School of Nursing

Overview

The RN to BSN Program supports the mission of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo in providing a learning environment that is responsive to the needs of a diverse student population and that stresses rigorous high quality education in a caring, personalized atmosphere. This educational experience encourages student-faculty interactions and offers hands-on learning and leadership opportunities. The Nursing Program emphasizes life long learning and teaches students to deliver culturally congruent nursing care in a rural environment.

The UH Hilo RN to BSN Program offers

  • A distance education curriculum developed with flexibility in mind.
  • A unique transcultural thread throughout its curriculum emphasizing respect for multi-ethnic populations.
  • An emphasis on facilitating learning pathways and new connections for RN's.
  • An emphasis on research, practice and education in the nursing professions.
  • An emphasis on networking with health professionals in communities around the islands.
  • Students have an opportunity to engage in health-related projects in the community (i.e. health teaching in the elementary schools, blood pressure and diabetic screening activities).
  • The only Baccalaureate Nursing program on the neighbor islands, in a smaller community setting.
  • Convenient – Take classes from anywhere. This online program allows you to balance work, home, and school through asynchronous online lecture courses. The two (2) clinical courses can be completed on your home island.
  • Continuous enrollment – The RN-BSN program features multiple start times per year so you can begin when you’re ready, with start dates in January, May, or August.
  • Flexible – complete your degree at your own pace with a full-time or part-time schedule.
  • Affordable – UH Hilo’s tuition rates are competitive compared to other online programs across the state and online.
  • Experienced – At UH Hilo, our faculty have real-world professional experience to provide you with a challenged environment while supporting you throughout the program. The RN to BSN Coordinator works with you closely to ensure you stay on track and offer you flexible options to finish the program.

New curriculum updates! Prior Learning Experience – be credited for real work experience! An admitted student with RN experience may request to receive nursing coursework credit by submitting an electronic Prior Experiential Learning (PEL) portfolio to be reviewed by the SON. A Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) will be performed on the student’s portfolio that contains descriptions, material, and examples providing evidence of the activities of the student’s learning, accomplishments, or mastery over the course of time working as a RN. Currently, the two courses that can be reviewed and approved for PEL are NURS 411L Community and Collaboration Practicum and NURS 457L Leadership and Transition to Practice Practicum.

The UH system requires a student to complete a minimum of 30 credits from the Hilo campus to be awarded the BSN degree from UH Hilo.

Transfer Applicants – UH transfer students from a Community College in Hawaii may check with their transfer counselor to cross-check their equivalent courses for transfer credit. Any missing graduation requirements will need to be met in order to graduate.

*This does not include general education requirements, as this may differ per student based on available transfer credits into the RN to BSN program. Total number of credits required to graduate: 120.