Baccalaureate Nursing Degree Program

Shaquita Bonds, DNP, FNP-C

BSN Program Director 

Health Sciences Building

615-963-5273

Faculty: H. Alghzawi, T. Barnett, S. Bonds, F. Bradshaw, , C. Campbell, K. Carter, R. Faulkner, C. Harris, C. Germany, A. Hunt, C. Lovelace, E. Manley, N. Morton, C. Nyange, M. Pace-Newbern, R. Pope, T. Richardson, C. Shelton, S. Tahmasbi, B. Thorne

BSN End of Program Outcomes (EPO)

1. At least 65% of students enrolled in each class will complete the BSN program of study.
2. At least 85% of students completing the BSN program of study will successfully pass the NCLEX-RN on the first attempt.

3. At least 90% of graduates are employed as registered nurses within one year of graduation.

4. As indicated in the TSU’s School of Nursing Graduate Exit Survey, 80% of students will report being satisfied with the preparation received from the program at the time of graduation.

 

*BSN End of Program Student Learning Outcomes (EPSLO): 

1. Manager/Coordinator of Care:  Develop and execute coordinated plans of care that incorporate the provision of holistic, ethical, and culturally sensitive care for persons across the lifespan.
2. Clinical Decision Making:  Use a systematic framework for making clinical decisions to deliver safe and effective nursing care for the health promotion, maintenance, and restoration of individuals, families, and communities.
3. Evidence-Based Practice:  Critique current research evidence to promote safe delivery of care to clients.
4. Professional Nursing:  Demonstrate leadership through participation in professional and community-based collaborative projects.
5. Communication:  Use effective oral, written, and current technology to collaborate with health care and transdisciplinary teams in establishing relationships that promote appropriate client outcomes.
6. Ethical Practice:  Appraise ethical situations to promote engagement in activities that support advocacy, collaboration, social justice, and leadership as health care professionals.

 

Admission, Progression, and Retention Requirements:

Students must be accepted into the University and meet with the School of Nursing faculty each semester to ensure completion of the required general education and nursing prerequisite courses in the first two years of college coursework (lower division).

Eligibility for Consideration of BSN Nursing Major Admission Requirements: 

1. Each applicant must apply to Tennessee State University before being considered eligible to be accepted for admission to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree Program.
2. An overall GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale at the end of the semester before submission of application to the BSN Program.
3. Completion of 61 hours of lower-division required University and General Education and nursing prerequisite courses before entering upper-division nursing courses. Only two courses can remain to be taken during the TSU Summer I term. Without exception, all general education and nursing pre-requisite courses must be completed by the end of the Summer I semester, prior to entering the upper-division nursing courses in the subsequent fall semester.
4. A grade of C or higher is required in each course in the general education and pre-nursing courses. All required courses, with grades of D, must be repeated before reviewing for admission. Repeated required science courses are not accepted (see # 5).
5. Completion of the required basic science courses with a grade of C or above.  Students with any failing science grades (D or F) are not eligible for admission regardless of retaking the courses.
6. Pre-admission nursing entrance examination scores equal to or above the values designated on the TSU School of Nursing website.
7. Entering the BSN applicant pool does not guarantee admission to the BSN Program.
8. The BSN application is for the designated admission date; a new application must be submitted in the subsequent year should the applicant not be admitted to the program.

Admission Process for the Nursing Major:

Students who meet the eligibility for consideration of admission requirements for the nursing major need to complete a School of Nursing BSN application with copies of the following information attached or uploaded:

