Courses
Generic (or Basic) BSN Program
Licensure
The State Board of Nursing determines who is eligible to take the registered nurse licensure examination (NCLEX-RN). Graduation from the Nursing Program satisfies one of the eligibility requirements. Since eligibility criteria vary, applicants should check with the Board of Nursing in the state in which they plan to take the test to determine the eligibility criteria that need to be met.
Admission to Pre-Nursing Program
Students applying to the University desiring to be nursing majors must meet the admission criteria for the University as well as for the Pre-Nursing Program. Transfer students should contact Undergraduate Admissions for specific information regarding admission criteria for the nursing major.
Successful Completion of the Pre-Nursing Program
Successful completion of the Pre-Nursing Program is required for entry into the nursing major at the end of the freshman year. Successful completion of the Pre-Nursing Program includes all of the following.
- The Pre-Nursing Advisor must register students for courses, and students must take the core and prerequisite course sequence as determined by the School of Nursing.
- During the second semester of the freshman year, students must register for the TEAS examination. Students should consult their program advisor for information about how to register for the TEAS examination.
- Students may only take the TEAS examination twice, and it is strongly recommended that students remediate/review between attempts.
- Students must score at least 78% or higher, overall on the TEAS examination. Should the candidate take the examination twice, the higher of the two scores will be considered.
- A student’s grades in both Anatomy and Physiology I and Anatomy and Physiology II must be a B or higher.
- A student may repeat Anatomy and Physiology I once and Anatomy and Physiology II once. If a student withdraws from one of these courses, it will be considered as the first attempt at taking the particular course.
- A student’s overall GPA for the freshman year must be 3.0 or higher.
Generic or Basic BSN Program Requirements for Nursing Major
Degree of Bachelor of Science in Nursing
| Nursing Courses | ||
| NU-202 | Theorical Bases of Professional Nursing | 3 |
| NU-204 | Nutrition and Health | 3 |
| NU-210 | Pharmacology for Professionl Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NU-250 | Clinical Bases of Professional Nursing | 5 |
| NU-304 | Pathophysiology | 3 |
| NU-308 | Health Assessment | 3 |
| NU-312 | Nursing Care for Adults and Aging I | 5 |
| NU-315 | Nursing Care for Adults and Aging II | 5 |
| NU-325 | Nursing Care of Child-Bearing Families | 5 |
| NU-360 | Computer Application in Nursing and Health Care | 2 |
| NU-390 | Introduction to Nursing Research | 3 |
| NU-404 | Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing | 5 |
| NU-414 | Nursing Care of Children and Adolescents | 5 |
| NU-416 | Social Justice Ethics and Health Care (Values) | 3 |
| NU-420 | Community Health Nursing (WI, Capstone) | 4 |
| NU-430 | Nursing Care of Adults and Aging III | 4 |
| NU-445 | Leadership and Trends in Nursing | 3 |
| Completion of Summative Examination administered in the last nursing course | ||
| Other Required Courses | ||
| BI-161 | Basic Microbiology | 4 |
| BI-161L | Basic Microbiology Lab | 0 |
| Total Credits | 68 | |
Special Note on Core Requirements
| 1 | The Core Curriculum Requirements are the same as those for traditional undergraduate day students. |
Special Notes on Major Requirements
| 1 | To successfully complete the program, all courses required for the nursing major and for the core, must be taken in the sequence given by the School of Nursing. |
| 2 | To enroll in the first nursing course - , NU-202 Theoretical Bases of Professional Nursing - students MUST be admitted to the School of Nursing as a nursing major. Students must have satisfactorily completed all prerequisites courses and have a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative GPA and a grade of B or higher in BI-171 Anatomy & Physiology I, BI-172 Anatomy and Physiology II. These science courses may be repeated only one time. |
| 3 | A grade of 78% or higher must be earned in all nursing courses and specified support courses. Any grade below a 78% is considered a failure in nursing courses. Advancement in the nursing curriculum is dependent upon successful completion of prerequisite and co-requisite nursing courses. |
| 4 | No more than one nursing course may be repeated. If the course is repeated and the grade is below 78%, this is considered a failure for the course and the student will be dismissed from the School of Nursing. The clinical portion of any nursing course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis. If the student fails the clinical component, he or she fails the entire course regardless of the grade average in the didactic component, and a grade of C- will be recorded for the course. Following two nursing course failures, the student will be dismissed from the School of Nursing. The student may remain at Saint Peter's University. |
| 5 | If a student registers for a nursing course and withdraws from the course at any time, this is considered the student’s first attempt at the course and the student will receive a "W" or Withdraw grade. There is only ONE Withdrawl from a nursing course allowed in the entirety of the program. |
| 6 | All nursing courses must be taken in sequence with a satisfactory grade of 78% or higher earned before continuing with the next nursing course. |
| 7 | Applicants who have taken the courses Anatomy and Physiology I, Anatomy and Physiology II, and Microbiology more than five years prior to the time the nursing course sequence begins must repeat these required science courses. |
| 8 | All students must take the Summative Examination (ATI Comprehensive or similar comprehensive examination), administered in the last clinical nursing course. This examination will additionally factor as 10% of the final grade for the course. Students who do not meet the program benchmark are required to take a retake of the Comprehensive ATI Exam. |
Program Length
The BSN (generic) program can be completed in four years (or eight semesters) of full-time study. Students must complete the program within six consecutive calendar years. Required science courses must be repeated once they are five years or older.
