Accelerated BSN Track

This track is a 5-semester program intended for students who have earned an undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree. The majority of courses within this program track are in nursing, whereby students build upon the learning acquired in the liberal arts and sciences from their previously earned undergraduate degree. To facilitate the student's successful completion of this program of study, a number of teaching modalities are utilized, including directed studies, traditional classroom, and distance learning such as online course instruction, interactive television and videoconferencing. Student success is premised upon their ability as motivated, flexible, and self-directed learners. Students in this program must be enrolled full-time to progress as courses are not available out of sequence.
Upon successful completion of the program requirements, the student is eligible to apply for the NCLEX-RN examination.

Admission Requirements:
Students who wish to be admitted into the ABSN degree must:

1. hold an earned undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited university or college.
2. have an earned GPA of 3.0 or better from the previously earned undergraduate baccalaureate degree on a 4.0 scale;
3. have successfully completed a college/university course in anatomy and physiology (including all systems) with a minimum grade of C;
4. have successfully completed a college/university statistics course.
5. be enrolled as a full-time student;
6. students must be prepared to start courses in the spring;and
7. students without a strong science background must take Microbiology with lab during their first semester.

To complement their learning and enhance their success, students are strongly encouraged to complete the following courses in preparation for the ABSN:

• Microbiology and lab
• Human Nutrition
• Chemistry and lab - organic or biochemistry
• Growth and development across the lifespan
• Transcultural Care in Nursing

Accelerated Nursing Major - Course Sequencing
Courses in the nursing major are taken in a sequential manner, as outlined below, and any deviation must be individually assessed and approved by the student's academic advisor. Each clinical nursing core course is taken concurrently with a didactic and a laboratory nursing course. To progress from one course to the next, all components of the course, didactic, clinical, and/or laboratory must be successfully completed; failure in one component will result in course failure. The clinical course portions may be situated in the community, acute, and long-term care settings. The course number, course title, and number of credit hours are listed below:

* Accelerated students who are not successful on normed testing requirements on the first attempt will be required to complete the NUR 497 Capstone for 3 credits during the fifth semester.

Total Accelerated Program Credits: 63

Graduation Requirements:

1. Successful completion of a minimum of 63 semester hours of credit;
2. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5;and,
3. Successful completion of the nursing major as outlined for accelerated program.

Academic and Clinical Progression Relating to BSN
To progress in the nursing major, the following academic policies will apply:

1. Completion of a nurse entrance test upon admission for the purpose of advising;
2. Attainment of a “C” grade or better in any general education, prerequisite, or core nursing course, including transfer courses. Any course in which a student earns a “C-“ grade or less is unacceptable;
3. Any general education or prerequisite course can be repeated, but only once, to achieve the necessary “C” grade or 2.5 GPA;
4. A student who receives less than a “C” grade after repeating a course will be required to withdraw from the nursing program;
5. Up to two nursing courses may be repeated, but each course only once, to achieve the necessary “C” grade;
6. Students must successfully complete the didactic, laboratory, and clinical components of a course to meet the requirements for the course. If students are unsuccessful in any of the course components, they must repeat the course in its entirety;
7. To successfully complete any nursing course, students must achieve a minimum grade of 73% in the course. In addition, a minimum grade of 73% averaged over all written examinations must be achieved to pass each course;
8. Maintenance of a cumulative 2.5 grade point average in all coursework completed at UMFK;
9. Provide evidence of a health history, physical examination, and immunization history acceptable for institutions in which clinical experiences occur, including Hepatitis B, MMR, PPD, and Varicella. This must be submitted to the Division of Nursing before the student can begin any clinical experience;

Students will be required to take nationally normed tests throughout the curriculum and to achieve a satisfactory score as outlined in each course syllabus. In the last semester of the curriculum, students will be required to take a nationally normed comprehensive examination and to achieve a satisfactory score as outlined in the course syllabus prior to taking the licensing examination. Students are responsible for all costs incurred with such testing.

Clinical Experiences
Students are responsible for purchasing uniforms, name tags, stethoscopes, clinical footwear, and laboratory coats. Specific requirements for both clinical and laboratory are detailed in each course syllabus and in the Nursing Student Handbook. Clinical learning experiences take place in a variety of settings and geographic locations and students are responsible for meeting their own transportation needs to attend all clinical experiences. Professional liability insurance is strongly recommended and health insurance is mandatory for basic and accelerated option nursing students. Annual clinical requirements acceptable for institutional orientation must be completed before students can commence any clinical experience, including education on fire safety, back care, confidentiality, bloodborne pathogens, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification.