COLLEGE of HEALTH and SOCIAL SERVICES
NURSING
Director & Associate Dean for Nursing Education: Pamela Schultz
Professors Hoke, Huttlinger; Associate Professors Borges, Keele, Keller, Pase, Sizemore; Assistant Professors Mullins, Reinhardt, Schmotzer, Summers
(575) 646-3812
DEGREE: Bachelor of Science in Nursing
NMSUs School of Nursing offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree. The degree plan provides three options to accommodate either the beginning nursing student, the beginning nursing student with a baccalaureate degree in another field, or the returning registered nurse. Students in the beginning categories are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN examination for licensure as a registered nurse upon completion of their program studies. Option three is designed for the registered nurse who wishes to complete a B.S.N.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program is approved by the New Mexico Board of Nursing and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Approval by the New Mexico Board of Nursing is required for graduates to be eligible for the National Council Licensing Examination for licensure as a registered nurse. Accreditation by the CCNE assures prospective students and employers that the program has met national education standards.
Requirements for B.S.N. Program Admission
Requirements and procedures to follow for admission to the four-year B.S.N. program are as follows:
- Obtain admission to NMSU as a regular student.
- Contact the pre- nursing advisor in the College of Health and Social Services, Suite 132C for complete Nursing Program information and advisement.
- Satisfy NMSU basic academic competency requirements in English and Math.
- Complete all prerequisite coursework before final admission to the nursing major.
- Prerequisite science courses must have been completed within the past seven years.
- Achieve a grade of C or better in each nursing prerequisite course.
- Achieve a competitive minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0 which includes grades earned from all higher education institutions.
- Prelicensure applicants to the NMSU School of Nursing are required to take a standardized admission exam and to obtain a satisfactory score prior to final admission to the nursing major.
- Applicants will be considered for admission to the nursing major during the fall or spring semester of anticipated completion of prerequisite coursework or after prerequisite courses are completed. Applicants for fall semester admission may not finish prerequisites in the summer session immediately preceding the fall semester in which they wish to be admitted.
- Submit an official application to the four-year B.S.N. program to the College of Health and Social Services Student Resource and Advising Center, Suite 132C by
February 1—for consideration for Fall admission to the nursing major
September 1—for consideration for Spring admission to the nursing major
NOTE: Admission is competitive. Priority for admission will be given to applicants with the highest GPAs in the required prerequisite coursework, to those applicants who have completed prerequisite coursework at NMSU, and/or to those who have not repeated a prerequisite course or courses where a D or F was earned.
Any applicant not admitted to the nursing major may reapply.
Second Degree/BSN (Pathway option)
Requirements and procedures for admission to the second degree option are as follows:
- Obtain admission to NMSU as a second bachelor's degree with official transcripts
- Contact the pre- nursing advisors in the College of Health and Social, Suite 132C for advisement on program application and admission.
- Have a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale in first bachelor's degree
- Have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale in the required pre-requisite Anatomy and Physiology or A&P I and A& P II(8 credits), third science course (3 credits in BIOL, MOLB, CHEM, or PHYS), a Pathophysiology course (3- 4 credits), and Statistics (3 credits). All courses must be completed before submitting a nursing application and must not be older than 7 years.
- Submit an official application to the second degree option to the College of Health and Social Services Student Resource and Advising Center, Suite 326 by February 1, for consideration for Fall admission or September 1 for Spring admission to the nursing program
- Complete a resume documenting prior education and work experience.
- A Medical Terminology Course is recommended
- Applications are considered after all requested documentation is received by the Pre- Nursing Advisors.
- Three letters of recommendation are required.
FOUR-YEAR CURRICULUM PLAN COURSES*
Math basic academic skills requirement must be satisfied.
Departmental Requirements
| A ST 311, Statistical Applications or STAT 251G, Statistics for Business and the Behavioral Sciences | 3 |
| BIOL 211G and Lab, Cell and Organismal | 4 |
| BIOL 219 or BIOL 311, Microbiology | 3 |
| BIOL 253 Anatomy or Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| BIOL 254 Physiology or Anatomy and Physiology I | 3-4 |
| BIOL 311L, Microbiology | 2 |
| C EP 110, Human Growth and Behavior | 3 |
| CHEM 110G, Principles and Applications of Chemistry or CHEM 111G, General Chemistry I or CHEM 112G, General Chemistry II with Lab | 4 |
| HNDS 251, Human Nutrition or HNDS 163, Nutrition for Health | 3 |
| MATH 121G, College Algebra | 3 |
| NURS 328, Human Pathophysiology in Nursing | 4 |
| PSY 201, Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| Total Credits | 39-40 |
Common Core
| Communications Area 1 | 9-10 |
| Math Area II (counted in department) | |
| Science Area III (counted in department) | |
| Social/Behavior Science Area IV (3 cr. counted in department) | 3 |
| Humanities Area V | 6-9 |
University Requirements
| VWW (from specified list) | 3 |
| VWW (from specified list) | 3 |
| Total Credits | 27-28 |
Formal Acceptance required before taking NURSING courses
| Semester | 5 |
| NURS 300, Principles of Professional Nursing Practice | 7 |
| NURS 302, Foundations of Health Assessment | 3 |
| NURS 326, Pharmacology in Clinical Nursing Practice | 4 |
| Semester | 6 |
| NURS 372, Adult Health Nursing I | 8 |
| NURS 373, Nursing the Psychiatric Mental Health Client | 5 |
| NURS 375, Introduction to Nursing Research | 3 |
| Semester | 7 |
| NURS 410, Adult Health Nursing II | 6 |
| NURS 415, Parent-Child Nursing | 8 |
| NURS 416, Older Adult Nursing | 2 |
| Semester | 8 |
| NURS 470, Nursing Organization and Management | 3 |
| NURS 472, Community and Population-Focused Nursing | 6 |
| NURS 479, Nursing Care for Complex Patients | 8 |
*A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the curriculum. You must also complete 6 elective credits from the Part III Viewing a Wider World general education category.
