Admission to the BSN Program

Students may declare the intent to pursue a nursing major at any time. However, application for admission to the upper-division program is made during the sophomore year. Nursing studies begin at the junior level with the exception of Nutrition (NURS 3305) which may be completed prior to admission to the nursing program. Admission requirements are as follows:

• A completed Application for Admission to Nursing. An application form is available from the College Admissions office and in the office of the Department of Nursing or it can be filled-out as an on-line document from the nursing webpage at http://www.lagrange.edu/academics/nursing.
• Completion of a sufficient number of credits in Common Core and other required courses is needed to permit an uninterrupted progression in the nursing major.
• All applicants will be administered the Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) Test of Essential Skills (TEAS) as part of the screening process for admission. The TEAS is an exam of academic preparedness that covers Reading, Math, Science and English Language Usage.
• A grade of C or higher is required in Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, Introduction to Psychology, Human Growth and Development and the English Composition courses. A student is allowed one attempt to repeat one of these courses. A subsequent failure in this course or any other of these prerequisite courses will render the student ineligible to enter the nursing program. A limit of five years applies to completion of Anatomy and Physiology, and Microbiology courses.
• A cumulative overall GPA of 2.5 or higher is required at the time of entry into the nursing program, including all courses completed or attempted at any institution.
• An interview with a member of the nursing faculty will be required. Acceptance into the LaGrange College Nursing Program is based upon an Admission Score that ranks applicants based on GPA, TEAS Score, grades in science courses, English and psychological science with preference given to those who have been at LaGrange College since they were first year students.

An applicant who has completed any program of study leading to licensed employment in the health care area (such as registered or practical nursing, emergency medical technician) must present the license in person.

Unlicensed students enrolled in the nursing program may not be employed by any health care agency in the capacity of licensed nursing personnel. They shall not represent themselves in any practice setting as nursing students unless engaged in planned programmatic learning activities which are part of the nursing curriculum.

In addition to completing the core curriculum requirements, students pursuing a major in Nursing must complete the following major program requirements:

Curriculum for the Traditional Program

Nursing courses are offered in a 4-1-4 semester sequence during the junior and senior years of study. The total BSN curriculum can be completed in four academic years (8 semesters) and includes 46 credit hours in the Common Core, 16 credit hours in other required and elective courses, and 60 credit hours in nursing major courses. Selected courses required for the BSN degree may fulfill certain Common Core Requirements; these and other required non-nursing courses are:

BIOL 2148 and BIOL 2149	Human Anatomy and Physiology*
MATH 1101	College Algebra*
PSYC 1101	Introduction to Psychology*
PSYC 3302	Human Growth and Development*
ENGL 1101, 1102	Rhetoric and Composition*
BIOL 3320	Microbiology *

*These courses must be completed prior to entering the nursing courses.

Junior Year

Fall:

NURS 3305    Nutrition and Health (may be completed in advance)

NURS 3311    Health Assessment

NURS 3312    Foundations of Nursing Practice

NURS 3400    Mental Health Nursing

Spring:

NURS 3331    Pharmacology in Nursing

NURS 3330    Maternal and Pediatric Nursing

NURS 3350    Medical Surgical Nursing I

Senior Year

Fall:

NURS 4430    Medical Surgical Nursing II

NURS 4431    Research in Nursing

NURS 4440    Nursing Care: A Community Focus

Spring:

NURS 4432    Senior Capstone in Nursing

NURS 4433    Medical Surgical Nursing III

NURS 4450    Leadership

Progression

1. A grade of C (75%) or higher is required for successful completion of all nursing courses. Course syllabi and the BSN Student Handbook detail requirements for achieving a passing grade of C or better. A grade of D, F, or WF is a failing grade.
2. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be maintained throughout the period of enrollment in nursing courses. A nursing major whose GPA falls below 2.0 will be placed on program probation and has one semester in which to raise the GPA to 2.0 or higher. Failure to achieve a 2.0 in one semester will result in withdrawal from the nursing program. A 2.0 GPA is required for entrance into senior level courses.
3. Students earning a D or F in any nursing course may repeat the course one time. The course may be repeated, and if the student passes, he/she is eligible to continue the nursing program. However, any other failure in that or any other nursing course will result in dismissal from the program.
4. Should a student decide to withdraw from a nursing course at any time with a failing grade that failing grade will be recorded as the final course grade and the student will not be allowed to reenter the nursing program.
5. All Common Core and other required non-nursing courses, with the exception of an interim elective, must be completed prior to beginning the senior level nursing courses.
6. Students who fail a course in the first semester of the program must compete for readmission with the next year’s applicant pool.
7. Any student who fails clinically will not be allowed to continue in the nursing program.
8. Students must successfully complete all Junior-level courses before proceeding to Senior-level courses.
9. The faculty of the Nursing program reserve the right to dismiss at any time a student whose health, conduct (academic dishonesty, professional conduct), general attitude, clinical performance, or scholastic standing make it inadvisable to retain the student in the program. Students are expected to display qualities that are desirable in professional persons.

Refer to the BSN Handbook for further details of all nursing major policies.

Progression in BSN Completion Option

In addition to the guidelines above, the following policies apply to progression in the BSN Completion Option:      

• A valid Georgia RN license must be maintained throughout enrollment in clinical nursing courses.
• Credit for NURS 3431 (Pharmacology) may be earned through successful completion of a standardized examination. Should a passing score not be achieved on the first attempt the student is required to complete the course.
• All previously earned ADN or Diploma nursing credits will be placed in escrow when the RN student enters the nursing program. Upon satisfactory completion of 6 credit hours of BSN nursing courses, the escrowed credits will be transferred to the student's permanent academic record. Should the RN student not be successful in the initial 6 hours of nursing courses, the previously earned nursing credits will not be applied toward the BSN degree.

Assessment of Learning Objectives in the Major

In order for students and faculty to monitor learning progress and to provide for evaluation of the educational program, periodic assessment measures are used. All assessments are program, course, or College requirements. Students are provided information as to the scheduling and cost of each assessment.

• Senior Institutional Assessment. Prior to graduation, students are required to complete a senior institutional assessment that measures students’ creative, critical, and communicative abilities. This assessment is designed to determine the extent to which students have achieved the objectives of the College curriculum.
• Standardized Exams. ATI achievement exams are administered at intervals throughout the nursing program. These tests are required within selected nursing courses.
• Assessment in the Major. Standardized testing through Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) with course specific tests will be used in each course as a percentage of the course grade. Those students scoring below Level II for each test will be required to remediate using ATI study materials. The RN Comprehensive Predictor Exam will be used in the last semester as a predictor of NCLEX readiness. RN students complete an essay-type Exit examination and a Portfolio.