Area I General Education Requirements: 68 Credits

Area II Foundation Requirements: 22 Credits

• BIO2015 Human Pathophysiology 4 credit hours
• BIO2070 Microbiology 4 credit hours

• (must be taken concurrently withBIO 2071  or BIO 2073  )

•  

• BIO2071 Microbiology Lab 2 credit hours (on-ground)

• (Required for BSN; RN to BSN students ONLY can take either)

• OR

• BIO2073 Microbiology Laboratory 2 credit hours (online)

•  

• CHM1010 General Chemistry 4 credit hours
• NTR2050 Nutrition 4 credit hours
• General Education Elective   4 credit hourss

Area III Major Requirements: 102 Credits

Application Process and Deadline

The College of Nursing and Public Health admits two classes of students per year to each campus-based BSN programs. Application packets and deadlines are available on each campus. Fully completed application materials (including evidence of completion of all prerequisite courses) are due by the posted deadline, usually the first day of the quarter before admission (ex., first day of summer quarter for fall quarter program start). Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

For Initial Licensure

For the BSN degree program for initial licensure, progression is also contingent upon completion of required assessment examinations. These examinations include:

1. Standardized achievement tests in course subjects as assigned.
2. Final pre-licensure examination. Students are required to obtain a minimum score on the pre-licensure examination. Students who fail to achieve the required minimum score must perform remediation activities and retest. Failure to achieve the required score within three attempts will delay program completion.
3. Math Competency Examinations. Junior level students (Quarters 1-3) must receive a score of 80 percent or higher on all math examinations. Senior level (Quarters 4-6) students must receive a score of 90 percent or higher on all math examinations. Quarter 7 students must receive a score of 100 percent on the math examination. A maximum of three opportunities are allowed to pass the math requirement each quarter. Failure to pass the math requirement will result in course failure and prevent progression in the nursing program.

A student on provisional status who does not satisfactorily complete the requirements for removing provisional status will be dismissed from the nursing program.

All applicants to the RN to BSN program must hold a current and unencumbered license in the state in which they are completing program requirements. Additionally, all BSN and RN to BSN applicants must successfully complete a criminal background check and a drug screening. Clinical affiliation agencies may require additional testing.

Assessment through Standardized Tests

Achievement Examinations and NCLEX-RN Preparation

The South University Nursing Faculty is committed to assisting students to achieve success on the National Council Licensing Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN). Successful completion of this examination is required for entry into the practice of professional nursing. In addition to faculty prepared examinations, nursing students take a series of achievement examinations upon completion of the various courses in the nursing program to prepare for taking the NCLEX-RN. The examinations are used to measure student nursing knowledge, acquired nursing skills and competencies. Students failing to achieve the national average on any achievement test must provide evidence of remediation to their faculty advisors.

South University provides students with ample educational resources including library resources, CDs, DVDs, computer software programs, videotapes, audiotapes and access to a variety of nursing education websites such as atitesting.com. Students are required to attend NCLEX-RN review courses during the final quarter of the program.

ATI Policy

The following policy describes the use of the Assessment Technologies Inc. (ATI) Comprehensive Assessment and Review Program (CARP) as a component of admission, progression, and graduation in nursing program at South University. This policy has been developed to establish guidelines to prepare students for the NCLEX-RN licensure examination and to identify at-risk students. All students have the opportunity for review and remediation to enhance their success in the program and on NCLEX-RN after graduation.

1. Admission
   The ATI Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) is a requirement of the admission process. The TEAS is used to determine academic preparedness of pre-licensure nursing students in Reading, Math, Science, and English and Language Usage.  Students must achieve a “Proficient” level to be considered for admission to the nursing program.
2. Comprehensive ATI Program
   Students have access to and are assigned to utilize the comprehensive ATI package. ATI Resources are listed below along with corresponding courses.

     3.  ATI Testing

A.  Content Mastery Series The ATI review and remediation Content Mastery Series is used as a component of formative and summative academic assessment in the BSN program. Students must provide documentation of completion of assigned non-proctored ATI Content Mastery and/or Targeted Medical Surgical Assessment Series exams with a score of 85% prior to taking proctored examinations.

Students are required to take the Proctored Assessments listed below. A minimum score of Level 2 is the goal.

ATI assessment activities are valued at 10% of the course grade in designated courses as indicated above.  Grades will be assigned based upon the results of Proctored Assessment Version B, first attempt.

• Level 3                                                 100%
• Level 2                                                 90%
• Level 1 or below level 1                        60%
• Failure to submit remediation               0%

B.   Remediation
Remediation provides an opportunity for students to review and acquire additional knowledge about an area in which they are weak or lack full understanding of the content and its application to clinical practice. Remediation is intended to help students recover important information that was missed on the initial assessment. 

Remediation is required for all ATI non-proctored and Version B proctored assessments. Remediation templates are available on the ATI student homepage. Students must utilize their test results to complete remediation. Content areas with a score less than 70% require remediation.

Non-Proctored Assessments:
Students are required to take both non-proctored assessment tests and complete remediation for both practice assessments prior to taking the proctored assessment.  All non-proctored assessments (students required to achieve 85%) will be made available to students at the beginning of each quarter. By the end of week seven, students are required to complete both forms of the non-proctored assessments and remediation in order to take the proctored assessment. 

Proctored Assessments:
Proctored assessments will be administered no later than week 9 of the quarter. Remediation is required for Version B Proctored Assessment regardless of the level achieved. Students are required to complete remediation for Version B proctored assessment prior to taking the final examination. Failure to comply with the ATI testing policy will result in a course failure.

Retesting is required for any student not achieving a Level 2 on the proctored assessment.  Retesting will take place during the week of final exams. Version A will be utilized for retesting.  A student not achieving a Level 2 on retesting is strongly encouraged to complete additional remediation.

Remediation strategies may include but are not limited to the following:

i.   ATI Active Learning Templates
Review assessment results and determine appropriate template to use. Use the templates to perform detailed remediation of assessment content. Students may type into the template or print and handwrite. Completed remediation documents are to be submitted to the faculty member by the required due date.

ii.   Short Answer Remediation
Individualized attention to those areas missed on a test can be addressed through short essays. To be considered remedial, a student must print out the ATI test results listing those items and topics missed.  Using the review manuals provided by ATI, the student must then address each of the areas with a score less than 70%, writing a short paragraph discussing the essential content, and identifying the appropriate reference area in the book.

                    C. Comprehensive Predictor Exam

The proctored ATI RN Comprehensive Predictor Exam is a component of NSG4071.Students must pass the examination within two attempts during this course with a score commensurate with a 90% probability of passing NCLEX-RN on the first attempt. The first and second attempts must be completed by the scheduled deadline date. If student fails on the first attempt, remediation will be required prior to the second attempt. The faculty member/consultant will determine when the student is ready for re-testing. If the student is not successful after a total of 2 attempts at achieving the required passing score, the course grade for NSG4071 is calculated with a 60% for the ATI Assessment Exam.  If the grade of 60% results in failure of the course, the course must be repeated (unless the student has a previous grade below C in the program which would result in program dismissal). The student must meet all other requirements for graduation as listed in the catalog.

The course grade assigned for meeting the 90% on Predictor (calculated as 10% of grade in NSG4071) is:

• First attempt meets 90% prediction level                       100% assigned as course grade
• Second attempt meets 90% prediction level                  90% assigned as course grade
• 90% prediction level not met                                             60% assigned as course grade

4.   NCLEX-RN Reviews

Two ATI NCLEX-RN reviews are provided for all nursing graduates.

• ATI Live Campus Review
  South University provides access to ATI live reviews on campus for 25 students or more. Campuses with smaller graduating classes will refer graduates to an alternate location.
• Virtual ATI Review
  Experienced instructor assigned by ATI and will review all ATI reports, create a study plan, and provide advice on preparing for the NCLEX® as well as a detailed timeline to ensure adequate progress. Additional online practice assessments with customized diagnostic reports are available on completion.