Note: 1) An applicant who is not a U.S. citizen or who has been convicted of a felony is advised to contact the appropriate State Board of Nursing regarding eligibility for licensure. 2) Clinical clearances are required for all students prior to admission and concurrent with each semester of studies. These include: current immunizations; background screening; drug testing; current CPR status, various health agency orientations as well as other requirements mandated by clinical affiliation agreements. Failure to complete and provide documentation within timelines established by the School of Nursing may prevent admission to/or continuation within the nursing program. 3) Students are required to make a satisfactory score on nationally- normed, standardized tests before admissions and also throughout the curriculum to determine progression through the nursing major. In the last semester of the curriculum, students are required to take a comprehension exam and to make a satisfactory score on this exam prior in their preceptored experience. 4) Newly admitted students are required to attend an orientation session which occurs prior to the start of classes for their first nursing semester. 5) School-wide activities usually occur 1-3 days prior to the start of classes and attendance is required.
R.N.-B.S.N.
Requirements and procedures for admission to the R.N. to B.S.N completion program area are as follows:
- Regular status admission to the University.
- All Nursing coursework is 100% online.
- Contact the School of Nursing for complete program information and application materials.
- Submit an official application to the School of Nursing.
- Provide evidence of graduation from an accredited associate or diploma nursing program.
- Provide evidence of current R.N. licensure.
- Apply during fall or spring for summer admission.
- Satisfy NMSU basic academic competency requirements in English and Math.
- Submit official transcripts from all nursing schools, colleges and universities attended to the School of Nursing. These will be evaluated for allowable transfer credits.
- Achieve a minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for prerequisite courses and prior nursing coursework.
- Completed prerequisite course work.
- A ST 311 or STAT 251 prerequisite for NURS 376, Research and Evidence-Based Practice for the Practicing RN.
- Attend MANDATORY 2-3 day onsite orientation.
- Have access to a computer and internet service.
- Meet Clinical Clearance requirements to include background check.
Note: Nursing class sizes are limited. Students admitted to the R.N.-B.S.N. program may be accommodated based on space availability in any given nursing course. All documentation must be submitted to the school by December 1st to begin nursing classes the following May. Generally, the sequence of nursing courses start in Summer I (May). If additional classes are added, students must submit all documentation at least 6 months prior to the start of the nursing sequence to allow for timely reviews and selection of the nursing cohort.
R.N. to B.S.N. Completion Curriculum
Non-nursing and General education (or equivalent) courses (See the "General Information" section of this catalog for details of NMSU general education requirements). A grade of C or better is required in all courses within the curriculum. In addition all students must complete:
- Inferential statistics
- Two Viewing a Wider World: "V" courses
- Upper division elective courses as required to satisfy NMSU's 48 upper division credit hour requirements and all the general education requirements prior to or concurrently with completion of the last semester of nursing.
In addition, it is the student's responsibility to complete a minimum of 128 total credit hours including 48 upper-division credits.
The nursing course sequence for this degree option normally starts in the first summer session. The core nursing courses required for the R.N. to B.S.N. completion are listed below:
| NURS 314, Computer Technology for Nurses | 3 |
| NURS 315, Introduction to Professional Nursing for the R.N. | 3 |
| NURS 322, Nursing Health Assessment | 3 |
| NURS 324, Nursing Care of the Older Adult | 3 |
| NURS 325, Human Pathophysiology for Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 352, Bioterrorism | 3 |
| NURS 353, Nursing Informatics | 3 |
| NURS 376, Research and Evidence-Based Practice for the Practicing RN | 3 |
| NURS 420, Community Health Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 426, Community Health Nursing for the R.N.: Clinical | 3 |
| NURS 475, Issues and Trends in Professional Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 476, Nursing Organization and Management for the R.N.: Clinical | 3 |
| NURS 477, Nursing Organization and Management for the R.N. | 3 |
| Upper Division Elective/Stats Elective | 3 |
| VWW | 6 |
| Notes: |
- The R.N.-B.S.N. Option uses a compressed scheduling format designed for registered nurses from diverse educational and multicultural backgrounds.
- Students must complete all NURSING courses online.
- Students are required to attend MANDATORY onsite orientation.
- Approved clinical preceptors available in your area.
- Clinical clearances are required for all nursing students (i.e. current immunizations, background screenings, current CPR status and various health agency orientation workshops).
- Failure to complete and provide documentation within timelines established by the School of Nursing may prevent admission or continuation within the nursing program.