Nursing - Accelerated Program

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DeSales University offers an accelerated nursing degree program to eligible post-baccalaureate students; namely, an Accelerated BSN Program. The Accelerated BSN Program is offered over a 15-month intensive time frame with courses sequenced in a “lockstep” fashion. Students enrolled in this program take the same undergraduate nursing courses that DeSales University Traditional Day BSN students take, but in an accelerated format. Likewise, program non-nurse course requirements mirror those for current Traditional BSN students.

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the Accelerated BSN program must meet the following requirements to receive consideration for admission. Admission is rigorous; demonstrating minimum admission requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the Accelerated BSN program.

1. The applicant must submit a completed application.

2. The applicant must have a bachelors’ degree in a non-nursing major from an accredited college or university with a graduating cumulative GPA equal to 2.75 or higher (on a 4.0 scale).

3. The applicant must have completed the following courses or course equivalents either at DeSales University or another accredited college or university within 5 years of entering the Accelerated BSN Program, and must have received a grade of C or higher:

BI 263 Anatomy and Physiology I with lab component (4 credits)
BI 264 Anatomy and Physiology II with lab component (4 credits)
CH 107 Physiological Chemistry with lab component (5 credits)
BI 252 Microbiology with lab component (4 credits)
MA 111 Probability and Statistics (3 credits)
NU 305 Therapeutic Nutrition (3 credits)
PS 240 Human Development (3 credits)

Students may complete PS 240 at an accredited college or university or by CLEP examination. NU 305 must be taught by a registered dietitian.

4. The applicant must submit official transcripts of all post-secondary education coursework and coursework taken at any accredited college or university.

5. The applicant must obtain two letters of professional recommendation. Recommendations should be requested from individuals who are able to gauge the applicant’s qualifications, e.g., professors, managers, supervisors, volunteer coordinators, etc.; not colleagues, classmates, and/or family members or friends.

6. The applicant must submit a personal essay that explains how the program will help them to achieve their professional goals and their motivation or desire for becoming a nurse; maximum of 2 typed pages.

7. The applicant must submit a nonrefundable application fee. The application fee is not counted toward any future tuition costs and/or future program fees.

8. The applicant must submit a current resume.

9. The applicant must submit an official World Education Services (WES) credential evaluation for all degrees and coursework obtained outside the U.S.

10. The applicant may be interviewed by a DeSales nursing faculty member, as deemed appropriate.

11. International applicants should refer to the language requirements detailed in Section 4 of the Undergraduate Catalog, under the heading of International Students .

12. Applicants who are offered admission will be required to provide a nonrefundable $500 seat deposit to secure their place in the program. The deposit is credited toward the accelerated program tuition.

13. Applicants selected for admission into the Accelerated BSN Program are accepted on a provisional basis and will be required to complete a FBI Fingerprinting and a Nationwide Criminal Background Check. An offer of full acceptance is dependent on the results of the applicant’s FBI Fingerprinting and Nationwide Criminal Background Check. A positive record, on either the FBI Fingerprinting or the Nationwide Criminal Background Check, will result in revocation of the applicant’s provisional acceptance. Revocation of provisional acceptance prohibits the applicant from obtaining full acceptance and from matriculating into the Accelerated BSN Program. There are no appeals.

14. The financial costs associated with the FBI Fingerprinting and Nationwide Criminal Background Check are the responsibility of the student.

15. Once an admission decision has been reached and notification of the decision has been sent to the applicant, the decision is considered final and the application is closed. Information related to closed applications is not discussed with the applicant or the applicant’s designees. There are no appeals.

16. Accepted students are required to attend an orientation session before the start of the Accelerated BSN program.

Accelerated Withdrawal Policy

A student considering withdrawal from a course should note that the summer term is subject to a different withdrawal calculation than the fall and spring terms, due to a difference in the structure of the courses offered. The Accelerated BSN Program’s tuition is comprised of four, flat, term rates charged during the course of the approved 15-month Accelerated BSN curriculum. Refunds are based on the flat term tuition rate, and as such students withdrawing from one or more courses are not eligible for a prorated refund based on number of courses from which they withdrew.

