Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
Change Your Life. Change The World.
Nursing is an exciting profession with countless opportunities, and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is the doorway into the profession. For 19 years in a row, nursing has been voted the most trusted profession in the United States, and nursing employment is expected by grow by 7% over the next 10 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The University of Tennessee Health Science Center's College of Nursing is recognized as the best BSN program in the state on two lists that measure quality. The college has the highest-ranked BSN program in Tennessee on the U.S. News & World Report’s list of undergraduate nursing programs in its Best Colleges 2022 list. And the “Nursing Schools Almanac” ranked UTHSC as No. 1 in Tennessee on its list of Best Prelicensure BSN programs based on the college's pass rate on the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).
The college offers two pathways to the BSN. Our Accelerated 2nd-Degree BSN Program is a 12-month degree program designed for students who have earned a bachelor's degree (non-nursing) prior to acceptance and who are interested in becoming registered nurses. Our Traditional BSN program is a four-semester program designed for students who have earned prerequisites and wish to complete their nursing degree in our dynamic health science center. Both programs are concept-based and prepare graduates for the NCLEX-RN. Nursing graduates provide care throughout the lifespan including the planning, management, and coordination of care across environments. Due to the rigorous nature of the accelerated program, outside employment is strongly discouraged.
Accelerated 1st Term |
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| Course ID | Title | Credits | Didactic | Lab | Clinical |
| NSG 441 | Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| NSG 442 | Health Assessment Across the Lifespan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| NSG 443 | Pharmacology Across the Lifespan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| NSG 444 | Nursing Concepts I: Foundations of Professional Nursing Care | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| NSG 445 | Clinical Reasoning | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| NSG 460 | Mental Health Nursing Concepts | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1st Term Total | 21 | 16 | 1 | 4 | |
Accelerated 2nd Term |
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| Course ID | Course Title | Total Hours | Didactic | Lab | Clinical |
| NSG 446 | Nursing Concepts II: Care for Adult Patients with Acute and Chronic Health Problems | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| NSG 447 | Reproductive, Childbearing, and Newborn Nursing Care Concepts | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| NSG 448 | Pediatric and Adolescent Nursing Concepts | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| NSG 449 | Evidence-Based Practice – Concepts of Scientific Inquiry and Evaluation | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| NSG 451 | Social, Environmental, and Genomic Determinants of Health | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2nd Term Total | 19 | 14 | 0 | 5 | |
Accelerated 3rd Term |
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| Course ID | Course Title | Total Hours | Didactic | Lab | Clinical |
| NSG 452 | Population Health Nursing Concepts | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| NSG 453 | Care Coordination and Transition Management | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| NSG 464 | Nursing Concepts III: Care for Adult Patients with Acute/Complex Health Problems | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| NSG 455 | Nursing Leadership and Management | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| NSG 456 | Nursing Internship: Leadership and Management Practice | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| NSG 499 | Senior Synthesis Seminar | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 3rd Term Total | 20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | |
| Program Total | 60 | 44 | 1 | 15 | |
Traditional: 1st term
| Course ID | Course Title | Total hours | Didactic | Lab | Clinical |
| NSG 441 | Pathophysiology across the lifespan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| NSG 443 | Pharmacology across the lifespan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| NSG 442 | Health Assessment across lifespan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| NSG 445 | Clinical Reasoning | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| NSG 451 | Social, Environmental, and Genomic Determinants of Health | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| First-term total | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
Traditional: 2nd Term
| Course ID | Course Title | Total Hours | Didactic | Lab | Clinical |
| NSG 444 | Nursing Concepts I: Foundations of Professional Nursing Care | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| NSG 452 | Population Health Nursing Concepts | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| NSG 449 | Evidence-based Practice: concepts of Scientific Inquiry and Evaluation | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| NSG 460 | Mental Health Nursing Concepts | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Second-term total | 16 | 11 | 0 | 5 |
Traditional: 3rd Term
| Course ID | Course Title | Total Hours | Didactic | Lab | Clinical |
| NSG 446 | Nursing Concepts II: Care for Adult Patients with Acute and Chronic Health Problems | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| NSG 448 | Pediatric and Adolescent Nursing Concepts | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| NSG 447 | Reproductive, Childbearing and Newborn Nursing Care Concepts | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Third-term total | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 |
Traditional: 4th Term
| Course ID | Course Title | Total Hours | Didactic | Lab | Clinical |
| NSG 464 | Nursing Concepts III: Care for Adult Patients with Acute/Complex Health Problems | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| NSG 453 | Care Coordination and Transition Management | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| NSG 455 | Nursing Leadership and Management | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| NSG 456 | Nursing Internship: Leadership and Management Practice | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| NSG 499 | Senior Synthesis Seminar | 1 | 1 | ||
| Fourth-term total | 17 | 12 | 0 | 5 |
BSN Program Outcomes
The graduate of the BSN Program will be able to:
- Engage in clinical reasoning to make decisions regarding patient care.
