Apr 28, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog

Nursing, BSN


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Mission

Saint Luke’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Rockhurst University Bachelor of Science in Nursing program provides quality education through innovative curricula. Students are educated as nurse generalists to provide high quality, safe, and evidence-based practice to diverse populations in a variety of settings. The graduates are prepared with a liberal arts education for the role of the professional nurse, which encompasses thoughtful leadership, compassionate service, scholarship, and lifelong learning. 

Program Goals

  • Prepare the graduate for the role of the professional nurse.
  • Provide an environment of trust, student engagement, and academic support. Provide high-quality nursing education.
  • Promote a culture of safety.
  • Integrate the students into clinical practice and transition the students into nursing culture.
  • Increase the diversity of the student population with an emphasis on cultural awareness.
  • Be a leader in NCLEX board pass rate for the region.
  • Provide population focused education to produce graduates that provide efficient, effective health care.
  • Create an innovative, cutting-edge environment for nursing students in this fast-changing field of health care.

Program Outcomes

  • Students will successfully graduate within their cohort time frame.
  • BSN students express satisfaction with the BSN program.
  • Students successfully pass NCLEX examination.
  • Students will obtain employment within 12 months of graduation

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Practice safe, effective, holistic, and client/family-centered nursing with diverse individuals, families, and populations.
  • Consistently demonstrate professionalism and leadership.
  • Collaborate with other disciplines and organizations to develop interventions and strategies that optimize client outcomes.
  • Synthesize multiple ways of knowing to inform practice, make clinical judgments and creatively transform knowledge to provide humanistic, quality client-centered care with tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity.
  • Use principles of quality improvement, evidence-based practice, health care policy, and cost effectiveness to enhance client outcomes, and participates in opportunities to engender change.

BSN Degree Requirements

  • Upon recommendation of the faculty, the College will confer the degree of Bachelor of Science in Nursing upon students who have fulfilled the following requirements:
  • Completion of the 120 hours of the required program of study for the BSN degree.
  • Completion of the 60 semester hours of nursing coursework within four years of enrollment at Rockhurst University Saint Luke’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
  • A cumulative grade point average of 2.0 with no grade below C counting towards graduation.
  • BSN students must earn a minimum of 30 nursing credit hours from Rockhurst University Saint Luke’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences to meet residency requirement.

Pre-requisites for Upper Division Nursing Coursework

The first 60 credit hours of coursework, including all program pre-requisite courses, may be completed at accredited institution(s) of your choice. Students then complete 60 hours of nursing courses to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Rockhurst University Saint Luke’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences. For details of pre-nursing requirements, see Pre-Nursing Requirements .

Students who have earned an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science or bachelor’s degree from an accredited* institution are eligible for a waiver of the open elective requirements.

NOTE: Science courses must be taken no more than five years prior to enrollment into the College.

*Institutions must be accredited by a nationally recognized higher education accrediting association. Rockhurst University reserves the right to reject coursework from institutions not accredited through North Central Association of Colleges and Schools or other accrediting associations as determined by the Registrar’s Office. Such coursework is not accepted for transfer or satisfaction of degree requirements at Rockhurst University. 

The Wisdom Core section included at the bottom of this program outlines the Rockhurst Wisdom Core requirements for traditional Rockhurst students.

When registering for classes, to find which courses will fulfill core requirements, search the Course Schedule by “Attribute Type”.

TOTAL REQUIRED:


Total Nursing Credits: 60

Total Program Credits: 120

NOTES


The BSN program has pre-requisite requirements requiring coursework to follow a specific order. A 1 credit hour Nursing elective course must also be taken prior to graduation. Students may choose an elective from the above list, to be completed at Rockhurst.

All courses given in the Traditional BSN and Accelerated BSN require the student to achieve at least a 75.00% or greater in all the following: a) Cumulative Exam Average, b) Total Course Theory Grade, c) Total Clinical Grade, d) Total Laboratory Grade, and e) Total Simulation Grade. In courses with combined Laboratory and Simulation or Laboratory and Clinical Grade the student must achieve a 75% or greater in the combination. A failure to achieve a 75.00% or greater (in any section of the course) will result in the student not being able to progress in the Nursing Program.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing students must achieve an individual exam average of at least 75% in order to pass Bachelor of Science in Nursing courses. Students must also complete all course materials at 75% in order to pass Bachelor of Science in Nursing courses. In the event the exam average is below 75%, the earned exam average becomes the final Bachelor of Science in Nursing course grade.

Letter Grade% of Total Points Catalog Description of Undergraduate Letter Grade

Grades will be entered into the Student Information System at the end of the semester or at a designated time by the Rockhurst University Registrar as final grades. The grades will mirror the following grading system with no rounding.

Letter Grade % of Total Points Catalog Description of Undergraduate Letter Grade
A 92.00-100.00 Indicates high achievement and an unusual degree of intellectual initiative.
A- 90.00-91.99 Indicates high achievement and an unusual degree of intellectual initiative.
B+ 88.00-89.99 Denotes attainment well above the average.
B 82.00-87.99 Denotes attainment well above the average.
B- 80.00-81.99 Denotes attainment well above the average.
C+ 78.00-79.99 Denotes work of average attainment.
C 72.00-77.99 Denotes work of average attainment.
C- 70.00-71.99 Denotes poor work of less than average attainment.
D+ 68.00-69.99 Denotes poor work of less than average attainment.
D 60.00-67.99 Denotes poor work of less than average attainment.
F 0.00-59.99 Denotes poor work, for which no credit will be given.

