Program Overview - Academic Year 2007-2008
The School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers an undergraduate program of study designed to provide students with the knowledge, skill, and understanding necessary to function effectively in all areas of professional nursing. The curriculum, leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, offers three options for study:
1) two years of upper division courses in the General College as a first or second degree student (BSN Option);
2) an accelerated second degree option for students with a previous bachelor's degree (ABSN Option); and
3) an RN-BSN Option for registered nurses with an associate's degree or diploma in nursing (RN-BSN Option).
Admission to the School
The School of Nursing curriculum has been revised to accommodate enrollment expansion and twice per year admissions. The new curriculum began January 2007.
First Degree Students:
Students seeking a first bachelor's degree are admitted to the upper division (junior-senior) level, typically in the spring semester of the sophomore year. Students must complete all lower division (or freshman-sophomore) courses prior to matriculating into the School of Nursing. The first nursing courses begin either in the first summer session (May) preceding the junior year or in spring semester (January) of the junior year.
Admission Criteria:
Admission to the School of Nursing is very competitive. The minimum cumulative grade point average for admission to the BSN option is a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. Admission to UNC-Chapel Hill as a freshman does not guarantee admission to the School of Nursing as a junior. Applicants must be eligible to return to all institutions previously attended.
The Admissions Committee critically evaluates each applicant's academic performance, descriptive essays, community service history, and special skills and abilities that have potential to affect care delivery or contribute overall to the nursing profession. The ideal applicant will clearly demonstrate a strong academic history as well as a commitment to the ideology of nursing and service to others. Performance in required science courses is particularly important.
Application:
Applications may be submitted for either spring (January admission; August 10th application deadline) or summer (May admission; January 10th application deadline) matriculation. UNC-Chapel Hill students applying to the School of Nursing as sophomores or juniors complete the electronic Nursing Supplemental Application, while first degree transfer students who plan to enter the University at the junior level must complete the electronic Nursing Transfer Application. A link to the online application, instructions, deadlines and decision timeframe are available on the applications page.
Second-Degree Students:
Students who have completed a bachelor's degree in a subject other than nursing may pursue admission to the BSN (24-month) option or the more accelerated and intensive ABSN option for completing the BSN. Second degree students will have 60 credit hours from their previous degree counted toward the BSN. These students have to complete (or verify completion as part of their previous degree) only those six courses marked with an asterisk in the list of "lower division" requirements (PSYC 101, STAT 151 or 155, BIOL 252, PHYI 202, MCRO 251 or 255, & US Diversity/Global Issues).
Admission Criteria:
Admission to the School of Nursing is very competitive. The minimum cumulative grade point average for the BSN option is a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale and the minimum cumulative grade point average for the ABSN option is a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. All applicants seeking admission as second degree students must have earned the first degree prior to submitting the nursing application. Applicants must be eligible to return to all institutions previously attended. Admission Committee review is as described previously.
Application:
Applications may be submitted for either spring (January admission; August 10th application deadline) or summer (May admission; January 10th application deadline) matriculation. Any applicant who has ever previously attended UNC-Chapel Hill must complete the electronic Nursing Readmit Application. All other second degree applicants are considered transfer students and complete the electronic Nursing Transfer Application. A link to the online application, instructions, deadlines and decision timeframe are available on the applications page.
Registered Nurses
Registered nurses with an associate's degrees or diploma in nursing may pursue the BSN through the RN-BSN completion option, a Web-based program known as Carolina RN/BSN Online. Students in this option earn a total of 122 to 126 credits: 60 to 64 lower division credits completed prior to enrollment; 35 credits for previously acquired nursing knowledge and skills (validated by course work in the BSN program); and 27 upper division nursing credits. All upper division major courses for this option are designed specifically for registered nurses and are offered online only. These courses are tailored to meet the needs of adult learners while providing theory-based content, critical thinking skills, and opportunities to apply concepts, theories, and research in clinical practice. Carolina RN/BSN Online is designed to be completed in one to two calendar years depending on each student's previous course history. To access and work comfortably with online nursing course materials, students will need computer equipment that meets certain specifications. See below for more information about computer hardware, software, and skill requirements.
Admission Criteria:
Requirements for admission to the Carolina RN-BSN Online program are as follows:
Application:
Applications may be submitted for spring (January admission; August 10th application deadline), summer (May admission; January 10th application deadline), or fall (August admission, April 1st application deadline) matriculation. Any applicant who has ever previously attended UNC-Chapel Hill must complete the electronic Nursing Readmit Application. All other applicants are considered transfer students and complete the electronic Nursing Transfer Application. A link to the online application, instructions, deadlines and decision timeframe are available on the applications page.
