Building upon a liberal arts foundation, the RN-BSN program expands the student’s nursing knowledge, skills, and professional role. The program prepares the nursing graduate, based on the AACN (2008) Essentials, to provide holistic, evidence-based nursing care, in health and in illness, with diverse populations in the ever-changing and complex healthcare environment. The graduate will be able to function as an integral member of an interprofessional team promoting patient safety, cultural sensitivity, and quality outcomes. The BSN graduate will demonstrate clinical reasoning, care management and evaluation skills, use of informatics technology, and genetics/genomics knowledge through professional nursing practice with patients across the lifespan in various healthcare settings. These nurses are committed to ongoing professional education and scholarly work to remain current in the generalist nursing role.

The RN-BSN program at Chatham University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington DC 20001, (202) 887-6791.

Program Structure:
The RN-BSN program is an accelerated online distance learning program that requires completion of a minimum total of 120 credit hours in college level courses. Practice experience activities are integrated as a way for students to demonstrate new knowledge caring for a variety of patients across the lifespan and continuum of care. Students are admitted to the program in the Fall and Spring semesters. Students can enroll in full-time or part-time studies. Students must maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA or better to be awarded the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. All undergraduate students must satisfy the General Education requirements either through transfer credits or completion of additional coursework.

Admission Requirements

Applicant must:

• Complete the online application
• Submit proof of completion of an RN degree (Associate or Diploma) with a minimum 2.0 GPA
• Submit a copy of a current unencumbered RN license
• Submit a copy of official transcripts of all completed post-high school education from all schools attended

Admission Materials may be submitted to:

• Chatham University
  Berry Hall/SCPS Admission
  Woodland Road
  Pittsburgh, PA 15232
  Fax: (412) 365-1609
  Email: GradAdmission@chatham.edu

Additional Information

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the RN-BSN Program, the student will:

1. Synthesize knowledge from nursing and other related disciplines in acquisition and application of nursing knowledge, competencies, and values for professional practice.
2. Demonstrate knowledge for nursing leadership, quality improvement, and patient safety in order to provide high quality care.
3. Integrate evidence-based findings into professional nursing practice.
4. Apply skills related to information management and patient care technology in order to deliver quality patient care
5. Comprehend the influence of healthcare policies and finance on healthcare system operations.
6. Utilize interprofessional collaboration and communication with other health team members in planning, coordinating, providing, and evaluating care.
7. Apply concepts of clinical prevention and health promotion to individuals, families, and communities in a global society.
8. Provide professional, culturally competent, and ethically congruent care that reflects dignity and uniqueness of individuals and groups in diverse global populations.
9. Utilize the nursing process and health care resources in the protection, promotion, and optimization of health in care of individuals, families, and communities across the lifespan.

Curriculum

+Degree Requirements

26 required core RN-BSN credits

IND175	Academic Resources and Strategies for Nurses This course will explore skills and knowledge that promote academic success for the professional nurse. Topics include retrieving, critiquing, and applying resources, scholarly writing development, academic integrity, time management, and self-care.	2
NUR407	Scholarship Foundations in Nursing This course will explore scholarly practice in nursing, including research and evidence-based practice. Conducted literature searches will discover support for a student-identified contemporary nursing issue. Ethical principles of nursing research, particularly protection of human subjects and other ethical accountabilities focusing on research utilization and evidence- based practice, will be examined.	3
NUR414
NUR402	Health Policy and Finance for Nurses This course will explore foundations of policy, finance, legislation, and regulation in complex systems of healthcare. Policy related to health equity, health disparity, and social justice will also be analyzed. Students will strengthen nurse advocacy skills and understanding of the Registered Nurse Scope and Standards of Practice.	3
NUR415
NUR410	Global, Cultural, and Diverse Populations This course will explore the student’s understanding and role as a nurse leader in a global society while reflecting on personal and professional values and implicit biases. Ethical, equitable, person- centered, compassionate, and empathetic care opportunities will be examined.	3
NUR412	Organizational Quality Improvement and Safety This course will explore the nurse’s foundational role in leading a person-centered healthcare environment through quality improvement and safety measures in collaboration with the interprofessional team. Ethical and cultural considerations related to quality improvement will be analyzed.	3
NUR409W	Community Health and Prevention This course will explore community health, health promotion, and illness prevention across the continuum of care. Students will investigate the nurse’s role in population healthcare as well as public health emergencies and disasters.	3
NUR499W	Leadership and Professional Identity Development This course, which fulfills Chatham’s internship requirement, will explore aspects of leadership, professionalism, and professional identity for nurses. The course synthesizes the knowledge and competencies acquired throughout the program to enable the nurse to implement leadership in the practice setting.	3

