The purpose of the nursing profession is to help patients/clients achieve health goals. Nurses provide health care for individuals, families and communities by performing supportive, preventive, therapeutic, and restorative interventions. Nurses are employed in institutional and community-based healthcare settings. They can provide health-related interventions through independent action or as a collaborating member of a healthcare team.
The nursing curriculum at Cal State San Marcos is built on a self-care model. This model assumes that people are usually capable of providing their own needs related to health. Sometimes people cannot take care of themselves because of injury, disease, or insufficient health-related knowledge. Nursing care helps such people recover their self-care abilities through health promotion, health maintenance and health restoration.
The Nursing program at CSUSM places strong emphasis on delivering skillful, culturally sensitive nursing care. Each student will be proficient in a language-other-than-English and be aware of culturally driven healthcare practices. Students will be able to provide nursing care to diverse individuals and communities. Students take advantage of clinical experiences in a variety of acute care and community settings, and are able to provide nursing case management interventions for a variety of vulnerable populations.
The Nursing Program at CSUSM prepares students for multiple career tracks within the profession. Students who complete the undergraduate program will have knowledge and skills for general nursing practice, will be well prepared for entry into graduate level nursing programs, and will be qualified to assume leadership roles in healthcare organizations, clinics, and community agencies.
The baccalaureate degree program is designed for three groups of students with different options. Students who have had no previous nursing education follow the traditional BSN option. Students who have completed an undergraduate degree in another discipline but who wish a second degree in Nursing complete the accelerated BSN (ABSN) option. Students who have completed an associate degree program in nursing (ADN) at a community college and seek completion of their baccalaureate degree follow the TBRN or accelerated (ABSN) option depending on their previous course of study.
The M.S. in Nursing is offered through Extended Learning.
The pre-licensure components of the CSUSM nursing program (traditional and accelerated BSN have been approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN).
All undergraduate nursing programs (traditional, and accelerated BSN have been accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
The Nursing major is an impacted program and more qualified applicants apply than can be accepted into the major. All students desiring to enter the traditional BSN program must submit a supplemental application to the School of Nursing between October 1 and November 30 for the subsequent academic year beginning each Fall semester. In order to meet admission eligibility, students must complete and document all supplemental criteria by the end of the Spring semester prior to the Fall semester in which they are seeking admission. Students will then be rank ordered according to a 7-item point system and selected for admission to the major based on the following supplemental criteria:
Students who graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing will be able to:
High school students are encouraged to take algebra or college preparatory math, Spanish, chemistry and biology. A familiarity with computers is also encouraged.
Admission requirements for the ABSN program are:
The ABSN option is offered through Extended Learning and students are admitted to the self-support special sessions. Students will pay extended education fees for this option.
For the returning RN student, it is anticipated that many of the required general education courses may have been completed at a community college. These students will be required to meet the same mandatory standards either by transferable course work, certification of general education requirements by previous academic institutions, or by completion of general education requirements at CSUSM. These courses will be included in the maximum transfer credit of 70 lower-division units from a community college. Imbedded in these 70 units are 35 units, which will be articulated for lower-division nursing courses from a Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) approved, and regionally accredited, community college nursing program. Some prerequisite and required preparatory courses for the nursing major are also imbedded in the 51 units of required general education courses.
Completion of all courses in the Pre-Nursing Core (or the equivalent) and with no grade lower than a C (2.0) is required for all NURS courses.
Students in the nursing program must carry their own health insurance, pass a physical health examination, and prior to being allowed to enroll in nursing courses are required to be in compliance with immunizations consistent with the requirements of the School of Nursing and the healthcare agencies in which they will be placed for clinical experiences.
Prior to being allowed to enroll in nursing courses students are also required to complete a drug screen and background check including statewide, county, and federal screening. Background checks are also required for persons seeking a nursing license in the state of California. Students who have reason to believe that a background check would reveal a prior misdemeanor or felony conviction should seek to have these matters expunged from their record if possible and/or seek another career path.
Students will be expected to perform or with reasonable accommodations, demonstrate proficiency in specific core performance standards in the following five categories:
The academic advisor for the School of Nursing, working with the Office of Disabled Student Services, will assist students to determine what accommodations will be needed to enable students to meet these standards.
In order to remain in the Nursing program:
The minimum number of units required for the RN-to-BSN option is 120 semester units. A maximum of 70 units can be transferred from the previous nursing program and includes general education, preparation for major courses, and 35 units of lower-division nursing. The number of units needed to be completed may vary depending on units previously completed in a community college. RN-to-BSN students must complete 9 units of upper-division electives and complete the second language requirement. Irrespective of the number of courses previously attempted, RN-to-BSN students will need to complete the following courses or their equivalent(s):