Majoring in Nursing: Bachelor of Science
The baccalaureate program in nursing prepares graduates to: 1) understand the problems of contemporary health and illness 2) utilize a systematic approach to assess human responses to actual and potential health problems in a variety of settings 3) directly provide and manage competent care for individuals, families, and groups who have simple to complex health care needs through the life span 4) employ interpersonal processes and therapeutic communication skills 5) integrate professional values and role behaviors 6) collaborate with other groups in shaping health policies which affect both individual and community health.
Courses in the nursing major are taken at the upper division level. The courses build on a strong foundation in the sciences and humanities to develop the knowledge and skills needed to practice nursing in contemporary society. Clinical experiences take place in a broad variety of settings that reflect current patterns of health care delivery and provide opportunities for students to develop competence in empathetic care, critical thinking, technical skills, clinical judgment and decision making, interdisciplinary collaboration, and management of care.
Lower Division Courses in the General College
Students are admitted to the baccalaureate nursing program at the upper division level. All lower division courses must be completed before beginning nursing courses. Lower division courses taken at another college or university must be approved for transfer by the UNC-Chapel Hill Office of Undergraduate Admissions as comparable to the courses offered on this campus. (Refer to the Transfer Equivalency Database for assistance.) Prospective students can request an unofficial transfer evaluation to determine status of compliance with lower division requirements. The unofficial transfer evaluation request form should be attached to copies of all U.S. college transcripts and sent to the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing address on the form.
All students must meet the Foundations and Approaches requirements outlined in the Undergraduate Bulletin. For nursing students, these must include:
| GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS & NURSING PREREQUISITES (Lower Division Requirements) |
|
|---|---|
FOUNDATIONS
English 101, 102 Foreign Languages (Through level 3 unless you place into level 4) STOR 151 or STOR 155 (QR) (1) Lifetime Fitness (LF) (#100-199) | CONNECTIONS *Global Issues (GL) *US Diversity (US) Experiential Education (EE) Two of the following: Communication Intensive (CI) Quantitative Intensive (QI) The North Atlantic World (NA) Beyond the North Atlantic World (BN) The World Before 1750 (WB) |
| APPROACHES PSYC 101 (Physical/Life Science) (PL) (1) Physical & Life Science w/ Lab (PX) (1) Social Science (SS) (1) Historical Analysis (HS) (1) Additional course from SS or HS (1) Philosophical & Moral Reasoning (PH) (1) Visual & Performing Arts (VP) (1) Literary Arts (LA) |
|
REQUIRED NURSING SCIENCE PREREQUISITES *PSYC 101 Introduction to Psychology |
|
For the Foundations Quantitative Reasoning requirement:, one of:
Nursing students also must satisfy the following Connections requirements: Global Issues*, US (cultural) Diversity*, Experiential Education, and at least two others, bringing the total credit hours required of BSN applicants to 68. A grade of C- or better in BIOL 252, PHYI 202, and MCRO 251 or 255 must be attained.
Students with a bachelor's degree must complete only the six courses marked with an asterisk (*) or verify completion of these courses as a part of the previous degree. Note: second degree applicants may meet either the global issues OR US diversity pre-requisite.
Special Note: Effective with summer 2009 matriculation (January 2009 application deadline), ABSN option applicants must have completed ALL science prerequisites, and BSN option applicants must have completed at least three of the science prerequisites at the time of application. Effective January 2010 application matriculation (August 2009 application deadline), ALL BSN option applicants must have completed physiology as one of the science prerequisites at the time of application.
Nursing Curriculum:
Nursing courses for any of the three options are ordinarily completed in a specified sequence. Option specific course plans and further details regarding courses in the new curriculum are available as follows:
Critical Information for ALL Nursing Students
Professional Risk
The practice of nursing involves the care of individuals who are ill or injured. Communicable diseases are common in health care delivery settings, and may be a threat to nursing students. During the performance of clinical practice/research activities, a student may have contact with patients/subjects with HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB), Hepatitis B (HBV), Hepatitis C (HCV), and other infections. Such contact, although rare when proper preventive measures are used, may result in a student being exposed to infectious agents, and/or transmitting an infectious disease to other students, faculty, patients, family members, and subjects. During pregnancy, the fetus may be at risk. As a student enrolled in the School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, students are expected to provide care to patients who may have known or unknown communicable diseases. Application to and acceptance of an offer from the School of Nursing indicates a student's understanding of related professional risks.