Clinical Requirements
All clinical requirements must be satisfactorily completed before students will be allowed into any clinical setting. At present, they include the following but are subject to change depending on regulations mandated by the clinical agencies and/or their accrediting bodies.
Immunizations/Vaccinations and Titers
1. All incoming nursing students need to have completed a series of immunizations/vaccinations. Students will be required to have titers drawn to validate the vaccines received and show proof of immunity in numerical values.
Should any student's titer show lack of immunity, the student is required to receive the specific vaccination for the corresponding low or negative titer result and re-test titer value's/immunity four weeks or more post vaccine administration.
Required Titers
- Hepatitis B series of 3 shots for low or negative titers 1 month apart between the first & second, and five months apart between the second and the third.
- Varicella (chicken pox): 2 shots for low or negative titers 1 month apart.
- MMR (Measles, Mumps & Rubella): 2 shots for low or negative titers 1 month apart.
- Polio titers are required if there is no proof of vaccination.
- Tdap vaccine is required within the past five years. There is no titer requirement for this vaccine.
- 2-Step TB Mantoux skin test within the past six months; if TB test is positive a Chest X-Ray is required indicating tuberculosis clearance. Note: the 2-Step Mantoux test for TB should be done first prior to initiating an MMR vaccination.
2. Health Examination - All nursing students must submit a completed copy of the BSN Health Profile. Applicants to the nursing major must be aware that health clearance will be required prior to the start of every clinical nursing course. Health Profiles are valid for one year. The Health Profile form is available in the School of Nursing Office.
3. Liability Insurance - All students enrolled in clinical nursing courses must also provide evidence of liability insurance. Application forms and information can be obtained from the School of Nursing. Students are responsible for the cost.
4. CPR Certification - All students enrolled in clinical nursing courses must provide evidence of American Heart Association CPR Certification for infant, child and adult, and BLS for Health Care Providers. Students are responsible for the cost.
5. Criminal Background Checks & Drug Screening through verified Credentials Scholar - Clinical agencies mandate criminal history background checks and drug testing for all individuals engaged in patient care and all students must undergo these checks. These checks are conducted by a consumer reporting agency and the information is sent to the University and to clinical agencies. Agency personnel will evaluate the information they receive and, in their sole discretion, make the final determination as to each student’s ability to continue to engage in patient care in their agency. If a student is denied clinical placement by any clinical agency due to criminal history information or a positive result on the drug testing that student will be dismissed from the program.
6. Clinical Experiences - Clinical experiences may be scheduled during days, evening, and weekends. Students need to be prepared to travel out of the Jersey City area for clinical experiences. Students are required to attend as assigned. Clinical experiences also occur in a variety of settings that require students to travel within and beyond the campus area. Students are expected to adjust personal, family and work schedules to meet clinical assignments.
Clinical Attire and Transportation
All students must adhere to the uniform and equipment policies for all nursing clinical agencies. Students must purchase and wear the official Saint Peter’s University Nursing Students’ Uniform from the approved vendor. Information can be obtained from the Director of the BSN Program. Students are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from clinical sites.
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RN to BSN Program
Requirements for Nursing Major
Degree of Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Nine of the required credits for the major count towards the Core Curriculum Requirements.
The following required courses are typically transferred from pre-licensure program.
