Nursing BSN

At the completion of the program, the graduate will:

1. Integrate the knowledge of nursing and other disciplines from liberal arts, natural and social sciences to develop intellectual curiosity, social responsibility, and clinical judgment in professional nursing practice.

2. Provide person-centered care with respect to the diverse values, preferences and needs of the individual, their family, and/or important others to enhance outcomes.  

3. Manage population health across the healthcare continuum, from public health prevention to disease management, through collaborative activities and partnerships to promote health equity and improved health for all. 

4. Utilize nursing scholarship to improve healthcare outcomes through the evaluation of nursing research and the implementation of best evidence into practice.  

5. Apply safety and quality improvement principles to nursing practice to create a safe and just care environment that minimizes risk to patients and providers and enhances desired healthcare outcomes. 

6. Demonstrate interprofessional, collaborative care valuing the unique knowledge and skills of the care team members to optimize care and strengthen patient outcomes. 

7.  Apply knowledge of complex systems of healthcare using evidence-based methodologies to coordinate resources to deliver safe, quality, and equitable care to diverse populations.      

8. Use information, communication technologies, and informatics processes to drive clinical decision making and the delivery of safe, quality, and efficient nursing care in alignment with professional and  regulatory standards.

9.  Demonstrate ethical comportment and the formation of a nursing identity through the application of professional nursing principles to meet the diverse needs of the individual, community, and profession.

10. Participate in healthy self-care behaviors, reflective nursing practice, and  lifelong learning to support the acquisition of nursing expertise and the assertion of leadership.

Purpose: To provide guidance and direction for clinical attendance. 
 
Clinical Attendance 
1. Clinical attendance is mandatory. Students must be punctual and prepared for all
clinical experiences regardless of type (client care, simulation, observational
experience, seminar, virtual, etc.). Time missed for dismissal from any clinical
experience is considered clinical absence. 
 
2. Clinical experiences are a vital component of the learning experience, and
students are expected to attend all clinical hours as scheduled. Faculty recognize
that extenuating circumstances occur; thus, any student exceeding two absences
per course may be dismissed from the course delaying progression. All students
are required to make-up missed clinical hours, incomplete clinical hours will
result in course failure, with a grade of (F) submitted for the course.

3. All clinical absence time and unplanned SNAH closure on clinical days will be
made up as allocated by the course faculty. Make-up days will be designated on
a monthly basis. Students missing a clinical prior to the designated day are
expected to make it up on the designated day unless otherwise directed by the
course coordinator. Weekend students will be assigned a weekend make-up as
designated on the clinical schedule. For NUR 170 and NUR 265, students will be
required to complete clinical make-up as allocated and scheduled per syllabus.
No changes will be made to scheduled clinical make-up days.

4. A grade of incomplete would be earned if an absence is incurred within the last
two weeks of the semester with the make-up scheduled at the discretion of the
program.

5. The first clinical make-up day will not incur a fee. Additional make-up days will
incur a fee of $200 per absence per course, which will be billed to the student’s
account.

6. Please note, students who miss a scheduled clinical makeup day without
notifying course faculty will be charged $200 as outlined above.
       
7. Students are responsible for reporting a clinical absence at least 30 minutes
before each day of their assigned clinical time or as otherwise directed by the
course faculty. 
 
8. Students are responsible for reporting clinical tardiness as soon as possible or as
otherwise directed by the course faculty. 

9. Students not properly reporting a clinical absence or tardiness will receive a
warning from the course faculty. A second offense may result in failure of the
course. 
 
10. Students are granted one excused late arrival for up to 30 minutes. This late
arrival will not count toward the course hour limit and the student will be
permitted to complete the clinical day. Subsequent tardiness shall result in the
student being dismissed from the clinical setting and clinical absence time will be
accrued for that clinical day. 

11. A satisfactory level of mental and physical health is important to support learning
and assure student and patient safety. It is the student’s responsibility to notify
the Course Coordinator of any significant changes in health status that might
impact their ability to fully participate in class or clinical, etc. Any student unable
to participate for medical reasons will need to submit a letter from their provider
documenting the student’s fitness to return to class and/or clinical.

Pre-licensure BSN Progression Policy

The nursing curriculum is designed to move the student from a fundamental understanding of basic concepts to complex critical thinking and application in clinical settings. Academic progression is designed to support educational success, licensure and transition to practice. 

This policy delineates the academic standards required of students admitted to the pre-licensure undergraduate nursing program.

A course attempt in one pre-licensure nursing program applies to all pre-licensure programs. 

A leave of absence does not negate previously attempted nursing courses. 

