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2010-2011 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog

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Bachelor of Science in Nursing - Traditional

Undergraduate Nursing Admission

Freshman Nursing Majors (Direct Admit)

A limited number of new freshman students are eligible for direct admission to the nursing major. Admission is based on exceptional performance in a number of academic and leadership areas.

Eligibility for Direct Admit status to the undergraduate nursing program includes:

  • New freshman student
  • Cumulative high school grade point average of 3.6 or higher
  • ACT composite score of 30 or higher
  • All of the application for admission documents, including ACT score, must be submitted to the GVSU Admissions Office by December 31 of the senior year of high school
  • Declaration of a nursing major by the end of the first week of classes during the first semester of enrollment at GVSU

Maintenance of Direct Admit status requires students to:

  • Meet with their academic advisor in the Office of Student Services in the Kirkhof College of Nursing during their freshman year to identify the anticipated semester of entry into the initial clinical course
  • Maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0, including transfer credits
  • Attain a non-factored 3.5 grade point average in the decision courses
  • Maintain congruency with GVSU and KCON policies regarding course repeats
  • Be aware that a change of major will result in loss of Direct Admit Status

Progression into the clinical portion of the undergraduate nursing program requires students with Direct Admit status to:

  • Complete the necessary pre-requisite and decision courses prior to beginning the initial clinical course in the undergraduate nursing program
  • Meet with their academic advisor by the specified date (November 1 for Spring/Summer entry; March 1 for Fall or Winter entry) to complete the Verification of Preclinical Coursework (VOPC) document. Failure to meet with their academic advisor to complete the VOPC will jeopardize their direct admit status.

Evidence of the following items are required before the student begins NUR 315:

  1. Health and immunization reports.
  2. Certification in an American Heart Association course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for health professionals.
  3. Transportation for clinical experiences.

Freshman Prenursing Majors

Students who are admitted to the university but do not immediately qualify for direct admission to the nursing major enroll as prenursing majors and must complete a secondary application. They are assigned an advisor who can guide them through the requirements.

  • Students must have successfully completed (with a grade of C or better) all prerequisite coursework by the end of the term in which they are applying and none of the prerequisite or decision courses may be repeated more than once.
  • After completing their application, students must meet with their academic advisor by November 1 for Spring/Summer entry or March 1 for Fall or Winter entry to verify that they will have completed their preclinical coursework and meet the minimum requirements.
  • After this meeting and on the same day, the student must submit the completed application and Verification of Preclinical Coursework (VOPC) to 300 CHS.
  • Admission to the program is highly competitive. Students who only met minimum requirements, such as a 2.8 admission GPA or average grades in the science courses, may not be competitive.

Procedures for admission to the nursing major are available on our Web site at www.gvsu.edu/kcon/. Select Application Process.

Multiple selection criteria are used to determine admission to the nursing major. These include but are not limited to:

  • prenursing must be declared as major prior to application submission.
  • a completed application by March 1 for admission Fall or Winter semester; students will be notified by early May, or
  • a completed application by November 1 for Spring/Summer admission; students will be notified by early January;
  • competitive grades on the decision courses;
  • a personal statement;
  • a record of leadership and service indicating principal activities and other information that speak to individual accomplishments; and
  • other areas as detailed on the nursing application.

Evidence of the following is required before the student begins NUR 315:

  1. Health and immunization reports.
  2. Certification in an American Heart Association course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for health professionals.
  3. Transportation for clinical experiences.

In the semester that students are completing the prerequisite courses and the decision courses as listed below, they can submit an application for consideration by the application deadlines listed above. The co-requisite courses are designed for students to take at a time that complements the nursing clinical courses. All courses listed below must be completed with a minimum of C (2.0). Continued progression through the nursing major requires a minimum of C (2.0) in corequisite courses.

Prerequisite courses:

Decision courses

Decision courses should not be taken as credit/no credit.

Corequisites

Corequisite courses should not be taken as credit/no credit.

Transfer Students

Students planning to transfer to Grand Valley from a community college should work closely with their local academic advisor. All transfer students should carefully review their degree analysis which will be sent to them upon admission to the university. Students must be admitted to Grand Valley and must also be admitted to the prenursing major. Admission is selective and highly competitive. Additionally, no course may be repeated more than once, regardless of where the course is taken.

To be considered for the Program, students must be admitted to Grand Valley and prenursing must be declared as a major prior to application.

  • Students must have successfully completed (with a grade of C or better) all prerequisite coursework by the end of the term in which they are applying and none of the prerequisite or decision courses may be repeated more than once.
  • After completing their application, students must meet with their academic advisor by November 1 for Spring/Summer entry or March 1 for Fall or Winter entry to verify that they will have completed their preclinical coursework and meet the minimum requirements.
  • After this meeting and on the same day, the student must submit the completed application and Verification of Preclinical Coursework (VOPC) to 300 CHS.
  • Admission to the program is highly competitive. Students who only meet minimum requirements, such as a 2.8 admission GPA or average grades in the science courses, may not be competitive.

Evidence of the following is required before the student begins NUR 315:

  1. Health and immunization reports.
  2. Certification in and American Heart Association course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for health professionals.
  3. Transportation for clinical experiences.

Suggested Order of Coursework for a Major in Nursing

First Semester Credits: 16

Second Semester Credits: 15

Third Semester Credits: 13

Fourth Semester Credits: 12

Fifth Semester Credits: 15

Sixth Semester Credits: 16

Seventh Semester Credits: 16

Eighth Semester Credits: 13

  • General Education (Theme) Credits: 3

Ninth Semester Credits: 14

  • General Education (Theme) Credits: 3

Total Credits: 130

Footnotes

In order to progress in the nursing program a minimum grade of C (2.0) is required in the prerequisite, decision, corequisite, and all Nursing courses.

A grade less than a C (2.0) is considered a failure in all required nursing courses (designated by NUR). Students who fail more than one nursing course will not be allowed to remain in the program. Withdrawal from a course in failing status will be considered a course failure regardless of when the withdrawal occurs.


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