Fitness for Practice
All students admitted to the School of Nursing are required by the NC Board of Nursing to provide documentation of his/her fitness to provide safe nursing care to the public. Failure to provide requisite documentation will result in the withdrawal of the admission offer. Additionally, North Carolina law requires incoming students to present to the University, before the first day of enrollment, evidence verifying the student has received all required immunizations.
Further, federal and state statutory regulations and clinical affiliate contractual mandates require that nursing students demonstrate particular cognitive and clinical competencies consistent with their minimum professional practice standards. As such, students must attain and maintain full compliance with all requirements. Effective fall semester 2004, the School also requires students to undergo a criminal history database check following admission acceptance but prior to matriculation. The check covers all states in which the student has lived or worked in the past seven (7) years or since the 18th birthday, whichever is less. Database checks will address all criminal charges and felony and misdemeanor level convictions (except minor traffic related violations and the Sexual Offender/Predator Registry for all states in which the student has lived). Questions about these requirements may be directed to the Office of Admissions and Student Services.
Disability Statement
Consistent with its mission and philosophy, the School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is committed to providing educational opportunities to students with disabilities. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the school provides reasonable accommodations to otherwise qualified students with disabilities. The decision regarding appropriate accommodations will be based on the specifics of each case. (See the School's Disability Statement for more information.)
Students who seek reasonable accommodations for disabilities must contact Learning Disabilities Services for all learning disabilities or ADHD needs (919.962.7227) or the Department of Disability Services for all other disabilities (919.962.8300). These offices will determine a student’s eligibility for, and recommend, appropriate accommodations and services. More information may be obtained through the respective websites: Learning Disabilities Services or the Department of Disability Services.
Computer Requirements
All School of Nursing students are required to use e-mail as considerable, important information is conveyed using e-mail. All e-mail communication from the School of Nursing will be sent to the student's UNC e-mail address only. School of Nursing courses increasingly use Internet resources as part of their curriculum. For both these reasons easy access to personal computers and the Web are imperative. The School of Nursing provides a PC lab solely for the use of undergraduate students and students may also access PC lab facilities elsewhere on campus.
Students who have computers at home are able to read e-mail, access course web sites, perform Internet research, and do other work beneficial to their studies at the School of Nursing. In addition to the computer itself, students must have an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and either a modem (for dial-in access via standard voice grade phone lines) or an account for a high-speed access service. Students wishing to provide their own personal computer and be compatible with both School and campus information technology services should consider an IBM-compatible computer with a minimum of 64 meg RAM, a 10 meg or larger hard drive, CD drive, 17-inch monitor and Microsoft Office software. Under the Carolina Computer Initiative (CCI) attractively priced desktop and laptop computers are available to anyone affiliated with the University; preloaded software enhances ease of setup and use. For more information on the CCI program, see: http://www.unc.edu/cci or request a copy of the CCI brochure online or through the Office of Admissions and Student Services. Note that special payment options are available.
Vehicular Requirements
Because of the broad scope of clinical facilities and locations, undergraduate nursing students must have access to a car. For information about the North Carolina requirements for automobile liability insurance, vehicle registration and operator’s license, write to the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, Raleigh, NC 27602. Students and/or parents are responsible for maintaining appropriate insurance coverage. Some insurance companies may consider such travel as "business driving." Expenses for travel are the responsibility of the student.
Registered Nurse Licensure Examination Requirements
The NC Board of Nursing requires all graduates of the School of Nursing who apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) to undergo a routine criminal background check, which necessitates submission of a complete set of fingerprints with the NCLEX application.
Special Opportunities in Nursing
Facilities:
The School of Nursing is located in Carrington Hall and its new addition, opened in 2005. The Clinical Education and Resource Center (CERC) provides undergraduate students with a simulated clinical environment in which to practice and acquire fundamental psychomotor and psychosocial skills necessary for clinical application. Under the close supervision of nursing faculty and teaching assistants, students learn therapeutic techniques and procedures, utilize problem solving approaches, and prioritize patient care in simulated patient care situations.
Career Opportunities:
The School works closely with University Career Services to prepare all BSN graduates for the transition from student to professional practitioner. A preparatory career development series and career fair are offered annually. Additionally, the School cooperates with clinical agencies across the country to make available to students an array of information on employment opportunities in myriad settings and entry-level roles.
For general information on the School of Nursing and application materials, contact:
Office of Admissions and Student Services
School of Nursing
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Carrington Hall, CB #7460
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7460
(919) 966-4260
nursing@unc.edu
