Nursing Major (NURS), BSN

Requirements

Total Hours: 135

Note(s):

Refer to the preprofessional programs section for a suggested prenursing curriculum sequence.

Special considerations:

*These courses also serve as prerequisites to the nursing program and must be passed with a “C” or higher prior to admission to the Level I nursing courses.

**Elect two courses from foreign language courses; ANTH 250 ; BIOL 250 ; BMIS 280 , 386 , 387  or 388 ; GEOG 302  or 303 ; HUM 201; IB 325  or 345 ; INST 310 ; NURS 305 , 344 , 413 ; POLS 202 ; SOCS 301 . Since NURS 344  and 413  meet the requirements for global literacy, they are recommended for those interested in health missions. NURS 413  counts as a Bible or global literacy requirement, but not both. Students are strongly encouraged to take NURS 413  if they are planning to participate in an international health care mission trip.

***The remaining Bible courses must be selected from BNEW 211 , 213 , BDOC 251 , and BYFE 338  for a total of 8 hours of textual Bible courses. NURS 413  does not count as a textual Bible course. BDOC 354  is a requirement for the nursing degree, and it counts as a textual Bible course for nursing majors only.

****MATH 107  must be passed with a “B” or higher prior to admission to the Level I nursing courses. Refer to the preprofessional programs section for a suggested prenursing curriculum sequence.

Curriculum Plan:

The nursing faculty support the liberal arts and Bible-based course offerings at Harding and the many opportunities available for student learning experiences. The following are recommended in planning a program of study:      

1. In the College of Nursing, Level I is the first two semesters of study after admission. Level II is the last two semesters of study within the College of Nursing.
2. Though the Level I and Level II years may be predominately nursing courses, students are encouraged to participate fully in campus activities.
3. Mission and health mission opportunities abound. NURS 210 , NURS 305 , NURS 344 , NURS 413 , and BMIS 388  are available to enrich knowledge and skills with missions and health care. See the nursing health missions coordinator for details.
4. The assistant to the dean and faculty advisers are available to serve in academic and career planning. Individual and group academic advising sessions are available each semester. Students are encouraged to use this assistance to plan schedules which fit individual learning needs and which prevent costly scheduling mistakes.
5. Students are encouraged to consider obtaining a leadership and ministry major and/or a health missions minor. Details are available in this catalog and can be provided by the assistant to the dean in the College of Nursing.
6. NURS 367  is available as a cooperative education clinical experience. See the assistant to the dean or a faculty adviser for details.

Completion of Program

Following Level 1 College of Nursing admission, nursing courses are to be completed within four consecutive years. Should a student not complete the nursing curriculum within four consecutive years following admission to the nursing program, the student’s progress will be evaluated by committee, and an individualized remediation plan will be developed to ensure competency and safety as a program graduate. This plan may include requiring the student to repeat courses.

Licensure Examination Eligibility

Following graduation, alumni are eligible to apply for the national licensure examination called the NCLEX- RN. Test development and oversight is coordinated through the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. The test is administered in every state and U.S. territory, and successful passage enables a graduate to practice anywhere in the United States and U.S. territories. Final application approval through the College of Nursing rests with the dean of nursing; final approval to be eligible to take the NCLEX-RN rests with the Arkansas State Board of Nursing (or a like counterpart in the state in which a graduate seeks to pursue initial licensure).

Persons convicted of a crime are ineligible to take the NCLEX-RN. Felony and/or FBI background checks and fingerprinting are required as part of the nursing licensure application process.

Undergraduate Curriculum Tracks

Students are admitted into one of two curriculum tracks based on past educational experience.

Traditional Track: This track is for all nursing students except licensed nurses. The student may complete the degree in four academic years of full-time study; part-time study is available.

Students are enrolled in either sequence A or sequence B in Level I and Level II.

Level I

Level II

Note(s):

Additional Bible courses may be required per University policy.

Many prenursing students take courses during the summer to lighten the regular semester course load. Students should see their advisers for information about summer school.

