Catalog 2023–2024

BSN Program Options

Students have two program options to earn the Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. Option 1 is for the basic student. Option 2 is for the returning R.N. who wishes to acquire the bachelor’s degree.

Option 1: Students may enter the Basic B.S.N. program, whereby two years are spent fulfilling UH Hilo General Education and Exploratory Health Sciences (EXHS) requirements. Nursing courses are introduced in the third year after formal admission into the Nursing program on a competitive basis (See B.S.N. admissions criteria.)

Option 2: The RN to BSN program provides the candidate the opportunity for educational and professional advancement. Students may enter the RN to BSN program only if they have been formally admitted into the upper-division nursing program and have a current Hawaiʻi RN license prior to starting the program courses. Students may elect to complete the program on a part-time or full-time basis. Prior to starting the RN to BSN program courses, the RN to BSN student must complete the UH Hilo GE requirements and RN to BSN program pre-core courses (see below). Students may elect to complete the RN to BSN co-requisite courses after starting the RN to BSN program (see below), but it is highly recommended that students complete all co-requisites prior to starting the program, especially if the student plans to attend the RN to BSN program full-time. All pre and co-requisite courses must be passed with a C grade or better. NURS 347 Health Assessment (3) , NURS 347L Hlt Assessment Practicum (1) , NURS 350 Transcultural Care & Hlth Prom (3) , NURS 358 Nursing Research (3) , and NURS 362 Nursing Professional Writing (1) are offered during the Fall Semester only. NURS 411 Community & Collaborative Hlt (3) , NURS 411L Community & Collaboration Prac (3) , NURS 457 Ldrshp & Transition to Practic (3) , NURS 457L Ldrshp & Tran to Prac Practicu (2) and NURS 361 BSN Nursing Preview (3) are offered during the Spring Semester only. A NURS elective option is generally offered during the Fall, Spring, and Summer Semesters; however, not every NURS elective listed below is offered each semester. All NURS courses must be passed with a C grade or better. Regular advisement with faculty is critical for successful completion of requirements for graduation.

RN to BSN Program Curriculum (67-68 credits)

1. Required Pre-Core Courses (27 credits)

  • One course in COM at the 100- or 200-level (3)
  • PSY 100 Survey Of Psy (3)
  • BIOL 243-243L Human Anatomy & Physiology I (3), Human Anatomy & Physio I Lab (1)
  • BIOL 244-244L Human Anatomy & Physiology II (3), Human Anatomy & Physio II Lab (1)
  • ANTH 205 Cultural Anthropology (3)
  • NURS 203 General Pharmacology (3)
  • BIOL 275-275L Fund Microbiology (3), Microbiology Lab (1)
  • PSY 320 Developmental Psy (3)

2. Required Co-requisite courses (12-13 credits)

  • CHEM 141 Surv Organ Chem & Biochem (3)
  • Statistics (Choose one course from the following list:)
    • MATH 115 Intro to Stats and Prob (3)
    • PSY 213 Statistical Techniques (4)
    • SOC 280-280L Statistical Reasoning (3), Lab in Statistical Reasoning (1)
    • BIOL 280 Biostatistics (3)
  • NURS 348 Human Pathophysiology (3)
  • NURS 375 Applied Human Nutrition (3) (see Notes below)

3. Required Nursing Courses (28 credits)

Fall Semester (14 credits)

  • NURS 347-347L Health Assessment (3), Hlt Assessment Practicum (1)
  • NURS 350 Transcultural Care & Hlth Prom (3)
  • NURS 358 Nursing Research (3)
  • NURS 362 Nursing Professional Writing (1)
  • NURS Elective (3) Choose three credits of the following:
    • NURS 370 Transcultural Health Care (3)
    • NURS 371 Health Information Technology (3)
    • NURS 372 Spirituality in Health Care (3)
    • NURS 373 Gerontological Health Care (3)
    • NURS 374 Skills Nursing Leadrshp & Mgmt (3)
    • NURS 394 Special Topics in Subject Matter (To Be Arranged)
    • NURS 399 Directed Studies (To Be Arranged)
    • NURS 471 Intro Rural-Home Health Care (3)
    • NURS 494 Special Topics in Subject Matter (To Be Arranged)
    • NURS 499 Directed Studies (To Be Arranged)
    • SOC/NURS 360 Health Care Policy (3)
    • COM 351 Com in Multicultural Workplace (3)
    • PSY 322 Social Psychology (3)
    • PSY 360 Cross-Cultural Psy (3)
    • PSY 380 Health Psychology (3)

Spring Semester (14 credits)

  • NURS 361 BSN Nursing Preview (3)
  • NURS 411-411L Community & Collaborative Hlt (3), Community & Collaboration Prac (3)
  • NURS 457-457L Ldrshp & Transition to Practic (3), Ldrshp & Tran to Prac Practicu (2)

Total Minimum Semester Hours Required for the B.S. in Nursing, RN to BSN Program

120 credits required.

Notes

  1. RN to BSN students must meet the UH Hilo residence requirement of 30 credits from UH Hilo. Thus, it is highly encouraged that students take NURS 375 Applied Human Nutrition (3) at UH Hilo to meet this requirement.
  2. Students must earn at least a 2.0 GPA in courses required for the major.
  3. MATH 115 Intro to Stats and Prob (3) meets the Quantitative Reasoning requirement. The Quantitative Reasoning course must be passed with a “C” grade or better.
  4. All Natural Science courses must be passed with a “C” grade or better.
  5. NURS 348 Human Pathophysiology (3) and NURS 375 Applied Human Nutrition (3) both must be passed with a “C” grade or better.
  6. To earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, students must fulfill the requirements for the major and meet all of the University’s other baccalaureate degree requirements. (Please see the Baccalaureate Degree Requirements in this Catalog.)
  7. Students wishing to make timely progress toward graduation are urged to pay careful attention to all degree requirements.
  8. In addition, when planning a schedule of courses, it is imperative to be aware of course prerequisites and the frequency with which courses are offered. This information is available in the course listings in this Catalog.
  9. To ensure progress toward degree completion, students are urged to meet with an advisor each semester before registering.

R.N. to B.S.N. Distributed Learning (DL) Program

A Distributed Learning program is being implemented to help R.N. students in distant sites to access the B.S.N. program. This DL program will be expanded according to student needs and resource support. Contact the School of Nursing for more information.

NLN ACE II Test Requirement for RN’s without an Associate Degree

Diploma and foreign nursing degree candidates are required to take the National League for Nursing Acceleration Challenge Exam II prior to entering the program. Consult with the Nursing advisor for help in arranging for proctored testing.