College of Nursing

A variety of clinical laboratory settings are utilized for meaningful learning experiences. Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Florida State Hospital, Elder Care Services, Apalachee Community Mental Health Center, Leon County Public Health Unit, Capital Regional Medical Center, Leon County Schools, Tallahassee Pediatric Foundation, Children's Medical Services and other agencies in Leon and surrounding counties are used for the clinical component of the program. In addition, Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida is used for pediatric clinicals and Florida Hospital in Orlando for some critical care experiences. Internship clinical sites are available in partnership with acute care facilities in Florida and South Georgia. All experiences are under the direction of the faculty of Florida State University's College of Nursing.

The online RN to BSN program courses are Web-based. Clinical requirements are satisfied by working with a professional nurse (preceptor) at a Florida healthcare or community facility convenient to the student with approval by course faculty.

The College of Nursing offers honors coursework in the baccalaureate program. For requirements and other information, see the "University Honors Office and Honor Societies" chapter of this General Bulletin.

Students requiring financial assistance should file an application with the Office of Financial Aid or confer with an academic adviser at the College of Nursing. Numerous scholarships and loans from federal, state, private, and College of Nursing sources are available.

The State of Florida has identified common program prerequisites for this University degree program. Specific prerequisites are required for admission into the upper-division program and must be completed by the student at either a community college or a state university prior to being admitted to this program. Students may be admitted into the University without completing the prerequisites, but may not be admitted into the program.

At the time this document was published, some common program prerequisites were undergoing revision. Please visit http://facts23.facts.org/navigation/detail_ext/cpp_intro.do?pageId=060304 for a current list of state-approved prerequisites.

The following lists the common program prerequisites or their substitutions necessary for admission into this upper-division degree program:

1. BSC X085C or any human anatomy and physiology I or human anatomy;
2. BSC X086C or any human anatomy and physiology II or human physiology;
3. Four to six semester hours of chemistry (CHM prefix), which must be comprehensive college general chemistry (such as CHM 1032) but not lower level principles courses (such as CHM 1025). Contact the department for exceptions;
4. DEP X004 or any human growth and development across life span;
5. HUN X201 (or any human nutrition) or NUR X192;
6. MCB X010C or any microbiology with lab;
7. PSY X012 or any general psychology;
8. STA X014 or any statistics course;
9. SYG X000 or any introduction to sociology.

Students desiring to enter the nursing profession should indicate their major preference on the University application and seek guidance from an academic adviser in the College of Nursing. A separate application to the College of Nursing is required for admission to the nursing program and is usually filed during the sophomore year. The HESI A2 (Admission) test is required as part of the admission process. The College of Nursing reserves the right to interview applicants at its discretion. Application deadline for Fall is February 1st.

In order for an application to be considered complete, the student must:

1. Complete sixty (60) unduplicated credit hours (completion of FSU's liberal studies requirements is highly suggested) or have an AA degree from a Florida institution of higher learning (or an equivalent out-of-state institution) with an overall cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0, as well as a 3.0 or higher in all science prerequisites (see State of Florida Common Program Prerequisites above)
2. Complete the State of Florida Common Program Prerequisites (see above) with a "C" or better; and
3. Take the HESI A2 test prior to the application deadline and receive a score of 75 or higher.

The College of Nursing is a limited enrollment program, and admission is competitive based on previous academic performance and external testing. The Florida Board of Nursing and several state and/or private agencies require the disclosure of conviction records for misdemeanors and/or felonies; therefore, this information will be required at the time of admission. Legislation aimed at protecting the public has made it necessary to require a Level II criminal background check (this includes FDLE, FBI, and Certified Background Check) for all students admitted to the College of Nursing. The Level II report must be on file at the College of Nursing before students can enroll. If the background check reveals violations resulting in students being denied admission to a clinical agency and/or access to patients in the agency, and if a comparable assignment cannot be made to meet course objectives, the student will be unable to progress and complete the program in the College of Nursing. Completion of the curriculum does not guarantee the Florida Board of Nursing (or any other licensing body) will allow students with criminal records to take the licensing examination to become a registered nurse. The cost for these background checks must be paid by the student. The Certified Background Check will include the following: Patriot Act, Social Security Alert, Nationwide Healthcare Fraud and Abuse Scan, Sex Offender Index, local criminal check, residence history, and employment verification. Students will be required to submit a notarized Affidavit of Good Moral Character on an annual basis following the initial background check. Additional background checks may be required during the program based on clinical agency requirements. Drug screening will be required upon admission, and additional screening may be required throughout the program.

Students enrolled in the nursing program are expected to exhibit behavior that conforms to the Nurse Practice Act of the State of Florida. The College of Nursing reserves the right to refuse or discontinue enrollment of any student if the student violates the Nurse Practice Act of the State of Florida or in the judgment of the faculty the student does not meet the College's standards.

A drug math requirement is included in specified nursing clinical courses. A student must achieve 100% accuracy to meet the drug math requirement of each clinical course. If a student fails to achieve 100% on a third, repeat testing, the student fails the specified course.

To support the clinical competence of each student and promote patient safety, the College of Nursing has adopted a requirement for clinical performance testing. Each student is required to successfully complete clinical performance testing in each semester of the program prior to the clinical experience. A student who fails to perform the testing correctly and safely is permitted one repeat testing. Inability to demonstrate skills successfully and safely by the second attempt affects the student's progression in the program and s/he may not continue in clinical coursework.