The Accelerated BSN program tuition refund policy for the summer terms is as follows:

100% refund of the term tuition - Any withdrawal received prior to the first day of class. The first class is defined as the first didactic/lecture held for the term.
60% refund of the term tuition - Any withdrawal received after the first class day has commenced and prior to the fourth day of class in the term. Class is defined as the didactic/lecture portion of a course and does not include laboratory or clinical days.
0% refund of the term tuition - Any withdrawal received after the fourth day of class in the term. Class is defined as the didactic/lecture portion of a course and does not include laboratory or clinical days.

The Accelerated BSN program tuition refund policy for the fall and spring terms is as follows:

100% refund of the term tuition - Any withdrawal received prior to the first day of class. The first class is defined as the first didactic/lecture held for the term.
60% refund of the term tuition - Any withdrawal received after the first class day has commenced and prior to the sixth day of class in the term. Class is defined as the didactic/lecture portion of a course and does not include laboratory or clinical days.
0% refund of the term tuition - Any withdrawal received after the sixth day of class in the term. Class is defined as the didactic/lecture portion of a course and does not include laboratory or clinical days.

All drop and withdrawal requests must be received by the Accelerated BSN program coordinator, dated, and signed by the student and the program coordinator by the appropriate deadline. Registration for the Accelerated BSN program implies that a student is academically responsible for completion of the required course load, as well as the satisfaction of all related financial obligations. If a registered student does not withdraw from courses but simply does not attend, a grade of “F” will be assigned to these courses and the student will remain responsible for payment of the tuition related to those courses.

General Progression Policies for Accelerated BSN Students

To progress in the Accelerated BSN program, the student must remain in acceptable academic standing as described under “Acceptable Academic Standing ” in Section 2 of the Undergraduate Catalog. In addition to the University “Acceptable Academic Standing” requirements, Accelerated BSN students must be continuously enrolled in nursing courses as outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog. Inability to do so will result in the student’s dismissal from the Accelerated BSN program. For nursing students, acceptable academic standing also includes meeting the following progression policies of the Accelerated BSN program:

The student must earn and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA equal to 2.75 or higher at the conclusion of each semester to progress to the next semester. Cumulative GPAs are calculated to three decimal places and are not rounded when determining progression in the nursing program. GPAs are reviewed at the end of each semester: Summer I, Fall, Spring, and Summer II. Only courses taken within the Accelerated BSN Program will be tabulated into the student’s semester and cumulative GPA. Any student who does not achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher at the end of any semester will be dismissed from the Accelerated BSN program.
The student must earn a C+ or higher in all nursing courses to progress to the next semester. For the Summer I semester, the student must earn a C+ or higher in the Session I courses of NU 205 and NU 215 to progress to NU 220 and NU 230. Any student who does not obtain a C+ may not progress and will be dismissed from the Accelerated BSN program. Dismissed students from Summer Session I are referred to the Bursar’s Office for a prorated refund.
The student must pass both the theory portion and the clinical component of the nursing course. A student failing either the theory or clinical component of a nursing course will fail the entire course, and the student may not progress in the Accelerated BSN Program. Failure of a nursing course is defined as any grade below the minimum progression requirement of C+. In addition, the student must complete the required number of clinical hours in order to successfully pass a clinical course.
The student must follow the 15-month program plan. Failure to adhere to the curriculum plan may result in dismissal from the Accelerated BSN Program.
Students are required to participate in the Kaplan Review Course during their senior nursing courses. As part of the Kaplan Review Course, students are required to take the Kaplan NCLEX Readiness Test. All remediation requirements must be satisfactorily met in order to receive permission to take the NCLEX-RN exam as assigned.
All nursing students must adhere to and abide by content in the Pre-licensure BSN Student Handbook and the Undergraduate Catalog. Any deviation or failure to comply with the content may warrant dismissal from the Accelerated BSN program.
Any dismissed, withdrawn, or inactive student, as defined by University policy, may formally reapply to the nursing program. Re-admission is not guaranteed. Re-admitted students will be required to repeat all nursing coursework, regardless of previous course grades achieved, and are subject to the progression policies outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog under which they are re-accepted.
Requested academic references for students who have not met the nursing progression requirements or who have been dismissed from the nursing program will include only the dates of attendance.
All nursing students must abide by the nursing progression requirements outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog in effect at the time of acceptance into the nursing program.
It is the responsibility of the student to contact the Bursar and/or the Financial Aid Office for additional information about the implications of any change in course load for their tuition or financial aid. Questions about housing should be addressed to the Residence Life Office.

