Nursing: Second Degree B.S.N.

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1 Nursing: Second Degree B.S.N.

1.1 Faculty

1.2 Staff

1.3 Program Description

1.4 Major Requirements

1.4.1 Prerequisite Courses

1.4.2 Nursing Courses

1.5 Program Policies

1.6 Accreditation

Faculty

Denise Pope, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Nursing, Chief Nursing Officer
Dr. Intima Alrimawai, Assistant Professor of Nursing
Denyse Barkley, Ph.D., RN, Assistant Professor of Nursing
Ms. Sharie Blythe, RN, MSN, Assistant Professor of Nursing
Ms. Kristie Davis-Collins, Assistant Professor of Nursing
Carrie O’Reilly, Ph.D, RN, Director of Clinical Simulation and Laboratory Operations; Assistant Professor of Nursing
Keisha Rollins-Monroe, RN, Assistant Professor; Conway Scholar Mentor, School of Nursing and Health Professions
Ms. Khafi Muhammad, Assistant Professor of Nursing

Staff

Ms. Theresa Hudnall, Clinical Coordinator
Ms. Sarah Trippensee, Academic Advisor
Ms. Eva-Maria Velasquez, Simulation Technician

Program Description

For students who hold a baccalaureate degree from Trinity or another U.S. regionally accredited institution of higher learning, Trinity offers the opportunity to earn a Baccalaureate of Science Degree (BSN) in Nursing.

Upon admission to Trinity, second degree B.S.N. students enter the School of Nursing and Health Professions as nursing candidates. When nursing candidates are in their final semester of completing prerequisite nursing courses, they are eligible to submit an application for formal acceptance into the nursing program. The rigorous academic coursework in the nursing program lays the foundation for a progressive mastery of the knowledge, skills, values, ethics, and abilities required of a professional registered nurse. While taking nursing courses, students have numerous opportunities to experience firsthand the rewards of nursing in closely supervised clinical settings. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are eligible to apply for licensure as a registered nurse. Graduates must pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) to practice as licensed registered nurses.

Major Requirements

Prerequisite Courses

Trinity honors students’ first baccalaureate degree as having met the core curriculum (or general education) requirements. However, nursing candidates need to have successfully completed the courses listed below (or their equivalents at another U.S. regionally accredited institution of higher learning) with a minimum grade of “B-” (2.7) to be considered for formal acceptance into the Nursing Program. A nursing candidate’s is expected to demonstrate an overall G.P.A. of 3.0 and a science GPA of 2.75. Any BIOL and CHEM course(s) must include a laboratory component in order to satisfy the prerequisite.

Nursing Candidate Prerequisite Courses (39 credits minimum)

Nursing Courses

Students are required to earn a grade of “C+” (2.3) or better in all nursing courses and must maintain at least a cumulative G.P.A. of at least 2.5.

Nursing-Specific (61 credits)

Program Policies

I. Acceptance into the Nursing Program

A. Acceptance Criteria:

Nursing candidates’ formal acceptance into the nursing program requires:

Successful completion of ALL prerequisite courses with a grade of “B-” (2.7) or higher
Overall G.P.A. of at least 3.0
A science GPA of at least 2.75
No more than two repeats in ALL prerequistie courses, of those only one repeat may be in a science prerequisite course
Satisfactory score on the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) – Academic preparedness level of “Proficient” or higher

Second degree BSN students should direct any questions about the process for formal acceptance into the nursing program to the Admission Office.

B. Application Process for Acceptance:

Students should submit their application to their advisor early in the semester PRIOR to the semester of their projected acceptance date.
- Nursing Program Deadlines:
  - Fall Semester: February 1
  - Spring Semester: October 1
Students must include in their application scores from the TEAS taken during the 12 months prior to the application deadline. . Students may take the TEAS up to three times in a 12 month period. After taking the TEAS, a student may not take it again for 30 days.
Students will be notified by the nursing program of the results of their application when the Nursing Admissions Committee has completed its review and evaluation of all submitted applications.

Questions regarding the application process, acceptance criteria, or T.E.A.S. should be directed to the nursing program office (202.885.9670) or nursingprogram@trinitydc.edu.

II. Health Requirements*

Current physical examination by a health care provider (Annually)
Current immunizations
- TDap (TD booster within 10 years)
- MMR – (two vaccines or a positive titer)
- Varicella – (Chicken pox) – (two vaccines or a positive titer)
- Hepatitis B (series of 3 vaccines given with a 6 month period.
- Polio
- Annual PPD (Tuberculosis skin test given within the last 6 months with follow-up chest X-ray if the skin test result is positive. A new skin TB test must be completed annually once a student is accepted into the nursing program. BCG: For those students with a history of Bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) injection)
- Influenza (Annual)
Current major medical health insurance

*NOTE: No student will be allowed to participate in clinical experiences until all health requirements have been satisfied.

III. Other Requirements

Satisfactory results of a criminal background check, including all aliases and nationwide sexual offenders index with a set of fingerprints. (The criminal background check is at the students’ expense and must be completed prior to the start of the clinical portion of the nursing program.)
Negative results on a drug screening test. (The drug screening test is at the students’ expense and must be completed prior to the start of the clinical portion of the nursing program.)
American Heart Association BLS/CPR certification for the Health Care Provider
Clinical agencies may have additional health or safety requirements that students are required to meet prior to receiving access to the clinical placement site

NOTE: No student will be allowed to participate in clinical experiences until all other requirements have been satisfied.

IV. Transfer Policy

Students transferring to Trinity after Fall 2002 from another appropriately accredited institution of higher learning for a bachelor’s degree must earn a minimum of 45 of their final 60 credits through course work at Trinity, excluding credits for experiential learning.

V. Grades in Major Courses

B.S.N. students must earn a minimum of “C+” as a final course grade in all nursing (NURS and SNHP) courses. A final grade below a C+ will require the student to repeat the course to successfully complete all requirements of the nursing curriculum plan. A final grade below a “C+” may impact a student’s academic progression in the nursing program. Any grade involving a numerical fraction is NOT rounded up at the end of the semester in the final course grade.

A nursing student may fail or withdraw from no more than one nursing course (NURS or SNHP prefix). If a student fails or withdraws from a nursing course, the student may repeat the nursing course only once. Students may repeat no more than one nursing course. Failing or withdrawing from a second nursing course will result in dismissal from the nursing program.

VI. Pass/No Pass

The pass/no pass grading option is not accepted in courses to be applied for the major.

VII. Transportation

Students are required to provide their own transportation to and from clinical sites. Clinical placements may be located within a 50 mile radius of the University. Trinity’s free shuttle service connects the Main campus with the Brookland metro station.

Accreditation

Trinity’s B.S.N. program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (C.C.N.E.) and Conditional Accreditation by the District of Columbia Board of Nursing (D.C.B.O.N.).

Last On-Site Evaluation: Spring 2017.

Nursing: Second Degree B.S.N. - NHP