(Please see the Undergraduate Program Offerings by Campus  chart in the catalog or on the Herzing Website at www.herzing.edu/career-programs/downloads for a list of Herzing campuses offering this program.)

Program Description

This comprehensive bachelor’s degree in nursing program prepares the generalist nurse with a focus on practice which is holistic, caring, safe, quality, and evidence-based client/patient care. The baccalaureate nurse generalist assumes the role of provider of direct and indirect care, designer, coordinator, and manager of care, and has membership in the profession as an advocate for clients/patients and the professions (AACN, 2008). The liberal arts education core provides a strong foundation for developing the clinical judgment and critical thinking skills required to provide care to diverse populations across the life-span, health-illness continuum, and in a variety of healthcare settings and to practice lifelong learning. The general education and core nursing courses build on each other and are integrated throughout the curriculum. Theoretical instruction is integrated with clinical experience in a variety of healthcare settings in order to provide a broad, holistic, and reality-based understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a professional nurse.

The registered nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing RN-BSN program is open to licensed, registered nurses who have completed an associate’s degree in nursing or a diploma in nursing from a nationally or regionally accredited college or university. The program supports nurses desiring to advance their education and increase their career opportunities. The curriculum outcomes are the same as for the pre-licensure Bachelor of Science nursing program. Enrollees may opt to step out of the program with the bachelor’s degree or continue to completion of the MSN.

The general education and core nursing courses build on each other and are integrated throughout the curriculum. Theoretical instruction is integrated with clinical experience in a variety of healthcare settings in order to provide a broad, holistic, and reality-based understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a professional nurse.

Program Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, the student should be able to:

1. Practice using caring, compassionate, culturally competent, and evidence-based practices in the roles of the baccalaureate nurse using the nursing process to provide patient/client-centered care in a variety of healthcare settings.
2. Use a broad base of techniques to communicate effectively with clients, families, healthcare teams, and communities.
3. Use critical thinking and decision making, local, state, national, and global policies, legislative concepts, and healthcare economics to effect quality healthcare and the evolving healthcare system.
4. Integrate knowledge and skills in nursing leadership and management, quality improvement, and patient safety, as required, to provide healthcare.
5. Integrate knowledge and skills to promote health and prevent disease across the lifespan and the continuum of healthcare environments.
6. Practice professionalism, including the inherent values of altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity, and social justice.
7. Formulate a professional ethic that includes lifelong learning and continuous professional development in an ever-evolving healthcare environment.
8. Think critically at a conceptual level and by using mathematical analysis as well as the scientific method, write and speak effectively, use basic computer applications, and understand human behavior in the context of the greater society in a culturally diverse world.

Special Admission Requirements

Please refer to the “Nursing Admission Criteria ” policy in the Admissions Information section of this catalog for program admission requirements.

To enroll in the RN to BSN program, a prospective student must possess the following:

1. An unrestricted, active registered nurse (RN) license to practice nursing.
2. An associate’s degree or diploma in nursing from an accredited institution of higher learning.

Potential Occupational Titles

Potential occupational titles for this program include, but are not limited to, registered nurse.

Program Content

A minimum of 120.00 semester credit hours is required for graduation.