College of Nursing

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program consists of nursing and non-nursing courses. Students enter Tusculum University as pre-nursing majors and complete the first year of the nursing curriculum consisting of general education courses which are nursing program prerequisites. Most students will apply for admission to the nursing major during the spring term of their first year at Tusculum University. For more information on how to apply to the nursing program, the application deadline and to review frequently asked questions, go to www.tusculum.edu/nursing. Students are strongly encouraged to read all of the information listed on the nursing program web pages before applying to the nursing major.

Admission to the Nursing major is limited.

Admission to Tusculum University does not guarantee acceptance to the nursing major.

When a student applies for admission to the nursing program and is provisionally accepted, he/she is then classified as a nursing major. The number of students accepted into the nursing program is limited, making the application process competitive.

Pre-nursing students should maintain a minimum overall 2.75 cumulative university grade point average, a minimum 2.75 average in all science and math courses and are required to earn no less than a “C” in any required course. (Note: “C-” grades are not acceptable).

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, all applicants and admitted students must be, with reasonable accommodations, physically and mentally capable of performing the essential functions of the nursing profession as outlined in the Core Performance Standards of Admission and Progression. The Core Performance Standards are located in the School of Nursing Student Handbook and are posted on the Core Performance Standards web page (www.tusculum.edu/nursing).

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are awarded the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree and become eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for Registered Nurse (RN) licensure.

Prospective nursing students should be aware that nursing clinicals may be offered in day, evening, or weekend shifts. All nursing students have malpractice insurance coverage while in in clinicals which is purchased by the University. It is strongly suggested that all nursing students have health insurance coverage. Students are responsible for any and all costs associated with health problems, including any and all injuries or exposures to disease as a result of clinical experiences.

All admitted nursing students will complete a background check, drug screening, and immunization and health status assessments; these are required by the clinical affiliate sites as a condition of participation in clinical education at their facilities. Based on the results of the criminal background check and/or drug screening, clinical affiliates may deny an applicant/student access to their facility. If a clinical affiliate denies a student access to their facility, the student will be unable to successfully complete the requirements of clinical courses and the program. If an applicant has a positive criminal background check and/or positive drug screen and the clinical affiliates refuse to allow the applicant to participate in clinical experiences at their facility, the applicant will not receive full admission into the nursing program and will not be allowed to enroll in nursing courses. More information is available from the Dean of the School of Nursing.

Note: Applicants/students who have been convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic violation or who have been terminated from any state Medicare or Medicaid program, may be ineligible for licensure per state law. For more information, contact the Dean of the School of Nursing. Felony convictions and/or arrests must be reported to the Dean at the time they occur while enrolled in the nursing program. Failure to report an arrest or conviction will result in immediate removal from the Nursing Program and nursing courses.

Applicants who satisfactorily complete the background check, drug screening, immunizations and health status assessments and maintain a GPA of 2.75 or higher, will be given full admission status and allowed to enroll in nursing courses. If an applicant’s GPA falls below 2.75 after enrolling in the first nursing course but before the class starts, the applicant will be dropped from the nursing program.

All fully admitted applicants are required to submit documentation of obtaining an American Heart Association’s Basic Life Support (BLS) certification two weeks before the first day of class. The BLS certification is valid for two years, and must be renewed prior to its expiration in order for a student to remain in nursing clinical courses. Failure to submit documentation by the deadline will result in the student not being allowed to remain enrolled in nursing courses.

After admission to the nursing program, students must meet progression and continuation requirements to remain enrolled in the nursing program. For more information, read the Progression and Continuation Requirements web page.

Transfer students who have been enrolled at another college or university and who have not been enrolled in nursing courses may apply for admission to the Nursing Program as pre-nursing students. Transfer students will meet the same standards and admission requirements as other students applying for admission to the Nursing Program.

Transferring nursing students who have been enrolled in another nursing program regardless of whether they are currently enrolled in their previous program, will be evaluated for transfer credit on an individual basis. A grade of “C” or better is required for all accepted transferred nursing courses. Nursing courses will not be accepted for transfer if they were completed three or more years from the date of anticipated enrollment in the nursing program; courses older than three years will have to be repeated.

Transferring nursing students who wish to transfer from another nursing program may do so on a seat available basis and only if they have not failed or dropped more than one previous nursing course. Transferring nursing students must meet all Tusculum University and Nursing Program admission requirements. In addition to applying for admission to Tusculum University, nursing students must submit an admission application, and an official transcript to the Dean of the School of Nursing. Nursing students may be asked to provide the Dean with copies of previous nursing course syllabi.

Qualified high school seniors admitted as freshmen to Tusculum University may, at the time of admission to the University, be directly admitted to the nursing major. Selection is highly competitive and based primarily on academic achievement at the high school level and scores on the ACT and/or SAT. Freshman admission to the nursing major guarantees placement in the nursing program in the sophomore year to students who remain in good standing while enrolled in their freshman year at Tusculum University and who continue to meet all of the Nursing Program admission requirements, including overall grade point average and math/science grade point average. For more information, read the High School Freshman Admission web page at www.tusculum.edu/nursing.