Progression Requirements:

1. A student must have a minimum earned cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher to enter into the required Nursing courses beginning with NUR 160. Students are expected to maintain a 2.5 minimum cumulative GPA while in the nursing program. Students earning less than a GPA of 2.50 in their first semester will receive a warning. Students earning less than a GPA of 2.5 after their first semester will be placed on Academic Probation. If a student has not achieved a cumulative GPA of 2.5 by the end of a second consecutive semester on academic probation, they will be dismissed from the Nursing program.

2. A student must earn a C or better in any Mathematics or Natural Science courses that are required for the major.

3. Successful completion of all required nursing (NUR) courses and INT major courses is defined as a 77% or better according to the School of Nursing and Allied Health Grading Scale. Refer to the Undergraduate Nursing Grading Policy. A student can view the required nursing (NUR) courses in the academic catalog. 

4. A grade of 77% or higher for the Capstone Paper is required to successfully complete INT 450. 

5. If a student earns a grade less than 77% or withdraws from any NUR course or INT course, they must repeat that course in a subsequent semester as a second attempt. Second attempts of NUR courses are eligible for Grade Replacement. Academic advising relative to other majors/options will be provided.

6. If a student earns a grade less than 77% or withdraws from a NUR course or INT course that is taken as a second attempt, they will be dismissed from the Nursing program.

7. A student may have no more than two unsuccessful attempts across all of the required (NUR) nursing and INT courses in the program. Students exceeding this requirement will be dismissed from the Nursing major. Academic advising relative to other majors/options will be provided.

8. Any exception to the two course second-attempt limit must be approved by the Dean of the School of Nursing and Allied Health. 

9. The curricular plans for Nursing programs often require students to enroll in concurrent prerequisite courses within the same semester.  If a student withdraws from one of these NUR courses after the 4^th week of the semester, they may remain in the other concurrent prerequisite NUR course(s) with the permission of the program director. Otherwise, students must withdraw from all concurrent NUR courses.   

10. INT 450 must be taken in the last semester of the program. 

11. Once a student begins NUR clinical courses, the maximum time a student may be out of NUR clinical courses is 12 consecutive months from the time the student exited the program.  Prior to a student re-entering the program of study, faculty reserve the right to assign placement in the curriculum and to require remedial activities. If a student exceeds the 12 consecutive month limit, the student must restart the program’s clinical courses from the beginning and must adhere to the current policies and plan in place for the program of study.

12. Students dismissed from the pre-licensure BSN program may not transfer into the ASN program.

RN to BSN Progression Policy

The nursing curriculum is designed to move the student from a fundamental understanding of basic concepts to complex critical thinking and incorporation of evidence-based findings to practice settings. Academic progression is designed to support educational success, the development of leadership qualities, and the delivery of holistic, safe, and competent nursing care. 

This policy delineates the academic standards required of students admitted to the RN-to-BSN  nursing program.

A leave of absence does not negate previously attempted nursing courses.  

Progression Requirements:

1. All students must have an active RN license on file in order to be enrolled in any RN-to-BSN required nursing (NUR) courses and INT courses with the exception of general education requirements. A student can view the required nursing courses in the academic catalog. 

2. Students must secure employment or volunteer in a health care setting for eight (8) hours weekly by the beginning of the second semester of enrollment in order to continue in the RN-to-BSN core courses. Students must maintain employment or volunteering in a health care setting for eight (8) hours weekly throughout the program. 

3.  A student must have a minimum earned cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher to enter into the required nursing courses.  Students are expected to maintain a 2.5 minimum cumulative GPA while in the nursing program. Students earning less than a GPA of 2.50 in their first semester will receive a warning. Students earning less than a GPA of 2.5 after their first semester will be placed on Academic Probation. Students who are on Academic Probation for 2 consecutive semesters will be dismissed from the program. A student can view the required nursing (NUR) courses in the academic catalog. 

4. A student must earn a C or better in any Mathematics courses that are required for the major.

5. Successful completion of all required nursing (NUR) courses and INT courses is defined as a 77% or better according to the School of Nursing and Allied Health Grading Scale. Refer to the Undergraduate Nursing Grading Policy. A student can view the required nursing (NUR) courses in the academic catalog. 

6. A grade of 77% or higher for the Capstone Paper is required to successfully complete INT 450. 

7. If a student earns a grade less than 77% or withdraws from any NUR course or INT major course, they must repeat that course in a subsequent semester as a second attempt. Second attempts of NUR courses are eligible for Grade Replacement. Academic advising relative to other majors/options will be provided.

8. If a student earns a grade less than 77% or withdraws from a NUR course or INT major course that is taken as a second attempt, they will be dismissed from the Nursing program.

9. A student may have no more than two unsuccessful attempts across all of the required (NUR) nursing and INT courses in the program. Students exceeding this requirement will be dismissed from the Nursing major. Academic advising relative to other majors/options will be provided.

