Nursing, A.B.S.N.
Accelerated B.S.N. Program for Students Who Already Have an Earned Bachelor's Degree and Are Not Registered Nurses
The A.B.S.N. program is taught over five sessions that are each approximately 10 weeks long, with a total program length of 14 to 15 months. The calendar of session dates is available from the School of Nursing.
Admission to the A.B.S.N. Program
To be admitted to the ABSN program, students
- Must have completed their bachelor’s degree prior to the A.B.S.N. start date
- Must have at least a 3.2 GPA
- Must have completed these courses, which do not have to be taken at GCU, prior to the A.B.S.N. start date. Minimum grade of B- preferred in:
- Human Anatomy & Physiology I with lab (GCU BI213 Human Anatomy & Physiology I); 4 credits
- Human Anatomy & Physiology II with lab (GCU BI214 Human Anatomy & Physiology II); 4 credits
- Microbiology with lab (GCU BI219 Microbiology); 4 credits
- Statistics (must include inferential statistics) (GCU MA103 Introduction to Statistical Thinking (preferred), or BI203 Experimental Design & Statistics, BU221 Business Statistics & Probability, PS232 Intro to Stats for the Beh Sciences, SO201 Social Statistics/PO201 Social Statistics); 3 credits
- Chemistry with lab: Inorganic, Organic, or Biochemistry; a course that includes some biochemistry is preferred (GCU CH151 Chemistry for the Health Sciences); 4 credits
- Psychology: A course in developmental psychology (GCU PS221 Child & Adolescent Development, PS224 Adult Development, or PS227 Lifespan Development); 3 credits
- Ethics course (Bioethics preferred) (GCU PL354 Bioethics); 3 credits
Course Progression
The nursing curriculum is designed to progress logically from simple to more complex material and builds continuously on knowledge and skills from previous courses. All nursing courses must, therefore, be taken in sequence so that students achieve increasing levels of professional competency. A minimum grade of B- is required in all nursing courses for progression to the next courses in the sequence. Students may earn less than a B- in or withdraw from only one nursing (NU prefix) course only one time to remain in the program. The prerequisite requirements listed for each nursing course must be successfully completed prior to enrollment in the nursing course. To graduate from Georgian Court University with a B.S.N., students must meet the following requirement: the overall GPA must be 3.0 or higher with no nursing course below the grade of B-.
Other Requirements
Prior to entering the first clinical nursing courses, students must pass a Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers course, pass a health examination, meet all the health requirements of the program, procure professional liability protection insurance in the amounts specified by the clinical placement site, and undergo a criminal background investigation.
Upon successful completion of the program of studies for Nursing, the student will receive a B.S.N. in Nursing and will have given evidence of the following outcomes and goals:
- Use critical thinking and clinical synthesis to integrate knowledge from the humanities, social and natural sciences, and the discipline of nursing to inform practice and to provide care to individuals, families, groups, and communities.
- Utilize interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary communication, collaboration, and leadership skills to produce positive working relationships in the delivery of and advocacy for evidence-based, patient-centered care.
- Integrate scientific evidence, practice guidelines, professional standards, and patient preference into the planning, delivery, and evaluation of patient care.
- Use information and other emerging technologies in a fiscally responsible manner to provide and evaluate patient care across the continuum.
- Analyze economic, legal, and political factors and local, national, and global trends in health policy and regulation to influence care delivery and the deployment of resources.
- Engage in health promotion, disease prevention, and population-focused interventions to impact the health status of individuals and populations.
- Assume a leadership role within one’s scope of professional nursing practice and apply leadership concepts, skills, and decision-making in delivering, evaluating, and improving safe and quality patient care.
- Promote the image of nursing by modeling professional behaviors, practicing self-renewal, engaging in lifelong learning, and supporting professional nursing organizations.
- Demonstrate professional, moral, ethical, and legal conduct within a context of rendering compassionate nursing care.
- Use the nursing process to provide safe, quality, evidence-based nursing care across the lifespan and the continuum.
Major Sequence
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NU111 | Introduction to Professional Nursing | 3.0 |
| NU211 | Foundations of Professional Nursing | 4.0 |
| NU221 | Health Assessment | 3.0 |
| NU271 | Evidence-Based Nursing Care Adult I | 6.0 |
| NU275 | Pathophysiology | 3.0 |
| NU280 | Pharmacotherapeutics I | 2.0 |
| NU322 | Nursing Care of Childbearing Families | 4.0 |
| NU325 | Evidence-Based Behavioral Health | 5.0 |
| NU343 | WI:Evidence for Professional Nursing | 3.0 |
| NU356 | Evidence-Based Nursing of theOlder Adult | 2.0 |
| NU371 | Evidence-Based Nursing Care Adult II | 8.0 |
| NU380 | Pharmacotherapeutics II | 2.0 |
| NU421 | Evidence-Based Community Nursing | 6.0 |
| NU423 | Nursing Care of Childrearing Families | 4.0 |
| NU471 | Evidence-Based Leadership & Management | 3.0 |
| NU472 | Senior Seminar for Professional Nursing | 3.0 |
| NU496 | Transition into Clinical Nursing | 6.0 |
| Related Courses | ||
| Foundational Course (required of students without bachelor's degree from GCU) 1 | 0.0-3.0 | |
| Total Credits | 67.0-70.0 | |
- 1
GCU will offer a section of GEN400 during the A.B.S.N. program for students who have not satisfied this requirement.
| First Term | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| NU111 | Introduction to Professional Nursing | 3.0 |
| NU211 | Foundations of Professional Nursing | 4.0 |
| NU221 | Health Assessment | 3.0 |
| NU275 | Pathophysiology | 3.0 |
| Credits | 13.0 | |
| Second Term | ||
| NU271 | Evidence-Based Nursing Care Adult I | 6.0 |
| NU280 | Pharmacotherapeutics I | 2.0 |
| NU325 | Evidence-Based Behavioral Health | 5.0 |
| NU356 | Evidence-Based Nursing of theOlder Adult | 2.0 |
| Credits | 15.0 | |
| Third Term | ||
| NU322 | Nursing Care of Childbearing Families | 4.0 |
| NU371 | Evidence-Based Nursing Care Adult II | 8.0 |
| NU380 | Pharmacotherapeutics II | 2.0 |
| GCU Common Intellectual Experience (GEN400) | 3.0 | |
| Credits | 17.0 | |
| Fourth Term | ||
| NU343 | WI:Evidence for Professional Nursing | 3.0 |
| NU421 | Evidence-Based Community Nursing | 6.0 |
| NU423 | Nursing Care of Childrearing Families | 4.0 |
| Credits | 13.0 | |
| Fifth Term | ||
| NU471 | Evidence-Based Leadership & Management | 3.0 |
| NU472 | Senior Seminar for Professional Nursing | 3.0 |
| NU496 | Transition into Clinical Nursing | 6.0 |
| Credits | 12.0 | |
| Total Credits | 70.0 | |