Programs & Courses

Accredited

National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLN),
61 Broadway, 33rd floor, New York, NY 10006. 1800-669-1656.

and the Accreditation Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS).

Approved

Virginia State Board of Nursing,
Institutional Member of National League of Nursing,
the Assembly of Hospital Schools of Nursing in Virginia, and the National Student Nurses’ Association.

 

RN to BSN

Special Bulletins

Catalog and Academic Planning for the RN to BSN Program

Your Exceptional Learning Experience

  • The RN to BSN Program is part-time to less than part-time.
  • In order to apply, 25 general education course credits, to include 3 of the 4 sciences, must be completed, with a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The remaining general education courses may be completed before RN to BSN Program completion.
  • The RN to BSN Program has 6 on-line pre-nursing prerequisite courses which equates to a half year.  One on-line pre-nursing prerequisite course (NUR 214) must be completed before entering the 300-level courses.  NUR 214 has a self-scheduled skills lab component. The remaining five must be completed before graduation from the Program.
  • The four semesters (300 - 400 level) of the RN to BSN Program consists of seven courses, two on-line, two clinicals, and three classroom instruction. 
  • Clinical hours total 315 hours and are completed in the two clinical courses in the 300 and 400 level.  They are flexible.
  • The Program begins each Spring in Jan. 2011 and  includes 1, 16-week and 1, 8-week semester in the 300 level and 2, 16-week semesters in the 400 level.  See the BSN Index to review course descriptions and sample curriculums.  Clinical experiences can be a flexible schedule.
  • At Program completion, you will receive 125 credits and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree.
  • The SCOHS is institutionally accredited by the national accreditor, Association of Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS).  Additional information can be found by visiting ACICS at www.acics.org , select "students" and "transfer of credit."

BSN General Education Course Requirements

All general education courses must be completed at an accredited institution with a “C” or better with an cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.  General education courses are not offered at the Sentara College of Health Sciences. Sentara College of Health Sciences does not expire general education courses.  To be eligible to apply RN to BSN Applicants must have 25 credits ,to include 3 of the 4 sciences, with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and a minimum of C or above in each course below.  All courses marked with a (*) must be completed before beginning the 300-level coursework.

The Fine Art Elective and History Elective may not be used in the 25 credit minimum to apply.  If accepted to the College, the remaining general education courses, must be completed by the end of the Program.  The cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 must remain for all remaining general education course requirements.

High School Level
High School Diploma or GED.
College Level Semester Credits
Human Anatomy and Physiology I & II w/lab* 8
Introduction to Microbiology w/lab*

4
College Chemistry w/ lab*

4
Math Statistics* 3
English Composition I & II* 6
Introduction to Psychology

3
Developmental Psychology 3
Introduction to Sociology 3
Social, Bio, Health, or Medical Ethics 3
Principles of Public Speaking

3
Fine Arts Elective

3
History Elective

3

General Education Course Requirements - Additional Information

  • If you are unsure of an acceptable general education course requirement listed above, please contact the College before registering at Request More Information Please read information below for additional explanation of general education courses.
  • If you have requested a transcript review and we can not clearly identify a satisfactory course, you will be required to provide a course description.
  • Transcript reviews are completed in the Academic Planning and Information Sessions.  You may bring your official or unofficial transcripts.
  • We do not expire general education courses.
  • We will not accept C- or below.  We will only accept a C or above.
  • General education courses must be taken at an accredited institution in order to be considered.
  • Many students attend local community colleges such as Tidewater Community College (TCC) and Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC).  References below apply to our local community colleges.  Do not hesitate to contact the College if you do not see information below that pertains to your individual circumstance.  Contact Lisa Waterfield at lmwaterf@sentara.com or complete a Request More Information form on www.sentara.edu
  • TNCC BIO 145 is not acceptable for our general education course requirement.  TNCC students must take BIO 141 and 142 to satisfy our requirement. 
  • If you have credits of less than 4 for the sciences listed above, we need to approve each individual course.
  • TCC, PSY 230 fulfills the Developmental Psychology course requirement.  If you have taken PSY 231 you will need to complete PSY 232 or PSY 230 to fulfill our requirement.
  • TNCC, PSY 230 fulfills the Developmental Psychology course requirement.
  • ODU, PSYC 203S, Lifespan Development, fulfills the Development Psychology course requirement.
  • We will not accept Child Psychology or Abnormal Psychology for our Developmental or Introduction to Psychology course.
  • TNCC Principles of Public Speaking or Introduction to Speech and Communication fulfills our Principles of Public Speaking course requirement.
  • TCC Principles of Public Speaking is the only course offering to fulfill our Principles of Public Speaking course requirement.
  • ODU, Public Speaking, COMM 101R is the acceptable Principles of Public Speaking course requirement.
  • We will accept oral communications and interpersonal communications for the public speaking course requirement.
  • TCC Social Ethics, PHI 220 or PHI 226, fulfills our Social Ethics requirement.
  • TNCC Social Ethics, PHI 220, fulfills our Social Ethics requirement.
  • Other ethic courses that are acceptable are Medical Ethics, Bioethics, or Health Ethics.
  • History electives taken at TNCC or TCC must be one of the following:  History of Western Civilization, History of World Civilization, or U.S. History.  No other history at these two community colleges are acceptable.
  • Statistics must be math statistics.  MTH 240 is the acceptable course at TCC and TNCC. 
  • We will not accept business, psychological, social, or economics statistics.
  • Fine Art electives must be art, music, or theater appreciation courses.
  • Fine Art courses currently offered for registration at TCC that are approved general education courses:  ART 201, 202, MUS 121, 122 or CST 141, 142, 151, or 152.
  • Fine Art courses currently offered for registration at TNCC that are approved general education courses:  ART 101, 102, or 106, MUS 121, 122, or SPD 151 or 152.
  • Fine Art courses currently offered for registration at ODU that are approved general education courses:  ART 121A, DANC 185A, THEA 241A, ARTS 122A, MUSC 264A, COM/THEA 270A.
  • We will accept two DANTES exams, Life Span Development and Principles of Statistics, upon successful completion.
  • We will accept Advanced Placement (AP) Courses with a score of 3 or better.  The following AP courses are acceptable for general education course requirements:  Art History for the Fine Art Elective; Chemistry, for Chemistry; English Language for English Composition I; Psychology for Introduction to Psychology; Statistics for Statistics; U.S History for History Elective; World History for History Elective.
  • We will accept CLEP exams.  The following CLEP exams are acceptable for general education course requirements:  English Composition with an essay, Freshman College Composition, Human Growth and Development, Introductory Psychology, Introductory Sociology, Chemistry, History of the United States I:  Early Colonization to 1877, History of the United States II:  1865 to the Present, Western Civilization I:  Ancient Near East to 1648, Western Civilization II:  1648 to the Present.
  • CLEP exams do not count towards GPA calculations.
  • We accept dual enrollment courses, provided you can produce an official transcript from the college in which you completed the dual enrollment coursework.