Nursing

Mission Statement

The School of Nursing at Eastern University prepares undergraduate nursing students for thoughtful and productive lives of Christian faith, leadership, and service as generalist nurses and members of the global nursing community.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program (BSN) is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and is fully approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.

In addition to the plan of study presented below, nursing students must complete the general education requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Admission to the Nursing Major

For traditional students seeking a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (BSN), admission to the nursing major is a two-step process. First, Admissions will make an immediate offer to any student who meets the criteria for admission to Pre-Nursing including:

SAT > 1060 (combined) and/or ACT > 21 (composite)
High School GPA > 3.0 (cumulative)
Required High School Courses (B minus or higher):
1. Chemistry
2. Biology
3. Algebra II

Students who do not qualify for an immediate offer to Pre-Nursing, will be reviewed by the School of Nursing Admissions Committee to determine if an offer or contingent offer will be made to the applicant. The School of Nursing Admissions Committee will request additional documentation including letters of recommendations and an essay. Students will receive a letter informing them of the School of Nursing Admissions Committee decision shortly after a decision has been made. Acceptance to the Pre-Nursing Cohort will allow students to take courses in Eastern’s Core Curriculum as well as the preliminary courses towards Eastern’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The second step occurs during the spring semester sophomore year, members of the Pre-Nursing cohort will have the opportunity to apply for formal admission to the Nursing major reaffirming their interest in pursuing a degree in nursing. In order to be fully accepted into the Nursing major, students must complete the required courses, earn a 3.0 GPA overall, a 2.75 GPA in the pre-requisite sciences with no science grade below a “C”, earn a 2.75 GPA in MATH 140 College Algebra and complete the nursing major admissions packet. Pre-Nursing students who meet this criteria are guaranteed admission into the Nursing major.

Clinical Education Requirements

Mandatory Health Documentation and Legal Credentialing Policies and Procedures

State and local health officials require the following specific information to be maintained on all Eastern University nursing students. This information will be submitted via the Eastern University health history, immunization record and physical form signed by your health care provider.

Furthermore, students will be responsible for obtaining additional immunizations as required by the University, clinical facilities, and/or government regulations.

Additionally, junior and senior nursing students must submit and update the following information and submit proof of recertification whenever expired:

Driver’s license
Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers certification for adult, infant and child and AED
Comprehensive criminal background check
Child abuse clearance
FBI clearance (one time only)
Current personal health insurance
Malpractice insurance
PPD within one year and repeated annually; if positive Quantiferon Gold test will be required.
Influenza vaccine
Random drug testing
Tdap vaccine (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Acellular Pertussis)
MMR immunization and proof of immunity through antibody titers
Varicella vaccine and proof of immunity through antibody titers
Hepatitis B series and proof of immunity through antibody titers

It is the student’s responsibility to keep all documents in a safe place and know when they need renewal.

The Associate Dean of the School of Nursing will contact students with an unfavorable criminal background check. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the PA State Board of Nursing regarding licensure with an unfavorable result on a criminal background check. Students with an unfavorable criminal background check may not be able to participate in clinical rotations at affiliated health care institutions. If a student cannot participate in clinical rotations, said student will be unable to complete the nursing program.

Please note:

The University reserves the right to refuse to register any student until he/she complies with all health requirements and provides the University with appropriate documentation.
The School of Nursing reserves the right to refuse to allow any student to continue in clinical rotations until he/she complies with all health and legal document requirements and provides the School with appropriate documentation.

Progression Policy

In order to progress through the nursing program, students must meet all of the stated academic requirements (including successful completion of all pre-requisites). To be fully accepted into the Nursing major, students must achieve a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Additionally, students must earn a minimum of a “C” or better in the pre-requisite science courses with a cumulative 2.75 science GPA including

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
CHEM 118	Chemistry for Healthcare	4
BIOL 216	Introduction to Microbiology	4
BIOL 233	Human Physiology & Anatomy I	4
BIOL 234	Human Physiology & Anatomy II	4

Students must earn a minimum of a ”B-“ in MATH 140 College Algebra. Students may only repeat one science course one time to improve their science GPA.

Students in the undergraduate nursing major will not progress in the nursing program if they receive a grade of less than a 75 (“C”) in any nursing course.

Students must earn a grade average on all exams and quizzes of 75% or greater to pass the course regardless of grades earned on other assignments. Students may repeat the course when it is offered again.

For courses with a clinical component, the student must earn a grade of 75% or higher in the theoretical component of the course as well as a satisfactory grade in the clinical practicum component of the course. If a student earns an unsatisfactory grade in any clinical practicum, he or she must retake the entire course including both the theoretical and clinical components. The student with an unsatisfactory clinical grade may not progress in the program until he or she retakes the entire course and earns a grade of 75 (“C”) or better in the theoretical component of the course and a satisfactory grade in the clinical practicum. Students may only repeat any nursing course once.

Program Dismissal for Academic Reasons

Students may only repeat any nursing course one time. A student may only fail one course within the entire program. A second failure will result in dismissal from the program. Failure is considered any grade below a 75 (“C”). A student who fails two different nursing courses or has two failures in the same nursing course will be dismissed from the program.

The School of Nursing and Eastern University reserve the right to dismiss a student from the program for ethical, legal or professional conduct unsuited to the nursing profession.

Graduation Policy

In order to be granted a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree students must successfully complete all the requirements for the nursing program and for Eastern University

On This Page

The Major for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Pre-Licensure for College Graduates-Second Degree Program)

The Major for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Required Courses:

For students entering Fall 2020 forward, all others should refer to previous catalogs.

Note: Pre-nursing and Nursing majors have additional program fees and costs.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year		Credit Hours
CHEM 118	Chemistry for Healthcare	4
MATH 140	College Algebra	3
MATH 220	Elementary Statistics	3
COMM 120	Public Speaking	3
PSYC 100	General Psychology	3
Fine Arts Elective		3
	Credit Hours	19
Sophomore Year
BIOL 216	Introduction to Microbiology	4
BIOL 233	Human Physiology & Anatomy I	4
BIOL 234	Human Physiology & Anatomy II	4
EXSC 220	Basic Nutrition Science	3
MATH 220	Elementary Statistics	3
NURS 250	Academic Nursing Essentials	3
NURS 320	Introduction to Professional Holistic Nursing	3
	Credit Hours	24
Junior Year
NURS 310	Pathophysiology/Pharmacology	4
NURS 340	Fundamentals of Nursing Practice	5
NURS 350	Health Promotion & Education & Physical Assessment	5
NURS 360	Nursing Care of Adults I	4
NURS 380	Nursing Care in Mental Health and Illness	4
NURS 390	Maternal-Child Nursing Care	4
NURS 404	Nursing Research	3
	Credit Hours	29
Senior Year
NURS 370	Nursing Care of Adults II	5
NURS 402	Leadership in Nursing Practice	3
NURS 403	Holistic Family/Community Nursing Practice	4
NURS 440	Nursing Care of Adults III	5
NURS 450	Pediatric Nursing	4
NURS 460	Nursing Care and Chronic Illness	4
NURS 480	Nursing Capstone: The Art of Nursing	3
NURS 485	Synthesis of Nursing Knowledge	3
	Credit Hours	31
	Total Credit Hours	103

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Pre-Licensure for College Graduates-Second Degree Program)

Eastern University has developed a pre-licensure program to prepare students who have earned a non-nursing bachelor’s degree for a nursing career. The prerequisites of the program are a 3.0 GPA, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university and courses in Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Microbiology, Chemistry, Statistics, and Nutrition and General Psychology.

Required Coursework: for students entering spring 2018 forward