| PS-151 | Introduction to Psychology 1 | 3 |
| PS-235 | Life Span Development | 3 |
| PS-200 | Statistics and Research Methods 2 | 3 |
| or SO-448 | Statistics in the Social Sciences | |
| BI-161 | Basic Microbiology | 4 |
| BI-161L | Basic Microbiology Lab | 0 |
| BI-171 | Anatomy and Physiology I 1 | 4 |
| BI-171L | Anatomy and Physiology I Lab | 0 |
| BI-172 | Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| BI-172L | Anatomy and Physiology II Lab | 0 |
| SO-121 | Introduction to Sociology 3 | 3 |
| Transfer credit for lower-division nursion courses | 30 | |
| Upper division nursing courses (31 credits) | ||
| NU-302 | Seminar in Professional Nursing | 2 |
| NU-303 | Seminar in APA Writing for Health Science | 2 |
| NU-304 | Pathophysiology | 3 |
| NU-310 | Health Assessment | 4 |
| NU-330 | Care of Families and Aggregates | 4 |
| NU-350 | Trends and Issues in Nursing | 2 |
| NU-390 | Introduction to Nursing Research | 3 |
| NU-420 | Community Health Nursing | 4 |
| NU-440 | Leadership and Management in Nursing | 4 |
| NU-450 | Nurse/Client Educator (elective) | 2 |
| NU-452 | Women's Health Issues (elective) | 3 |
| NU-495 | Special Projects in Nursing RN-BSN (elective) | 1 |
| Total Credits | 87 | |
| 1 | May count towards the Core Natural Science Requirement. |
| 2 | May count towards the Core Mathematics Requirement. |
| 3 | May count towards the Core Social Science Requirement. |
Special Note on Core Requirements
The Mathematics and Natural Science Core Requirements are satisfied as indicated above. The remainder of the Core Requirements are satisfied by the following courses or transfer credit:
| AR-127 | Introduction to the Visual Arts | 3 |
| or AR-128 | Introduction to Music | |
| CM-120 | English Composition (or equivalent English Composition II) | 3 |
| Take two approved EL courses | 6 | |
| HS-121 | The Western Tradition | 3 |
| HS-200 | World Perspectives | 3 |
| Modern Language | 3 | |
| PL-130 | Introduction to Philosophy | 3 |
| PL-140 | Introduction to Ethics | 3 |
| TH-110 | Religious Faith in the Modern World | 3 |
| TH-120 | Introduction to the Study of Christianity | 3 |
| Select one of the following | 3 | |
EC-101 | Macroeconomic Principles | |
PO-100 | Perspectives on Politics | |
UR-151 | The Contemporary City | |
| Total Credits | 36 | |
Special Notes on Major Requirements
| 1 | Applicants wanting to major in nursing will have up to 30 credits in basic nursing transferred in to satisfy the lower division nursing requirement. These credits will be transferred in from diploma and associate degree nursing programs accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission or CCNE upon successful matriculation into the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program. |
| 2 | Applicants who have earned their nursing diploma and/or degree from institutions outside the United States must submit official course by course Degree Evaluations (with an English translation). The BSN program will only accept evaluations prepared by the World Education Service, Inc. (WES). The 30 credits in basic nursing will be transferred in upon successful matriculation into the BSN Program |
| 3 | The required science courses, regardless of date taken, may be transferred as long as they were taken for college credit and grades of at least a C earned for these courses. |
| 4 | A grade of 78 is required in all nursing courses. Any nursing course in which the grade is below 78 must be repeated. If the course is repeated and the grade is below 78, this will be considered a failure for the course and the student will be dismissed from the program. Failure of a second nursing course will result in dismissal from the program. The clinical practica of nursing courses are graded on a Pass/Fail basis. If the student fails the clinical component, he or she fails the entire course regardless of the grade average in the didactic component and a grade of C- will be recorded on the student’s transcript. |
| 5 | If a student enrolls in a nursing course and withdraws, this will count as the first attempt in the nursing course and the student must achieve a grade of 78 or higher the next time the student enrolls for that same course. |
| 6 | The theoretical application for upper division nursing courses have assignments that are incorporated into the grading for the course. Assignments may include but are not limited to: change projects for the specific unit following an assessment of that environment; observation of family dynamics with resulting diagnoses and plan for appropriate interventions with evaluation; and windshield survey with community education project and followup to name just a few examples. |
Clinical Requirements
All clinical requirements must be satisfactorily completed before students will be allowed into any application / observation setting. At present, they include the following but are subject to change depending on regulations mandated by the agencies and/or their accrediting bodies. All documents must be uploaded into the student's TAbb, Inc account.
| 1 | Current NJ Nursing License or license in state of residence for online students |
| 2 | Actual titer reports for rubella, rubeola, varicella, mumps showing immunity. |
| 3 | Proof of Hepatitis B immunity, vaccine (strongly recommended), or signed waiver. |
| 4 | Negative 2 step negative tuberculosis test within the past 6 months or if positive Mantoux history, chest x-ray negative for tuberculosis within one (1) year. |
| 5 | Health Examination - All nursing students must submit a completed copy of the BSN Health Profile. Applicants to the nursing major must be aware that health clearance will be required prior to the start of every clinical nursing course. Health Profiles are valid for one year. The Health Profile form is available in the School of Nursing Office. |
| 6 | Liability Insurance - All students enrolled in clinical nursing courses must also provide evidence of liability insurance. Application forms and information can be obtained from the School of Nursing. Coverage in the amount of $1,000,000.00/$6,000,000.00 required. |
| 7 | CPR Certification - All students enrolled in clinical nursing courses must provide evidence of American Heart Association CPR Certification for infant, child and adult, BLS for Health Care Providers. |
| 8 | Criminal Background Checks - Clinical agencies mandate criminal history background checks for all individuals engaged in patient care and all students must undergo these checks. (Nursing students with a valid NJ Nursing License are not required to undergo additional drug testing.) These checks are conducted by a consumer reporting agency and the information is sent to the University and to clinical agencies. Agency personnel will evaluate the information they receive and, in their sole discretion, make the final determination as to each student’s ability to continue to engage in patient care in their agency. If a student is denied clinical placement by any clinical agency due to criminal history that student will be dismissed from the program. |
| 9 | Annual flu shot. |
| 10 | Clinical Experiences - The time, place, and nature of theoretical application varies depending on the learning outcomes of the specific class and student interest. Students are expected to arrange their own transportation for these learning experiences. Some may be scheduled as a result of external determinants and students may need to be flexible with their own time commitments. |
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