Bachelor of Science in Nursing

This program prepares the graduate as a nurse adhering to the American Nurses Association (ANA) Scope and Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. Students develop a professional identity as advocates, leaders, and innovators grounded in a sense of inquiry and commitment to lifelong learning. Knowledge provided by a liberal education, integrated with nursing principles, serves as a foundation for the development of clinical reasoning, scaffolding into the application of clinical judgment and evidence-based practice. Graduates are prepared to collaborate with interprofessional teams and promote excellence through cost-effective, accessible, multidimensional care in a rapidly changing, multicultural, global environment. Emphasis is placed on the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health as graduates prepare to practice among communities of interest. The innovative, outcomes-based, laddered curricular framework aligns with the Quality and Safety Education for Nursing (QSEN) Competencies, National League for Nursing (NLN) Education Competencies, and American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education. The program is differentiated by relevant, contemporary curricular design and innovative courses, including the choice of nursing electives. Prelicensure graduates are academically prepared for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing NCLEX-RN® examination. Passing the NCLEX-RN exam is one of the requirements for obtaining licensure as a registered nurse.

• Hospitals
• Nursing Education
• Administration
• Clinical Practice
• Nursing Leadership

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Rasmussen University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791. http://www.ccneaccreditation.org.

The Second Degree A-BSN entrance option is only available at the Central Pasco, Fort Myers, North Orlando*, Ocala*, and Tampa/Brandon campuses in Florida; the Overland Park and Topeka** campuses in Kansas; and the Bloomington, Eagan***, Hennepin/Anoka***, Mankato***, and St. Cloud*** campuses in Minnesota; and the Fargo campus in North Dakota. (*The North Orlando campus is a satellite of the Ocala, FL program; and some students enrolled through the Ocala campus may attend a portion of their classes at the Orlando location at 8541 Southpark Circle, Orlando, Florida 32819. **The Topeka campus is a satellite of the Overland Park, KS, program. ***The Eagan, Hennepin/Anoka, Mankato, and St. Cloud campuses are satellites of the Bloomington, MN, program.)

The Standard Entrance A-BSN and Second Degree A-BSN entrance options of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program (A-BSN entrance options) contain both online and residential courses and are designed to meet the educational requirement to apply for licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN) in Florida, Kansas, Minnesota, and North Dakota. While the A-BSN entrance options are residential and only offered at select campuses in those states, it has been determined that they meet the educational requirements for licensure as an RN in additional states as displayed below. “Meets” means that the A-BSN entrance options meet the educational requirements for professional licensure. “Undetermined” means that Rasmussen makes no determination whether this program meets the educational requirements for professional licensure and prospective students located in these states cannot enroll in this program. Other licensure eligibility requirements may apply; please verify your eligibility against applicable rules, which may change at any time.

• Meets: FL, IL, KS, MN, ND, AL, GA, IN, IA, MO, MT, SD, WI
• Undetermined: AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, HI, ID, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WV, WY, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands

Students may only be registered in core nursing courses once they have completed all General Education course requirements of the block transfer, either through transfer of credit or completion of General Education courses at Rasmussen University. Students who are in their final quarter of completing their General Education course requirements and have completed both Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II, may be scheduled for their first Nursing courses according to the approved program course sequence in order to be eligible for financial aid or to attain full-time status.

Students enrolled in this program who fail or withdraw from a core Nursing course must successfully repeat that same course in the next quarter the course is offered in order to progress in this program. Additionally, in order to take a course that lists a prerequisite, the student must have successfully completed the prerequisite course prior to registering for the post-requisite course. A student who drops, withdraws, or fails a prerequisite course will be withdrawn from any future courses that classify that course as a prerequisite; for additional information, see the Course Descriptions section.

To graduate in this program, students must complete all required NUR coursework with a grade of C or better, achieve all required skill competencies, and satisfactorily complete all required clinical experiences.

This program may require specific immunizations prior to professional practice experience.

Students who hold a current unencumbered Practical Nursing license (LPN/LVN) will receive credit for NUR1055 Introduction to Nursing (4 credits), NUR2243 Professional Nursing Skills I (3 credits), and NUR2356 Multidimensional Care I (5 credits) in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree program. Rasmussen University defines a current, unencumbered license as a license that is unexpired and has not been reprimanded, stipulated, suspended, revoked, or has any current or prior disciplinary action regardless of current ability to practice. The student’s license will be reviewed, and if the criteria are met, the course requirements will be waived and the grades will be posted on the student’s transcript as a Course Waiver (CW). Students may also transfer in up to 74 credits in successfully completed applicable General Education coursework. Students must pass all remaining coursework in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree program to earn this degree.