- Deliver safe, evidence-based, compassionate, holistic patient and family-centered care across the health and illness continuum.
- Advocate for individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations.
- Implement population-focused wellness promotion and illness prevention strategies that consider determinants of health and available resources.
- Use effective communication and collaborative skills for professional practice.
- Demonstrate accountability for personal and professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct.
- Evaluate quality improvement processes to optimize safe health care outcomes for individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations.
- Employ leadership principles to improve patient outcomes across healthcare systems.
- Exhibit a commitment to continuous self-evaluation and lifelong learning.
General Education Competencies
General education competencies for the BSN program are:
- Critical Thinking
Students will demonstrate their ability to solve problems, construct and present cogent arguments in support of their views, and understand and evaluate arguments presented by others. (NSG 414 Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice) - Communication
Students will demonstrate appropriate skills in planning, preparing, and presenting effective oral and written presentations. (NSG 410 Professional Issues & NSG 415 Health of Populations ) - Interprofessionalism
Students will be able to explain interprofessional practice to patients, clients, families, and/or other professionals, describe the areas of practice of other health professions, and express professional pinions competently, confidently, and respectfully while avoiding discipline specific language. (NSG 419 Internship)
General education competencies will be measured via student performance on oral presentations written critiques of research papers, and papers written in capstone courses in the above italicized courses.
Technical and Performance Standards
All students admitted to the BSN program must meet the following core performance standards for admission and progression.
- Critical thinking sufficient for clinical judgment.
- Interpersonal abilities sufficient to interact with individuals, families, groups, and populations from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds.
- Communication abilities sufficient for verbal and written interaction with others. Speak, write and comprehend the English language proficiently.
- Use computer to word process, email, and access the World Wide Web.
- Physical abilities sufficient to move from room to room, walk in hallways, maneuver in small spaces, and the strength necessary to lift and transfer patients, including the ability to exert up to 50 lbs. occasionally and 25 lbs. of force frequently. Physical activities include climbing, pushing, standing, reaching, grasping, kneeling, stooping, and repetitive motion.
- Gross and fine motor abilities with good balance and coordination sufficient to provide safe and effective nursing care.
- Auditory ability sufficient to monitor and assess health needs.
- Visual ability, with close visual acuity including color, depth perception, and field of vision sufficient for observation and assessment necessary in nursing care.
- Tactile ability and manual dexterity sufficient for physical assessment and to provide nursing intervention including manipulating equipment necessary for providing nursing care.
- Computer literacy and adequate computer skills are required.
If a student cannot fulfill these Technical and Performance Standards, with or without accommodations, at any time in the program, the student will be ineligible for admission or continued progression in the BSN Program. In addition to assuring that students can meet the intellectual, emotional, and physical criteria for the BSN Program, it is of utmost importance that students have the ability to provide for the safety and welfare of their patients and others. Reasonable accommodations will be provided, when appropriate, to help students meet these Technical and Professional Standards. Determination of eligibility and recommendations of accommodations must be made by the UTHSC Office of Student Academic Support Services and Inclusion https://www.uthsc.edu/sassi/. Any student wishing accommodations must contact the university’s Office of Student Academic and Support Services and Inclusion at 901-448-5056 (email: SASSI@uthsc.edu).
Accreditation
The baccalaureate degree in nursing program at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791, http://www.ccneaccreditation.org.
The BSN Program is accredited by CCNE through June 30, 2030, and approved by the Tennessee Board of Nursing.
Partnership Enrollment Programs
Students at LeMoyne-Owen, Rhodes College, Southwest Tennessee Community College, Northwest Mississippi Community College, and Sewanee, the University of the South are eligible for our Partnership Enrollment Programs.
White Coat Pledge
When students receive their White Coats and begin clinical education, they make a pledge that says, in part: "I will promote, advocate for, and strive to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient."
Concept-based curriculum
in the BSN program
Concept-based curriculum (CBC) and teaching facilitates the development of high level thinking skills such as clinical reasoning, which is essential to effective nursing practice and the growth of the profession.
Concepts enable the joining together of isolated facts. A few examples of concepts include safety, ethics, caring, informatics/technology, professionalism, and leadership The concepts are taught through the use of exemplars, which are sample cases of the concept that the nurse may experience in practice.
The baccalaureate nursing program is organized around key concepts. These concepts are categorized in three domains:
- Healthcare Recipient
- Health and Illness
- Professional Nursing and Healthcare