Nursing B.S.
Degree Requirements
A major in Nursing is achieved by the completion of the following requirements, as well as the General Education courses and electives required for a degree:
Required Core Courses
| NUR 110 | Certified Nurse Aide Prep. | 1 Course Credit |
| NUR 341 | Essential-Hlt Assess & Nurs I | 1 Course Credit |
| NUR 342 | Essential-Hlt Assess & Nurs II | 1.5 Course Credits |
| NUR 350 | Nursing of Adults I | 1.5 Course Credits |
| NUR 351 | Nur Child/Adult-Psy/Mntl Hlt | 1 Course Credit |
| NUR 352 | Research in Nursing | 0.5 Course Credit |
| NUR 353 | Nursg of Children & Adults II | 1.5 Course Credits |
| NUR 354 | Pharmacology | 1 Course Credit |
| NUR 355 | Pediatric Nursing | 1 Course Credit |
| NUR 447 | Nurs Women & Childbearing Fam | 1.5 Course Credits |
| NUR 448 | Community Health Nursing | 1 Course Credit |
| NUR 449 | Nursing Leadership | 1 Course Credit |
| Total Credit Hours: | 13.5 |
Required Capstone Course
| NUR 450 | Synthesis in Nursing Practice | 2 Course Credits |
Required Collateral Courses
| BIO 101 | Human Anatomy & Phys I | 1 Course Credit |
| BIO 102 | Human Anatomy & Physiology II | 1 Course Credit |
| BIO 207 | Pathophysiology:Altered Health | 1 Course Credit |
| BIO 222 | Microbiology | 1 Course Credit |
| CFS 221 | Fundamentals of Nutrition | 1 Course Credit |
| CHM 113 | Allied Health Chemistry | 1 Course Credit |
| PSY 100 | General Psychology | 1 Course Credit |
A student may repeat only one of the required collateral courses. If students are not successful on the second attempt, they will not be considered for admission into the Nursing major and will be encouraged to seek another major.
A student may repeat only one NUR-designated course. If students are not successful on the second attempt, they are dismissed from the Nursing major and will be encouraged to seek another major.
To progress in nursing courses from one semester to the next, students are required to remediate standardized exams.
Students who withdraw from the College after being accepted into the Nursing major, must apply to be readmitted into the major. Readmissions will be subject to space availability in the Nursing Program as well as Nursing Admission and Progression policies.
Exploring the Major— During the first term, students interested in this major should complete the Developmental Mathematics sequence, if not waived. As soon as MAT 012 is waived or completed, students should register for BIO 101. During the spring term of the first year, students should take BIO 102 and CHM 113. First-year students should also choose from the following courses: HLT 100 (1/2 credit), PSY 100, as well as any courses meeting Perspective Areas and other requirements in the General Education curriculum. NUR 110 should be taken prior to the third regular term as it is a prerequisite to NUR 341 (which is generally taken in the student’s third regular term). Students enrolled in NUR 110 must meet clinical agency requirements for the course, minimally: American Heart Association Health Care Provider CPR certification, negative nationwide healthcare fraud and abuse report, satisfactory criminal background check, TB skin test, influenza vaccine (during fall semester), health insurance card and letter of verification of coverage. Students must obtain and upload verification of these requirements into www.certifiedbackground.com prior to and/or during NUR 110. No student will be permitted to attend clinical without having these requirements uploaded and verified by www.certifiedbackground.com. Students progressing to NUR 341 and all clinical nursing courses thereafter, must meet the additional clinical requirements under Course Sequencing.
Berea College students with English as a second language (e.g., F-1 international students and for specific domestic students identified by the Admissions Office) who are interested in the Nursing Program will be required to take the paper-based TOEFL test, which will be administered on campus. Students must also complete a TOEFL iBT off-campus and earn a minimum total score of 83 and minimum subscore of 26 on the spoken portion before the first day of the student’s third term of enrollment at Berea College. The College will incur transportation and fees related to TOEFL testing. Students scoring below 540 on the initial campus-based TOEFL and who do not demonstrate high English proficiency will be advised to pursue other majors rather than nursing.
