Nursing Major, B.S.N.

Department Information

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Dr. Katherine Hall, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Interim Chief Nurse Administrator

PO Box 70664
Phone: (423) 439-4578 or 1-888-37NURSE
Fax: (423) 439-4522
230 Roy S. Nicks Hall
Web address: www.etsu.edu/nursing
Email: nursing@etsu.edu
Facebook: www.facebook.com/etsunursing
Twitter: www.twitter.com/etsucon

Accreditation: The baccalaureate degree in nursing program at East Tennessee State is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC  20001, (202) 887-6791.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is the foundation for professional nursing practice. The professional nurse practices in collaboration with other health care providers and is responsible for coordinating and practicing comprehensive nursing care for individuals, families, groups, and communities, and assuming management and leadership positions in nursing practice.

The College of Nursing offers five (5) tracks leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The Traditional BSN, Accelerated (Johnson City, Kingsport, Sevierville), and LPN-BSN offers coursework leading to initial licensure as a professional nurse. The RN-BSN option is designed for students who are already registered nurses but who are seeking a bachelor’s degree. The Dual Degree RN-BSN is offered with select community college partners for students enrolled in associates degree programs who are interested in simultaneously earning a bachelor’s degree.

A course of study that meets the degree requirements and the university’s General Education Program Requirements will be planned with the student through regular sessions with a College of Nursing professional advisor.

Program Track	Director/Coordinator
Traditional and Accelerated Programs	Dr. Beth Thompson
Bridge Programs (LPN-BSN/RN-BSN)	Dr. Tabitha Quillen

Admission Policy

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All students must be admitted to the university as a HPNU- Nursing Interest major for the nursing program. Admission to the university as a HPNU- Nursing Interest major does not guarantee admission to the nursing major. Students may apply for admission to one or more of the following BSN tracks.

• Pre-RN licensure BSN (Traditional, Accelerated Traditional, LPN to BSN)
• Post-RN licensure BSN (RN to BSN with or without Dual Enrollment)

*Transfer students and/or students with 60+ credits will be individually advised regarding the major.

1. General Education and Pre-Requisite Courses: Applicants must be in progress of their last semester or have completed all ETSU General Education courses (or equivalents from a regionally accredited transfer institution) including the established nursing pre-requisite classes.

Applicants with completed bachelor’s degrees are exempt from taking General Education Requirements (by virtue of the completed degree) but must complete the four (4) pre-requisites or equivalents. General education requirements are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

At least three (3) of the four (4) pre-requisite classes must be completed prior to the application deadline. Applicants who are in the process of completing pre-requisites at the time of application may be provisionally admitted pending successful completion of all pre-requisite courses. Applicants must earn a “C” or better in all pre-requisite courses. Pre-requisites with a grade of “C-” or below may be repeated only once to earn a “C” or better.  If repeated, the most recent letter grade will be used in the pre-requisite GPA calculation. Courses with grades of W (withdrawal), and WF (withdrawal fail) will be considered as unsuccessful attempts.

1. Anatomy and Physiology 1 with Lab (4 credits)
2. Anatomy and Physiology 2 with Lab (4 credits)
3. Introduction to Microbiology with Lab (4 credits)
4. Probability and Statistics (3 credits)

Transfer students are responsible for making sure courses taken at other institutions are equivalent to ETSU General Education courses. For further information about transfer equivalency, go to: https://www.etsu.edu/general-education/  Acceptance of transfer and substitute credits in nursing to meet the requirement of the curriculum will be reviewed and determined by the nursing faculty in conjunction with the Office of Student Services (OSS). Students seeking to transfer into the BSN program must meet the same admission requirements as other applicants and provide a letter of good standing from their prior nursing program.

2. Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA): A minimum cumulative college level Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 as computed by East Tennessee State University (excluding developmental coursework) is required.
3. Pre-Requisite GPA: A minimum pre-requisite (GPA) of 2.75 is required. Pre-requisite courses must be completed within 5 years of admission to the nursing program.
4. Standardized Entrance Examination: Applicants must electronically submit all scores from the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS). The TEAS exam must be completed within two (2) years of application to the nursing program. Students must achieve a minimum overall TEAS exam score of 65%. Applicants can take the TEAS exam a maximum of two (2) times with a minimum 30-day waiting period requirement between attempts to allow applicants to engage in remediation.

*LPN-BSN students who have taken the TEAS exam within the past two (2) years as part of their admission to their LPN program may submit the results as part of their application for the LPN-BSN program. Students are encouraged to pay close attention to the minimum score requirement as stated above.

5. Nursing Program Orientation: Nursing program orientation is mandatory. Students are required to be present for the entire orientation. Nursing orientation is usually held 1-2 weeks prior to the start of each semester. Dates for orientation are provided with the notification of acceptance.

*Requests for missing in-person orientation are considered on a case-by-case basis under extraordinary circumstances as defined in the BSN Student Handbook. Make-up orientation will be required.

NOTE: Failure to meet all the above admission requirements (1-5) will result in forfeiture of admission to the nursing program.

NOTE: Applicants who are admitted to ETSU as freshman with a high school GPA of 3.5 or above, ACT cumulative score of 29 or above, and maintain an ETSU overall GPA of 3.2 or higher, will be guaranteed admission to the nursing major.  Students must complete the College of Nursing application process and meet all other established admissions criteria.

Progression Policy

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Progression Guidelines for Undergraduates  

1. Nursing courses must be taken in sequence as indicated by the plan of study.   
2. All students in the nursing major must earn a minimum grade of “C” in each required didactic and/or clinical nursing course.   
3. Students must achieve an overall average of 75% on all exams (content and final) within a didactic course to pass the course. Points for course assignments other than exams (i.e., quizzes, class assignments, group work) are not calculated into the course grade until the 75% benchmark on exams is attained. Once the 75% benchmark is reached, any additional points earned will be applied to calculate the final course grade. If a student fails to achieve an overall exam average of 75%, the student will receive the letter grade equivalent to the average of the exam scores.  

