Nursing
Department of Nursing RN-BSN Program
The Nursing Department at New Mexico Highlands prepares quality nurse health care providers through excellence in education, scholarship and service. This program builds on the strength of the licensed registered nurse and challenges the individuals enrolled in this program to expand their critical thinking for new professional nursing roles, methods of health care delivery and approaches to health care practice issues.
Application deadline October 31, 2009
RN-BSN program application click here
Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program
The RN to B.S.N. program of study is specifically designed for registered nurses to earn a baccalaureate degree. The RN-BSN program is only available to students with a valid license to practice as a registered nurse and hold an associate's degree or diploma in nursing. Baccalaureate nursing education prepares professional nurses who have a strong foundation in liberal arts education. The RN-BSN nursing program allows registered nurses to build on core nursing knowledge and experience but through their program, expand their knowledge base as leaders in the profession. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be prepared for positions in patient care, leadership, community health and be qualified to apply for advanced work in nursing at the master level.
Requirements for admission to the RN-BSN Completion Program:
- Graduate of an approved associate degree or diploma program in nursing.
- Valid unencumbered nursing license as a registered nurse in the state of New Mexico or compact state.
- Cumulative minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
- All general core requirements of New Mexico Highlands University must be met in addition to the upper-division nursing courses.
- As long as the student meets the nursing program prerequisite requirements, selected general education core courses can be taken along with some nursing courses.
- RNs will be awarded 30 hours of upper-division credit for completion of the associates degree in nursing and a valid registered nurse license. Credit will not be awarded until the successful completion of at least nine semester hours of the program.
- Applicant must apply to Highlands and also to the RN-BSN Program. Admission to New Mexico Highlands University does not guarantee admission to the RN-BSN Program.
- Students are admitted each Spring to begin the program.
Required nursing program prerequisites are:
- Microbiology
- Anatomy and Physiology I
- Anatomy and Physiology II
- Introduction to Psychology
- Life Span Human Growth and Development
- Nutrition
- Computer course or competency
- Introduction to Sociology or Anthropology
- Technical Writing
- Statistics
RN-BSN Program Courses
- 1st year Spring – NURS 320 Evidence Based Application in Health Assessment 3cr
- 1st year Spring – NURS 340 Advancement of Professional Nursing 3cr
- 1st Summer – NURS332 Nursing Informatics 3cr
- 1st year Fall – NURS360 Cultural Competencies and Health Care 3cr
- 1st year Fall – NURS370 Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice 3cr
- 2nd year Spring – NURS 431 Community and Rural Health Nursing 6cr
- 2nd Summer – NURS380 Gerontological Nursing Practice 3cr
- 2nd year Fall – NURS451 Seminar on Professional Nursing Leadership 2cr
- 2nd year Fall – NURS 434 Nursing Leadership Practicum 4cr
Nursing Elective or Special Topics 2-3cr
Fore a more detailed description of courses click here
Transfer Credit:
Only college courses with a grade of C or better will transfer.
| Total Program |
|
| Core Curriculum |
35 credits |
| Lower Division Courses/Electives |
35 credits |
| RN License Nursing Upper Division Credit* |
30 credits |
| Nursing Upper Division |
32-33 credits |
| TOTAL |
130-131 total credits |
*RN’s will be awarded 30 hours of upper division credit for the completion of the Associate Degree in Nursing and a valid registered nurses license. No testing required.
General Questions about the program