Nursing, BSN

Admission Process

Consideration for admission to the School of Nursing is open to all persons who meet the admission requirements and qualifications. Refer to the Admissions Section of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree Programs for specific admission criteria.

Students who plan to enter the undergraduate nursing curriculum may complete prerequisite courses at any accredited college or university. Students apply for admission to the nursing program while enrolled in the final semester or after successfully completing all the required pre-nursing courses.

Students should follow the self-managed application process. The deadlines for postmark of applications are January 15th for Fall Semester admission and August 15th for Spring Semester admission.

Students are admitted twice yearly, in January and August except for the CARE track. Refer to appropriate section for more information on the CARE track.

The members of the Admissions, Progression, and Graduation Committee will review only completed application packets received or post marked by the deadline date. This packet must include all of the following.

1. Completed application form
2. Required application fee
3. Official transcripts from each and every college or university attended.
4. Other specific requirements for each program. Refer to the appropriate program section for additional requirements.

Notification of action taken by members of the Admissions Progression and Graduation Committee will be sent in writing to all applicants no later than mid-May for the Fall Semester admission or mid-November for the Spring Semester admission.

An applicant who wishes to transfer an application to a subsequent semester may do so one time only, and must notify a staff member from the Office of Student Affairs in writing within the stated guidelines on the acceptance, alternate, or denial letter. Thereafter, the applicant must complete a new application packet and submit another application fee.

Types of Admission

Unconditional Admission is normally granted to applicants who meet all requirements for admission to the program.

Probationary Admission: may be granted to applicants who fail to meet all qualifications but who are judged by the faculty to show promise for successful graduate work based on their merits on an individual basis.

Provisional Admission is granted to applicants who are unable, for good reason, to supply the required credentials prior to the stated deadline. In such cases the credentials must be received no later than 30 days after the first day of class (includes Summer Session).

BSN Admission Requirements

1. Admission to the baccalaureate program of study is by competitive application.
2. Meeting the minimum academic requirements DOES NOT guarantee admission to the School of Nursing.
3. Applicants must meet all requirements for the baccalaureate degree.
4. All applicants who accept admission must attend mandatory pre-advising session, new student orientation and level orientation.
5. Further information can be found on the School of Nursing website: http://nursing.lsuhsc.edu

Criminal Background Check and Drug Screening Policy

The Louisiana State Board of Nursing requires a criminal background check on all traditional and CARE BSN students accepted into the School of Nursing. Background information and fingerprint cards must be completed and submitted to the Louisiana State Board of Nursing within the first month of enrollment in the first semester. The information obtained by the criminal background check is reviewed by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing. Depending on the result of the screening, the Board of Nursing determines if the student can be allowed to enter their first clinical nursing course or if specific conditions are necessary for progression in the curriculum. Information about how to compete these requirements will be given to students after admission to the program.

Additional types of background screening and urine drug tests may also be required, depending upon the policies of the clinical agencies where students are assigned to provide patient care. The purpose of obtaining this information is to protect the public. Students are responsible for paying for these assessments.

Alternatives to Fulfilling Curriculum Requirements and Advanced Placement

A student who has competency and educational/experiential preparation may be permitted to take advanced standing examinations in specific courses, which, if passed with satisfactory grades, will enable the student to receive degree credit. Credit for advanced standing may be obtained by the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests, and/or challenge examinations for a total of 60 credit hours in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing curriculum. This credit cannot be used to reduce the minimum residence requirement. A student may not take an advanced standing examination in a course, which the student has audited, nor in which a grade has been earned.

Credit and/or advanced placement for previous educational and experiential background may be earned in the following ways.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Students may earn credits through CLEP for a maximum of 36 credit hours. The CLEP Examination for a course must be passed prior to the semester in which a student is scheduled to take the course. Pre-nursing requirements must be met for courses in which CLEP credit is earned.

