The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) track prepares students to develop nursing competencies while building upon a liberal arts education that expands their world view of the global community. The curriculum is sequential and integrates theory from the biological and social sciences to develop clinical reasoning and communication skill in graduates who will be expected to serve as leaders in the changing healthcare environment. Content is presented in a simple to complex format and is organized using seven strands to help conceptualize the professional nursing role, including nursing process, research, therapeutic care, teaching/learning, communications, and role development, and incorporates theory and practice to meet the “Essentials for Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice” (AACN, 2008).
Each Essential is presented throughout the curriculum in the classroom and operationalized in clinical settings. Incorporation of the nursing process allows the nursing student to differentiate the independent, dependent, and interdependent functions of nursing.
The General Education courses provide the foundation for the nursing major and continued learning in all educational programs. The addition of both clinical and non-clinical nursing courses in each program prepares graduates for practice at differing levels of experience and responsibility from entry to the nursing profession through the baccalaureate level.
The nursing curriculum provides the opportunity for the student to acquire the professional nursing knowledge and skills necessary to assist patients to an optimal level of health. This is accomplished through an integration of theoretical nursing knowledge with essential clinical skills. Students are provided the opportunity to practice in a changing health care environment in acute and long-term care facilities, as well as in community settings.
Upon graduation from West Coast University, students will have met the following Program Learning Outcomes:
Admission Requirements
BSN Entrance Examination Requirements
BSN applicants will have a maximum of two attempts, a week apart, to successfully pass the admissions exam. If an applicant does not pass the admissions exam after two attempts, he or she must wait a period of 6 months to retest and must provide proof of remediation. WCU only collects Verbal and Quantitative scores for SAT and ACT. HESI exam scores must be within 3 years of enrollment date. TEAS exam scores must be within 1 year of enrollment date.
BSN & LVN/LPN-BSN Transfer Credit Evaluation
BSN applicants requesting transfer credit evaluation must provide official transcripts to the registrar no later than the first day of the first semester in which the student commences their education at West Coast University. General education, prerequisites, and core nursing coursework taken from a national or regionally accredited institution will be considered and evaluated for transfer credit. All general education, prerequisite, and core nursing coursework must have been taken at an appropriately accredited institution. For nursing credits to be considered for transfer credit there can be only one year between the end of the last nursing course taken at a previous institution and the beginning of the first course at West Coast University. Exceptions may be considered. The student must be listed in good standing with the prior institution. Science courses must be taken within the last five years to be accepted for transfer credit. Course syllabi for courses previously taken at another nursing program should be submitted for review to the campus dean for nursing. The maximum allowable transfer credits applied to the BSN program shall not exceed 52 credits of general education. For additional information on receiving nursing credit for previously completed nursing courses, see the Challenge Credit policy. Authority for all final transfer credit decisions is given to the Program Dean/Chair.
LVN/LPN-BSN Licensure Requirements
LVN to BSN Applicants who possess a current unobstructed LVN license may be admitted into the West Coast University LVN to BSN program without requiring transcripts if they meet all other specific program admission requirements which would include military trained LVN’s who were able to obtain their LVN license using their military training as the academic qualifier and those who have graduated from a school that has since closed and transcripts are no longer available.
LVN to RN 30 Unit Option
In addition to the 120 Unit LVN to BSN program, West Coast University offers a 30 unit option for Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN) as required by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). Students considering taking the 30 unit option will take Physiology, Microbiology, and selected pre-licensure nursing courses. Students who choose the 30 unit option will not receive a certificate or degree from West Coast University and are not considered a graduate of the University. Students interested in the 30 unit option must declare this option prior to enrolling in the WCU LVN to BSN program. Once students have enrolled and have started the WCU LVN to BSN program, the 30 unit option is not available. Financial aid is not available for students choosing the 30 unit option since this is not a pathway leading to a degree.
Students who successfully complete the LVN to RN 30 Unit Option will be eligible to take the NCLEX-RN examination. More information can be found in the RN Student Handbook on the West Coast University website. Please contact the campus Nursing department for further details.
RN to BSN Transfer Credit Evaluation
Official transcripts documenting receipt of a Nursing degree must be received by the end of the add/drop period of the first term. The RN to BSN program awards 42 transfer credits for an unobstructed current RN license issued in the United States.