1. Student unofficial copies of all college transcripts, current TSU transcript, and nursing entrance examination scores.
2. The Admissions Committee will only consider students who have submitted completed application materials for the Fall semester postmarked by March 15th or October 15^th for spring admission
3. Students are admitted to the program on a space-available basis and contingent on the submission of required health forms by the designated due date.
4. Students who are admitted must have a health examination that indicates satisfactory health, the required immunizations, titers, and tuberculosis screening before starting the nursing major. Immunizations, titers, and tuberculosis screening must be up to date as required by health care agencies for clinical practice. All required documentation must be submitted to the BSN Program Office no later than July 15^th  for Fall applicants and December 31^st for Spring applicants. Failure to submit the required materials by July 15^th  or December 31^st  will result in a loss of admission. All requirements must be updated annually while the student is in upper-division nursing courses.
5. Students must show evidence of current American Heart Association Health Care Provider BLS Status certification, a national criminal background report, 10-panel urine drug screen, fingerprinting (if required by the clinical agency), and student nurse liability insurance of $1,000,000/$6,000,000, and basic health insurance before admission to classes in the nursing major (i.e. lecture, learning resources laboratory, and clinical). Note: The School of Nursing will notify students of new requirements from clinical agencies in the admission letter to the student.  Without exception, all required documentation must be submitted to the BSN Program Office no later than July 15^th for fall applicants and December 31^st for spring applicants.  Failure to submit the required materials by July 15^th or December 31^st will result in a loss of admission. All requirements must be updated annually while the student is in upper-division nursing courses.

Criminal Background Check and Drug Screen

A drug screen and a designated criminal background check including both the state and federal level may be a requirement for student placement within clinical agencies. Based on the results of these checks, an affiliated clinical agency may determine to not allow a student’s presence at their facility. This could result in your inability to successfully complete the requirements of the nursing program. Additionally, a criminal background may preclude licensure or employment. Check with your Board of Nursing for specific requirements.

Progression and Retention Requirements

1. A grade of C or better in all courses; lecture, laboratory, and clinical components.
2. A grade of D or F is a failing. A student who earns a failing grade in a BSN nursing course is not eligible to progress in the BSN program.
3. All general education courses must be completed by the end of the first summer session prior to the fall semester admission date before beginning junior-level nursing courses.
4. Students who withdraw from a nursing course but continue in other nursing courses for that semester must meet with the Program Director to update their plan for progression.
5. All students must pass a medication and dosage calculation test prior to entering the clinical agency in the first semester. A medication and dosage calculation test must be passed at the start of each subsequent semester in order to enter the clinical agency. If the student is not successful on the examination, the student earns an unsatisfactory grade in the designated course and cannot progress in the nursing program. The passing score is set by the BSN faculty. All students must successfully complete through demonstration and testing a skills competency performance examination at the end of junior year, and fall term as well as at the beginning and end of the spring term in the junior year and both fall and spring terms in the senior year. If the student is not successful on the examination, the student earns an unsatisfactory grade in the designated course and cannot progress in the nursing program.

Re-Admission Requirements and Process:

Students who withdraw from the program may be reviewed, (one time only), by the BSN faculty to determine, on an individual basis, if they are eligible for re-admission to the program. The student may be readmitted on a space-available basis. The student must submit a letter to the Program Director within 14 days from the withdrawal date requesting to be readmitted.

1. Students who apply for re-admission must meet the program admission requirements.
2. A student who withdraws from the program one time by the stated University withdrawal date will be eligible for readmission.
3. Once a student is re-admitted, the nursing courses must be completed in sequence. The student must progress to the next level of the program each semester.
4. A student who withdraws from the program a second time, for any reason, will not be re-admitted.

 

All lower-division University requirements and required courses must be completed with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 and a grade of C or higher in each course.

RN-BSN Career Mobility Program Admission

The School of Nursing has a Career Mobility Program for RNs to earn a BSN degree. RN students are admitted through the same process as regular students. Admission is once a year in the summer, with a Full time (2 semesters) or Part-time (3 semesters) options. English Composition I and II must be completed prior to admission. Statistics must be completed prior to NURS 4220. RN-BSN students may enter the program with two remaining general education/pre-requisite courses. The last 30 hours toward the BSN must be taken at TSU.

RN-BSN Admission Requirements

Officially admitted to Tennessee State University, apply online at www.tnstate.edu

1. A current unencumbered Registered Nurse license
2. An overall GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale at the end of the semester prior to application submission.
3. Completion of 60 credit hours of lower-division courses including general education courses
4. Proof of satisfactory health examination, current American Heart Association Healthcare Provider BLS training, immunizations, titers, tuberculosis screening, a national criminal background clearance, 10-panel urine drug screen, and professional liability insurance of $1,000,000/$6,000,000 (required for clinical practice), and basic health insurance. Any new requirements from clinical agencies will be listed in the admission letter to the student. All required documentation must be submitted to the BSN Program Office no later than the designated due date. Failure to submit the required materials by the designated due date will result in a loss of admission.