A student who is passing a nursing course but has not completed all the required work for the course at the end of the term may, with the permission of the instructor, be assigned a grade of "I", or incomplete. Students may not carry an incomplete grade in a prerequisite course through the next term. If the incomplete grade is not changed to a passing grade by the end of the drop/add period at the beginning of the next term, the student will be dropped from the continuing course(s).

A student must achieve a grade of "C" (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) or higher in each nursing theory and clinical (both elective and required) course. Any course in which a grade below "C" is earned must be repeated before the student will be allowed to progress. Students who earn two final course grades below "C" (including a grade of "U") in theory and/or clinical courses, whether repeated or not, will not be permitted to continue in the College of Nursing. Students may repeat a nursing course only one time. Students will not be permitted to repeat a clinical course in the same semester in which the course was originally taken. Students are not permitted to take two different level clinical or theory courses at the same time.

Nursing majors are responsible for transportation expenses related to clinical experiences. They are required to carry health and accident insurance. To safeguard the health of clients, nursing students are required to submit proof of health examination and immunizations upon entry into the nursing program. Students must maintain proof of BLS for Healthcare Provider certification and specified amounts of malpractice/negligence insurance, personal health insurance, and annual tuberculin skin testing throughout enrollment in the College of Nursing. Additional requirements may be imposed by individual clinical facilities/agencies.

Candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree in the traditional nursing program must comply with University regulations governing Baccalaureate degrees and must complete the following:

1. All University undergraduate degree requirements, including specific prerequisites as outlined above
2. Required nursing courses
3. Required testing throughout the program (a fee, subject to change without notice, must be paid at the time of testing); and
4. Completion of an achievement exam at the benchmark level in the final senior semester.

Students applying to the RN to BSN program must meet both the University and College of Nursing program entrance requirements before they will be considered for admission. A separate application to the College of Nursing is required for admission to the RN to BSN program. Criteria for admission to the RN to BSN program include:

University Requirements

• Meet all general transfer admission requirements for Florida State University
• Have a minimum of 60 semester hours of transferable credit (AA degree strongly recommended)
• Verify satisfactory completion of the Florida CLAST
• Verify satisfactory completion of the University's Foreign Language Entrance requirement.

College of Nursing Requirements

• Have earned an overall cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher
• Have earned an average science prerequisite GPA of 2.5 or higher
• Possess a current unencumbered Registered Nurse (RN) license from the state of Florida
• Have completed all of the required prerequisite courses with a grade of "C" or higher (see State of Florida Common Program Prerequisites above).

The application deadline for Fall admission is June 1st, for Spring is September 1st, and for Summer is February 1st. In addition to applying to the University and providing official transcripts, a separate RN to BSN Program Application to the College of Nursing is required.

While enrolled in any course in the RN to BSN program, students must have certain required documentation on file, which must be kept current to comply with College of Nursing policy, as well as the rules/regulations of participating clinical agencies. The student is responsible for ensuring that the required clinical documentation is current at all times while enrolled in the RN to BSN major. Students whose documentation is not complete or up to date are not permitted to enter a clinical agency or begin work with a preceptor until clearance is granted from the College of Nursing. Upon initial enrollment, all students must:

• Submit to an FDLE/FBI Level II Background Check;
• Submit to a Certified Background review, which includes:
  • County of Residence Criminal Records;
  • Residence History (last 7 years);
  • Social Security Verification;
  • Nationwide Healthcare Fraud and Abuse Scan;
  • Nationwide Sexual Offenders Registry Scan;
  • U.S. Patriot Act;
  • Employment Verification;
• Submit to a urine drug screen through Certified Background. (Additional screening may be required throughout the program);
• Provide a copy of a current, unencumbered Florida RN license;
• Provide proof of BLS for Healthcare Provider certification;
• Complete a Physical Examination and provide proof of specified immunizations;
• Provide proof of an annual tuberculin skin testing;
• Provide proof of Professional Liability Insurance coverage ($1,000,000/$3,000,000) as an RN; and,
• Provide proof of personal health insurance coverage.

If the background check reveals violations resulting in a student being denied admission to a clinical agency and/or access to patients in an agency, and if a comparable assignment cannot be made to meet course objectives, the student will be unable to progress and complete the program.

Students will be required to submit a notarized Affidavit of Good Moral Character on an annual basis following the initial semester of enrollment to certify that no offenses have been committed since the initial background check was completed. All documentation must be kept current at all times while enrolled in any course in the program. Additional background checks may be required during the program based on clinical agency requirements.

Students enrolled in the nursing major are expected to exhibit behavior that conforms to the Nurse Practice Act of the State of Florida. The College of Nursing reserves the right to refuse or discontinue enrollment of any student if the student violates the Nurse Practice Act of the State of Florida or in the judgment of the faculty the student does not meet the College's standards.

Students enrolled in the RN to BSN program must achieve a grade of "C" (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) or higher in all theory and clinical coursework. A student who is passing a nursing course but has not completed all the required work for the course at the end of the term may, with permission of the instructor, be assigned a grade of "I", or incomplete. Students may not carry an incomplete grade in a prerequisite course through the next term. If the incomplete grade is not removed by the end of the drop/add period at the beginning of the next term, the student will be dropped from the requisite course(s).

Candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN program) must comply with University regulations governing baccalaureate degrees and must successfully complete all University undergraduate degree requirements, all program prerequisites, and all required nursing courses.