The Caylor School of Nursing offers an RN-BSN option to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Degree. A student must successfully complete a total of 122 credit hours to be eligible for graduation; which includes required general education and collateral credit hours, and 29 required RN-BSN Nursing credit hours. Other hours will be applied from prior program completion to the total of 122 credit hours.
Please be aware that in certain academic programs requiring internship or placement, an additional criminal background check, and a chain of custody urine drug screen (in addition to the one required with the medical profile), may be required by affiliate agencies and organizations. If required, these tests would be at the student’s expense.
RN-to-BSN Option Admission Requirements
Students must first be admitted to the University before formally applying for admission to the BSN program. Admission to the University, however, does not guarantee admission to the BSN program. Admission to the program is competitive. Factors considered include: cumulative grade point average, ACT/SAT scores, grades/grade point average in required BSN Degree Core Curriculum courses, number of repeated courses and withdrawals, and grade improvement over time.
The Admissions Committee will review all applicants’ materials. Applicants will be considered based on admission criteria. Interviews may be conducted. Any omission, false, or misleading information on the application related to prior admission to a nursing school will preclude the student from being considered for admission or will result in the student being dismissed from the program.
Admission criteria for the RN-to-BSN Option include:
- Be a graduate of an ASN program
- Show proof of a valid non-restricted RN license
- Admission to LMU
- Formal application for admission to the CSON RN-BSN Option
- Satisfactory completion of general education and program course requirements (non-degree holding transfer students may take LNCN 100 and CIVX 300 at any time during the nursing program, or prior to matriculation).
- Submission of official academic transcripts from all postsecondary schools attended
- Cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 or higher
- Completed medical profile form
Prior to beginning the nursing program the student must submit:
- A completed physical examination form.
- Evidence of a negative chain of custody urine drug screen and background check.
- Current negative two-step TST or blood assay for Mycobac. Tuberc with a completed TB Risk Assessment form; Rubella, Rubeola & Mumps titer or documentation of 2 MMR vaccines; Varicella titer or immunization with Varicella vaccine; Flu immunization; Hepatitis B immunization series or signed declination form; and proof of Tdap booster within the past 10 years. COVID immunization is highly recommended.
- Current CPR certification (must include adult, child and infant training).
- Proof of medical insurance coverage.
- Completed and signed Student Essential Functions Form.
Core Curriculum Requirements for Baccalaureate Degree Program
Students enrolled in the RN-BSN Option of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program must complete required general education and collateral credit hours as listed below. Students admitted to the program who have earned a Bachelor’s Degree (or higher) will be required to meet the 5 general education program requirements if not obtained already. These include: PSYC 221, MATH 270, BIOL 230, BIOL 261 and BIOL 262. It is recommended that the student will have completed the required general education prior to beginning the nursing courses.
General Education
LMU Specific Courses
I. English Communication
II. Fine Arts, Humanities, and Ethics
III. Behavioral/Social Sciences
RN-BSN students are required to transfer in PSYC 221
IV. Mathematics
VI. Natural Sciences
Students are required to complete:
BIOL 261 & Lab
BIOL 262 & Lab
BIOL 230 & Lab
General Education Proficiency
Required testing and other measures are used to determine the extent to which students achieve the learning outcomes of The Core Curriculum at the Baccalaureate level. Students pursuing a baccalaureate degree are tested when enrolled in CIVX 300. Students are strongly encouraged to become familiar with the tests which are used and to perform at their highest level on each of these tests. Students achieving scores and ratings demonstrating achievement more than one standard deviation above the LMU average shall receive a LMU General Education Outstanding Achievement Certificate.
