Nursing (B.S.N.)

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1 Nursing (B.S.N.)
1.1 Faculty
1.2 Description
1.3 Major Requirements
1.3.1 I. CAS General Education Requirements
1.3.2 II. Additional Required Prerequisite Nursing Courses for Pre-health Students Intending to Apply to the Nursing Major
1.3.3 III. Nursing Specific Courses
1.4 Program Policies
1.5 Accreditation

Faculty

Carrie O’Reilly, RN, PhD, Associate Dean and Program Director; Associate Professor of Practice, Nursing
Jennifer Wallace, RN, MSN, Assistant Director, Assistant Professor of Nursing
Raena Barnes, RN, DNP, Assistant Professor of Nursing
Ellen Gustafson, DPT, Assistant Professor of Anatomy and Physiology
Khafi Muhammad, RN, MSN, Assistant Professor of Nursing
Alexander Prucha, MS,  Assistant Professor of Anatomy and Physiology
Miriam Rieger, RN, MSN, Assistant Professor of Nursing
Michelle Sheahan, RN, MSN, Assistant Professor of Nursing
Sheila Spurlock-White, RN, PhD, Assistant Professor of Nursing[catalog-courses]

Description

Trinity’s Pre-Licensure BSN Program combines the academic structure and clinical preparation necessary for a successful career in nursing. Students focus initially on liberal arts courses that provide the critical thinking and foundational analytic skills essential to nursing practice. When pre-health students intending to apply to nursing are in their final semester of completing their prerequisite courses, they are eligible to submit an application for formal acceptance into the nursing program. The rigorous academic coursework in the nursing program then provides a framework for progressive mastery of the knowledge, skills, values, ethics, and abilities required of a professional nurse. Students will have ample opportunities to experience firsthand the rewards of nursing in numerous 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

I. CAS General Education Requirements

Foundational Skills (24 credits)

  • Critical Reading (7 credits) CRS 101 and CRS 102
  • Written Communication (3 credits or waived by assessment placement) ENGL 107
  • Oral Communication (5 credits) NURS 360
  • Critical Reasoning (5 credits required) NURS 117
  • Quantitative Reasoning (4 credits) MATH 108 or higher

Knowledge and Inquiry (29 credits)

  • Social Sciences (complete 6 credits in 2 different disciplines)
    • Psychology PSYC 101
    • Sociology SOCY 100
  • Natural Sciences (complete 8 credits of laboratory science)
    • Biology BIOL 121
    • Chemistry CHEM 113
  • History, Arts, and Literature (9 credits; complete one course in each discipline)
    • History (choose any General Education history course)
    • Fine Arts: (choose any General Education fine arts course)
    • Literature: (choose any General Education literature course)
  • Foreign Language (6 credits – test-out options are available; see Academic Services)

Values and Belief (6 credits)

  • Religious Studies (3 credits)
  • Philosophy (3 credits) PHIL 251 recommended

Application: Turning Knowledge into Action (6 credits)

  • Civic Knowledge (3 credits) SNHP 220
  • Leadership (3 credits) NURS 410

General Education Capstone Seminar (3 credits)

  • General Education Capstone Seminar (taken in junior year in the Nursing program): NURS 330

II. Additional Required Prerequisite Nursing Courses for Pre-health Students Intending
to Apply to the Nursing Major

  • BIOL 121 (4 credits; fulfills General Education Knowledge and Inquiry)
  • BIOL 122 (4 credits)
  • BIOL 130 (4 credits)
  • HPNU 120 (1 credit)
  • HPNU 200 (3 credits)
  • MATH 110 (3 credits)
  • SNHP 220 (3 credits)

III. Nursing Specific Courses

Junior Year (First Semester)

  • NURS 100
  • NURS 117
  • NURS 222
  • NURS 240

Junior Year (Second Semester)

  • NURS 250
  • NURS 330
  • NURS 350
  • NURS 360

Senior Year (First Semester)

  • NURS 361
  • NURS 410
  • NURS 461
  • SNHP 405

Senior Year (Second Semester)

  • NURS 420
  • NURS 460
  • NURS 491

Program Policies

I.   Acceptance into the Pre-Licensure BSN Nursing Program

A.  Acceptance Criteria:

Formal acceptance into the Nursing program requires the following at minimum:

  1. Successful completion of ALL required prerequisite nursing courses with a grade of “B-” or higher.
  2. Overall GPA of at least 3.0
  3. A science GPA of at least 2.75
  4. No more than one failure in a science course
  5. Proficient level or higher score on the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS)

Pre-licensure BSN students should direct any questions about the process for formal acceptance into the Nursing program to their Center for Student Success undergraduate advisor.

B.  Application Process:

  1. Students should submit their application to their advisor early in the semester PRIOR to the semester of their projected acceptance date.
    1. Nursing program deadlines:
      1. Fall Semester: February 1
      2. Spring semester: October 1
  2. Official TEAS results should be submitted with the formal application to the Nursing Program.
    1. TEAS results are valid for one year. Students must take the exam during the 12 months prior to the application deadline.
    2. After taking the TEAS, a student may not take it again for 30 days.
    3. Students may take the TEAS up to three times in a 12-month period.
  3. 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.
  4. Questions regarding the application process, acceptance criteria, or TEAS should be directed to the Nursing Program Office (202.885.9670) or to the student’s undergraduate advisor.

II.    Health Requirements*

  • Current physical examination by a health care provider
  • Current immunizations
    • Covid- Submit card and/or vaccination record from the Department of health of your COVID-19 vaccination.
    • Tdap (TD booster within 10 years)
      • Submit documentation of a Tdap booster administered within the past 10 years. Must include pertussis.
      • Titer is accepted for all 3 compounds, tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis.
    • MMR – (two vaccines or a positive titer)
    • Varicella – (Chicken pox) – (two vaccines or a positive titer)
    • Hepatitis B
      • 3 vaccinations or 2 Heplisav-B vaccinations required OR
      • Positive Surface antibody titer (lab report required) for Hepatitis B.
    • Polio – Vaccinations or positive titer
    • PPD (Tuberculosis) 2 step PPD OR Quantiferon Gold test
      • Negative tests are taken annually
      • If positive provide a negative Chest X-Ray lab report (valid for 3 years).
    • Influenza (Annual) – Flu shot administered during the current flu season
  • 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

  • Criminal Background Check (the criminal background check is at the student’s annual expense)
  • FBI Fingerprint (the drug screening test is at the student’s expense)
  • Drug Test (the drug screening test is at the student’s annual expense)
  • American Heart Association BLS/CPR certification for the Health Care Provider (current 2-year card)
  • Clinical agencies may have additional health or safety requirements which 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 requirements have been satisfied.

IV.    Transfer Policy

Students transferring to Trinity 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. The most updated curriculum nursing plan may be obtained from the academic advisor for nursing majors. 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

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Trinity is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.