A student is eligible to enroll in the Second Degree A-BSN entrance option of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program when a bachelor’s degree has been awarded from an accredited institution of higher learning as recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education (CHEA). Entrants must complete the following steps to be deemed eligible for admission:

1. Applicants pursuing admittance into the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program must meet one of the following requirements to be deemed eligible for Admission:
   1. Current, unencumbered Practical Nursing License or Vocational Nursing License.
   2. Achieve a score on the School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences Entrance Exam acceptable for admission:
      1. HESI® Admission Assessment – A Cumulative Score of 75% or higher. The Cumulative Score must include Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary & General Knowledge, Basic Math Skills, and Anatomy & Physiology exams, or
      2. TEAS Admission Assessment – A Total Score of 72% or higher.
   3. ACT score of 20 or higher, completed within five years.
   4. SAT score of 1100 or higher, completed within five years.
   5. Conferred bachelor’s degree or higher with a minimum GPA of 2.25 from a United States (U.S.) accredited institution of higher learning as recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The official transcript showing the conferred degree must be received by the University no later than the sixth business day of the first quarter of enrollment, or the student will be withdrawn.
2. In addition to the Application, Enrollment and Acceptance Requirements, entrants who have successfully completed the School of Nursing Entrance Exam must complete the following programmatic specific Acceptance Requirements:
   • Provide official or unofficial transcript from institution that awarded bachelor’s degree for transcript evaluation during the admission process. Official transcripts must be received by the University no later than the sixth business day of the first quarter of enrollment or the student will be withdrawn.
   • Health physical and proof of immunizations in accordance with the School of Nursing Undergraduate Student Handbook
   • Criminal background screening
   • Current Basic Life Saving and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Certification with Defibrillator. A valid certification is defined in the School of Nursing Undergraduate Student Handbook.
   • The School of Nursing Orientation
   • Any additional program-specific requirements as specified at the time of enrollment
   • Former nursing students in good standing with the School of Nursing who have not been enrolled for more than 12 months must successfully repeat the School of Nursing Entrance Exam to be deemed eligible for re-enrollment into the nursing program through a consultation with the Dean of Nursing/Nurse Administrator.

Entrants will receive written communication from the University confirming acceptance once all acceptance requirements have been met.

In addition to meeting all other acceptance requirements, Kansas campus applicants must successfully pass a background check through Rasmussen University’s chosen third-party vendor. In addition to meeting all other acceptance requirements, Florida campus applicants must successfully pass two background checks: one through Rasmussen University’s chosen third-party vendor, and one meeting the Florida statutory definition of a Level 2 background check. In addition to meeting all other acceptance requirements, Minnesota campus applicants must successfully pass two background checks: one through Rasmussen University’s chosen third-party vendor and one through the Minnesota Department of Human Services. In addition to meeting all other acceptance requirements, applicants enrolled through the Fargo, ND campus must successfully pass two background checks: one through Rasmussen University’s chosen third-party vendor, and one through the Minnesota Department of Human Services. An additional background check may also be required during active enrollment prior to practicum or clinical placement depending on site requirements. Any prospective student must also consider their history, lifestyle, and future actions before enrolling in this program, and carefully consider whether their actions may prevent them from attaining employment in the field they choose to pursue. Additional requirements, such as industry-specific training may be required to obtain employment in this field. Applicants for careers in this field may be subject to pre-employment screenings such as, but not limited to, criminal background checks, and drug/or alcohol testing. Employment decisions, including whether to require background checks and other tests, are made at the discretion of the employer.

Eligible students enrolled in this program may elect to substitute specific master’s-level courses for certain bachelor’s-level courses as displayed on the table below. See the Eligibility to Substitute Master’s-Level Course While Enrolled in a Bachelor’s Degree Program Policy for more information.

*Master’s courses are 11-weeks in length and are solely offered as competency-based education (CBE) courses. Master’s courses may not transfer into all master’s degrees. Master’s degrees may not be offered in all states and may not be offered in the same states in which bachelor’s degrees are offered.