NOTE: Final course points, not percentages, will be rounded to the whole number. Totals ending with 0.5 or higher will round up to the whole number. Totals ending with less than 0.5 will not be rounded. 

4. Students who are unsuccessful in or withdraw (W) from one nursing course are permitted to repeat the course at the next available offering and space permitting. Courses may not be offered every semester and/or at every location and/or clinical facility. Students repeating a clinical course may be required to travel or take a leave of absence until clinical space is available. Costs incurred with travel are the responsibility of the student.  

NOTE: Students who withdraw (W) from a course with a designated co-requisite must withdraw from both. 

5. Students who are unsuccessful in two or more required nursing courses, in either the same semester or subsequent semesters, are automatically dismissed from the College of Nursing. Unsuccessful completion includes:
   1. Grades lower than a “C” and/or  
   2. Withdrawal Failing (WF) 
6. Students who withdraw (W) from one or more nursing courses two or more times during the program of study are automatically dismissed from the College of Nursing. 
7. Students who do not maintain an overall cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher will be dismissed from the College of Nursing.  
8. Students who find it necessary to withdraw (W) from an entire semester of nursing courses must apply for a Leave of Absence (LOA). Students who withdraw (W) from an entire semester of nursing courses without applying for a Leave of Absence (LOA) are considered as relinquishing their placement in the program and are automatically dismissed from the College of Nursing.  
9. Leave of Absence  

Students who need to withdraw from an entire semester of nursing courses are required to apply for a leave of absence (LOA). LOAs are not encouraged, but sometimes necessary. Students should work with their advisor and submit the Leave of Absence Request Form. Students can request a LOA only once during their curriculum. LOAs extend only for one semester. Students who intend to return after a LOA will complete a Request for Reinstatement Form. Failure to submit the Request for Reinstatement Form is considered relinquishment of position in the program and the student will be dismissed from the program.  

Students who find it necessary to be absent for longer than one semester are required to withdraw from the nursing program and, if in good standing with the University and the College of Nursing, may be considered for reentry to the nursing program. See Reinstatement/Reentry/Readmission Process in the BSN Student Handbook.  

Exceptions to this policy include leave for required military duty and unexpected severe illness or injury with medical documentation. 

10. Reinstatement/Reentry/Readmission Process 
    1. Reinstatement: Reinstatement is the process used for students who take an approved LOA for one semester. Students approved for an LOA and who are in good standing are eligible for reinstatement. Students should submit a Request for Reinstatement Form by the deadline to ensure timely program reinstatement. After the Request for Reinstatement Form is reviewed by the Assistant Dean for Student Services and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, students will be reenrolled in the semester of nursing courses from which they withdrew during the next available semester. If a student’s original site does not offer the semester of courses the student needs, the student can submit in writing to the Assistant Dean for Student Services and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs a request for a one-time transfer to the site where courses are offered. Students who are granted a site transfer must remain enrolled at the site for the remainder of the curriculum.  
    2. Reentry: Reentry is the process used for students who withdraw from the nursing program in good standing with the University and the College of Nursing. Decisions about program reentry are considered on an individual- and space-available basis in consultation with the Assistant Dean of Student Services and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs. Students who wish to be considered for program reentry should submit a letter outlining their plan requesting enrollment in desired semester courses to the Assistant Dean of Student Services and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs. In most cases, decisions related to program reentry will not be finalized until after final semester grades from the prior semester are published. Under no circumstance will a student requesting reentry be permitted to displace a currently enrolled student who is in sequence for progression. Students who are approved for program reentry are required to work with the appropriate Program Director to develop an Individualized Reentry Plan (IRP) to identify gaps in knowledge and demonstrate competency prior to enrolling in the requested semester. Failure to comply with or complete the IRP will result in permanent program dismissal.       
    3. Readmission: Readmission is the process used for students who are academically dismissed from the program. Students may be readmitted to the nursing major only once. Students may be required to reapply to the University. Students may be required to reapply to the Undergraduate Program and, if so, will have their application materials considered in conjunction with the other pool of applicants for the admission cycle. Students who are readmitted may be required to take additional course work prior to or concurrent with readmission.  Students dismissed for behavioral issues are ineligible for readmission.  

Students who desire to be considered for program readmission after academic dismissal should submit a Request for Readmission Form.  

Students who are readmitted will: 

1. Remain on probationary status for the duration of the program.  
2. Meet with the Program Director and the appropriate Office of Student Services Advisor to develop an individualized Undergraduate Academic Success Plan (UASP). 
3. Sign and comply with the UASP. 

NOTE: Failure to agree, sign, and/or comply with the conditions established in the UASP will result in a permanent program dismissal. 

Criminal Background Checks

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To progress clinically, students will be required to complete a Criminal Background Check at his or her own expense from a specified vendor. Unfavorable results may result in a student’s inability to continue in clinical courses; review of the contents of the background check and the determination for eligibility for participation at a clinical site will be conducted by affiliated clinical agencies. Although the College of Nursing does not receive the contents of the background check, documentation of completion is kept with the students Clinical Course Health Requirement file.

Admissions Requirements and Curricula by Program Track

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• Traditional BSN Program: https://www.etsu.edu/nursing/default.php
• LPN-BSN Program: https://www.etsu.edu/nursing/undergrad/default.php
• RN-BSN Program: https://www.etsu.edu/nursing/undergrad/default.php
• Dual Degree RN-BSN: https://www.etsu.edu/nursing/undergrad/default.php