Department of Nursing

West Chester University

222 Sturzebecker Health Sciences Center
West Chester, PA 19383
610-436-2219



Graduates of the Program - What they’re doing now


Congratulations to Erin Lopes (Cohort 3) for her continued dedication to the autism community

Janelle Mirabeau and Rita Stella
Janelle Mirabeau & Rita Stella


Congratulations Rory Tedrick! A few weeks ago he received the Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary's Award for Nursing Excellence for both the Wilmington VA Medical Center and the entire VISN4 region which encompasses all VA facilities in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

BSN for the Registered Nurse

group grads

The BSN for the RN curriculum is specially designed for licensed Registered Nurses to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. You must currently be a licensed Registered Nurse (or near graduation from an ADN program) to enroll in this program.

The BSN curriculum of West Chester University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) through 2019.

We are no longer accepting applications for Fall 2013.

Applications for admission to RN-BSN program will resume in Fall 2013 for Spring 2014.

If you are a Registered Nurse you may apply online. Be sure to indicate you are interested in BSN for the RN program in the space for Program/Major. Applications to the program are done as Transfers through the Admissions Department (click for link "Apply Online" to the Transfer application). Be sure to indicate you are applying to the BSN for the RN program as your Major.

Applicants must have a minimum Higher Education cumulative GPA of 2.75 (out of 4).

No letters of recommendation are necessary.

If you have applied and have questions or concerns about the application process or the status of your application please contact the Admissions Department directly.

If you have questions please contact Dr. Cheryl Schlamb at cschlamb@wcupa.edu

You will have an opportunity to meet with Dr. Schlamb as a part of your application process.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing for the Registered Nurse (BSN-RN) Program

Credit for Previous Nursing Experience (Nursing Credits)

Most students will be able to transfer credit in for 28 credits of nursing courses including the following courses:
NSG 212, NSL 212, NSG 312, NSL 312, NSG 411, NSL 411

Waiver of courses that include content generally taught in nursing programs:
Pathophysiology (BIO 307), Abnormal Psychology (PSY 375)

General Education requirements required by WCU for all students (48 credits):

Includes courses in English composition, mathematics, communication, a Diverse Communities course, an Interdisciplinary course, basic behavioral and social sciences, the arts and humanities, and free electives. Many of these may be transferred from previous educational experiences.

CLEP opportunities:

Credit for life experience (CLEP) exams are available for many of the courses offered at West Chester University. Arrangements for these exams can be made through the Office of The Registrar and are relatively low cost.

Required nursing courses at WCU (21 credits)

Two courses (each course has a theory and a focused clinical assignments):
NSG 311, NSL 311 and NSG 412, NSL 412 as well as NSG 325 and NSG 313

The theoretical components of both of these courses are offered one night a week to accommodate the RN population. Focused clinical assignments are individualized to meet the students' learning needs and are often completed independently or in groups with the guidance of a faculty member.

For more detail you can download a copy of our BSN for the RN Student Handbook.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How long is the program?
It varies with each student. Everyone comes in with a different number of credits and prerequisites so what they have to take varies. Everyone has to have 120 credits to graduate, (30 credits must be taken at WCU). It is up to you if you want to do it quickly or gradually.

Can I manage work and this program?
This program was developed with the working nurse in mind. All of our students work full time and most have families and still manage to do well in the program.

Is your program on-line?
RN-BSN students value the interaction/exchange that occurs in the classroom. While continuing that tradition, this hybrid program utilizes online course management program D2L so the RN-BSN student spends less time in classroom.

What does Fast Track mean?
The nursing class meets one night/week for five to six hours. Focused clinical experiences are arranged by the students.

What credits transfer?
All your appropriate credits will transfer, and West Chester does not charge for transfer credits

Click here for Self-Service Check for Course Equivalencies. Use this link to see if courses taken at another college are considered equivalent to WCU courses. If so, you can apply to have the credits transferred to WCU

Does WCU accept Excelsior/ Correspondence Nursing credits?

NO, WCU does not accept these nursing credits.

Last update: 29 August 2012