Nursing – Option for Registered Nurses, Bachelor of Science in Nursing

In addition to University Requirements:

• Students may transfer up to 90 units of community college and/or university credit from regionally accredited institutions of higher education.

• 30 units of major requirements.

• Up to 9 units of major prefix courses may be used to satisfy General Studies Requirements; these same courses may also be used to satisfy major requirements.

• Elective courses, if needed, to reach an overall total of at least 120 units.

Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

Purpose Statement

The philosophy of the School of Nursing at Northern Arizona University is based on an ethic of caring that embraces students, faculty and staff, and the university community and the global community within which we live and work. We also believe that caring is a conscious, intentional discipline that is part of nursing’s unique body of knowledge and is practiced in interdisciplinary contexts. Caring includes the creation and nurturing of an environment that recognizes that students, staff and faculty have unique ways of viewing the world. This philosophy promotes excellence for nursing education and practice in an environment of constant change and emerging healthcare trends.

The faculty believes the transition to the role of competent professional nurse is a major developmental achievement. We believe that nursing is an art and science that is an integral component of health care. Applying the discipline of nursing to practice depends on a foundation of natural and human sciences, humanities and arts, the application of research, and the diverse backgrounds of learners. Societal influences in the evolving healthcare system challenge all involved in nursing education.

Education is a dynamic, life-long collaborative process by which an individual pursues life goals, broadens human potential, develops thinking and clarifies values. The faculty believes that learning is the intentional acquisition, application, and integration of knowledge, skills and attitudes. Learning is shaped by the environment and developmental level of the learner, and is ultimately the responsibility of the learner. Faculty plan, guide, and facilitate learning while supporting the learning needs of a diverse community of students. We believe that learning-centered experiences with rigorous expectations and actively-engaged students result in higher-level thinkers and graduates prepared for real world practice. We value incorporating rural and global healthcare into a variety of educational experiences. Thus education not only expands the thinking of the learner, but increases opportunities for application.

The faculty has developed a philosophy that values diverse persons, environment, health, and nursing, and their inter-relatedness. The following meta-paradigm concepts guide the implementation of the organizing framework for the curriculum.

If you’re a registered nurse who has graduated from an accredited associate degree or diploma nursing program, the RN to BSN program is for you. The program builds on the knowledge and skills you have acquired through a diploma or associate degree nursing program. Courses for this program are delivered online, and clinical projects are completed in your local community, so you can complete the BSN degree in your hometown.

Student Learning Outcomes

Outcomes align with Standards from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

• Clinical Practice and Prevention: Integrates theory, evidence, professional perspectives, and patient preferences into clinical judgment to provide holistic patient-centered care across the lifespan and healthcare continuum, and in healthcare environments.
• Communication: Incorporates effective communication into professional nursing practice.
• Critical reasoning:
  • Synthesizes evidence and nursing knowledge to evaluate and modify clinical nursing practice, in order to provide holistic, safe, comprehensive, patient-centered care.
  • Integrates reliable evidence from multiple ways of knowing to inform practice and make clinical judgments.
• Leadership: Integrates knowledge and skills in leadership, quality improvement, health care policy and patient safety into practice to provide high quality care.
• Professionalism and Professional Values
  • Integrates professional values and their associated behaviors into the practice of nursing.
  • Incorporates ethical and legal principles and professional standards into nursing practice.
  • Integrates caring’s affective characteristics into patient-centered care and with other healthcare professionals.
• Global Health
  • Global Engagement: Promotes safety and quality of health care outcomes for diverse populations incorporating principles of advocacy, leadership and collaboration.
  • Diversity Education: Advocates for health equity and social justice for vulnerable populations and the elimination of health disparities both locally and globally.
  • Environmental Sustainability: Participates in collaborative efforts to improve aspects of the environment that negatively impacts health both locally and globally.

Additional Admission Requirements

• Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

• • You must apply and be accepted to the College of Nursing’s program in addition to being admitted to the university.

• • Due to State Board of Nursing regulations and other legal requirements, we do not accept students into the program that live in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, or Washington, nor are we permitted to allow students to complete the program if they relocate to one of these states. 

• • Concurrent Enrollment Program Format

    • You must take at least 3 units/semester at NAU.

• • Associate to BSN Format

    • You are eligible to apply for this program pathway if you are enrolled in an associate degree nursing program. You can enter at any point while enrolled in your associate degree nursing program without prior approval from your program for entry.
    • If your associate degree nursing program is partnered with NAU, you can receive dual tuition but are required to enroll in at least 3 units/semester at NAU. 
    • If your associate degree nursing program is not partnered with NAU, you can still enroll in this pathway. However, to receive dual financial aid, you will need to enroll in at least 6 units/semester or pay cash for 3 units/semester at NAU.

• • RN to BSN Format

    • You must have a current U.S. RN license, in good standing, for the state in which you reside. “Good standing” means the license of a nurse is current, and the nurse is not presently subject to any disciplinary action, consent order, or settlement agreement as defined by the State Board of Nursing in the jurisdiction of the license. 
    • You are eligible to apply for this format option if you are a registered nurse who has graduated from an accredited associate degree or diploma nursing program. 
    • We offer this as a web-based option to licensed registered nurses with the exceptions noted above.

Transfer Block

• RNs who earned their degree from an accredited institution may transfer up to 90 units toward the BSN. Other RNs should consult with a distance-learning advisor to determine transfer credits. Students currently in a nursing program at an accredited institution may also be eligible for admission. Contact an advisor for recommended courses.

Major Requirements

• • Concurrent Enrollment Program Format

    This format is for the student who is admitted into an Arizona Community College nursing program beginning the first block of their AAS degree. The concurrent enrollment program format is an opportunity for the student to obtain their AAS and BSN at the same time, graduating with both degrees in the same month.

• • Associate to BSN Format

    You are eligible to apply for this program pathway if you are enrolled in an associate degree nursing program. You can enter at any point while enrolled in your associate degree nursing program without prior approval from your program for entry.

• • RN to BSN Format

    This format is for nurses who have graduated with their AAS degree and hold an unencumbered U.S. RN license. This format is semester based.

• 
  Take the following 30 units:

  Nursing Course Requirements (30 units)

  • NUR 326, NUR 330, NUR 405, NUR 409, NUR 417, NUR 420, NUR 422, NUR 427 (24 units)
  • NUR 390W which meets the junior-level writing requirement. (3 units)
  • NUR 450C which meets the senior capstone requirement. (3 units)

General Electives

• Additional coursework is required if, after you have met the previously described requirements, you have not yet completed a total of 120 units of credit.

  You may take these remaining courses from any of the academic areas, using these courses to pursue your specific interests and goals. You may also use prerequisites or transfer credits as electives if they weren’t used to meet major, minor, or General Studies Requirements.
  
  We encourage you to consult with your advisor to select the courses that will be most advantageous to you.

Additional Information

• Some courses may have prerequisites. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.