Nursing - RN Progression Track

Admission Requirements

To be considered for the RN Progression Track, applicants must have achieved a 2.5 cumulative grade point average (on a four-point scale) from the associate degree or diploma program from which they graduated, hold a current Michigan Registered Nurse license, submit an admission application to WMU along with a photocopy of the current Michigan Registered Nurse license, and transcripts from all post-high school institutions attended.

Eligible Registered Nurse applicants will be admitted to a prenursing curriculum. Furthermore, prior to entering the nursing sequence of courses, Registered Nurses must complete the following general education/support course work.

Fine Arts (Area I General Education) 3 hours
Humanities (Area II General Education) 3 hours
Approved computer usage course 3 hours
SOC 2000 Principles of Sociology 3 hours
College-level writing (Proficiency 1) 3/4 hours

While enrolled in the prerequisite course work, students must schedule an appointment with the nursing advisor. At this time, academic progress in the program of study will be reviewed and the decision will be made for admission to the Professional Nursing curriculum. Admission to the Professional Nursing curriculum is determined by the successful completion of all prerequisite course work. Availability of space in nursing courses may affect the student’s rate of completion of the nursing sequence as the courses will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

At the beginning of the first nursing course, the student will be asked to present the following:

a current Michigan Registered Nurse license
proof of employment as a Registered Nurse for a minimum of six months
current cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification
immunization records

Academic Credit Transferred from Associate Degree or Diploma Program

Graduates of community college associate degree and diploma programs will be awarded credit on a course-by-course basis in accordance with University policies for prior general education, science, and electives. Forty-eight hours of credit for prior nursing study, clinical experience and successful NCLEX completion will be held in escrow until NUR 2040 has been completed with a grade of “C” or better.

Curriculum Requirements For Associate Degree Graduates And Diploma Graduates

(See the Notes Core below)

Supporting Courses

Approved computer usage course Credits: 3 hours
General Education Area I (Fine Arts) Credits: 3 hours
General Education Area II (Humanities) Credits: 3 hours
General Education Area III (U.S. Cultures and Issues) Credits: 3 hours
General Education Area IV (Other Cultures) Credits: 3 hours

NUR 2220 - Health Assessment Throughout the Lifespan Credits: 3 hours
NUR 3330 - Informatics for Health Professionals Credits: 3 hours
PHIL 3340 - Biomedical Ethics Credits: 4 hours
SOC 3200 - Introduction to Social Psychology Credits: 3 hours
or
SOC 3900 - Marriage and Family Relations Credits: 3 hours
or
SOC 4790 - Female/Male Interaction Credits: 3 hours
STAT 3660 - Introduction to Statistics Credits: 4 hours
Credits: 3 hours

Nursing (23 hours)

NUR 2040 - Nurses’ Role in Primary Health Care(RN) Credits: 6 hours
NUR 3080 - Nurses’ Role in Facilitating Health and Self-Care (RN) Credits: 8 hours
NUR 4120 - Nurses’ Role in Prevention, Treatment, and Control of Health Problems (RN) Credits: 8 hours
NUR 4300 - Special Topics in Nursing Credits: 1 hour

Notes:

In addition to the courses listed above, diploma graduates must also complete the following course work:

College-level writing course or elective Credits: 3/4 hours

SOC 2000 - Principles of Sociology Credits: 3 hours

Baccalaureate Level Writing Requirement

Students enrolled in the Registered Nurse Progression Track of the nursing curriculum will satisfy this requirement through the completion of:

NUR 3080 - Nurses’ Role in Facilitating Health and Self-Care (RN) Credits: 8 hours

Concentration or Academic Minor (minimum of 12 hours)

The faculty believe that it is important that students be offered the opportunity to explore personal areas of interest which complement their career in nursing. This may be achieved in one of two ways. The first option is an area of concentration. With the approval of a nursing faculty advisor, students will select four courses (12 credit hours) from a specific area of concentration. Nursing students may also choose to design an area of concentration. Nine of the credit hours must be selected from the 3000-5000 level of course work. The remaining three credits may be selected from the 2000-level. One-hundred-level courses may not be counted toward an area of concentration. Courses required in the curriculum or selected to meet general education or proficiency requirements cannot be counted toward an area of concentration. (E.G. SOC 2000: Principles of Sociology is required in the nursing curriculum. Students will not be allowed to count this course as part of the concentration.)

The second option for nursing students is an academic minor. Since minors are more credit-hour intensive than areas of concentration, students will be allowed to count required courses in the curriculum toward a minor. Examples of academic minors that students might pursue include women’s studies, philosophy, biological sciences, and sociology.

Whether students elect to complete an area of concentration or a minor, it must be done with the approval of the nursing advisor.