Credit by Examination

Non-Nursing Courses

Students may receive advanced standing credit in non-nursing courses according to established School and University guidelines. For further information, contact the Office of Student Affairs.

Nursing Courses

A student who expects to challenge courses for advanced placement must personally contact the faculty member in charge of each course eight weeks prior to the next registration date. Nursing courses must be challenged and completed prior to the time of registration. In order to obtain credit via challenge in any course the student must

1. Be admitted to the LSUHSC School of Nursing
2. Be in good academic standing
3. Have a minimal GPA of 2.0
4. Obtain permission from the Dean or the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, the head of the department offering the course
5. Submit a fee of $100 per credit hour for courses with a clinical challenge component and $50 per credit hour for courses, which do not have a clinical challenge component
6. Faculty member administers the challenge exam
7. Faculty report the challenge examination grade to the Office of Student Affairs

Students will be held responsible for content in all courses taken in their programs of study regardless of the method by which credit is obtained (transfer, challenge, or waiver).

Transfer Credit

Students who have attended other colleges or universities are required to furnish a transcript from each school attended. Credits earned five or more years previously are subject to re-evaluation in the light of current course requirements.

Transcripts are evaluated by the appropriate Program Director. Courses considered for transfer credit from colleges or universities outside of the LSU System must have a grade of C or better. Any course attempted more than two times, as documented on official transcript, will not be counted for credit.

After students have earned one-half of the credits required for a degree, they may not use additional credits earned in a two-year college outside the LSU System to fulfill degree requirements, unless authorized to do so by the Dean.

Students will not receive credit for any course taken outside LSUHSC when it is offered the same semester at LSUHSC or the LSU System.

Correspondence Courses

1. Once enrolled in the School of Nursing, correspondence courses can only be taken by Sophomore I or II students.
2. Course(s) must be taken in the LSU System
3. Student must meet with the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Nursing Programs for approval and completion of enrollment paperwork.
4. Students are responsible for providing an official transcript of the grade received in the correspondence course to the Office of Student Affairs no later than six (6) weeks after completion of the course.

Policy and Procedure for Petitions

Students may petition for a change or alteration in curriculum requirements for the following reasons.

1. Substitution of one course for another course where sufficient evidence is present that the course being substituted meets the intent of the required course
2. Alteration in admission, progression or graduation requirements
3. Request for challenge exam, correspondence course, or transfer credit.

The completed petition is returned to the Office of Student Affairs after being reviewed and signed by the student’s faculty advisor.  The Admissions, Progression, and Graduation Committee will act on the petition, and send a written response to the student. All petitions must be submitted no later than one month prior to registration in order for the action of the Committee to be effective at registration time.

Full Time Study

The minimum requirement for full time enrollment in the undergraduate program is twelve hours during a regular academic semester and six hours during the summer. The minimum requirement for full time enrollment in the graduate program is nine hours during a regular academic semester and six hours during the summer. 

Scholarships

Numerous sources of scholarship funds are available for eligible candidates. Some require enrollment for a period of time. The Office of Student Affairs and Office of Financial Aid provide written information and contact sources. Inquiry should be directed to these offices so that the student may then proceed to complete the process.

Jo Ellen Smith Scholarship - The Jo Ellen Smith Foundation awards scholarships on a competitive basis. Students must complete a formal application for scholarship funds. Applications forms are available in the Office of the Assistant Dean for Student Services and the New Orleans Foundation website.

The Suzanne Theriot Scholarship Fund - Friends and family of the late Suzanne Theriot have made contributions to the LSUHSC Foundation to establish a scholarship in her memory. The amount of the annual award will not exceed the yearly earnings of the Fund. This scholarship will be awarded to a baccalaureate nursing student who exhibits high scholastic potential and who is in need of financial assistance as funds become available.

The T.H. Harris Scholarship - Available to full time students who earn a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and had a scholarship award on a previous campus, for the two semesters of the Freshman year. Students who earn a minimum GPA of 3.0 every semester thereafter may continue the scholarship, for a total of four years, as long as they maintain full time status.