Program Plan of Study: Accelerated BSN

Summer I Semester

Fundamentals of Nursing (NU 205 )
Health & Physical Assessment (NU 215 )
Pharmacology (NU 220 )
Therapeutic Nursing Interventions (NU 230 )

Fall Semester

Health Risk Models and Research (NU 320 )
The Chronically Ill Adult (NU 335 )
Nursing of the Childbearing Family (NU 350 )
Healthcare Informatics (NU 380 )
Medicine and Morality (TH 262 )

Spring Semester

Mental Health Nursing (NU 340 )
Nursing Care of Children (NU 365 )
Nursing of the Older Adult (NU 370 )
Nursing of the Acutely Ill Adult (NU 430 )

Summer II Semester

Community and Public Health Nursing (NU 440 )
Senior Integrating Seminar (NU 452 )
Clinical Nursing Internship (NU 454 )

Course Requirements

Students enrolled in the Accelerated BSN program must complete the following courses at DeSales University in the nursing program curriculum: NU 205, NU 215, NU 220, NU 230, NU 320, NU 335, NU 340, NU 350, NU 365, NU 370, NU 380, NU 430, NU 440, NU 452, NU 454.

Accelerated Direct-Entry BSN + MSN Program (Accelerated BSN Plus)

Acceptance into the Accelerated BSN Plus Program as an incoming Accelerated nursing student assures direct matriculation into the MSN program upon completion of the BSN program, provided that the student remains in an “Acceptable Academic Standing ” as outlined in Section 2 of the Undergraduate Catalog. All MSN courses taken by a student in the Accelerated BSN Plus program must adhere to the standards and guidelines set forth for all progression and internal policies of the graduate MSN programs. The MSN program provides options for advanced study which prepares graduates for certification as a family nurse practitioner, psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner, adult gerontology clinical nurse specialist, or adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner. MSN degree options also include forensic nursing with certification in investigative forensics, nursing informatics with certification in healthcare information management, and nurse executive via the dual MSN/MBA program (students interested in the dual MSN/MBA program must apply separately to the MBA program for admission consideration; acceptance into the MBA program is not guaranteed). Students may begin course work in graduate level nursing courses in the fall semester of the Accelerated BSN Plus program of study, which may be credited toward both their BSN and MSN programs.

In addition to fulfilling all admission requirements of an Accelerated BSN applicant, the Accelerated BSN Plus applicant must:

Complete an interview with a DeSales nursing faculty member, as deemed appropriate.
Have attained a bachelors’ degree in a non-nursing major from an accredited college or university with a graduating cumulative GPA equal to 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale).
Earn a B or higher in all nursing and science pre-requisite courses during the Accelerated BSN Plus program of study.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA equal to 3.0 or higher at the end of each semester during the Accelerated BSN Plus program of study.
Meet all other criteria for undergraduates taking graduate courses as outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog and Graduate Catalog.

If a student is academically ineligible to continue in the Accelerated BSN Plus Program, the student may remain in the Accelerated BSN Program and continue solely to pursue the BSN degree, provided that those requirements for academic progression as outlined in the Accelerated BSN program are met.

Students will have a direct matriculation into an MSN program upon completion of the Accelerated BSN Plus Program with a 3.0 GPA or higher out of 4.0 scale, passing their NCLEX-RN licensure exam on the first attempt, and securing a full-time RN position. Students will apply to the specific MSN track of their choice to develop a plan of study with the program director. MSN clinical experiences in all Advanced Practice Programs are subject to RN experience requirements and clinical site availability.

Individual program specific RN requirements must be met prior to MSN clinical experiences for all Advanced Practice Programs. Please refer to the Graduate Catalog for current policies regarding RN experience.

Course Requirements

Students enrolled in the Accelerated BSN Plus Program must complete the following courses at DeSales University in the nursing program curriculum: NU 205, NU 215, NU 220, NU 230, NU 335, NU 340, NU 350, NU 365, NU 370, NU 380, NU 430, NU 440, NU 452, NU 454; TH 262; NU 522 or NU 536; NU 530 or NU 320; and NU 538 or NU 380.The Accelerated BSN Plus students may take up to three approved graduate level courses that may be applied to both the BSN and MSN Programs. Accelerated BSN Plus students who choose not to take the graduate level courses will take the specific undergraduate nursing courses above.