RN to BSN Degree Program

Beth Fezio, DNP, Dean

Mission

The mission of the Southern Wesleyan University RN to BSN Nursing Program supports that of the university by creating a culture of excellence and facilitating a Christ-centered, student-focused environment where professional nurses will be prepared to practice servant leadership and ethical, evidence-informed, collaborative practice supporting individuals, families, communities, and diverse populations.

Vision

The Southern Wesleyan University RN to BSN Nursing Program aspires to be recognized as a faith-based, Christ-centered program of nursing known for helping its students to find their unique purpose in life along their individual journeys to impact the lives of others.

Philosophy

The RN to BSN Nursing philosophy supports the university’s mission statement and reflects the institution’s vision to impact the lives of others. The philosophy’s foundation is reflected in the definitions of its central basic concepts of person, health, nursing, environment and education. Bulleted are the concepts, as defined by nursing theorist Nola Pender. (Butts & Rich, 2011 & Pender, Murdaugh, & Parsons, 2002, 2006)

Person - Each person is unique, possessing experiences and characteristics that affect his or her actions. The person’s health behaviors are learned within the context of the family and community.
Environment - Pender describes the environment in terms of the physical, personal and economic circumstances affecting the person’s life. Environmental quality is dependent upon current socioeconomic conditions, absence of toxins and the availability and accessibility of resources needed to support healthy living. Environmental health is measured by the balance existing between humans and their environments.
Health - According to Pender, a person’s own definition of health is more important than any other. Described as a positive state, an individual’s health then, is a highly subjective condition (Pender, et al, 2006; Sakraida, 2010).
Nursing - The Health Promotion Model defines the nursing role as supportive and highly promotional, increasing the consciousness of health-promoting behaviors, extolling self-efficacy and the benefits of positive change, addressing barriers to change and encouraging healthy behaviors (Butts & Rich, 2011).

Note:
Activities, assignments and assessments will reflect the program’s mission, vision, philosophy and organizing framework.

The Southern Wesleyan RN to BSN Nursing Program goals are congruent with the program’s mission statement.

Program Goals:

Integrate evidence-informed best practice into the program to promote students’ success.
Prepare the students to use solid clinical judgment, sound reasoning skills, and interprofessional collaboration to provide safe, patient-centered, evidence-informed practice.
Provide coursework that is grounded in Christian principle and servant leadership.
Provide current, innovative content and content delivery to promote student engagement.
Contribute to student success, community, and the nursing profession by promoting scholarship, leadership and sound practice behaviors.

Student Learning Outcomes

The Southern Wesleyan RN to BSN graduate will be expected to:

Integrate knowledge gained through general educational coursework with that attained through the nursing curriculum to provide a solid base for ethical, evidence-informed practice.
Demonstrate professional and ethical behaviors in practice.
Apply organizational leadership to plan, facilitate, and guide patient care across the lifespan of individuals and their families, communities, and populations.
Recognize and address disparities in healthcare through interdisciplinary partnerships, and servant leadership.
Employ innovative change leadership and make prudent use of resources to plan and effect essential transitions in healthcare.
Apply Christian ethics in the identification of need and provision of evidence-informed interventions for individuals, families, and disparate populations.
Infuse the AACN Nine Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice into every course in order to prepare graduates to practice in complex healthcare systems in an array of nursing roles.

ANA Code of Ethics for Nursing

All professional nurses are expected to provide ethical care. All students should review the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics for Nurses.

American Nurses Association, Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements, Washington, DC: American Nurses Publishing, 2001.

ANA Standards of Nursing

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice inform the program curriculum and will serve as a guideline for scholarly activities. Please bookmark the document for routine use.

Source: American Nurses Association (2010). Nursing scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.), 2010. Silver Spring, MD: Nursebooks.org

Admission Requirements

In order to be considered for Southern Wesleyan University’s RN to BSN Nursing Program, the candidate must have met the following degree and licensure requirements. Candidate must:

have earned an Associate’s Degree in Nursing with at least 60 transferable credit hours from a regionally accredited college or university.
have earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 from all colleges and universities attended. If a candidate’s GPA is below 2.75, the student may be admitted on a conditional basis on the recommendation of the Undergraduate Admissions Committee, based on criteria set by the Dean of the RN to BSN Nursing Program. Students who are admitted with conditional status must earn a minimum 2.00 SWU GPA for their first semester of enrollment at SWU. If the minimum cumulative SWU 2.00 GPA is not attained, the student will be administratively withdrawn from the RN to BSN Nursing Program with no semester of academic probation.
complete an application for admission.
submit the $25 admission application fee.
provide proof of current, unencumbered RN licensure (USA). License must be active for the duration of the student’s enrollment.
provide official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.

Transfer Credit

Transfer credit is generally accepted from regionally accredited colleges and universities provided such transfer courses meet SWU degree requirements and transfer-quality accreditation standards. ADN graduates may earn transfer credit for up to 35 credit hours of ADN coursework with a minimum earned grade of C- for each transfer course. Acceptable transfer ADN coursework is determined by university transfer policy and the Dean of the RN to BSN Nursing Program.

Progression Requirements

Nursing students must:

complete each nursing foundation course under the faculty at Southern Wesleyan University. RN to BSN foundation courses completed at other colleges or universities will not meet nursing foundation core or elective requirements nor will degree requirement waivers or substitutions be granted.
complete each nursing foundation course and required nursing elective with a minimum grade of “C-” or higher. A nursing course with an earned grade of less than “C-“ must be repeated.
maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher on nursing foundation courses and nursing electives.
complete all nursing foundation courses prior to enrolling in NURS 4955 Baccalaureate Capstone: Synthesis & Evaluation.
fulfill the graduation requirements as stated in the catalog for the academic year of the nursing student’s initial enrollment or academic year of re-enrollment for students who withdraw from the program for any period of time.
provide a criminal history background check, drug testing, and immunization tracking as required by the facilities where the student chooses to complete his or her service projects and capstone course.
carry basic medical malpractice insurance. Affordable rates and basic plans are available to nursing students through online services recommended by the Nursing Program.

Graduation Requirements