The LSUHSC Nursing Alumni Scholarship - Awarded to a final year nursing student with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and based on financial need.

The Lori Norton Scholarship- Friends and Family of the late Lori Norton have made contributions to the LSUHSC Foundation to establish a scholarship in her memory. The amount of the annual award will not exceed the yearly earnings of the fund. This scholarship will be awarded to an entering baccalaureate nursing student with a GPA of 3.0 or above and exhibits a need for financial assistance (currently not receiving any grant funding).

The Laura Ryan Endowment Scholarship - The family of the late Laura Ryan has established a endowment fund with the LSUHSC Foundation to establish a scholarship in her memory. The amount of the annual award will not exceed the yearly earnings of the fund. This scholarship will be awarded to an entering baccalaureate nursing student with a GPA of 3.0 or above and exhibits a need for financial assistance ( currently not receiving any grant funding).

Nursing School Scholars Scholarship - Provides scholarship assistance to an entering baccalaureate nursing student with a GPA of 3.0 or above and exhibits a need for financial assistance (currently not receiving any grant funding). The amount of the annual award will not exceed the yearly earnings of the fund.

Sandra W. Northup, R.N. Memorial Scholarship - Provides scholarship assistance to an entering nursing student who has financial need as funds become available.

Tuition Opportunity Programs For Students - Available to graduating high school students with a 2.5 GPA and a minimum ACT score of 20. Students must have taken a TOPS core curriculum.

The Air Force, Army, and Navy ROTC Nursing Programs - A comprehensive program of studies through which a student can qualify to be commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force, Army or Navy, the National Guard or the Reserve is available to students in the baccalaureate program. These scholarship programs provide a variety of funding support: tuition, fees, textbooks, and subsistence. Admission is conditional on meeting academic, physical and age requirements as well as approval from the branch of service selected. Physical training is an integral part of the ROTC Program. For further information about the Army, Air Force or Navy ROTC Programs offered to LSUHSC School of Nursing students, contact the appropriate ROTC office-Air Force (504) 865-5394; Army (504) 865-5594; Navy (504) 865-5104.

Baccalaureate Scholastic Requirements

The value of each course of instruction and the amount of work required for graduation is stated in terms of semester hours. One credit or semester hour represents one hour of class, theory, per week for a semester. Each laboratory course represents 2 hours per week per 1 hour lab credit/semester hour. Each practicum course represents 3 hours per week per 1 hour of practicum credit/semester hour.

Grading Policy

1. The grade of A, B, or C is given for satisfactory work. The grade of C indicates work of a quality acceptable for graduation. The grades of A and B are given for work of a higher degree of excellence. The grade of D is unsatisfactory. The grade of F is given for work failed. The grade of P (Pass) is assigned for satisfactory completion of advanced standing examinations. For purpose of converting a numerical expression to a letter grade, the following scale may be used. There is no rounding of grades.
   A 93-100
   B 85-92
   C 77-84
   D 65-76
   F Failing, below 65
2. A grade of “W” (withdrawal) will be issued to students who enroll in a course and who attend up to 20 percent of actual class time and withdraw without completing more than 20 percent of actual class time.
3. A grade of “F” will be issued to students who attend 80 percent or more of actual class time and withdraw before the completion of the course.
4. A student who receives a grade of less than C in a supporting or nursing course taken in the LSU system must repeat the course in the LSU System in order to receive credit for it. Refer to website for current progression policy.
5. A practicum grade is reported as a letter grade with a minimum grade of “77” required for progression in the curriculum. Students are allowed to enroll in each course twice.
6. Work which earns a passing grade but which is not complete, because of circumstances beyond the student’s control may be marked “I” (Incomplete). An “I”  is given only upon receipt by the Dean of an appropriate reason transmitted through the instructor and Program Director. If an acceptable reason is not received, the instructor is to consider that the delinquent work is of failing quality and an “I”  is not to be given. It is the responsibility of the student to initiate the request. A grade of “I” will be converted to “F” unless it is removed prior to the deadline for adding courses for credit in the next semester as published in the calendar. The conversion of the “I” takes place in the next regular semester in which the student is in residence in the LSU System.
7. Any instructor may present a written statement of unsafe and/or incompetent behavior to the course coordinator after discussion with the student. The course coordinator will then present this information and any recommendations to the appropriate Program Director for action. This may occur at any time during a semester. Evidence of unsafe and/or incompetent performance of a skill passed in a previous course may halt progression in the curriculum. Any student found to be unsafe or incompetent in clinical performance may be referred for formal evaluation and treatment, be required to repeat the course before progressing in the curriculum, or the student may be permanently dropped from the program.

