Program Page

The BSN curriculum is designed to prepare entry-level professional nurses with the knowledge and experience to care for persons not only in acute care, but also in community and population-heath care environments. The BSN curriculum will differ from our current ASN curriculum by incorporating additional skill sets through course work, clinical applications, and clinical experiences in:

• Evidence-based practice in healthcare systems
• Health promotion throughout the lifespan
• Health and physical examination
• Nursing ethics
• Nursing informatics and healthcare technologies
• Nursing leadership
• Population health nursing
• Examination of healthcare delivery systems
• Application of evidence-based practice through clinical capstone
• Provide a variety of clinical experiences in acute care, the community and population health arena.

A minimum of 120 approved credit hours is required. This includes 28 upper division nursing credits. Students complete the program in three semesters including summer depending upon the academic history of the individual. Nursing courses are offered online with no face-to-face course requirements. Students must earn a grade of “C” or above in all courses and maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program at Fairmont State is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). (https:\www.ccneaccrediation.org).

The expected outcomes of the BSN graduate are to:

1. Integrate a background in the liberal arts with the knowledge, skills, and values in professional nursing in order to improve patient and healthcare outcomes.
2. Prepare nurse generalists to provide safe, ethical, evidenced-based, patient-centered care that reflects critical thinking and inter-professional collaboration.
3. Manage information and technology to enhance clinical decision making for quality patient-centered care in a variety of settings.
4. Apply principles of prevention and health promotion when providing care to patients.
5. Contribute to the profession of nursing by engaging in leadership, scholarship, and practice activities.
6. Prepare nurse generalists for professional role development through lifelong learning, graduate education, and specialization within their chosen career path.

All applicants seeking admission to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program are required to:

1. Meet the general admission and course placement requirements of Fairmont State University.
2. Submit an application for admission to both the University and the College of Nursing, designating the major as Bachelor of Science in Nursing to the Office of Admissions.
3. Submit official college and/or diploma program transcripts, including graduation date and degree.
4. Students interested in the program are encouraged to contact the College of Nursing for advisement purposes. An active, unencumbered West Virginia or multistate RN license is required for enrollment in NURS 3370  and above.

All applicants must meet the general admission requirements of Fairmont State University as described in the University Undergraduate Catalog.

Admission to the Traditional Bachelor of Science Nursing program is on a competitive basis. The priority application deadline is January 15^th for Fall Semester admission. Students can be accepted into the Traditional BSN program in two ways.
 

1. High school seniors - This applies to high school students with eight (8) or less college credits. High school students with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, ACT score of 21 or higher or SAT 1060 or higher, and TEAS composite score of 70 or higher (pending space availability) are eligible apply to the traditional BSN program during their senior year of high school. Applications are due by January 15 (this includes official high school transcripts, official college transcripts, official ACT or SAT scores and official TEAS scores). Progression to the sophomore year is contingent on completion of all required freshman level courses with a grade of “C” or higher by the end of the summer semester of the year the student is scheduled to begin the sophomore level nursing courses. Students, who are unable to begin the sophomore level courses will need to reapply to the program.

 

2. Current or previous college students - Students with nine (9) or more college credits or previous college graduates are eligible to apply. Applicants must have an overall 2.5 cumulative college GPA and a composite TEAS score of 70[CL1]  or higher. Applications are due by January 15^th (this includes University receipt of official high school transcripts, official college transcripts, official ACT or SAT scores and official TEAS scores). Successful applicants will be admitted to the freshman or sophomore level, depending on completion of freshman course requirements. Progression to the sophomore year is contingent on completion of all required freshman level courses with a grade of “C” or higher by the end of the summer semester of the year the student is scheduled to begin the sophomore level nursing courses. Students, who are unable to begin the sophomore level courses will need to reapply for admission during the next application window, as long as the deficiency is corrected.

 

Once admitted to the program students will need to be compliant with required clinical agency immunizations, American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR, have Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliant health insurance, unequivocal drug screen, clear background check, satisfactory health examination that allows the student to meet the College of Nursing Core Performance Standards. Specific information about the clinical agency requirements will be provided to students in an information packet. Clinical agency requirements are subject to change and students will be required to meet those requirements. A tracking system will be used to monitor compliance. Failure to maintain compliance with clinical agency requirements will result in the student’s inability to attend clinical learning activities. This is considered an unexcused clinical absence. Unexcused clinical absences are unable to be made up and will result in failure of the course; both the clinical and theory components will need to be repeated.