UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA
RN-BSN PROGRAM
2008-2009
The mission of the Department of Nursing is to offer high quality undergraduate and graduate education that:
The mission of the RN-BSN program at the University of West Georgia is to offer high quality undergraduate
And graduate education that:
= Prepares registered nurses for basic practice roles in diverse health care settings in Georgia and the surrounding region.
= Integrates a strong liberal arts curriculum.
= Provides regional outreach through external degree and off-campus programs.
= Provides a caring, supportive, personal environment for learning that:
o Affirms the holistic nature of individuals
o Reflects caring as the essence of nursing
o Expects that nurses use critical thinking in decision making
o Supports evidence-based practice
o Utilizes disciplinary rigor to support BSN student progress toward clinical competence.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RN-BSN CURRICULUM:
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program for registered nurses (RN-BSN) is limited to individuals who are already licensed as registered nurses (RN). The program prepares registered nurses for professional advancement and offers interactive learning through traditional classroom and online environments. The program, which requires 120 semester hours of credit for graduation, combines a rich and liberal foundation in arts, sciences, and humanities with a unique nursing curriculum that emphasizes the art and science of nursing. RN students complete 24 semester hours of required and elective upper division nursing courses and are eligible for up to 36 hours of semester credit through the Georgia RN-BSN Articulation Plan. Students may earn the 60 semester hours of BSN Core Curriculum through transfer credit. The RN-BSN program is offered at the main campus in Carrollton, at Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton and at the external degree campus at Georgia Highlands College in Rome. A dynamic community of caring is created by full-time tenure track faculty and small classes.
Applicants seeking admission to the RN-BSN program should be committed to engaging in caring nursing practices with individuals from diverse backgrounds. Nursing practice is holistic and recognizes the relationship of the mind, body and spirit. As critical thinkers, students will be expected to examine personal value systems and the value systems of others. Students seeking admission to this program should consider their personal goals and values in light of those expressed in the philosophy of the program.
Faculty in the RN-BSN program view registered nurse students as colleagues and make every attempt to structure learning experiences to meet the needs of adult learners. Recognizing the associate degree or diploma in nursing as a foundation for further studies, clinical and classroom experiences are identified to complement previous experiences of the enrolled RN’s. While every effort is made to arrange class schedules that accommodate working students, applicants for admission should be aware of the difficulties that may be encountered in attempting to work full-time while completing RN-BSN nursing courses.
The RN-BSN program is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and is approved by the Georgia Board of Nursing.
RN-BSN ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
Admission to the RN-BSN program is a separate and independent process that occurs after admission to the University of West Georgia. To be considered for admission, applicants must meet the following requirements:
1. Admission to the University of West Georgia.
2. Current Georgia license as a professional registered nurse.
3. Minimum college grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 on 4.0 scale.
4. Completed and notarized RN-BSN Admission Application received in the Department of Nursing by the application deadline.
5. Transferable college credit equivalent to 36 hours of the following courses:
ENGL 1101 (Area A) – 3 hours
ENGL 1102 (Area A) – 3 hours
MATH 1001, 1101 or 1111 (Area A) – 3 hours
Area D course (one lab science or statistics course) – 3-4 hours
BIOL 2021/2021L (Area F) – 4 hours
BIOL 2022/2022L (Area F) – 4 hours
BIOL 2030/2030L (Area F) – 4 hours
11-12 hours of other required core curriculum courses (Areas B through F) – see the RN-BSN Curriculum Plan for a list of all required core courses
6. To complete the admission process, transfer students must have official transcripts from all institutions attended sent to the Office of Admissions. The Office of the Registrar will evaluate all transcripts to determine applicability of transfer credit for the BSN degree.
Application deadlines are as follows:
Carrollton Campus: March 15 for fall admission and October 1 for spring admission
Dalton Campus: October 1 for spring admission
Rome Campus: March 15 for fall admission
RN-BSN COURSE SCHEDULING AND CURRICULUM PLAN:
Classes for the RN-BSN program are scheduled to meet the needs of working nurses, however, work schedules should be flexible enough to allow attendance at evening classes in Rome and Dalton that may begin as early as 4:00 pm and end as late as 9:00 pm. Courses on the Carrollton campus are scheduled during the day and will include students enrolled in the traditional BSN program. Classes are usually offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the external degree and off-campus sites. Students may enroll in nursing courses on any of the three campuses as long as there is space available.
There are two clinical courses in the RN-BSN program, each of which requires 60 hours of preceptor-based clinical experiences. Students should plan to schedule their clinical hours Monday through Friday between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm. Students who must schedule clinical experiences after 7:00 pm or during the weekend must make that request known at the time of application to the program.
The RN-BSN Curriculum Plan and Projected Course Offerings for 2006-09 for Carrollton, Dalton, and Rome campuses are available in the Department or on the Department website.
Additional information about the Department of Nursing and its activities, programs, courses, and faculty can be obtained at http://www.westga.edu/~nurs. Open advising hours during fall and spring semesters are posted on the website. Other advising times are by appointment.
UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA
DEPARTMENT OF NURSING
EDUCATION ANNEX, ROOM 264
678-839-6552 – CARROLLTON CAMPUS
Rev. 7/24/2008