Department website: https://www.atu.edu/nursing

 

Plan of Study Grid

Freshman
Fall		Hours
ENGL 1013	Composition I 4	3
CHEM 1113 & CHEM 1111	A Survey of Chemistry and Survey of Chemistry Laboratory 4	4
MATH 1113	College Algebra 2,4	3
SOC 1003	Introductory Sociology 4	3
TECH 1001	Orientation to the University	1
Elective		1
	Hours	15
Spring
Select one of the following:		4
BIOL 2014	Human Anatomy 4
BIOL 2404	Human Anatomy and Physiology I 4
ENGL 1023	Composition II 4	3
PSY 2003	General Psychology 4	3
SFHS 1XXX	Social Sciences/Fine Arts/Humanities/Communication Courses 1	3
USHG 1XXX	U.S. History and Government 1	3
	Hours	16
Sophomore
Fall
Select one of the following:		4
BIOL 2054	Microbiology for Health Sciences 4
BIOL 3054	Microbiology 4
Select one of the following:		4
BIOL 2414	Human Anatomy and Physiology II 4
BIOL 3074	Human Physiology 4
FAH 1XXX	Fine Arts and Humanities Courses 1	6
NUR 2303	Nutrition 4	3
	Hours	17
Spring
BIOL/NUR 3803	Applied Pathophysiology 4	3
NUR 2023	Introduction to Professional Nursing 4	3
NUR 3103	Nursing Skills I 4	3
NUR 3303	Health Assessment 4	3
PSY 3813	Lifespan Development	3
	Hours	15
Junior
Fall
NUR 3204	Concepts in Nursing I 4	4
NUR 3213	Care of the Older Adult 4	3
NUR 3402	Pharmacology I 4	2
NUR 3404	Clinical Nursing I 4,5	4
NUR 3513	Nursing Skills II 4	3
	Hours	16
Spring
NUR 3606	Concepts in Nursing II 4	6
NUR 3802	Pharmacology II 4	2
NUR 3805	Clinical Nursing II 4,5	5
	Hours	13
Senior
Fall
NUR 4206	Concepts in Nursing III 4	6
NUR 4303	Nursing Research 4	3
NUR 4405	Clinical Nursing III 4,5	5
Elective		1
	Hours	15
Spring
NUR 4606	Concepts in Nursing IV 4	6
NUR 4804	Clinical Nursing IV 4,5	4
NUR 4903	Synthesis of Clinical and Theoretical Concepts 4,5	3
	Hours	13
	Total Hours	120

¹

See appropriate alternatives or substitutions in "General Education Requirements".

²

MATH 1113 College Algebra or higher level MATH course (excluding MATH 2033 Mathematical Concepts I, MATH 2043 Mathematical Concepts II and STAT 2163 Introduction to Statistical Methods)

³

Depending on previous preparation, student should recognize that prerequisites may be required before enrolling in BIOL 2014 Human Anatomy or BIOL 2404 Human Anatomy and Physiology I.

⁴

Must earn a grade of "C" or better.

⁵

One credit hour equals 3 contact hours.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing and the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.  All programs are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.

PRE-LICENSURE ADMISSION

Admission to the prelicensure program is competitive and subject to evaluation by the Nursing Department’s Admission and Progression Committee. Students are considered for admission the spring and fall preceding the semesters they plan to enter upper division nursing courses. All transcripts and entrance exam scores are due with the Application to Upper Division. Pre-licensure application deadlines are February 15 for fall admission and September 15 for spring admission. 

Minimum requirements for acceptance into the upper division (Level 0) nursing courses are:

1. Prerequisite grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale. 
2. Completion of the following courses with a grade of “C” or better in each:

   Course List

   Code	Title	Hours
   ENGL 1013	Composition I	3
   ENGL 1023	Composition II	3
   MATH 1113	College Algebra	3
   BIOL 2014	Human Anatomy	4
   or BIOL 2404	Human Anatomy and Physiology I
   BIOL 3054	Microbiology	4
   or BIOL 2054	Microbiology for Health Sciences
   BIOL 3074	Human Physiology	4
   or BIOL 2414	Human Anatomy and Physiology II
   CHEM 1113 & CHEM 1111	A Survey of Chemistry and Survey of Chemistry Laboratory	4
   PSY 2003	General Psychology	3
   SOC 1003	Introductory Sociology	3
   NUR 2303	Nutrition	3

3. Completion of the following General Education courses (See General Education Requirements for specific course alternatives):
   • Option 1: Social Sciences 6 hours; Fine Arts/Humanities 6 hours; Communication 3 hours
   • Option 2: Social Sciences 6 hours; Fine Arts/Humanities 9 hours
   • Option 3: Social Sciences 9 hours; Fine Arts/Humanities 6 hours
   • TECH 1001 Orientation to the University or TECH 1013 Introduction to the University (1 hour only) or 1-hour Elective (ATU requires TECH 1001 Orientation to the University or TECH 1013 Introduction to the University unless student is a transfer student not coming in as a freshman) 
4. Completion of entrance exam with a score of proficient or higher. Students are allowed a maximum of two attempts on the entrance exam.

The Admission and Progression Committee uses the following criteria to rank applicant for admission to upper division nursing courses.

CATEGORY 1

Student has all general education and nursing prerequisite courses completed with GPA > 2.75 at time of application (and at the end of semester of application); and score of proficient or higher on the entrance exam.

CATEGORY 2

Do not admit at this time. 

Admission of college freshman who obtained Advanced Placement/Concurrent hours while attending high school: 

ATU Nursing Department wishes to offer these specific high school students the opportunity to complete their courses within a timely manner.