Students who request transfer credits for courses in the core curriculum must submit official transcripts by the first day of the first term in which the student commences his or her education at the University.
Nursing applicants requesting transfer credit for General Education courses must provide official transcripts no later than 30 calendar days after the start of the semester in which the student commences his or her education at the University. College-level coursework will be considered for transfer credit. All coursework must have been taken at an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education.
Note: A student may have the option of taking a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA 100) course if he/she does not have sufficient college-level credits required to meet the 120 credits required for graduation with this degree program. Prior Learning Assessment (PLA 100) is not subject to this policy as credit earned from Prior Learning Assessment is done in conjunction with enrollment in the appropriate West Coast University course.
BSN and LVN-BSN Admissions Requirements-California
1. Submit a completed WCU application for admissions;
2. Participate in an admissions interview arranged by a University admissions advisor;
3. Submit WCU approved documentation of high school graduation or equivalent; (Please Note: Foreign high school diplomas/credentials or their equivalent must have an official evaluation
performed by an approved organization)
4. Complete an enrollment agreement (must be signed by a parent or guardian if the applicant is under 18 years of age);
5. Meet program specific entrance requirements;
a. Submit all postsecondary transcripts:
i. Applicants with 18 or more postsecondary credits, from institution recognized by an accreditation body approved by the U.S. Department of Education, will be evaluated on their cumulative grade point average.
ii. Applicants with fewer than 18 postsecondary credits, from institution recognized by an accreditation body approved by the U.S. Department of Education will be evaluated based on their high school cumulative grade point average.
b. Applicants to the LVN-BSN program must provide proof of current unobstructed licensure as a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN).
c. Must achieve an acceptable composite score based on entrance examination and cumulative GPA requirements defined as follows:
1. Applicants with a composite score of 8 or above will be admitted to the university
2. Applicants with a composite score of between 2 to 7 will be conditionally admitted to the university.
i. Students who are conditionally admitted must achieve a composite score of 58.7% on the TEAS examination to be allowed entrance into Nursing (NURS) core courses. Students who do not meet this requirement will not be allowed to register for NURS courses and will be dismissed from the university.
3. Applicants with a composite score of 1 or below will be denied admissions to the university.
4. Any applicant with an entrance examination score or Cumulative GPA requirement below the requirement noted in the tables below will be denied admissions.
| Composite Score |
| 8 + |
Admitted |
| 2 to 7 |
Admitted with Conditions |
| Less than 2 |
Denied Enrollment |
| A student scoring less than a 76 on the HESI or with a GPA of less than a 2.0 will be denied admissions to the University. |
Entrance Exam Point Value:
35+
|
1500+
|
2300+
|
90.5+
|
96-100
|
20
|
35
|
1500+
|
2300+
|
90.5+
|
95
|
20
|
34
|
1465
|
2250
|
88
|
94
|
19
|
33
|
1430
|
2200
|
85.5
|
93
|
18
|
32
|
1395
|
2150
|
83
|
92
|
17
|
31
|
1360
|
2100
|
80.5
|
91
|
16
|
30
|
1325
|
2050
|
78
|
90
|
15
|
29
|
1290
|
2000
|
75.5
|
89
|
14
|
28
|
1255
|
1950
|
73
|
88
|
13
|
27
|
1220
|
1900
|
70.5
|
87
|
12
|
26
|
1185
|
1850
|
68
|
86
|
11
|
25
|
1150
|
1800
|
65.5
|
85
|
10
|
24
|
1115
|
1750
|
63
|
84
|
9
|
23
|
1080
|
1700
|
60.5
|
83
|
8
|
22
|
1045
|
1650
|
58
|
82
|
7
|
21
|
1010
|
1600
|
55.5
|
81
|
6
|
20
|
975
|
1550
|
53
|
80
|
5
|
19
|
940
|
1500
|
50.5
|
79
|
4
|
18
|
905
|
1450
|
48
|
78
|
3
|
17
|
870
|
1400
|
45.5
|
77
|
2
|
16
|
835
|
1350
|
43
|
76
|
1
|
Admissions Denied Below Point
|
15
|
800
|
1300
|
40.5
|
<76
|
0
|
Cumulative GPA Point Value:
3.9+
|
20
|
3.8-3.89
|
19
|
3.7-3.79
|
18
|
3.6-3.69
|
17
|
3.5-3.59
|
16
|
3.4-3.49
|
15
|
3.3-3.39
|
14
|
3.2-3.29
|
13
|
3.1-3.19
|
12
|
3.0-3.09
|
11
|
2.9-2.99
|
10
|
2.8-2.89
|
9
|
2.7-2.79
|
8
|
2.6-2.69
|
7
|
2.5-2.59
|
6
|
2.4-2.49
|
5
|
2.3-2.39
|
4
|
2.2-2.29
|
3
|
2.1-2.19
|
2
|
2.0-2.09
|
1
|
Admissions Denied Below 2.0
|
30 Unit Option Admission Requirements - California
30 unit option applicants will have two attempts to successfully pass the HESI admissions exam at 80%. If an applicant does not pass the HESI admissions exam after two attempts, he or she must wait a period of 6 months to retest for the 3rd and final attempt. HESI exam scores must be within 3 years of enrollment date.