Students pursuing a baccalaureate degree must exceed a minimum score on both the ETS Proficiency Profile exam and the ETS Essay Writing Exam or pay an additional fee of $20 per exam to repeat the necessary exam for which they fall below the achievement level set by the LMU General Education Committee. Results of the repeated test(s) will be used by the LMU General Education Committee to determine if the student has met or exceeded the student learning outcomes of The Lincoln Liberal Arts Core Curriculum. If the student’s subsequent results from repeated testing fall below the achievement levels set by the LMU GE Committee, the GE Committee will prescribe a specific remediation plan and mechanisms to demonstrate achievement of The Lincoln Liberal Arts Core Curriculum student learning outcomes. Until that achievement is successfully demonstrated the student will have a No Credit (“NC”) grade assigned for CIVX300. The expected levels to demonstrate achievement of The Lincoln Liberal Arts Core Curriculum are: Essay Writing - greater than a rating of 2 and ETS Proficiency Profile – greater than one standard deviation less than the three-year LMU average on this exam. Score from repeated exams are not included in this average calculation.
RN-to-BSN Option
This option is for the RN returning for a BSN. Once the general education requirements have been met, the full-time RN-BSN student could complete the program in two sequential semesters: Fall and Spring or Spring and Fall.
RN-to-BSN Option Core Curriculum
Note: For courses with a NURS prefix, 1 clock hour of lecture per week for 15 weeks earns 1 credit hour; 3 clock hours of clinical/lab time per week for 15 weeks earns 1 credit hour. In addition, students may only register for a NURS course with the signature of a nursing advisor or the BSN Program Chair on their registration form.
Students who hold a current registered nurse license making application to the RN-BSN Program could receive up to 31 upper-level credit hours for proficiency validated by licensure. In order to receive credit hours for knowledge validated by licensure the registered nurse must:
- Hold a current unrestricted registered nurse license in the State of Tennessee, or be licensed in a compact state.
- Have been active in clinical practice for the last two years, or have graduated from a nursing program within the last year.
- Have earned a grade of “C” or better in the previous nursing courses.
- Have completed 16 credit hours in the RN-BSN Program in the Caylor School of Nursing.
If the student leaves the program prior to graduation, the credits for knowledge validated by licensure are not transferable to any other nursing program. Please note: Student will be responsible for Special Credit (SC) fee the semester these credits are awarded as stated in the current Catalog.
BSN Program Progression and Readmission Requirements
Attendance at a nursing orientation session prior to beginning the BSN Option is mandatory. Attendance at an online orientation is mandatory for students in the RN-BSN Option. Attendance is mandatory on the first day of all nursing courses. Any student who fails to attend the first day of class may forfeit their space in the program.
Students must successfully complete both theoretical and clinical components of any course bearing the NURS prefix. This means to continue in the BSN program, students are required to earn a letter grade of “B” or better (which means a cumulative number score of 80% or better) in each NURS course and a satisfactory in the clinical component of the course. An unsatisfactory grade in clinical will result in an “F” for the NURS course. The student will not be allowed to remain in the NURS course for the remainder of the semester once an unsatisfactory grade is received in the clinical area.
If a student earns below a grade of “B” in a NURS course or chooses to interrupt their NURS course sequence for any reason, a readmission application must be submitted to nursing. Readmission to the BSN program is NOT guaranteed. If readmitted, the student must successfully remediate a specified course/s before being allowed to repeat the failed course. If a student is readmitted, it is with the understanding that they will not be allowed to continue in the nursing program if another grade below a “B” is earned in a NURS course.
If two grades below a “B” are earned in NURS courses, whether in the same semester or different semesters, the student will not be eligible for admission, readmission, and/or progression in the BSN program.
Any student with an Incomplete “I” in any nursing course(s) will not be allowed to enroll in subsequent nursing courses until the Incomplete “I” has been removed from the transcript.
BSN Program Grading Scale
Students must earn a letter grade of “B” or 80% on exam averages for a course in order to be successful in that course. If the student does not achieve a “B” average or 80% on exam averages for the course, other coursework will not be considered.
The LMU Grading System is based on a 4.0 scale.
The grading scale for the BSN Program is as follows:
| A | 90-100 | 4.00 quality points |
| B+ | 87-89 | 3.33 quality points |
| B | 80-86 | 3.00 quality points |
| C+ | 77-79 | 2.33 quality points |
| C | 70-76 | 2.00 quality points |
| D+ | 67-69 | 1.33 quality points |
| D | 60-66 | 1.00 quality points |
| F | Below 60 | 0 quality points |