 

Students are unable to progress in the BSN or ABSN program with a grade of 74.99% or less.

If an undergraduate student has any combination of the following, they will be dismissed from the nursing program.

  • Two course failures, or
  • Two course withdrawals, or
  • One course failure and one course withdrawal

Please note that a dismissal from the nursing program does not mean a dismissal from Rockhurst University. Students may explore other options to continue their studies within the university.

See the Student Conduct Incident Policy for non-academic dismissal criteria.

Wisdom Core Requirements


With few exceptions, Rockhurst undergraduate students are required to fulfill the following requirements of the Rockhurst Wisdom Core. To locate courses that fulfill specific wisdom core requirements, search the Course Schedule by “Attribute Type”.  The Course Schedule is located on the Rockhurst Registrar’s webpage at www.rockhurst/registrar.

Cornerstone Requirement:


 Cornerstones courses introduce students to the Jesuit tradition and to the University through study, discussion, and reflection. Topics will vary. Students are encouraged to take the Cornerstone course during their first year at Rockhurst.

This 2 credit hour course may be offered through the College of Arts and Sciences (WCCA), the College of Business Intelligence and Information Analysis (WCCB), or Saint Luke’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences (WCCN), with a variety of content to be covered in each individual course.

The attribute code attached to any Cornerstone class is WCC.

Foundation Course Requirements: 37-40 hours


Foundations courses are lower-division courses representing the traditional liberal arts and sciences disciplines that are highly valued within the Jesuit tradition. Transfer courses may be accepted to fulfill Foundation core requirements.

NW - Natural World

Complete one science class with a lab from biology, chemistry, physics, or natural sciences (4 hours)

HC - History and Culture: HCA

Complete one class from art, music, or theatre arts (3 hours)

HC - History and Culture: HCH

Complete one class from history (3 hours)

HC - History and Culture: HCL

Complete one class from literature in English or literature in Modern Languages (3 hours)

IS - Individuals and Society

Complete two classes from 2 different disciplines of: criminal justice, economics, psychology, sociology, or political science (6 hours)
UQ - Universal Questions: UQP 

Complete one course from philosophy (3 hours)

UQ - Universal Questions: UQT

Complete one course from theology (3 hours)

UQ - Universal Questions

Complete one additional upper-level course from either theology or philosophy - this swing course may be a Rockhurst or transfer course. (3 hours)

EP - Eloquentia Perfecta: WC

Complete 1-2 WC - Written Composition courses. A student with an English ACT score over 24 may fulfill this requirement with EN 1140. (3 hours)

A student who does not have an English ACT score of 24 must complete EN 1110 and EN 1120. (6 hours)

EP - Eloquentia Perfecta: OC

Complete one OC - Oral Communication course (3 hours)

QR - Quantitative Reasoning

Complete one math course (3 hours)

 

Keystone Core Designations:


The Keystone designations are specific learning outcomes which students fulfill through Rockhurst upper-division courses, found primarily in the students’ major or minor program of study. No specific number of credits are required, but students are required to fulfill one of each of the seven Keystone designations. These courses emphasize skills listed in the “Core Rationale and Learning Goals,” such as Inquiry, Analysis, Critical Thinking, and Global Citizenship. Keystones can only be fulfilled through Rockhurst courses. Note: if a Keystone designation contains sub-core designations, the Keystone requirement may be fulfilled through either one of its subcore designations.

The seven Keystone designations are as follows:

KEYSTONE DESIGNATION CODE KEYSTONE DESCRIPTION SUB-CORE KEYSTONE DESIGNATIONS
IAC Inquiry, Analysis, and Critical Thinking Complete one course with either CT (Critical Thinking) or IA (Inquiry & Analysis) designation. Either designation will satisfy IAC.
IQL Information and Quantitative Literacy Complete one course with either IF (Information Fluency) or QL (Quantitative Literacy) designation. Either designation will satisfy IQL.
ACI Artistic/Creative & Innovative Expression Complete one course with either AE (Artistic Expression) or IV (Innovation) designation. Either designation will satisfy ACI.
CC Communication and Collaboration Skills Complete one course with either CM (Communication Skills) or CO (Collaboration Skills) designation. Either designation will satisfy CC.
IAS Intercultural Awareness and Sensitivity  Complete one course with the IAS designation.
GC Global Citizenship Complete one course with the GC designation.
ESE Ethical Reasoning & Social Engagement Complete one course with either ER (Ethical Reasoning & Action) or SK (Social Knowledge & Engagement) designation. Either designation will satisfy ESE.

 

Threshold Experiences


Before graduation, students are required to engage in at least one course or experience certified as using a high impact practice. Students must complete one of the following Threshold Experiences at Rockhurst:

 

WI Writing-Intensive
ID Interdisciplinary
UR Undergraduate Research
IN Internship
TSL Threshold Service Learning Experience
RP Reflective Portfolios
SA Study Abroad

 

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