Postsecondary Transcripts
All applicants are required to submit all official postsecondary transcripts by the first day of the term in order to be admitted to the university.
Applicants who submit their unofficial transcripts prior to the first day of the term may be conditionally admitted and must submit all official transcripts by the end of the first term of instruction.
If official transcripts are not received by this stated deadline or if the official transcripts are submitted and it is found that the student did not meet the academic performance requirements as was
demonstrated on the unofficial transcripts, the individual would be dismissed, all state and federal Title IV funds will be returned and the student would be financially responsible for all tuition charges incurred.
An applicant whose transcripts are unavailable (including foreign applicants without a grade point average, or individuals with a high school equivalency) will receive a 3-point value toward program admission, similar to an individual with a 2.25 cumulative grade point average.
Transfer credit will not be awarded based on unofficial transcripts and all students will be scheduled for their first semester of courses based on unofficial transfer credit review. Financial packaging will be estimated without transfer credit unless/until official transcripts are received and evaluated during the payment period or period of enrollment.
BSN and LPN-BSN Admissions Requirements-Florida
Effective April 4, 2016
Applicants to the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing program must:
- For full acceptance into the Nursing program, achieve a minimum summative cut score of 176.1 on the TEAS V Examination to be admitted, or score a minimum of 80 on the HESI Examination;
- For conditional acceptance into the Nursing program, achieve a summative score on the TEAS V from 129 to 176, or a score on the HESI from 76 to 79.5. The conditions are outlined below, and students who do not continue to meet these conditions may be referred to Student Conduct Committee and/or dismissed from the university.
- All conditionally accepted students are required to meet regularly with the Student Success Coordinator and assigned Tutor.
- All conditionally accepted students must retake the TEAS V prior to moving into the core Nursing curriculum, and must achieve a TEAS V Examination composite score of at least a 58.7.
Academic Progression Pre-Licensure Nursing (BSN)
In order to progress into Nursing Core courses all students must meet the following requirements:
- Have a minimum of 2.0 Grade Point Average in all General Education courses either taken at West Coast University or transferred in;
- Earn a minimum grade of “C” (2.0) in the following courses:
- Anatomy 260
- English 140
- English 240
- Chemistry 280
- Microbiology 290
- Pathophysiology 370
- Physiology 261
Applicants to the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing program must:
-
For full acceptance into the Nursing program, achieve a minimum summative cut score of 176.1 on the TEAS V Examination to be admitted, or score a minimum of 80 on the HESI Examination;
-
For conditional acceptance into the Nursing program, achieve a summative score on the TEAS V from 129 to 176, or a score on the HESI from 76 to 79.5. The conditions are outlined below, and students who do not continue to meet these conditions may be referred to Student Conduct Committee and/or dismissed from the university.
-
All conditionally accepted students are required to meet regularly with the Student Success Coordinator and assigned Tutor.
-
All conditionally accepted students must retake the TEAS V prior to moving into the core Nursing curriculum, and must achieve a TEAS V Examination composite score of at least a 58.7.
Academic Progression Pre-Licensure Nursing (BSN)
In order to progress into Nursing Core courses all students must meet the following requirements:
- Have a minimum of 2.0 Grade Point Average in all General Education courses either taken at West Coast University or transferred in;
- Earn a minimum grade of “C” (2.0) in the following courses:
- Anatomy 260
- English 140
- English 240
- Chemistry 280
- Microbiology 290
- Pathophysiology 370
- Physiology 261