Nursing, B.S.N

Requirements for the bachelor of science in nursing degree

To earn the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, students must complete a minimum of 125 credits and meet the following requirements:

Plan of study for direct admission into freshman year (Track I)

Plan of study for admission after the freshman year (Track II)

All students who are admitted to the School of Nursing complete the same prerequisite course work as direct admission students, with the exception that they will take NRS 206  (Introduction to Professional Nursing) in nursing year 1 and take a philosophy course as a pre-nursing course requirement. A part-time plan of study is available upon request.

Plan of study for accelerated second-degree B.S.N.

Students who are admitted to the Accelerated Second Degree program will follow the Plan of Study shown below:

Clinical placements

Nursing students are placed in a variety of settings throughout their academic program. The School of Nursing provides students with a range of experiences with diverse populations, organizations and agencies. Cooperating agencies are located in both urban and suburban settings throughout metropolitan Detroit and southeastern Michigan. Each student is responsible for providing his or her own transportation for all clinical experiences.

Annual clinical requirements

The requirements listed below must be renewed annually and remain in effect throughout the academic year. By the published deadline each year, students in the nursing program must supply written validation of skin testing for tuberculosis and/or chest x-ray:

The following are required by clinical agencies where students are placed for clinical experience:

1. Criminal background check.
2. Urine drug screen.
3. Documented completion of an approved CPR course.

Students are responsible for any costs associated with the requirements described above. Students accepted to the nursing program must submit proof of all the above requirements by the published deadline date (per program plan). All requirements must remain in effect throughout the academic year. Students who have not provided necessary documentation by the published deadline dates will not be allowed to enroll in clinical nursing courses. NOTE: Students must maintain their own health insurance for illness or injury. Clinical agencies are not required to provide free treatment for students and will bill individuals for use of their emergency or employee health services.

Bachelor of science in nursing completion sequence for registered nurses

The School of Nursing offers registered nurses an opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The purposes, philosophy and outcome expectations for the B.S.N. program are the same for basic and registered nurse students. However, course objectives and teaching methodologies take into account the professional and life experiences of R.N. students.

Students who have satisfactorily completed a diploma or associate degree program in nursing and who possess a valid R.N. license may apply for admission to the B.S.N. program. A cumulative GPA of 2.50 or better is required for admission to the R.N.-B.S.N. degree completion sequence.

Registered nurses with a GPA below 2.50 may be admitted to the University under pre- R.N.-B.S.N. status and change to R.N.-B.S.N. status upon completion of a minimum of 12 credits (applicable to the nursing program) at Oakland University with a GPA of 2.50 or higher.

Registered nurses must complete all credits and/or courses in the degree program.

Completion may be achieved in the following manner:

Master of science in nursing completion sequence for registered nurses

The R.N.-M.S.N. program is selective and designed for high achieving Registered Nurses who want to pursue graduate education in Adult/Gerontological Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, or Nursing Education after they complete the requirements for the undergraduate degree. Students who wish to enter this program are first admitted to the R.N.-B.S.N. program. Once admitted to the R.N.- M.S.N. program students can take two graduate level courses (NRS 515  and NRS 516 ) and pay undergraduate tuition rates for these graduate credits. Before students can take NRS 515  and NRS 516  they must request a change in program status from the nursing program academic adviser and be admitted to the R.N.-M.S.N. program. The request for a program transfer can be submitted at any point after admission to the R.N.-B.S.N. program when an applicant meets the minimum requirements for a program transfer. NRS 515  and NRS 516  replace NRS 355  and NRS 450  in the R.N.-B.S.N. program and graduate courses NRS 521 and 610 will be waived once a student begins course work toward the M.S.N. degree.

To receive approval for the change in status to the R.N.-M.S.N. program graduates from an associate degree in nursing program (A.D.N.) must have achieved an A.D.N. cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. Students who do not have an A.D.N. program GPA above 3.5 can request a change in status to the R.N.-M.S.N. program after maintaining an Oakland University undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better in 12 credits of required non-nursing courses in the R.N.-B.S.N. program. These 12 credits must include NRS 310 .

Early admission to M.S.N. program: Once a student in the R.N.-M.S.N. program attains undergraduate senior level status (minimum of 91 credits) the student is able to formally apply for admission to the Nursing Education, Family Nurse Practitioner, or Adult/Gerontological Nurse Practitioner program. The Nurse Anesthesia program is not open to this early admission opportunity. With the exception of the B.S.N. degree, all other graduate level M.S.N. admission requirements must be fully met for early admission status. When a student is officially accepted into the M.S.N. program, he/she will receive a graduate program Plan of Study outlining the course sequence to complete the M.S.N. program. Once the B.S.N. degree is posted the B.S.N. graduate who has been granted early M.S.N. admission status officially becomes a graduate student and is subject to graduate tuition rates and School of Nursing graduate level policies.

Core performance standards

All nursing students must demonstrate the following competencies during the entire academic program: