Nursing BSN

You were born to help – our Nursing bachelor's degree will help you get there.

Nursing student taking a person's blood pressure

Join the nation’s largest healthcare profession, with ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄'s nationally recognized Nursing bachelor's degree. 

With a rigorous academic foundation and clinical placements that provide vital experiential learning opportunities, our Bachelor of Science in Nursing prepares students for a rewarding career. Graduates are eligible to apply to take the NCLEX-RN examination for licensure as a registered nurse in any state.

High-Demand Nursing Careers

  • Long-Term Care/Gerontology Nurse
  • Emergency Department Nurse
  • Critical Care Nurse
  • Pediatric Nurse
  • Maternity Nurse
  • Psychiatric Nurse
  • Nurse Manager
  • Community Health Nurse

Why Earn a Nursing Bachelor's Degree at ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄?

  • According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 190,000 job openings are projected for nurses each year between now and 2032, with a growth rate faster than the average for all occupations.
  • Our clinical placements occur in nationally recognized healthcare facilities and local community agencies.
  • Our students learn at our on-campus nursing facility and at the state-of-the-art Rhode Island Nursing Education Center at South Street Landing, a shared facility with URI.
  • Topics covered include: health promotion, health assessment, fundamentals of nursing practice, medical-surgical nursing, maternal/newborn nursing, pediatric nursing, psychiatric/mental health nursing, nursing leadership and community/public health nursing.
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Join Our Community

We're thrilled that you're interested in ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄ and we want to make sure that nothing stands in your way of pursuing a ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄ degree. Just let us know how we can help you with your next steps.

Nursing students in scrubs in class

More Program Specifics

Understand the courses you’ll take, the curriculum requirements to meet, and the concepts you’ll gain mastery of. We also offer a specifically-outlined Second Bachelor’s Degree Option for this program. Get all the detailed information you’re looking for.

The ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄ Advantage

The BSN, MSN and DNP programs at ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄ are . ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄β€™s Zvart Onanian School of Nursing is a nationally recognized leader in the field.

#15
in New England for Nursing among public universities - 2024 U.S. World News & Report
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ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄ nursing graduates consistently achieve top NCLEX Pass Rates, outperforming state and national averages.

Our Nursing Faculty

Hear From a Student

Chelsey Simoni, nursing student

Chelsey (Poisson) Simoni

β€œΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄β€™s School of Nursing has some of the most dedicated, passionate and driven faculty and staff anywhere. When I say that they changed my life, they truly did.”

Putting Classroom Learning into Practice

Program Details

Admission Requirements

Health Requirements

Every year students must provide health services with evidence of a negative PPD test or compliance with treatment. Before beginning some clinical nursing courses, students may be expected to meet additional health requirements. All nursing students must have the following information on file with ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄'s .​

  • an admission physical exam
  • 1 dose of tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap)
  • 2 doses of live measles vaccine (preferably MMR) or a blood titer confirming immunity*
  • 2 doses of mumps vaccine (preferably MMR) or a blood titer confirming immunity*
  • 1 dose of rubella vaccine or a blood titer confirming immunity*
  • 3 doses of hepatitis B vaccine (A hepatitis B surface antibody titer to confirm sero-conversion is recommended on-to-two months after the final dose)
  • provider documented proof, including date or age, of chicken pox disease or a varicella titer confirming immunity or two doses of varicella vaccine
  • an initial 2-step PPD** tuberculin skin test and yearly PPD updates (or chest x-ray if PPD positive and yearly TB assessment, which is completed at ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄'s Office of Health Services)
  • flu vaccine every fall semester
  • complete COVID vaccination

*Health-care workers born on or before Dec. 31, 1956, are only required to have documentation of one dose each of measles, mumps and rubella or titers confirming immunity.

**2-Step PPD – two separate PPDs planted at least a week apart but not more than a year apart prior to entering into nursing clinical.

Download a Printable Copy of this Checklist

Students will not be admitted to the first class meeting of a nursing practicum course without having complied with the health requirements. Proof of immunization may be obtained from your physician, high school, previous college or university, military record and/or from blood titers.

Please Note: Religious exemptions are not accepted due to the need to meet requirements of our clinical agencies.

Nursing majors should follow the guidelines on the college immunization form or call ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄'s Office of Health Services at 401-456-8055 for further information. Once all required information is complete, students may pick up their laminated identification cards at ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄'s .​

Course Information

Our Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is what's commonly known as a Basic Baccalaureate Program or Basic BSN – the standard Nursing program designed for high school graduates and transfer students to complete in four years. This program integrates knowledge of the arts and sciences with nursing theory to prepare you to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN). The three major elements of the nursing curriculum are general education courses, courses related to nursing, and required nursing courses.

Handbook for Undergraduate Students in Nursing

Recommended Plan of Study

Students must consult with their advisor each semester before registering for courses.

Freshman Fall

Course NumberCourse TitleCourse Credits
BIO 201/202Anatomy & Physiology4
FYS or FYWFirst Year Seminar or First Year Writing4
PSYC 110Introduction to Psych4
 Math4
NURS 100 or ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄ 100Nursing 100 or ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄ 1002 or 1
  Total: 18

Freshman Spring

Course NumberCourse TitleCourse Credits
BIO 203/204Anatomy & Physiology II4
FYS or FYWFirst Year Seminar or First Year Writing4
PSYC 230Human Development4
CHEM 121Chemistry Fundamentals for Healthcare4
  Total: 16

Sophomore Fall (Beginning)

Course NumberCourse TitleCourse Credits
N230Health Promotion & Disease Prevention3
BIO 348Microbiology4
N231Pathopharmacology4
Gen EdGen Ed4
  Total: 15

Sophomore Spring (Beginning)

Course NumberCourse TitleCourse Credits
N232Health Assessment of Diverse Populations3
N233Essentials of Nursing Knowledge and Practice6
N234WScholarly Inquiry and Informatics (WID)3
Gen EdGen Ed4
  Total: 16

Junior Fall (Intermediate)

Course NumberCourse TitleCourse Credits
N351Adult Nursing Care of Common Conditions6
N352Patient Centered Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing6
Gen EdGen Ed4
  Total: 16

Junior Spring (Intermediate)

Course NumberCourse TitleCourse Credits
N353Adult Nursing Care of Complex Conditions6
N354Innovative Leadership3
Gen EdGen Ed4
  Total: 13

Senior Fall (Advanced)

Course NumberCourse TitleCourse Credits
N381Family-Centered Care in Pediatric Nursing6
N382Maternal Newborn Nursing6
ElectiveElective2
  Total: 14

Senior Spring (Advanced)

Course NumberCourse TitleCourse Credits
N383Global, Community and Public Policy6
N384Nursing Practice Synthesis6
  Total: 12

Total Credits for All Semesters: 120

Program/Learning Goals

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

  • demonstrate clinical judgment and innovation supported by established and evolving nursing knowledge, ways of knowing, and knowledge from other disciplines
  • provide person-centered care across the organization/systems for patients, communities and populations, including family or important others to promote positive health outcomes
  • integrate population health concepts spanning public health prevention to disease management to promote the improvement of equitable population health outcomes at the local, regional, national, and global levels
  • demonstrate the ability to synthesize and apply current evidence that guides clinical practice and patient care decisions
  • demonstrate knowledge and use of established and emerging principles of safety science in care delivery
  • demonstrate interprofessional person-centered care that reflects core professional values including altruism, caring, ethics, roles and responsibilities, shared accountability, diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • apply knowledge of systems, fiscal impact, social determinants of health, health promotion, improved access, social justice, and systemic racism to improve the health of diverse populations
  • use information and communication technologies and informatics processes to improve the delivery of safe, high-quality, and efficient healthcare services in accordance with professional and regulatory standards
  • acquire a sustainable professional nursing identity that includes self-reflective practice, advocacy, accountability, a collaborative disposition, and ethical comportment that reflects nursing’s characteristics and values
  • demonstrate a capacity for leadership that includes a commitment to activities that foster personal health, resilience and lifelong learning

Writing in the Discipline

In what ways is writing important to your profession?

Writing is essential to communicating as a nurse. Professional nurses write as care givers, advocates, teachers and researchers. Nurses write to provide high-quality, safe care to patients and communities; to propose improvements to health-care delivery; and to promote changes in health-care policy.

Which courses are designated as satisfying the Writing in the Discipline (WID) requirement by your department? Why these courses?

NURS 234W: Scholarly Inquiry and Informatics is the foundational WID course for the nursing major. In this course, students are introduced to the conventions of writing in nursing, APA formatting and the role of evidence-based nursing practice. All nursing courses that follow NURS 234W continue to develop students’ writing skills over time.

What forms or genres of writing will students learn and practice in your department’s WID courses? Why these genres?

The forms of writing taught in the nursing program are clinical writing (or workplace writing), academic writing and reflective writing. Through various types of clinical writing, including care plans, charting and discharge summaries, nurses describe and document patient care. Clinical writing may also include promotional materials and policies developed to serve groups and communities. Professional nurses use academic writing to disseminate new knowledge in the discipline and promote evidence-based practice. Reflective writing, such as journaling and informal responses, serve as a way to learn (β€œwriting to learn”) and as a means to self-understanding and professional growth.

What kinds of teaching practices will students encounter in your department’s WID courses?

Some of the teaching practices students will encounter will be journaling, low-stakes and high-stakes writing assignments, peer reviews, scaffolded assignments and opportunities for revisions and incorporating feedback into later drafts.

When they’ve satisfied your department’s WID requirement, what should students know and be able to do with writing?

Upon completion of the BSN program, graduates will be able to: 

  • effectively communicate in writing in the various professional nursing roles
  • accurately and precisely document professional practice in clinical settings
  • prepare thoughtful and effective research papers in the discipline of nursing
  • prepare oral and written presentations individually and collaboratively to achieve a specific purpose
  • engage in reflective writing for personal professional development​​​​​​
ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄ entrance

Take the Next Step!

Zvart Onanian School of Nursing

From the Bachelor of Science in Nursing to the Doctor of Nursing Practice, the ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄ Zvart Onanian School of Nursing educates and prepares graduates for the challenges of today’s complex health care settings.