Nursing Major - LPN to BS Program

The L.P.N. to B.S. program is designed to allow graduates of schools of practical nursing to expand their career opportunities. Graduates of the program prepare to become Professional Registered Nurses by earning a Bachelor of Science with a major in nursing. This qualifies the student to take the NCLEX-RN exam. These credentials provide the education needed to advance nursing expertise and employment opportunities.

L.P.N.s are treated as transfer students and their transcripts will be individually reviewed and compared to progress requirements. The student’s personal program plan and the length of time needed to complete the L.P.N. to B.S. program will depend on the number of college credits in liberal arts and sciences that are transferred to Nazareth College, and may take three to four years. The entire program requires 120 college credits.

Admission Criteria
The student must be a graduate of a practical nurse program and either hold an L.P.N. license and current registration to practice, or be awaiting NCLEX-PN test results within the next six months. A minimum GPA of 2.75 is required for any college credits that the student hopes to transfer into Nazareth. After the student has been accepted into the B.S. program, a list of course requirements and a schedule for progression through the curriculum will be created for him or her.

L.P.N.s who have one full year of clinical experience (or the equivalent) will be eligible for the L.P.N. Bridge course sequence. They will have NSG 103 Introduction to Heath Care Terminology and NSG 301L Foundations of Transcultural Nursing Lab waived.

Student Learning Outcomes

In accordance with the mission of the Department of Nursing, the undergraduate program goals, and the nine essentials from the Executive Summary of AACN (2008), the baccalaureate curriculum for both the pre-licensure students and registered nurse students will provide educational opportunities which will enable the graduate to:

1. describe how arts and sciences apply to the care of individuals and families;
2. apply the concepts of evidence-based practice to critical thinking in assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating nursing care;
3. apply effective communication techniques with diverse populations;
4. construct culturally competent nursing care for diverse populations;
5. use technology and informatics in professional nursing practice;
6. use effective communication with members of the interprofessional health care team to promote quality and safe patient care; and
7. appraise her/his ability to meet the following professional nursing values: altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity, and social justice.