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Nursing RN to BSN Online Bachelor of Science

Program Location
Distance Education / Online
Program Credits
120 Credits
Program Length

2 Trimesters, 32 Instructional Weeks

or

3 Trimesters, 48 Instructional Weeks

or
5 Trimesters, 80 Instructional Weeks

Time to Complete

8 Months

or

12 Months
or
20 Months

Program length may vary. WCU distance education programs may not be available to residents in all states.

Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Codes: 29-1141.00, 11-9111.00

This program requires the completion of general education courses and nursing courses. Courses are delivered in an online format.

The RN to BSN degree completion program is a specialized program of study designed specifically for the Registered Nurse (RN) with an Associate Degree or Diploma in Nursing. A total of 120 semester credits are required to earn the Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing.

Mission Statement

The mission of the College of Nursing is to provide evidence-based and innovative nursing education to culturally diverse learners; preparing nurses to provide quality and compassionate care that is responsive to the needs of the community and the global society.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon graduation, RN to BSN students will:

  1. Support professional nursing practice decisions with concepts and theories from the biological, physical, and social sciences.
  2. Plan preventative and population focused interventions with attention to effectiveness, efficiency, cost, and equity.
  3. Support therapeutic nursing interventions for patients and families in a variety of healthcare and community settings using evidence based practice.
  4. Apply nursing process and critical thinking when providing holistic, patient centered nursing care to diverse populations.
  5. Design health care education for individuals, families, and communities.
  6. Comply with the professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct in practice.
  7. Develop an effective communication style to interact with patients, families, and the interdisciplinary health team.
  8. Model leadership when providing safe, quality nursing care; coordinating the healthcare team; and when tasked with oversight and accountability for care delivery.
  9. Use patient care technology and information systems when providing nursing care in a variety of settings.

RN to BSN Online Awarded Credit

Course Number
Course Name
Total Credit Hours
ELECT 199
Awarded for College-Level Non-Nursing Coursework:
Up to 39 credits of transfer coursework:
  • Applicants who do not have enough previous credits to complete this requirement will have the following options:

* College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

* Prometric DSST Exams (DANTES)

* Advanced Placement (AP)

* International Baccalaureate (IB)

* American Credit Evaluation (ACE)

* National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS)

* Challenge exams 		39.0

If a post-licensure nursing student cannot provide appropriate documentation evidencing general education transfer credit eligibility at the time of enrollment, the student will be scheduled for General Education classes at West Coast University.  

RN-BSN Transfer Credit

To achieve the graduation requirement of 120 credits, all students must complete 39 credits of general education courses. All general education credits must fall into one of the general education category areas below. Students may request to satisfy general education credit requirements through transfer credit per university policy.

General Education Requirements

 

Category and Requirements WCU Course Requirements  Transferable / Options
A1- Written Communication
(3 Semester Credits Minimum)

Written communication courses cover the use of writing as a means of conveying information.  In these courses, students will utilize discussions, papers, essays, research, etc. to examine, analyze, and transmit information in an appropriate academic or professional manner.  (Transferable courses will generally have ENG, JRN, or COM prefix)

 Any course that meets the General Education category and requirements. 
A2. Oral Communication
(3 Semester Credits Minimum) 		Oral communication courses cover the use of language and speech as a means of conveying information.  In these courses, students will utilize language and speech to disseminate information to audiences as appropriate.
 (Transferable courses will generally have SPE, COM, JRN, ENG, or BUS prefix)  		Any equivalent courses that meet the General Education categorical requirements.
A3. Critical Thinking
(3 Semester Credits Minimum) 		Critical thinking courses provide the skills necessary to make complex decisions.  In these courses, students will utilize complex thinking, logic, and other skills to analyze decision making processes.  (Transferable courses will generally have PHI, LOG, or COM prefixes  Any equivalent courses that meet the General Education categorical requirements.
A4. Quantitative Reasoning
(3 Semester Credits Minimum) 		 Quantitative reasoning courses provide the skills to process, analyze, and interpret data.  In these courses students will utilize math to solve problems.  (Transferable courses generally have MAT or STAT prefixes) Any equivalent courses that meet the General Education categorical requirements.
B1– Social and Behavioral Sciences / Cultural Diversity, Tradition
(3 Semester Credits Minimum) 		Social and behavioral science, cultural diversity, and tradition courses cover a broad range of humanities disciplines.  Courses in this competency may cover social interactions, human behavior, cultural diversity, aesthetic awareness, art appreciation and creation, history, civic duty, and other areas in the field.  (Transferable courses generally have SOC, SSC, PSY, ART, HIS, LIB, ENG, ANT, REL, POL, LNG, CRJ, or related prefixes)  Any course that meets the General Education category and requirements. 
B2. Life and Physical Sciences
(4 Semester Credits Minimum) 		Life and Physical Science courses cover vary disciplines within the scientific field.  Courses in this field may cover any scientific discipline within life and physical sciences.  (Transferable courses generally have BIO, CHEM, PHYS, ENV, NRM, or SCI prefixes) 

Any course that meets the General Education category and requirements. 

*As of April 2019, this course will be delivered online, asynchronously, through the institution's Learning Management System except where otherwise authorized by the Program Dean/Director.

RN to BSN Online Curriculum

Applicants who have successfully completed a pre-licensure nursing program and who have an active, unencumbered license may be awarded up to 90 credit hours of transfer credit. The transfer credit is comprised of up to 51 credits awarded for lower level nursing and an unencumbered license and up to 39 general education credits. Applicants who fail to demonstrate competencies through transcript review are required to complete equivalent course(s).

Students who request transfer credits for courses must submit sealed official transcripts to the Registrar’s Office from originating institutions prior to their first day of class. If students are unable to submit transcripts or transcripts are unavailable at admission, students may submit unofficial transcripts by the first day of the student's first course. Official transcripts must be received by the end of the first term In addition to official transcripts, copies of course descriptions, school catalogs, and course syllabi may be requested for evaluation purposes. All nursing transferred courses in which a grade of B or better was received will be evaluated for transfer credit. A grade of C- (1.7) or better is required in general education courses.

RN to BSN (Online) Progression Requirements

  1. An active, unencumbered license is required for degree completion and will be verified throughout the program.  
    1. Conditionally admitted students must have an active, unencumbered RN license prior to entering the second term of the program. 
      1. Failure to present a valid RN license will result in dismissal. 
  2. All course and clinical educational program requirements must be successfully completed to meet graduation requirements. All course and practicum requirements are published in the course syllabi and expanded upon in the Post-Licensure Nursing Student Handbook. Students will have access to course syllabi one week prior to the term start date. Students will have access to the Post-Licensure Nursing Student Handbook after acceptance into the nursing program.
  3. Students in good standing are required to meet the academic progression standards as stated in the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy. Failure to meet the SAP standards will result in dismissal from the nursing program.  
  4.  Students in the RN-BSN program must earn a B or better in all post-licensure nursing courses. Students will be required to repeat any course for which they scored less than a "B" the next term the course is offered. (Minimum passing grade of “B” will be in effect Summer 1 2023 and beyond). Probationally admitted students are required to adhere to the Probational Admission Policy. Fully admitted students who receive a third grade less than a "B" in a nursing course will be dismissed from the nursing program. (Minimum passing grade of “B” will be in effect Summer 1 2023 and beyond) A grade of C- (1.7) or better is required in general education courses.  

  5. Student Conduct from a Clinical Site.  

  6. Students in clinical sites will be held to the University’s Student Conduct Code. Incidents reported to the student’s Program Dean will be reported to the Campus Director of Student Affairs for investigation and potential adjudication and disciplinary sanctions.

BSNR 300Principles of Leadership for Healthcare Organizations

3
BSNR 305Pathophysiology

3
BSNR 310Resiliency, Professionalism, & Career-Long Learning

3
BSNR 315Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice

3
BSNR 400CCommunity & Public Health Nursing I

3
BSNR 405CCommunity & Public Health Nursing II

3
BSNR 410CHealth Literacy & Nursing Capstone

3
MSNC 500Nursing Roles in Policy, Ethics, & Finance

3
MSNC 510Advanced Nursing Technologies & Collaborative Care

3
MSNC 515Health Promotion and Disease Management

3
Total Credit Hours:30

Credit Distribution

Required at WCU
30.0
Awarded for college-level, General Education courses
39.0
Awarded for Unencumbered RN Licensure and lower-level nursing courses
 51.0
Degree Total 120.0