ATTENTION WASHINGTON RESIDENTS

Program

The Drexel Online RN to BSN Completion program is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and is an option for nurses who hold an associate's degree or a diploma in nursing looking to complete their degree in Bachelor of Science.

This program offers optimal convenience for working professionals. All general electives can be transferred, up to 135 of the 180 required quarter credits. We know you are very busy as you balance multiple demands on your time, and that you have knowledge and experience as a registered nurse to bring to your educational experience. Therefore, credit is given for completed RN licensure courses.

A BSN is awarded at the completion of the program. Qualified students are encouraged to submatriculate in the MSN program (RN-BSN-MSN Pathway) while enrolled in the BSN program. They can submit applications for MSN programs during the last term of the RN-BSN program.

What you'll learn

While maintaining a maximum of 1:25 faculty to student online class ratio, Drexel University incorporates a wide assortment of teaching methods and interactive tools into each online course.

In an effort to provide a supportive learning environment, faculty are personally engaged with students online, are committed to their success, and are expert at working with adult learners returning to school. All online courses are delivered primarily asynchronously – allowing students the flexibility to complete their coursework at a time that is convenient for them. Synchronous sessions are planned in advanced and archived in the event a student cannot attend.

The Drexel BSN program is delivered utilizing the following teaching methods:

• Problem based learning: engaging students in real life, experiential learning. Students are expected to engage with leaders both in the health care system where they work and the community where they live.
• Virtual simulated patient experiences: students interact and assess both digital standardized patients and live volunteers. Nurses perform high level assessments on patient volunteers, record the sessions via a Webcam and then uploaded into an online course.
• Discussion group forums are held with other practicing nurses from across the nation. Online discussions with other professionals foster real-time clinical problem solving. Nurses can implement what they learn the next day when they return to the bedside.
• Access to Drexel's state-of-the-art online Health Science e-library is part of every course. Here students learn to search, discover what evidence exists, learn how to interpret it and apply it to improve patient outcomes.
• A 10-day, award winning study abroad option is incorporated into a clinical course – this provides an achievable way for working professionals to enhance their global health care delivery perspective.

What makes the RN-BSN Completion program unique?

• This degree offers a convenient pathway to MSN programs.
• Optional online courses are ideal for working professionals.
• You are part of the Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions with access to clinical practice environments and simulated health care scenarios.

If you are currently in the RN-BSN completion program, we encourage you to consider our RN-BSN-MSN Pathway, which offers a variety of tracks and nursing specialties.

You can apply to the MSN program while completing the RN-BSN curriculum.

Students interested in any of the following MSN programs must apply for admission to the MSN program during their final RN-BSN term:

• MSN: Clinical Nurse Leader
• MSN: Nursing Education
• MSN: Nursing Leadership in Health Systems Management
• MSN: Quality, Safety, and Risk Management in Healthcare

Please note: The RN-MSN Bridge is for outside applicants who have a bachelor's degree but not in nursing, seeking an MSN and are licensed RNs.

Admissions

• RN licensure (provisional acceptance will generally be offered pending successful completion of NCLEX-RN exam),
• Official college transcripts,
• College GPA of 2.0 or better,
• High school degree or equivalent, and
• To be eligible for admission to the bachelor of science in nursing program, students must have completed 60 hours of college prerequisites, as follows, with a grade of "C" or better. Students may transfer up to 90 credits. Remaining credits will be evaluated on an individual basis. To graduate, students must have completed 180 credits.

The 60 semester required hours include:

• English (includes one semester of composition) 6.0
• Humanities (studio courses not acceptable) 3.0
• Anatomy and physiology 8.0
• Microbiology 4.0
• Sociology 3.0
• Growth and development 3.0
• Nursing 30.0

Articulation Credits

Graduates of National League for Nursing–accredited associate or diploma nursing programs who meet criteria of the Pennsylvania Nursing Articulation Model will receive credit for 30 semester hours of nursing, which may be applied toward the program entrance requirements

To find admissions deadlines, apply online, check out financial aid information, and find the current schedule for open houses, visit the Undergraduate Drexel Online admissions criteria page.

For Students Preparing To Sit for NCLEX

Students who are preparing to sit for the NCLEX, are welcome to apply and start the program on a provisional basis.  Students are permitted to take one nursing course, NURS 325 in their  first term after graduation from an Associate Degree Program.  Once RN licensure is obtained, students are permitted to matriculate into the RN-BSN program.

