123 Credit Hours

Description

CU's innovative RN to BS Nursing program is for ambitious nursing professionals who seek career advancement. The program can be completed on an accelerated time frame and is fully online to meet the needs of busy professionals. It has been designed based on research about the competencies needed for professionals to advance in the field. For instance, The American Association of the Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) (2019) Fact Sheet: The Impact of Education on Nursing Practice notes: “Baccalaureate nursing programs encompass all of the course work taught in associate degree and diploma programs plus a more in-depth treatment of the physical and social sciences, nursing research, public and community health, nursing management, and the humanities. The additional course work enhances the student’s professional development, prepares the new nurse for a broader scope of practice, and provides the nurse with a better understanding of the cultural, political, economic, and social issues that affect patients and influence healthcare delivery." The Fact Sheet underlines that "For more than a decade, policymakers, healthcare authorities, and practice leaders have recognized that education makes a difference when it comes to nursing practice.”

CU's program is unique in offering cognate and cross-disciplinary courses that professionals can choose from, including:

  • Epidemiology
  • Introduction to Human Health and Disease
  • Medical Sociology
  • Social Psychology
  • Introduction to Human rights

Admission of applicants who possess an unencumbered LPN license:

Carolina University’s Nursing Program is not a licensure program. However, if there are students who would like to take courses at Carolina University while working to obtain their RN license at another accredited institution, they may enroll in the BS in Public Health degree program. The credits taken in this degree program will be considered for transfer into the RN-BSN program once the RN licensure has been obtained.

Program Learning Outcomes

  • Synthesize theories and concepts from liberal education to build an understanding of the human experience
  • Collaborate with others to develop an intervention plan that takes into account determinants of health, available resources, and the range of activities that contribute to health and the prevention of illness, injury, disability, and mortality
  • Promote the image of nursing by modeling the values and articulating the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the nursing profession, while adhering to the professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct
  • Develop leadership skills to provide and continuously improve the delivery of safe, patient-centered quality healthcare through healthcare policy and professional advocacy
  • Incorporate basic elements of the research process. models for applying evidence to clinical practice, best practices, and the most current evidence when using clinical reasoning to make practice decisions
  • Recognize the role of information technology in improving patient care outcomes and creating a safe care environment, manage knowledge, mitigate error, support decision-making, improve caregiver communication across the continuum of care
  • Integrate effective inter- and intra-professional communication and collaboration skills to improve the delivery of evidence-based, patient-centered

Admissions Requirements

  • A high school diploma or GED
  • GPA of 2.75 or higher
  • Active, unencumbered RN license
  • Official transcripts from all previously attended schools
  • Completed application with Carolina University

Graduation Requirements

In order to become a candidate for graduation, a student:

  1. Shall have completed a minimum of 30 credit hours at CU;
  2. Shall have maintained a minimum academic average of C;
  3. Shall have passed all courses in his/her curriculum and made a C or better in key courses designated as essential in each program;
  4. Shall have completed at least 24 of the final 30 hours with Carolina University.