 

Required General Education Courses are as follows: 

COURSE TITLE	HR.
English Composition	6
English Sophomore Literature Course from Catalog	3
Microbiology Course & Lab	4
Anatomy and Physiology I & II Course & Lab	8
Introduction to Psychology	3
Introduction to Sociology	3
Developmental Psychology	3
College Algebra	3
Public Speaking	3
Psychology (Statistics)	3
Pathophysiology Course & Lab	4
History per General Education Requirements	6
Introduction to Philosophy	6
Humanities Elective per General Education Requirements	3
Electives	6

 

Once admitted into the RN-BSN Program, a typical plan of study for the RN-BSN student is outlined below.

NURSING CORE COURSES FULL-TIME OPTION

NURSING CORE COURSES	Hours	Semester
Summer I
NURS 3320  Professionalism	3	Summer I
NURS 3260 Gerontological Nursing Concepts	3	Summer I
Summer II
NURS 3080  Pharmacology	3	Summer II
NURS 3250-Health Assessment	3	Summer II
NURS 3251-Health Assessment Lab	1	Summer II
Fall Session I
NURS 4220 Nursing Research	3	Fall Session I
NURS 4360 Community Health Nursing	3	Fall Session I
NURS 4364 Community Health Nursing Clinical	2	Fall Session I
Fall Session II
NURS 4330 Leadership & Management	3	Fall Session II
NURS 4500 Issues in Nursing & Healthcare	3	Fall Session II
Guided NURS Elective                                                       NURS 3020- Nursing Informatics	3	Fall Session II
	30

 

NURSING CORE COURSES: PART-TIME OPTION

NURSING CORE COURSES	Hours	Semester
Summer I
NURS 3320  Professionalism	3	Summer I
Summer II
NURS 3080  Pharmacology	3	Summer II
NURS 3250-Health Assessment	3	Summer II
NURS 3251-Health Assessment Lab	1	Summer II
Fall I
NURS 4220 Nursing Research	3	Fall
NURS 4360 Community Health Nursing	3	Fall
NURS 4364 Community Health Nursing Clinical	2	Fall
Spring I
NURS 4330 Leadership & Management	3	Spring
NURS 3260 Gerontological Nursing Concepts	3	Spring
NURS 4500 Issues in Nursing & Healthcare	3	Spring
Guided NURS Elective NURS 3020- Nursing Informatics	3	Spring
	30

 

Upon successful completion of the first two semesters of the nursing major, credit for 30 hours of BSN courses will be noted on the RN-BSN TSU transcript. Upon admission to the RN-BSN program, students can have a total of two remaining general education/nursing pre-requisites courses.

 

The remaining general education and other lower-division courses may be taken concurrently with nursing courses with a minimum grade of “C” for all courses.

Application Requirements

1.     Attend an advisement session with the RN-BSN faculty coordinator, call: 615-963-5273.

2.     Submit student copies of all transcripts to the advisement session.

3.     Submit a copy of the current enrollment of courses:

a.     Copy of all college transcripts

b.     Current semester course enrollment

c.     Copy of current RN Licensed.    

d.     Verification of current employment

 

Admissions Committee will review applications and applicants will be notified by the Program Director.

Notice: Advisement with the RN-BSN faculty coordinator is required.

The Admissions Committee will consider students who submitted completed application materials postmarked by March 1^st for summer admission.

 

Transfer of RN Nursing Courses

Transfer students from other four-year schools must meet the University and School of Nursing requirements for admission and graduation. Students must provide a current transcript, nursing course descriptions, evidence of satisfactory clinical performance, and a letter of good standing from their previous nursing school BEFORE the course(s) are evaluated. Students who have been dismissed from other Schools of nursing are not eligible for admission. Students who have earned a D, F, or WF, in a nursing course at another school are not eligible for admission.

The Admissions Committee will determine if transfer courses are equivalent to TSU nursing courses. Students may be required to demonstrate lab and/or practicum competencies. Courses that are equivalent to required courses will be accepted if the student earned a minimum grade of C in the course(s) and have the required lab/practicum competencies. Students must meet University residency degree requirements to complete degree requirements for graduation. Transfer students are accepted on a space-available basis.