Criteria for consideration (Failure to meet items 4 and/or 5 will result in loss of position in Upper Division):

1. GPA > 3.50
2. Proficiency score > 70.0 on Entrance Exam
3. No more than 8 hours of courses to complete in the summer before entry into Level 0
4. Outstanding courses must be completed during summer session between spring and fall. All prerequisite courses to be complete prior to the start of Level 0
5. Grade of C or better on summer courses completed to meet prerequisite requirements. 

Failure to meet criteria 4 or 5 will result in loss of upper division position.

Applications are ranked according to GPA and the entrance exam with preference given to ATU students. Admission will be determined by the resulting rank order and proficiency or better on entrance exam.

Applicants completing prerequisite requirements at an institution other than ATU must have official grades submitted to ATU prior to start of the semester.

Any student transferring from another nursing program must submit a letter of good standing to the Admission and Progression Committee with the application to upper-division nursing.

A student position may be filled in a discretionary manner for exceptional reasons as determined by the committee and approved by the department head.

Minimum requirements for continuation into clinical nursing courses (all initiated during upper division nursing courses)

1. Acquisition of professional/student liability insurance through ATU
2. Satisfactory criminal background check
3. Current certification of BLS-CPR through the American Heart Association
4. Proof of current immunization required by ATU and the ATU Affiliation Agreements with clinical facilities.
5. Proof of two of three vaccinations of the Hepatitis B series. The third Hepatitis B vaccination must be completed before the end of the first clinical semester. Alternatively, proof of a positive Hepatitis B titer is accepted. 

PROGRESSION POLICY

PRE-LICENSURE AND LPN TO BSN PROGRESSION POLICY

In order to progress in the pre-licensure and LPN to BSN nursing programs, the student must meet the following guidelines. 

Students must achieve a “C” or better in all nursing courses with the exception of nursing electives.  

A student in the upper division nursing courses may only repeat one nursing course. Following a second failure in any upper division nursing course the student will be dismissed from the program. Upper division nursing courses: 66 hours of course work allotted to the nursing major, inclusive of NUR 2023 Introduction to Professional Nursing, all 3000 level nursing courses and all 4000 level nursing courses (with the exception of 4903).

Students who make less than a “C” in any upper division nursing course may not progress into courses for which that course(s) is a prerequisite until the course(s) has been repeated and the required minimum grade attained.

Any student who attempts any nursing courses twice (2 times) and does not achieve a final grade of "C" or better in the course, will automatically be withdrawn from the Arkansas Tech University Nursing Program and will not be eligible for readmission. An attempt is defined as "any enrollment in any course and dropping it (or changing it to an audit) after the first day of the 10th week of the semester during the Fall or Spring semester, or after the third week of either Summer session for any reason, or failure (grade of "D" or "F") of the course."

Readmission will not be considered for any student dismissed from the nursing department who obtained a “D” or “F” in two (2) upper division nursing courses. A student may appeal to the the Department Head for extraordinary circumstances.

Any student who withdraws from a clinical nursing course (NUR 3404 Clinical Nursing I, NUR 3805 Clinical Nursing II, NUR 4405 Clinical Nursing III, NUR 4804 Clinical Nursing IV must have a passing grade at the time of withdrawal in order to withdraw passing. Students failing (“D” or “F”) at the time of withdrawal will receive an “F”.  A grade of “F” will count as a failure (“F”) for progression purposes.

Students must achieve a passing grade “C” in both the Concepts and corresponding Clinical Nursing courses in order to progress within the program. Students who repeat a Concepts course are required to show clinical competency in order to progress. Students who repeat clinical are required to show concepts competency in order to progress.

Clinical competence can be attained by:

1. Taking for credit the corresponding clinical course
2. Completing NUR 3892 Clinical Competency I or NUR 4892 Clinical Competency II with a grade of “C” or better.

Concepts competency can be attained by:

1. Taking for credit the corresponding Concepts in Nursing course. Students must maintain a 75% average on all exams.
2. Completing NUR 3792 Concepts Competency I or NUR 4792 Concepts Competency II with a grade of "C" or better.

READMISSION POLICY

PRE-LICENSURE AND LPN TO BSN READMISSION

Any student that fails an Upper Division nursing course (with the exception of nursing electives), withdraws, or has a break in enrollment (including medical emergencies/complications) must reapply for progression in the nursing program by end of each fall/spring semester for readmission to the following fall/spring semester. Reapplication must be made by the date immediately following the last day of end of semester final exams. To reapply, the student shall write a letter of intent addressing reasons for past failure and a plan of action for future success within the nursing program, schedule an appointment with his/her level coordinator to complete the "Reapplication to Upper Division" form then submit the completed packet to the Admission and Progression committee. Completion of the reapplication process is the responsibility of the student. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Reapplication will be based on the availability of positions within the repeating level, letter of intent and current GPA. Should several students reapply for the same level and there are a limited number of positions, GPA ranking, in conjunction with their letter of intent, will guide the committee decision-making process. 

Students who have not attended Arkansas Tech University during the past year must apply for readmission to the University.

The nursing program must be completed within four years of entry into upper division nursing.

Students who complete the program will:

• Demonstrates clinical judgment, skills and abilities to the provision of safe, competent patient care
• Demonstrates culturally sensitive caregiving, communication, teaching, advocacy, and management of diverse patient populations and settings.
• Utilizes research evidence and technology to improve the quality and safety of patient care.
• Collaborates with inter-professional health care teams in the delivery of patient care
• Demonstrates academic achievement reflective of a professional nurse.