RN to BSN Track

This option is for those who are already licensed Registered Nurses. Graduates of state-approved diploma and associate degree programs in nursing are eligible to apply for admission to the baccalaureate program in the Registered Nurse Option. This program is designed to be as flexible and responsive to individual student needs as possible within the constraints of curriculum, university and accreditation requirements, and quality educational theory. The length of the program is dependent upon the amount of acceptable transfer credit; success in completion of CLEP, proficiency, and nursing examinations; and part-time or full-time status. In most instances a minimum of two years should be anticipated for completion.

Students may be eligible to be granted credit for prior learning, for example, credit for experiential learning or through a process of challenge examinations. All RN students who select the nursing major at UMFK are required to meet the criteria for one of these options. Please see the section below titled, Transfer Credits, for more information about these options.

Admission Guidelines:
Admission to the RN-to-BSN option requires:

1. Completion of application to nursing major, including official transcripts from all post-secondary programs submitted to admissions office;
2. A cumulative GPA of 2.5; and,
3. A current RN licensure.

The following courses must be completed. Completion of UMFK’s General Education Requirements is also required. NOTE: A course may satisfy requirements in both the General Education Requirements and prerequisite areas. Grades of “C-“ and below are not acceptable in all courses:

*CLEP option available.
**Graduates from NMCC, KVCC and UMA are granted credits.
***DANTES exam available.
****Nursing Challenge exam available to RN's.

Issues Related to RN-BSN Option:

Academic progression. To progress in the RN-to-BSN option, students must:

1. Achieve a grade of “C� or better in each course related to the nursing major, and maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better. Any course in which the student earns a “C-“ grade or less is achieved must be retaken by the student;
2. Attain 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.

Examinations. Program requirements are met through the examination process of College Level Examination Program (CLEP), DANTES, nursing mobility and achievement examinations or their equivalents, proficiency examinations, or by enrolling in courses at UMFK. Students are encouraged to use the CLEP option to challenge general education requirements whenever possible. Information is available through Academic Services. In addition, the student may challenge the following nursing courses by examinations available from the Nursing Division:

• Bio 353 Microbiology
• Bio 363 Human Nutrition
• Bio 401 Pathophysiology
• Nur 302 Pharmacology
• Nur 309 Holistic Health Assessment

Academic Policies Related to Nursing (all options including Basic BSN, Accelerated BSN, and RN-BSN Tracks):

Leave of absence. A leave of absence from upper division nursing courses may be granted to a student who is experiencing a health or personal problem. To request a leave, the student must submit a letter to the Admissions, Advising, and Advancement (AAA) Committee, which will recommend a course of action to the Director of Nursing. If granted, the leave will be for a period of no longer than one year. To return, the student must submit a written request for reinstatement to the program within one year.

Changing to the nursing major. Students already enrolled at UMFK who wish to change their major to nursing should obtain a “Request for Change of Degree� form from the Registrar’s Office and have this signed by the Director of the Division of Nursing. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 is required prior to program change. Grades below “C� do not satisfy nursing prerequisites.

Procedures for students in academic difficulty. A student in academic difficulty is one who is in jeopardy of earning a grade below C. All students demonstrating difficulty in completing course requirements for the didactic, clinical, and/or laboratory sections are notified of their status at mid-semester or mid-clinical rotation. Written notification is also sent to the student’s academic advisor, and a copy is retained in the student’s record. A mutually acceptable plan or learning contract will be developed to help the at-risk student identify goals, strategies, and dates by which these goals need to be achieved. A record of the meeting and a copy of the learning contract that is signed by both the faculty and student will be maintained for the student’s record. Should learning contract requirements not be achieved, further meetings will be held first with the student, faculty member, and course coordinator. Continued difficulty will result in a meeting with the student, faculty member, course coordinator, and the Director of the Division of Nursing to discuss a plan of action. Individual action will be taken based on each student situation. A student has the right to appeal all grades according to the Academic Student Appeals Policy. The student must initiate the appeal procedure by the end of the ADD/DROP period by the semester following the class in question.

Suspension. Students will be suspended from the nursing program if a grade of “C-“ or lower in any course results in a cumulative GPA of less than 2.5. After the student re-achieves a cumulative GPA of 2.5, application for re-entry to the nursing major can be made to the Admissions, Advisement, and Advancement Committee.

Probation. Probation occurs when a student receives a letter grade of "C-" or below in any course but maintains a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above. To progress in the program, the student is required to repeat the course the next time it is offered, but cannot repeat it more than once. Students will be notified in writing by the Admissions, Advising, and Advancement Committee of their probationary status.

Withdrawal. Students must inform the AAA Committee in writing of their intent to withdraw from upper division nursing courses. Students will meet with the Director of the Division of Nursing to complete an exit interview. Withdrawal from the upper division nursing core courses interrupts progression in the nursing program. The student must initiate reinstatement into the nursing program within one (1) academic year. Students must inform the AAA Committee in writing of their intent to be reinstated. The Committee determines the reinstatement status within the nursing program.

Re-entering Division of Nursing. Traditional and accelerated students who are absent from the nursing program for a period of one calendar year or more, must re-apply to the AAA Committee for entry to the upper division nursing courses. Any clinical nursing courses previously completed must be repeated.