For Transferring Students

To review transfer instructions, visit the Transfer Instructions page.

For International Students

To review transfer instructions, visit the Drexel Online international requirements page.

Technical Standards for Admission, Academic Progression, and Graduation can be found here.

Tuition and Fee Rates: 
Please visit the Drexel Online RN to BSN tuition page on Drexel Central.

COMPLIANCE

The College of Nursing and Health Professions has a compliance process that may be required for every student. Some of these steps may take significant time to complete. Please plan accordingly.

Visit the Compliance pages for more information.

Admissions Deadline

December 10, 2021

Curriculum

• Degree Requirements
• Online Course Schedule

Accreditation

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master's degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Drexel University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington DC 20001, 202.887-6791.

Program Level Outcomes

• Apply concepts from liberal arts to nursing practice
• Demonstrate leadership behaviors that enhance patient safety and quality care
• Utilize multiple technologies to access and manage information to guide professional practice
• Apply research-based evidence to nursing practice
• Integrate technology to support clinical decision making in patient-centered care
• Examine health care policy and financial/regulatory environments that influence the delivery of health care
• Foster caring and collaborative relationships with self, patient, and the health care community that provide positive outcome
• Practice culturally congruent care that addresses health promotion and disease prevention
• Assimilate ethical principles and professional standards into practice using evidence based clinical judgment
• Apply age-specific knowledge to provide safe, competent care across the life span
• Pursue life-long learning as a means to enhance practice

Nursing Program Mission and Values

The Nursing program faculty and staff are committed to educating nurses to embrace both the art and science of nursing, to integrate caring into practice, to think critically and practice competently, compassionately and safely in complex rapidly changing practice environments. The Nursing program supports administrators, faculty, staff and students in developing holistic evidence-based programs, which create healing and caring environments at all levels that reflect innovative education, interdisciplinary practice and research.

The highest goals of the program include demonstrating efficacy, quality and cost-effectiveness of evidence-based nursing interventions in promoting health, preventing disease, preserving human dignity, reducing health disparities and caring for the sick and injured.

All efforts in the Nursing program are designed to build nursing knowledge, enhance nursing practice, foster professional integrity, promote innovation, engage in interdisciplinary collaboration and ultimately improve the health outcomes of patients and families from diverse communities across the continuum of care.

The Nursing program is committed to excellence in nursing education through educational programs that are:

• Authentic: We value a deep connection to others, appreciation of diverse opinions and respect for the other’s frame of reference. We value going beyond objective assessment to understand the context of the other, creative use of self and engagement in the artistry of the caring-healing process—the essence of Nursing.
• Complex: We value complexity science by recognizing that our Nursing program is a complex, dynamic, unpredictable, emerging, self-organizing and adaptive system that cannot be reduced to the sum of its members. As such, we seek that administrators, faculty, staff and students develop skills to improvise, build on the innovations of others, develop positive interpersonal interactions, appreciate the reciprocity that our actions have on the larger system and ourselves and embrace surprise as an opportunity to learn, make sense of our dynamic reality and make a positive impact on the health of our clients.
• Rigorous: We continuously review and redesign programs, courses, technology-infused learning systems and educational products for depth and quality with the learner's experience and background in mind.
• Relevant: We continuously examine changing market forces, the progression of nursing knowledge and the best practices in health care and education to redesign educational programs. There is a strong commitment to population-focused care practice in diverse communities; therefore, we strive to ensure clinically relevant education and simulation experiences. Our faculty serves as excellent role models for developing clinicians.
• State of the Art: We value the use of technological innovation and patient simulation scenarios which foster advanced and evidence-based interdisciplinary communication and teamwork, multiple patient management and crisis resource management skills, provision of culturally relevant care, decreased prevalence of errors and adverse events and a higher intellectual standard in both undergraduate and graduate nursing education.
• Learner-Friendly: In consideration of the demanding, fast-paced lives of our students and nurse consumers, we offer high-quality educational programs in convenient and contemporary formats, including access to academic online courses with attention to user-friendly interfaces as well as resources to enhance academic success. In addition, the College of Nursing and Health Professions is committed to being a challenging and rewarding work environment for faculty, staff and administrators. Information and data on all aspects of the college’s operations are widely shared with faculty, staff and students and all are encouraged to participate in its decisions and activities.