Nursing Major
The philosophy of the department is that professional nursing is based on knowledge of the arts, sciences, humanities and nursing. UT provides unique opportunities for nursing students to balance “learning by thinking” with “learning by doing.” Students have the opportunity to be instructed by a nationally recognized faculty as well as expert nurse clinicians in current practice. The program offers a learning environment rich in experiences encompassing state-of-the-art technology and clinical expertise in health care provision.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree offers a comprehensive program of learning for students without previous preparation in nursing. The nursing curriculum consists of 125 credit hours, 59 credits from general education courses (including electives) and 66 from nursing courses.
A student seeking to enter the four-year BSN program initially applies to UT as a regular undergraduate student pre-nursing major. With completion of a majority of the nursing prerequisites , the student applies for admission into the nursing program. Students can apply to the nursing program with pre-requisites still pending as long as the remaining pre-requisites are completed by the end of the semester in which the application is submitted.
A cumulative GPA of 3.25 is required at the time the application is submitted, for the application to be considered for review. Note: Advanced Placement (AP) courses are awarded credit hours but are not part of GPA.
Admission to the BSN program is once a year in the Spring semester. The deadline to submit an application to the BSN program is every October 15. Students are notified mid-November if they were accepted into the nursing program.
The baccalaureate program is a competitive program; Being admitted to UT and meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission into the BSN program. Primary consideration is given to current UT students. Students who have completed a minimum of 12 credits at UT during the spring and/or summer semesters and are enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits for the fall semester (for the purposes of the Department of Nursing admissions decision process) are considered a UT student. Those who have not completed 12 credits at UT prior to the fall application and are not enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits in the fall semester are categorized as transfer students.
Four-Year BSN Admission Requirements
- Completion of prerequisite courses with a minimum 3.25 cumulative GPA at the time of application to the nursing program and maintained at the end of the fall semester prior to the nursing program start date.
- A grade of “C” or better in all prerequisites. (Prerequisites include the courses listed below. These courses must be completed by the end of the fall semester prior to the nursing program start date. Baccalaureate Experience courses apply to UT freshmen and are replaced with other coursework for transfer students.)
- Completion of medical clearance and immunization form (upon admission)
- Completion of mandatory criminal background check with no disqualifying results (upon admission)
- Completion of mandatory drug testing with no disqualifying results (upon admission)
Meeting core performance standards, including the following:
- Observation. Students must be able to observe demonstrations and experiments required by the nursing curriculum and be able to participate in such with adequate vision and other sensory modalities, including the senses of hearing and smell. A student must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close proximity.
- Communication. Students must be able to speak intelligibly and to hear sufficiently to affect an adequate exchange of information with patients, family members and other health professionals. A student must be able to read and write English effectively in order to fulfill academic requirements and to maintain accurate clinical records on patient care.
- Motor. Students are required to possess motor skills sufficient to elicit independently information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion and other manually based diagnostic procedures. Students should be able to provide basic nursing care (clearing the airway, placing catheters, administering medications, turning, and moving patients, etc.) in the general care environment, and coordinate fine and gross muscular movements to treat patients in normal and emergency situations. Emergency situations include any circumstance in which a patient experiences either a physical or a mental medical event requiring immediate attention and/or intervention.
- Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities. These abilities include an aptitude for rapid problem solving and must possess good judgment in patient assessment and the abilities to incorporate new information, comprehend three-dimensional relationships and retain and recall pertinent information in a timely fashion.
- Behavioral and Social Attributes. Students must possess the physical and emotional health required for the application of his/her intellectual abilities and the employment of sound judgment in an appropriate and prompt manner. Students must be able to function effectively under physically taxing workloads, and in times of physical and mental stress. Students must display compassion, sensitivity and concern for others, and maintain professional integrity at all times.
Components of Application
- Written application to the Department of Nursing.
- A personal statement (one-two pages) discussing reasons for electing the nursing major.
- One letter of recommendation from an academic source.
- Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) score offered through Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI). See below for information on this test.
Upon acceptance to the nursing program and prior to initiating any clinical/laboratory courses, students are subject to additional departmental requirements as noted in the departmental handbook.
Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) examination
Prospective baccalaureate nursing students are required to complete the TEAS exam as a part of the application process. At the time the test is taken, the student must select UT as a designated school to receive electronic results. Scores must be received from the testing service by the university by the application deadline. For more information, visit the ATI website at www.atitesting.com. There is no minimum required score for admission; all scores are accepted and compared to other applicants. However, to be considered competitive it is recommended that a composite score of 72 percent or greater be obtained. Two attempts on the most recent version of the TEAS are allowed per application cycle.
Progression in BSN Program
In order to progress toward their degree, students must succeed at a progression plan including standardized testing.
Degree Requirements
Prerequisite courses for a four-year BSN degree:
| AWR 101 | Writing and Inquiry | 4 |
| AWR 201 | Writing and Research | 4 |
| SOC 100 | Introduction to Sociology | 4 |
| MAT 160 | College Algebra | 4 |
| HSC 230 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 3 |
| HSC 231 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | 3 |
| HSC 234 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory | 1 |
| HSC 235 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory | 1 |
| CHE 150 | Chemistry for Health Care Professions | 4 |
| PSY 101 | General Psychology | 4 |
| BIO 183 | Microbiology for the Allied Health Sciences | 3 |
| PSY 210 | Psychology of Child Development | 4 |
| or | |
| SOC 240 | Sociology of Childhood | 4 |
| or | |
| EDU 206 | Human Development and Learning | 4 |
Required courses for a four-year BSN degree:
| NUR 201 | Foundations of Nursing | 3 |
| NUR 210 | Intro to Pathophysiology | 3 |
| NUR 213 | Professional Skills in Nursing | 3 |
| NUR 213L | Professional Skills in Nursing Lab | 2 |
| NUR 218 | Health Assessment | 4 |
| NUR 314 | Nursing Care of the Developing Family | 2 |
| NUR 314L | Nursing Care of the Developing Family Laboratory | 1 |
| NUR 315 | Nursing Care of Children | 2 |
| NUR 315L | Nursing Care of Children Laboratory | 1 |
| NUR 317 | Nursing Care of Adult and Older Adult | 4 |
| NUR 317L | Nursing Care of Adult and Older Adult Laboratory | 2 |
| NUR 322 | Contemporary Issues in Health Care | 3 |
| NUR 345 | Pharmacology | 4 |
| NUR 347 | Clinical Human Nutrition | 2 |
| NUR 410 | Mental Health Nursing Across the Lifespan | 2 |
| NUR 410L | Mental Health Nursing Across the Lifespan Laboratory | 1 |
| NUR 412 | Nursing Care of the Medically-Complex Patient | 4 |
| NUR 412L | Nursing Care of the Medically-Complex Patient Laboratory | 2 |
| NUR 415 | Leadership and Management | 3 |
| NUR 422 | Principles of Community Health Nursing | 3 |
| NUR 422L | Community Health Laboratory | 2 |
| NUR 432 | Introduction to Nursing Research | 3 |
| NUR 452 | Clinical Preceptorship | 4 |
| NUR 454 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
| One of the following: | |
NUR
| Elective | 3 |
| or | |
| SOC 205 | Medical Sociology | 4 |
| or | |
| SPA 122 | Spanish for the Medical Field | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 66 |