2011-2012 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Bachelor of Science in Nursing - Traditional
Undergraduate Nursing Admission
Freshman Admitted to the Nursing Program (Direct Admits)
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 3.5, including transfer credits
- Attain a non-factored 3.5 grade point average in the admission prerequisite 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 admission prerequisite and other required courses prior to beginning the initial clinical course in the undergraduate nursing program
- Meet with their academic advisor by the specified date (August 31 for Winter entry; March 1 for Fall 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 266:
- Health and immunization reports.
- Certification in an American Heart Association course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for health professionals.
- Transportation for clinical experiences.
Freshman with Pre Admission Status
Students who are admitted to the university but do not immediately qualify for direct admission to the nursing program enroll as prenursing majors and must complete a secondary application after completion of the admission prerequisite courses. 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 admission prerequisite coursework by the beginning of the term in which they are applying and none of the program application prerequisite or other required courses may be repeated more than once.
- After completing their application, students must meet with their academic advisor by November 1 for Winter entry or March 1 for Fall 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 326 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 semester; students will be notified by early May, or
- a completed application by November 1 for Winter admission; students will be notified by early January;
- competitive grades on the prerequisite 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 266:
- Health and immunization reports.
- Certification in an American Heart Association course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for health professionals.
- Transportation for clinical experiences.
In the semester that students are completing the admission prerequisite courses as listed below, they can submit an application for consideration by the application deadlines listed above. The corequisite 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.
Admission Prerequisite courses:
- BIO 120 - General Biology I Credits: 4
- BMS 250 - Anatomy & Physiology I Credits: 4
- CHM 109 - Introductory Chemistry Credits: 4
- CHM 230 - Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry Credits: 4
- MTH 110 - Algebra Credits: 4
- PSY 101 - Introductory Psychology Credits: 3
- WRT 150 - Strategies in Writing Credits: 4
- One General Education course
Other Required courses:
These required courses should not be taken as credit/no credit.
- BMS 212 - Introductory Microbiology Credits: 3
- BMS 213 - Laboratory in Microbiology Credits: 1
- BMS 251 - Anatomy & Physiology II Credits: 4
- PSY 364 - Life Span Developmental Psychology Credits: 3
- STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics Credits: 3
Corequisite Courses in the Nursing Program
Corequisite courses should not be taken as credit/no credit.
- BMS 305 - Clinical Nutrition Credits: 3
- BMS 310 - Basic Pathophysiology Credits: 3
- BMS 311 - Pharmacological Aspects of Biomedical Sciences Credits: 3
- BIO 355 - Human Genetics Credits: 3
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 admission prerequisite or other required courses may be repeated more than once.
- After completing their application, students must meet with their academic advisor by November 1 for Winter entry or March 1 for Fall 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 326 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 266:
- Health and immunization reports.
- Certification in and American Heart Association course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for health professionals.
- Transportation for clinical experiences.
Suggested Order of Coursework for a Major in Nursing
First Semester Credits: 14
- BIO 120 - General Biology I Credits: 4
- CHM 109 - Introductory Chemistry Credits: 4
- PSY 101 - Introductory Psychology Credits: 3
- General Education Credits: 3
Second Semester Credits: 15
- CHM 230 - Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry Credits: 4
- WRT 150 - Strategies in Writing Credits: 4
- BMS 250 - Anatomy & Physiology I Credits: 4
- General Education Credits: 3
Third Semester Credits: 17
- BMS 251 - Anatomy & Physiology II (4 credits)
- BMS 212 - Introductory Microbiology (3 credits)
- BMS 213 - Laboratory in Microbiology (1 credit)
- STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics (3 credits)
- General Education (FC/Phi/Lit)
- PSY 364 - Life Span Developmental Psychology (3 credits)
Fourth Semester Credits: 17
- General Education (FC/Philosophy or Lit) Credits: 3
- BMS 310 - Basic Pathophysiology (3 credits)
- NUR 265 - Introduction to Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice (3 credits)
- NUR 266 - Professional Nursing I (3 credits)
- NUR 267 - Clinical Nursing I (5 credits)
Fifth Semester Credits: 16
- BMS 311 - Pharmacological Aspects of Biomedical Sciences (3 credits)
- BMS 305 - Clinical Nutrition (3 credits)
- NUR 316 - Professional Nursing II (4 credits)
- NUR 317 - Clinical Nursing II (6 credits)
Sixth Semester Credits: 16
- General Education (US Diversity) Credits: 3
- BIO 355 - Human Genetics (3 credits)
- NUR 366 - Professional Nursing III (4 credits)
- NUR 367 - Clinical Nursing III (6 credits)
Seventh Semester Credits: 15
- General Education course (World Perspectives) Credits: 3
- NUR 427 - Interprofessional Communications Credits: 2
- NUR 416 - Professional Nursing IV (4 credits)
- NUR 417 - Clinical Nursing IV (6 credits)
Eighth Semester Credits: 16
- General Education (FC/Phi/Lit) Credits: 3
- General Education (C/HIST) Credits: 3
- NUR 467 - Professional Nursing V (10 credits)
Total Credits: 126
Footnotes
In order to progress in the nursing program a minimum grade of C (2.0) is required in the prerequisite, required, 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.