Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

Nursing - RN to BSN

About The Program

This degree option is designed for licensed registered nurses (RNs) who have completed an associate degree from an accredited college or nursing program. Learning focuses on community and population health, leadership, team coordination and collaboration, quality assurance and improvement, care coordination and case management, and appplication of research and evidence-based practice. The curriculum is designed to include clinical reasoning skills, problem solving, and critical thinking at the level of a bachelor-prepared RN. Graduates from the RN to BSN program are prepared to apply for advanced degree programs.

Meeting the minimum entrance requirements does not guarantee admission as the number of qualified applicants may exceed the number of available enrollment spaces. To be placed into the admissions pool, applicants must complete and submit the following:

BSN application packet.
Transcript demonstrating earned associate degree from a nationally accredited nursing program within an institutionally accredited college or university.
Transcript(s) demonstrating a grade of C or higher in all required pre-nursing and nursing courses and a cumulative college GPA of 2.5 or higher.
Transcript demonstrating completion of MATH& 146 or equivalent statistics course with a grade of C or above.
Unencumbered Washington State RN licensure. Students in the final year of a Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission (NCQAC) approved associate degree nursing program may be admitted, but must take and pass the NCLEX-RN prior to beginning the RN to BSN curriculum (passing the NCLEX-RN provides 30 credits toward the BSN).

The program offers two options, one for graduates from programs offering the Washington State Associate in Nursing Direct Transfer Agreement with Major Ready Pathway (AN-DTA/MRP) degree and one for graduates of programs without the AN-DTA/MRP.

Additional Program Requirements

Students must be able to pass a Washington State Patrol criminal background check prior to beginning classes within the RN to BSN program.
Students must be able to comply with the LCC Nursing Program's clinical requirements for placement in the RN to BSN field experience.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
General Education Requirements

The following courses must be completed prior to a bachelor's degree obtainment. Some courses may be included in the associate degree or be completed during the RN to BSN program in addition to the required courses. A minimum of 50 quarter credits of general education courses are required in the following distribution areas prior to graduation.

Communications: 10 credits

5 credits - ENGL& 101 English Composition I
5 credits - ENGL& 102 English Composition II, CMST& 220 Public Speaking, or CMST 330 Professional/Organizational Communications (CMST 330 required for non AN-DTA/MRP grads)

Quantitative Skills: 5 credits

5 credits - MATH& 146 Introduction to Statistics

Natural Science: 20 credits

5 credits - BIOL& 241 Human A & P 1
5 credits - BIOL& 242 Human A & P 2
5 credits - BIOL& 260 Microbiology
5 credits - CHEM& 121 Intro to Chemistry

Humanities: 5 credits

5 credits - OLTM 440 Ethics and Leadership: Leading and Managing in a Diverse Society: DIV (OLTM 440 required for non AN-DTA/MRP grads) or 5 credits of legal and ethical issues in healthcare included in AN-DTA/MRP

Social Science: 10 credits

5 credits - PSYC& 200 Lifespan Psychology
5 credits - PSYC 320 Leadership and Organizational Psychology (PSYC 320 required for non AN-DTA/MRP grads) or 5 credits of psychosocial nursing included in AN-DTA/MRP

Diversity: 5 credits

5 credits - OLTM 440 Ethics and Leadership: Leading and Managing in a Diverse Society: DIV or another course from the LCC diversity course list

All upper level general education requirements are included in the AN-DTA/MRP degree. For graduates of nursing programs with other types of associate degrees, the following general education courses (total 15 credits) must be completed prior to graduation:

CMST 330	Professional/Organizational Communications	5
PSYC 320	Leadership and Organizational Psychology	5
OLTM 440	Ethics and Leadership: Leading and Managing in a Diverse Society: DIV	5

Program Requirements

Nursing Core:

NURS 400	Quality, Safety, and Equity in Nursing Practice	5
NURS 405	Research and Evidence-Based Nursing Practice	5
NURS 410	Community and Public Health Nursing	5
NURS 415	Leadership for Organizational Change	5
NURS 420	Health Information Technology in Nursing	5
NURS 430	Nursing Community Care Field Experience	5

Nursing Electives:

NURS 435	Historical and Theoretical Influences on Current Nursing Practice	5
NURS 440	Current Trends in Healthcare Policy	5
ECON 445	Healthcare Economics	5

AN-DTA/MRP Graduates	Non AN-DTA/MRP Graduates
Prelicensure - 135 credits total Associate Degree Program (90 credits) RN licensure as a result of passing the NCLEX-RN (30 credits) General education included in the AN-DTA/MRP (15 credits)	Prelicensure - 120 credits total Associate Degree Program (90 credits) RN licensure as a result of passing the NCLEX-RN (30 credits)
RN to BSN program - 45 credits total Nursing core (30 credits) Nursing elective course (15 credits)	RN to BSN program - 60 credits total Nursing core (30 credits) General education (15 credits) Nursing elective courses (15 credits)
180 credits	180 credits

Diversity and Distribution Lists are available in the Lower Columbia College Catalog located at lowercolumbia.edu/catalog.

Total credits required to earn this degree: 180 with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.5 in the program requirements.

Students completing this program should acquire the following skills and abilities:

Apply a systems-based approach to quality improvement in order to ensure safe, quality, and equitable care (GS - critical thinking, teamwork).
Demonstrate leadership skills in promoting collaboration among members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team (GS - critical thinking, communication, teamwork).
Apply analytic and clinical reasoning in professional nursing practice (GS - critical thinking, communication, quantitative literacy).
Promote equitable and inclusive health and wellness in diverse community and public health settings (GS - critical thinking, communication, teamwork).
Demonstrate accountability for personal and professional growth, leadership development, and professional values in nursing practice (GS - critical thinking, communication).
Demonstrate scholarly inquiry as a member of the interdisciplinary team (GS - critical thinking, communication, teamwork).
Implement holistic, person-centered care in the professional nurse role (GS - critical thinking, communication).
Ultilize healthcare informatics and other technologies to promote delivery of equitable, safe, quality, and cost-effective person- and population-centered care (GS - critical thinking, communication, quantitative literacy, teamwork).

Revised July 2023 (Effective Summer 2024)

Notes:

Program planning is based on information available at the time of preparation. It is the student’s responsibility to meet with their LCC advisor. Consult the LCC catalog for LCC graduation requirements.