Nursing (BSN)

The Department of Nursing offers the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program for individuals interested in becoming a registered nurse. The BSN program offers three pathways: a traditional pathway for students with a high school degree, an accelerated program for individuals who hold a baccalaureate degree, and an RN completion program for registered nurses who have an Associate’s Degree in Nursing. Graduates of Concord’s BSN program will be eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) for licensure in the United States (waived for the RN-BSN Pathway).

The traditional BSN program requires that students complete 120-credit hours from: 1) the General Education Program and 2) the nursing curriculum to ensure graduates have knowledge from other fields of study and professions and can adapt and apply this knowledge to professional practice as a generalist nurse.

The 65 credit hour nursing curriculum will provide students with a background in nursing knowledge, theory, and research. Additionally, the curriculum will focus on both direct and indirect patient care, including individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations. Students will also complete a minimum of 600 clinical hours in health care settings during their junior and senior years.

Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or better to remain in good standing in the BSN program. Additionally, students must earn a “C” or better in all nursing coursework. Students who earn less than a “C” in a nursing class must repeat the course. Failure to earn at least a “C” the second time a course is repeated will result in dismissal from the BSN program.

Students who hold a baccalaureate degree (BA or BS) and have the prerequisites (BIOL 121 Foundations of Biology I(4) , CHEM 101 General Chemistry I(3) with CHEM 111 General Chemistry Laboratory I(1) , BIOL 335 Human Anatomy and Physiology I(4) , BIOL 336 Human Anatomy and Physiology II(4) , MATH 103 College Algebra(3) , and MATH 105 Elementary Statistics(3) ) will enroll in the accelerated pathway and take two years (58 hours) of nursing coursework that includes 600 clinical hours of clinical experience that will lead to the BSN. Upon successful completion of the BSN, graduates will be eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN required for licensure.

Registered nurses seeking the BSN will complete a 30-hour, online program designed to provide licensed registered nurses a pathway to earn the baccalaureate degree. The coursework will be delivered asynchronously since these individuals will be working full-time in healthcare settings.

BSN Program

Students interested in the BSN program (all pathways) must first be admitted to the University (See https://www.concord.edu/admissions/undergraduate-students.aspx for specific information). Students in the traditional pathway will be admitted as pre-nursing students until they meet the requirements for formal admission to the nursing program including:

Submission of a formal application to the nursing program;
Submission of scores at 70% or above on the Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) pre-entrance exam;
Cumulative GPA of 3.0 upon completion of at least 30 hours of credit; and
A grade of “C” or higher in all science and math prerequisite courses: CHEM 101 , CHEM 111 , BIOL 121 , BIOL 335 , BIOL 336 (can be taken concurrently with NUR 210 ), MATH 103 , and MATH 105 .
A clear criminal background check.
A negative drug screen result.
A physical completed by a Primary Care Physician or Nurse Practitioner, including up to date immunizations.

Note: Must have current Health Insurance Policy.

Prerequisites for the Nursing Program (BSN Program)

COMM 101 Fundamentals of Speech (3)
BIOL 121 Foundations of Biology I (4)
BIOL 249 Medical Terminology (3)
BIOL 335 Human Anatomy and Physiology I (4)
BIOL 336 Human Anatomy and Physiology II (4) (can be taken concurrently with NUR 210 )
CHEM 101 General Chemistry I (3)
CHEM 111 General Chemistry Laboratory I (1)
GEOG 221 Cultural Anthropology (3)
or
SOWK 161 Introduction to Social Work (3)
H ED 304 Principles of Nutrition and Weight Management (2)
MATH 103 College Algebra (3) *
MATH 105 Elementary Statistics (3)
PHIL 361 Biomedical Ethics (3)
PSY 101 General Psychology (3)
SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology (3)
Note: MATH 103 and/or MATH 104 will be waived for those students establishing “equivalent proficiency” as defined by the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

BSN Program Courses

BA or BS to BSN Accelerated Program

Students holding a baccalaureate degree in another field from a regionally-accredited institution must apply for formal admission to the BSN program. These applicants must have completed:

BIOL 121 Foundations of Biology I with a grade of “C” or better,
CHEM 101 General Chemistry I and CHEM 111 General Chemistry Laboratory I with grades of “C” or better,
BIOL 335 Human Anatomy and Physiology I and BIOL 336 Human Anatomy and Physiology II and with grades of “C” or better,
MATH 103 College Algebra with a grade of “C” or better, and ·
MATH 105 Elementary Statistics with a grade of “C” or better.

Additional admission criteria for this pathway include:

An overall GPA of 3.0;
Formal application to the BSN program.

All General Education and Pre-Nursing requirements must be met prior to entering the Accelerated Program. This program can be completed in 4 consectutive semesters.

BA or BS to BSN Accelerated Program Courses

Online RN-BSN Program

Online RN to BSN Program requires the following to be admitted into the program:

RN license,
2.5 for entry and 3.0 maintained GPA in CU Nursing courses,
Two-Year Associate Degree in Nursing, and
a formal application to the BSN program.

Students will also need a total of 120 credit hours to graduate.