Admission to the Major— For entry into the nursing major, ESL students who have met the TOEFL iBT requirements, and all domestic students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0, and a minimum pre-nursing GPA of 3.0 in the following required collateral courses: BIO 101, BIO 102, BIO 207, BIO 222, CHM 113, CFS 221, and PSY 100; students must also have satisfactorily completed NUR 110 and NUR 341 (Note: Satisfactory completion for all nursing and pre-nursing courses is defined as a grade of “C or better.” A grade of “C- or less” refers to unsatisfactory completion for nursing and all pre-nursing courses. Students may repeat only one of the above pre-nursing courses to be considered for admission).
Prior to enrolling in any nursing course with a clinical component, students must obtain and upload into www.certifiedbackground.com a negative drug screen, negative nationwide healthcare fraud and abuse report, satisfactory criminal background check, American Heart Association CPR for health care providers certification, and immunizations. Annual immunizations are required thereafter. Students who do not comply with these requirements will not be eligible to begin nursing courses or continue in the major. The due dates/updates for clinical requirements are August 1 for the fall semester, December 1 for the spring semester and May 1 for the summer semester.
Credit requirement for graduation with Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree - 35.5 earned credits.
Course Sequencing Considerations (in order to complete degree requirements within eight terms)— In addition to course sequencing mentioned above under Exploring the Major, students wanting to take a foreign language should fulfill this option in the International Perspective of the General Education curriculum during their first year to avoid conflicts with Nursing clinical experiences in the sophomore, junior, or senior years. CFS 221 and PSY 100 must be completed prior to enrolling in the Fall Term of the junior year. It is important to fulfill as many General Education requirements as possible during the first two years. NUR 341 meets the Active Learning Experience (ALE). NUR 342 is taken in Spring Term of sophomore year. BIO 207 (Pathophysiology) is taken concurrently with NUR 341. NUR 354 Pharmacology is taken concurrently with NUR 342. NUR 350 and NUR 351 are taken in the Fall term of the junior year. NUR 352, NUR 353, and NUR 355 are taken in Spring Term of junior year. NUR 447 and NUR 448 are taken in Fall Term of senior year. NUR 449 and NUR 450 are taken in Spring Term of senior year.
Proficiency Requirements for Acceptance, Progression, and Completion of the Major— Students must demonstrate skill proficiency (including skill demonstration, principles of safe medication administration and mathematical drug calculations) each term beginning in the sophomore year. In addition to completing specified course requirements, in order to earn a degree in the Nursing major, each student must: 1) earn a grade of C or higher in each required Nursing Program course including each collateral course; 2) demonstrate appropriate qualities of judgment, disposition, and respect in the classroom and clinical setting; 3) obtain current immunizations or proofs of immunity, annual TB skin testing; and 4) maintain current CPR training for the adult, infant, and child with AED training for the healthcare provider. All nursing students must obtain a satisfactory criminal background check prior to taking their first clinical nursing course and again in the last semester of nursing coursework as required by the Kentucky Board of Nursing. Nursing majors also must satisfy program standards for effectiveness in written and oral communication. NOTE: Students need to complete 20 earned course credits outside the major, in addition to the 15.5 major course credits, which means a minimum of 35.5 earned credits are needed for graduation. Students whose major credits include transfer credits may need to adjust accordingly.
Other Considerations or Recommendations— The Nursing Program incorporates required standardized testing and remediation throughout the program. Students not meeting the minimum level of proficiency as established in the course syllabi are required to complete remediation of course content prior to progression to the next nursing course. In NUR 450 students must achieve benchmark scores on standardized exams in order to pass the course. These exams taken during the last semester help prepare students for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).