10. Any exception to the two course second-attempt limit must be approved by the Dean of the School of Nursing and Allied Health. 

11. Students are expected to complete all required courses for program completion prior to registering for INT 450. INT 450 must be taken in the last semester of the program. 

12. Any student who steps out of the program must return within two years and will need to meet the curricular requirements at the time of program re-entry. Additionally, any person wanting to return after more than 2 years from the last course completion will need to be reviewed and approved for return by the Program Director. 

Grading Standards

Explanation of Grading Standards

1. Grades on quizzes, exams (tests) and other forms of evaluation are carried out to two decimal places and not rounded.

2. Rounding occurs at the end of the semester only with final course grades. Final course grades ending with 0.5 or greater are rounded upward unless the final course grade is less than required, in which case no rounding occurs.

Example:

79.47 = 79%. It does not round up.

79.74 = 80%.

76.99 = 76.99%. It does not round up.

    3. In any course, all course outcomes and/or additional course requirements must be met, or a course grade of “F” will be assigned regardless of points earned. 

      Example: If a student earns a passing course grade but does not meet course or clinical outcomes, a grade of “F” will be awarded

Students Enrolled in the Pre-licensure BSN Track

1. A student must achieve a course grade of “C+” (77%) or higher for all required NUR and INT major courses.

2. A student must earn a C or better in any Mathematics or Natural Science courses that are required for the major.

3. INT 450: A student must achieve a grade of “C+” (77%) or higher on the Capstone Paper to pass the course.  If not achieved, the grade on the paper will be the grade of record.

Minimum Examination Grade Policy for Students Enrolled in the Pre-licensure BSN Track

Students must achieve a weighted examination average grade of 77% in all nursing (NUR) courses to successfully complete the course. If a weighted examination average of 77% is achieved, the other course points such as extra credit, quizzes, assignments, and ATI will be added into the final grade calculation and this grade will be entered as the student’s overall average. If a student does not earn the weighted examination average of 77%, the weighted examination average will be entered as the student’s overall course grade. A minimum grade of 77% is required to pass this course.

Students Enrolled in the RN to BSN Track

1. A student must achieve a course grade of “C+” (77%) or higher for all required NUR and INT courses.

2. A student must earn a C or better in any Mathematics courses that are required for the major.

3. INT 450: A student must achieve a grade of “C+” (77%) or higher on the Capstone Paper to pass the course. If not achieved, the grade on the paper will be the grade of record

Pre-Licensure

Cornerstone Core Curriculum Requirements

Consist of 14 core and 2 overlay requirements.  See below for additional detailed information on each of these requirements.

Recommended CCC Courses

Major Requirements 

¹

PSY 100 is a prerequisite to NUR 275 Health & Illness I and NUR 295 Health & Illness II. It also counts towards the Cornerstone Core Curriculum Social Science requirement.

²

ENG 454 is a prerequisite to NUR 402 EBP & Research in Nursing. It will also count towards the Cornerstone Core Curriculum Fine & Performing Arts, Design, and Creativity requirement.

Free Electives

To be awarded a bachelor's degree at Saint Joseph's University, students must complete at least 120 total credits. As such, elective credits may be required in addition to Cornerstone Core Curriculum (CCC) and major requirements. Any credits necessary to reach at least 120 total credits outside of the CCC and major requirements are considered free electives. Under the CCC, there are no fixed number of electives required. A student's total number of electives will vary based on major requirements, transfer credits, as well as math and language placement. 

RN to BSN

RN to BSN Students will transfer approximately 67 credits from an associates degree curriculum. Please see the Block Transfer policy for more information.

Core Requirements: If one of these PHL/THE courses were completed as part of your ASN program at Saint Joseph's University, they will apply to the core requirements; however, to meet program credit hours a student will need to take a 3 credit general elective. 

67 transfer credits + 53 RN to BSN curriculum credits = 120 credits

Cornerstone Core Curriculum Requirements for Block Transfer Students

Major Requirements 

¹

ENG 454 is a prerequisite to NUR 402 EBP & Research in Nursing. 

Four -Year Traditional BSN Course Sequence

¹

Must be taken the last semester of the of the program

²

Must be taken during last 7 weeks of the program

³

PSY 100 is a prerequisite to NUR 275 Health & Illness I and NUR 295 Health & Illness II. It also counts towards the Cornerstone Core Curriculum Social Science requirement.

⁴

ENG 454 is a prerequisite to NUR 402 EBP & Research in Nursing. It will also count towards the Cornerstone Core Curriculum Fine & Performing Arts, Design, and Creativity requirement.

RN to BSN Course Sequence