Program Details

School of Education, Health Sciences and Nursing
Department of Nursing
Health Sciences Building 216
912-279-5870

Program Coordinator:
Nicole Masano  279-5863
nmasano@ccga.edu

The RN to BSN program is designed to provide a registered nurse, with an associate degree in nursing, the opportunity to earn a baccalaureate degree. The BSN student will develop as a professional by building upon previous nursing education, providing new knowledge and skills, and promoting their career progression and mobility. This program also provides the foundation for graduate study in a specialty area of nursing and expands the scope and practice for professional nurses already licensed. The Georgia RN to BSN Articulation Plan is the foundation for this program. The articulation plan supports and facilitates career mobility for registered nurses in Georgia. Students who are interested in the RN to BSN program must meet the college admissions requirements listed in the Admissions section of this catalog. Interested applicants may call the School of Nursing and Health Sciences (912) 279-5860.  30 Credits of upper level courses must be completed at CCGA.

General Information
Registered nurses who seek enrollment into the RN to BSN curriculum must have a current Georgia license or have proof that an application for a Georgia license has been submitted. The RN must be in good standing in the state of Georgia with regard to clinical practice and professional behavior.

Many clinical agencies require a criminal background check. If the RN student does not meet the agency’s requirement, then the student may not be able to complete the clinical requirement and will be unable to complete the nursing program.

Students who are admitted to the program must meet with a nursing advisor each semester to review their plan of study and/orand discuss the plan of study initially and prior to any changes in their schedule. It is required for the student to complete all core academic courses prior to enrolling in the RN to BSN program.

All applications will be evaluated by the RN to BSN Admission & Progression Committee and the most qualified applicants will be accepted. To be considered for admission to the RN to BSN program, applicants must have met the following requirements:

•   Maintained a GPA of 2.0 in the required academic core courses.
•   Be a graduate of an accredited AS Degree Nursing Program
•   Fulfilled the Georgia RN-BSN articulation requirements.
•   Current Georgia licensure as a registered nurse. 
•   Submitted an application for the RN-BSN program with a copy of all transcript(s).
•   Acceptance to CCGA as a student.

Upon acceptance to the RN to BSN Program, the student must:

• Develop a plan (with an advisor) for progression through the nursing courses, choosing a one or two-year option.
• Submit completed health form. These must be received before enrolling in the first nursing course.
• Obtain the required vaccinations and maintain throughout the program.
• Adhere to the guidelines in the RN-BSN student handbook.
• Plan for clinical experiences that might include evenings, nights and or weekends.
• Travel to clinical sites at the student’s expense.
• Obtain required uniform.  Purchase liability insurance.
• Health insurance is required. If requested by the clinical agency, students must submit proof of personal health insurance prior to attendance in clinical education. Students must present proof of insurance prior to program orientation. The USG has a health insurance program which is available for students to purchase.
• Provide proof of current Healthcare Provider CPR certification through the American Heart Association.
• Maintain current licensure in the State of Georgia as a registered nurse throughout the program.

Georgia RN-BSN Articulation Plan
The RN-BSN Program adheres to the Georgia RN to BSN Articulation Plan for the admission and acceptance of students into the nursing program. Students who do not meet eligibility requirements for acceptance into the nursing courses will need to complete the following requirements prior to acceptance in to the RN to BSN Program:

Completion of validation testing will be required of all associate degree or diploma graduates who graduated from non- ACEN accredited schools outside the state of Georgia, who graduated more than four years ago, and/or who have less than 1,000 clinical practice hours. Successful completion of the four subsets of the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN-ACE II) validation tests are required to validate current knowledge in the areas of Pediatrics, Obstetrics, Adult Health, and Psychiatric Nursing.

Clinical competencies will be validated through psychomotor skills evaluation by RN to BSN Faculty. A list of selected skills and evaluation criteria will be provided to students prior to examination. Evaluation of psychomotor skills will occur prior to acceptance into the RN to BSN Program. Upon successful completion of examination and skills requirements, admission to the RN to BSN Program, and successful completion of NURS 3101 and 3102, advance standing course credit of 30 hours will be awarded. RN-BSN students will follow standards applicable to all nursing students (see Pre-Licensure BSN program requirements).

Students have one opportunity to demonstrate clinical competencies on the psychomotor skills exams. If a student is not successful in completing one or more components of the required ACEN-ACE II validation tests, an individual remediation plan will be developed. After completion of the remediation plan, the student will have a total of two opportunities to successfully complete the required testing in each area in which they were unsuccessful.

NOTE: Students who require validation testing for acceptance into the RN to BSN Program will be charged a testing fee for the ACEN-ACE II validation tests.

Click to hide the core curriculum and see only the program specific curriculum.