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2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog
Nursing, B.S.
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 Return to: Programs of Study (A-Z)
Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 125
Minimum cumulative GPA required to graduate: 2.75
Minimum number of credits to complete the major: 68 Nursing credits, 16 non-Nursing credits (total of 84 credits for the major)
School: School of Nursing and Health Sciences
Department: Nursing
Learn more about the program
The Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing at Merrimack College is for students without an educational background in nursing. Its mission is to educate and prepare competent nurse graduates to provide evidenced-based, safe, quality nursing care in a diverse and dynamic global healthcare environment and to serve as collaborative leaders in the advancement of healthcare for individuals and populations. The program fosters lifelong learning and a spirit of inquiry. It is focused on hands-on learning opportunities that give students the experience needed to become a safe, compassionate caregivers and leaders in today’s growing market for the nursing profession. Nursing graduates can pursue careers in a variety of settings, including hospitals, acute care centers, ambulatory and outpatient clinics, community and public health services, as well as skilled nursing facilities. Graduates will also be eligible to work in specialized fields of nursing, such as neonatal or intensive care, telemetry, psychiatric, labor and delivery, pediatrics or emergency medicine. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) and will be prepared to function as a nurse generalist for beginning their professional nursing career.
The nursing program has received initial approval by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing.
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Merrimack College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).
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Course Requirements
A Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing is awarded to students who complete four years of academic study on campus (125 total credits required). This includes 68 NUR nursing major credits, 16 non-NUR nursing major credits, and 41 other required credits. The nineteen core courses required in this major are outlined below. Note: Additional General Education requirements that are specific to Nursing majors can be found in the Nursing Student Handbook linked in the Requirements for the B.S. in Nursing section below.
Nursing Program Outcomes
Upon completion of the nursing program, students will:
- Engage in socially valued work and health care leadership through the acquisition of a liberal arts education with a focus on the arts and sciences that fosters the basis for clinical reasoning. (Liberal Education (LE))
- Promote and deliver high quality patient care through the application of organizational and systems-based practices and quality improvement outcomes. (Systems-Based Practice (SBP), Quality Improvement (QI))
- Demonstrate effective use of strategies to mitigate errors and reduce the risk of harm to patients, self and others in healthcare, home, and community settings. (Safety (S))
- Apply evidence-based practice models to provide a process for the evaluation and application of scientific evidence surrounding practice issues. (Evidence Based Practice (EBP))
- Utilize informatics and patient care technology to assist in effective communication and to deliver quality patient care in a variety of health care settings. (Informatics & Technology (I & T))
- Integrate leadership and management skills, theories and principles when directing and influencing the behavior of individuals and/or groups to meet desired patient-related outcomes. (Leadership (L))
- Assimilate integrity and accountability into practice that promotes life-long learning and upholds established regulatory, legal and ethical principles while providing standard-based care. (Professionalism (Pro))
- Collaborate with all members of the health care team to provide quality improvement approaches for patient centered outcomes. (Teamwork and Collaboration (T/C))
- Analyze major determinants to health promotion, disease and injury prevention across the lifespan at the individual and population levels. (Health Promotion / Disease Prevention (HP/DP))
- Use verbal and nonverbal communication strategies that promote an effective exchange of information, development of therapeutic relationships and shared decision making with patients, families, groups, populations, and communities from diverse backgrounds. (Communication (Com))
- Utilize and apply knowledge, critical thinking and clinical decision-making skills, within the context of compassionate patient centered care to form the basis for evidence-based nursing practice that reflects ethical values and a commitment to lifelong learning. (Patient Centered Care (PCC))
Requirements for the B.S. in Nursing
Admission Requirements for the B.S. in Nursing:
- Official copies of all secondary school transcripts, including first term senior grades
- Satisfactory evidence of secondary school graduation or its equivalent will be required by all candidates.
- Letter of recommendation from a school counselor and from a teacher (preferably a science or math teacher).
- High school subject requirements (expressed in terms of secondary units where 1 unit = 1 academic year of study)
- English, 4
- History, Government and Social Sciences, 2-3
- Mathematics, 4
- Science (with lab), 3
- Foreign Language, 2-4
- High School GPA of 3.0 or higher; C or better in all science grades
The most competitive students will:
- Have taken Biology, Chemistry, and/or Anatomy and Physiology in high school;
- Received a B or higher in all math and sciences courses;
- Have a compelling recommendation from a math or science instructor and school counselor/administrator; and
- Have completed community service or other activities that demonstrate commitment, compassion, and leadership.
Nursing Good Moral Character Statement:
All prospective nursing students should familiarize themselves with the statutory requirements of licensure in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts prior to matriculation in the nursing program. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing Licensure Policy 00-01, Determination of Good Moral Character includes the following:
- It identifies specific criminal convictions, which will permanently exclude an individual from initial nurse licensure in Massachusetts, due to the horrific nature of the crime;
- Requires initial nurse licensure applicants to be conviction-free, for a minimum of five years, before the submission of an application for licensure;
- Requires the disposition of any criminal conviction to be closed, for a minimum of one year, before the submission of a nurse licensure application; and
- Requires all criminal cases to be closed at the time of application.
The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing publishes an information sheet on good moral character. Copies are available on-line at: http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/quality/boards/good-moral-info.pdf.
Note Regarding Applying for Licensure
Prospective nursing students who intend to apply for licensure in states other than Massachusetts are encouraged to contact the appropriate authority in those states to ensure that they will meet the requirements for licensure application in those states. Please contact the Undergraduate Nursing Program Director for any questions about this policy and how it may affect your ability to be licensed as a registered nurse in Massachusetts.
Transferring in to the B.S. in Nursing
Internal Applicants:
Change of major applicants for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree will pertain to matriculated freshman only. Vetting for acceptance into the Nursing program will be done through the Undergraduate Director of Nursing. Slots are limited and are not guaranteed. Only a select number of students may be granted or none at all, depending on availability.
In order to apply to the Nursing program as a current Merrimack College freshman, minimum qualifications include the following:
- Achieve a grade of “B” or higher in all science courses
- Minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.3
- Minimum score of 80, as per grading rubric, on submitted essay
- Minimum score of 80 on interview as per the nursing transfer interview rubric
- Official transcript required
- Prerequisite Courses: Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Human Development
Other requirements include:
A. An essay submitted to the Undergraduate Director of Nursing that discusses:
- Your reasons for wanting to pursue a nursing career.
- Your individual skills and strengths as well as foreseen challenges that you might have to overcome to be successful in the nursing program.
B. An interview with the Undergraduate Director of Nursing
External Applicants:
Students from outside Merrimack College will not be allowed to transfer into the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program.
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