Requirements

Students must meet the following program specific degree requirements.

1. Satisfactory completion of 120 semester hours as specified in the curriculum Completion of end of course evaluations, exit survey, and all compliance training.
2. Fulfillment of the required 60 semester hours of upper division credit designated by 3000-4000 level courses.
3. A cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher (on all college work attempted and all work attempted at the LSU Health Sciences Center) with no grade in pre-nursing, supporting or nursing courses below C.
4. In residence for a minimum of 30 semester hours. The last 30 hours must be completed in residence.
5. Approval by the Admissions, Progression and Graduation (A, P & G) committee and given recommendation by the faculty of the School of Nursing.
6. Attendance at rehearsal, pre-commencement and commencement unless specifically excused by the Dean.
7. Completion of end of course evaluations, exit survey, and all components of compliance training.
8. Verification that all materials belonging to the Health Sciences Center and cooperating agencies have been returned through the proper procedures. All indebtedness to the University must be satisfied before a diploma may be issued. These materials would include but not limited to, items such as library books, equipment, keys, furniture or any outstanding, unpaid balances due.
9. A candidate must contact the Office of Student Affairs to have academic records evaluated for compliance with degree requirements. This request should be accomplished at the beginning of the semester prior to the semester in which the degree is to be awarded.
10. Each candidate must make an application for degree during the final semester in residence (no later than 8 weeks prior to graduation), stating the exact name which is to appear on the diploma.

Degrees with Honors

Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees are awarded summa cum laude to students whose grade point averages fall within the range of 3.960 to 4.000, magna cum laude to students whose grade point averages fall within the range of 3.860 to 3.959, and cum laude to students whose grade point averages fall within the range of 3.760 to 3.859.

In determining eligibility for degrees awarded summa cum laude, magna cum laude, or cum laude, at least 75 percent of the credits required for graduation in the particular curriculum of the candidate must have been earned in the LSU System. Only credits earned in the LSU System shall be used in calculating qualification.

Additional Expenses

1. Advanced standing examination fee.
2. Uniforms, $150 (approximate cost).
3. Purchase of a wristwatch with second hand, stethoscope, scissors, penlight, protective goggles, and hemostat.
4. Books and school supplies, $2,000 per year (approximate cost).
5. Standardized exam at the completion of each semester (approximately $100 per semester).
6. Public transportation is available to most hospitals, health agencies. Personal transportation is recommended.
7. Computer system that is compatible with the LSUHSC computing equipment.
8. High level background check, (~ $60), urine drug screen ($20-$30), Malpractice Insurance (~$40)
9. Titers for Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Varicella (depends on health insurance carrier).
10. Tuberculosis Skin Test (PPD) annually or health screening if previous positive TB Skin test.
11. For graduating students, cap and gown fee ($25.00), diploma fee ($10.00), and nursing pin (approximately $60).
12. NCLEX-RN review course (approximately $350)
13. Expenses related to Application for Registered Nurse licensure - Fee for criminal record check ($46.25), NCLEX fee ($200.00), and Louisiana State fee ($100).