I.   An overview of the profession
BSN nurses are prized for their skills in critical thinking, leadership, case management, and health promotion, and for their ability to practice across a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings. Nurse executives, federal agencies, the military, leading nursing organizations, health care foundations, magnet hospitals, and minority nurse advocacy groups all recognize the unique value that baccalaureate-prepared nurses bring to the practice setting.
AACN encourages employers to foster practice environments that embrace lifelong learning and offer incentives for registered nurses (RNs) seeking to advance their education to the baccalaureate and higher degree levels. We also encourage BSN graduates to seek out employers who value their level of education and distinct competencies.

II.   Descriptions and Prerequisites of 2 programs, the University of Memphis Loewenberg School of Nursing and Union University’s Union University’s Accelerated BSN 

A)   The University of Memphis Loewenberg School of Nursing

The Loewenberg School of Nursing BSN program prepares students for careers in professional nursing. As part of a comprehensive university, the school is dedicated to developing scholarship in nursing and provide services that support the institutional mission. The program is designed to accommodate the needs of high school graduates, transfer students and college graduates, and registered nurses who are graduates of diploma or associate degree nursing programs.
The prerequisites for the BSN program are the following:
1. Admission to the U of M as a degree seeking undergraduate student.
2. Achievement of a minimum college cumulative GPA of 2.7.
3. Completion of all prerequisite courses prior to enrollment:

What they want	# Hours	What we call it at CBU
Anatomy and Physiology I & II*	8	BIOL 217 Lec & Lab    BIOL 218 Lec & Lab
Microbiology	4	BIOL 321 Lec & Lab
English composition	6	ENG 111 and ENG 112
Intro to Sociology or  General Psychology	3	SOC 101 or PSYC 105
Mathematics	3	MATH 105 or MATH 117     or MATH 131
Nutrition	3	BIOL 236

*Anatomy and Physiology I & II are sophomore-level courses at CBU. In order to take these courses at CBU, you will have to complete BIOL 111 Lec & Lab and BIOL 112 Lec and Lab first.

4. Science prerequisite courses may be repeated once; if repeated more than two times, the second grade will be used in the Pre-requisite Science GPA calculation. A maximum of two of three science courses may be repeated to earn the minimum pre-requisite science GPA of 2.66. A grade of “D” or “F” for the didactic, lab, or didactic and lab portions of the course is considered one failure.

5. Completion of the remaining prerequisite courses with a grade of “C” or better (English Comp I and II, Intro to Sociology or General Psychology, Math, and Nutrition). 

6. Completion of the TEAS V (Test of Essential Academic Skills) with a minimum overall score of 62.5% and a minimum categorical score of 60% for the four (4) components: Math, English, Reading and Science. 

7. Clearance of all high school deficiencies.

8. Submission of a completed online application to the Loewenberg School of Nursing (LSON) prior to the published deadline.

Student Outcomes of the BSN Program
The baccalaureate program prepares the graduate to:
1. Apply leadership and decision-making skills to create a safe, caring environment necessary for the delivery of quality care within dynamic health systems.
2. Translate current clinical and research-based evidence into practice to improve patient health outcomes.
3. Incorporate patient care technologies with information and communication systems to provide evidence-based care that is safe and cost effective.
4. Participate in healthcare policy and political processes to positively influence socio-cultural, economic, legal and political factors that shape healthcare delivery and professional nursing practice.
5. Communicate and collaborate effectively both interprofessionally and intraprofessionally to optimize patient health outcomes.
6. Implement clinical prevention and health promotion strategies to improve patient health outcomes.
7. Emulate professional values and ethical behaviors in all dimensions of nursing practice.

B)   Union University’s Accelerated BSN Curriculum
Union University School of Nursing offers a 15 month Bachelor of Science in Nursing Accelerated (BSNA) degree track for non-nurses who have a bachelor's degree in another field or are at least 24 years of age and have completed general educational requirements but did not previously complete a bachelor's degree.
Please note - Below is a list of the required prerequisites and general education for ALL applicants. We prefer these courses be completed prior to the application deadline. However, these courses may be "in progress" as of the application deadline.

What they want	# hours	What we call it at CBU
Anatomy and Physiology I & II*	8	BIOL 217 Lec & Lab   BIOL 218 Lec & Lab
English Composition	6	ENG 111 and ENG 112
General Psychology	3	PSYC 105
Christian Studies Old Testament Survey New Testament Survey	6	RS 217 & RS 218
Mathematics, with a statistics component	3	BIOL 340 or MATH 201
Computer Science	2	MIS 153
Laboratory sciences	14/15	Upper-level biology courses
Social Sciences (includes 3 hours history, general psychology, and developmental psychology		HIS(tory) electives   PSYC 105   PSCY 218
Electives - Lower level (i.e. 100-200 level)	13-14	Free to choose
Electives - Upper level (i.e. 300-400 level)	6	Free to choose

 

III.   The National Exam

Although there is no exam required for admissions, all individuals interested in a career in nursing must pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX–RN) in order to practice as a RN. Entry into the practice of nursing is regulated by the licensing authorities within each of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN®) member board jurisdictions (state, commonwealth and territorial boards of nursing). To ensure public protection, each jurisdiction requires candidates for licensure to meet set requirements that include passing an examination that measures the competencies needed to perform safely and effectively as a newly licensed, entry-level registered nurse (RN). NCSBN develops a licensure examination, the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®), which is used by member board jurisdictions to assist in making licensure decisions.
 

IV.  Contact information regarding careers in Nursing
American Academy of Nurse Practitioners -- http://www.aanp.org
American College of Nurse-Midwives -- http://www.acnm.org
Discover Nursing -- http://www.discovernursing.com/

Contact information at CBU:
Dr. Stan Eisen, Director of Pre-Professional Health Programs
phone: 901-321-3447
e-mail: seisen@cbu.edu