+Practice Experience Requirements

CCNE requires that RN-BSN programs include appropriate practice experiences (PE) that enable students to integrate new knowledge at the BSN generalist nurse level, leading to attainment of program learning outcomes. Chatham University’s RN-BSN program integrates PE activities into specific courses, through designated assignments, which require students to integrate, apply, and demonstrate new knowledge when providing care to a variety of patients across the lifespan and continuum or care. Students do not need to submit an affiliation agreement for the PE assignments and there are not prescribed numbers of hours that students must complete. Course faculty will act as the preceptor for the students in the PE, meaning the course faculty are a resource and are available for questions or guidance throughout the process. PE assignments, which are evaluated by faculty, allow students to understand, perform, and refine professional competencies while meeting course and program learning outcomes. Students must complete all PE assignments to graduate from the RN-BSN program.

+Transfer Credits

Students may transfer up to 90 credit hours of college level courses into the program. First degree students who graduated before December 2015 from select pre-licensure nursing schools that hold an articulation agreement with Chatham may be able to transfer up to 94 credits into the program through Summer 2019. Beginning Fall 2019 all first degree students may transfer in a maximum of 90 credits. Second degree students who have already earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education and an Associate or Diploma degree from a nursing program may complete the RN-BSN at Chatham University by completing only the 26 required core RN-BSN credits. All requests for transfer credit must be made prior to enrollment. A minimum of 30 credits, including the 26 required core RN-BSN credits, must be completed at Chatham University, unless students transferred in 94 credits.

+Liberal Arts courses

Liberal Arts courses to fulfill General Education requirements for RN-BSN students include the following. Other course options may be available to fulfill requirements. Students should consult with their Academic Advisor. (Note: Requirements may vary based on articulation agreements)

ART141	Media Literacy This course introduces students to computer graphic systems and related media practices. Students explore digital foundations, media-related histories, theoretical frameworks, and critical examination of production elements as they discover how digital practices are continuously changing the way imagemakers create and present their work. Additional Fee(s): Applied laboratory fee.	3
BIO119	Medical Terminology This course is designed for students who need a broad coverage of medical terminology and who have little or no background. It includes studies of etymology and human anatomy. There is a special emphasis on clinical applications. Three hours of lecture including media presentations per week.	3
ENG241	Writing for Professionals Writing for Professionals helps students write clearly and effectively about a variety of subjects in genres related to the workplace. Through writing and reading assignments, students learn about targeting an audience, organizing writing, and developing a professional style. They create documents useful when seeking employment and in the workplace.	3
MUS266	World Music The course focuses on the music and related arts of selected major civilizations of the world, including India, China, and Japan as well as areas such as Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa. Emphasis is placed on the factors resulting in art that is sometimes quite different from Western music.	3
MTH110	Elementary Statistics Topics include statistical measures and distributions, decision making under uncertainty, application of probability to statistical inference, linear correlation, introduction to nonparametric statistical methods, and application to problems drawn from the natural and social sciences. Three hours of class per week. Three hours of class per week.	3
PSY101	General Psychology An introduction to the scientific study of behavior with an emphasis on the origins of behavior, learning, social influences, physiological factors, individual differences, personality, and adjustment and maladjustment.	3