre-requisite courses, a student may transfer in an additional 16 credits.
New graduates are admitted on a conditional basis and must successfully pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Licensure is required prior to the first clinical course.
Applicants meeting these admission requirements who have graduated within the past ten years from an NLN-accredited associate degree nursing program are admitted directly into the program. Applicants who do not have transferable college credit for their basic nursing component (i.e. diploma graduates, graduates of non-NLN accredited associate degree nursing programs) and applicants who did not graduate from an associate degree nursing program within the past ten years can earn 30 college credits for nursing by successfully completing three nursing exams given by the American College Testing Program or the National League for Nursing.
Students are admitted on a full-time as well as part-time basis and are required to complete the program within ten years. The RN to BSN Baccalaureate Degree Program is accredited by the National League for Nursing and approved by the Vermont State Board of Nursing.
Baccalaureate Nursing Curriculum
| Fall Semester | Credits | Spring Semester | Credits | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NR303 | Nursing in Today’s World | 3 | PY321 | Organizational Psychology | 3 |
| BI360 | Pathophysiology | 3 | CH | Chemistry Elective | 4 |
| Humanities Elective | 3 | NR305 | Health Assessment | 3 | |
| MA232 | Statistics | 3 | NR403 | Nursing Research | 3 |
| NR211 | Pharmacology | 3 | Math or Computer Elective | 3 | |
| 15 | 16 | ||||
| Fall Semester | Credits | Spring Semester | Credits | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NR405 | Nsg. Role in Heatlh Promotion and Protection * | 8 | NR412 | Nsg. Role in Collaborative Health Care Practice | 8 |
| Humanities Elective | 3 | Social Science Elective | 3 | ||
| NR404 | Nursing Leadership | 3 | Free Elective | 3 | |
| ENxxx | Upper Level Literature Elective | 3 | NR300 | Thematic Seminar | 3 |
| 17 | 17 | ||||
*Course with clinical component
| Credits | Credits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BI220 | Intro to Microbiology | 4 | PY220 | Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| BI215 | Anatomy & Physiology | 4 | BI216 | Anatomy & Physiology II | 4 |
| EN101 | Composition & Lit | 3 | EN202 | Composition & Lit II | 3 |
| SO201 | Intro to Sociology | 3 | History Elective | 3 | |
| PY211 | Intro to Psychology | 3 | Nursing | 30 | |