The following legend of symbols relates to the various courses previously listed:

*It is suggested that students considering international mission work take a foreign language to partially fulfill the global literacy requirement. Take the language courses during the first two freshman semesters, and take the history course during one of the semesters marked global literacy. This sequence is recommended to complete the degree in four years.
**Students must complete and pass a minimum of 8 hours of textual Bible classes to graduate from Harding. Four of the 8 must be selected from BNEW 211 , 213 , BDOC 251 , and BYFE 338 . University policy states that all full-time students must enroll in a Bible class each semester.
***Elect two courses from the following: foreign language courses; ANTH 250 ; BIOL 250 ; BMIS 280 , 386  or 387 ; GEOG 302  or 303 ; HUM 201; IB 325  or 345 ; INST 310 ; NURS 305 , 344 , 413 ; POLS 202 ; SOCS 301 . NURS 413  is strongly recommended for those interested in health care missions. NURS 344  and 451  may be required for those doing international mission work.
+NURS 413  (Health Care Missions) will count as a Bible class the semester it is taken, and it will also serve as global literacy credit. NURS 413  is not considered a textual Bible class.
++BDOC 354  (Contemporary Christian Ethics) is required for graduation for nursing majors. It is considered a textual Bible course for nursing majors.
#NURS 321  and 362  are to be taken the first semester following admission. NURS 354  and MATH 200  are taken the second semester after admission.
##NURS 412  is planned for the first semester of Level II but may be taken the second semester of Level I; NURS 462  is taken the semester of graduation.

All non-nursing course transfer credit is approved through the registrar’s office personnel; prior approval is required.

Advanced Placement Track: The Advanced Placement Tracks (RN to BSN, LPN to BSN) are available to students who hold an unencumbered current Arkansas nursing license (licensed practical nurses, licensed psychiatric technical nurses, and registered nurses). The College of Nursing has adopted the Arkansas articulation plan for advanced placement. Licensed nurses who have completed prerequisite courses are eligible for the Advanced Placement Track. Work experience is required for admission if the initial degree or diploma was obtained 12 or more months before admission to the College of Nursing. NLN Nursing Acceleration Challenge Exams (NLN-ACE) are required if the work experience criteria is unmet. All nursing courses are held in escrow until degree requirements are complete. Licensed nurses are to contact the assistant to the dean (501-279-4682) or e-mail nursing@harding.edu for review of prior clinical and educational experiences as well as development of an individualized degree plan.

Registered Nurses (RN to BSN): Registered nurse students may select a test-out option for NURS 203  and NURS 321 . Registered nurse students who have completed prerequisite courses are eligible for the Advanced Placement Track. For registered nurses this means taking NURS 315  and all required nursing courses to satisfy degree requirements. Prior to the semester in which the student enrolls in Level I nursing courses and during NURS 315 , if more than 12 months after graduation and if work experience criteria are unmet, the registered nurse student will need to successfully complete the NLN Nursing Acceleration Challenge Exams II — RN-BSN. The fee for the student’s first writing of this exam is included in the NURS 315  course fee. Any subsequent writing of the exam will be an individual expense to the student. Once admission requirements are met and NURS 315  is completed, students may be awarded up to 32 hours of nursing course credit. This credit is held in escrow until graduation. Completion of the required upper division nursing courses involves nine courses totaling 23 credit hours and usually requires two semesters of full-time nursing study; part-time study is available. Registered nurse students who wish to complete the Traditional Track may elect to do so. Passing 8 hours of textual Bible classes is required for graduation.

Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN or LPTN): For licensed practical nurses, this means taking the Traditional Track except for the courses exempted by the following testing sequence to satisfy degree requirements. NLN Nursing Acceleration Challenge Exams I-LPN-BSN (NLN-ACE) testing may be omitted if work criteria experience is met or if admission is sought less than 12 months following graduation. After completion of prerequisite courses and prior to the semester in which the student enrolls in Level I nursing courses, the licensed practical nurse takes the following during scheduled testing sessions:

NLN Nursing Acceleration Challenge Exams
Skills Validation Test
Health Assessment Validation Test
Pharmacology Validation Test

Expenses related to each of these exams or validations are the responsibility of the student. Upon successful completion of the NLN-ACE exams and required validations, up to 12 hours of credit may be awarded. These credit hours will be held in escrow until graduation. The student then enters the Traditional Track after completion of prerequisite courses and NURS 315 .