Nursing: B.S.N.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to B.S.N.) degree program at Empire State University is a 124-credit program designed for registered nurses (RN) looking to advance their leadership capabilities and advance their career in healthcare settings.

The B.S.N. degree program includes a set of required courses that all students must take, along with SUNY General Education and other academic requirements, in order to be eligible to receive a degree. The required courses for the B.S.N. can be found on the “Program Details” tab. Students should speak with their mentor to see if any credit earned through Individualized Credit for Prior Learning (iCPL) or Professional Learning Evaluation (PLE) might fulfill these course requirements. Courses are offered online, through independent studies, or through a blended approach. 

RN To BSN Program Admission Requirements

  • An admissions application.
  • An active, unencumbered New York state RN license.
  • An associate degree or diploma from an accredited nursing program.

Program Details

The RN to BSN program requires a total of 124 credits completed through a combination of nursing component requirements, transfer credits and credits earned by meeting Empire State University general learning requirements.

This upper-division nursing program includes online courses and two, community-based, precepted experiences. Most students enroll on a part-time basis and complete the program in as little as three terms.*

Students should be prepared to spend approximately the following hours per week (reading, research, discussions, and writing) in a 4-credit hour course:

  • 8-week course – 22.5 hours per week
  • 15-week course – 12 hours per week
    Nursing Component
    Core
    NURS 3005Transition to Baccalaureate Nursing4
    NURS 3010Health Assessment4
    NURS 3015Pharmacology4
    NURS 3020Nursing Informatics4
    NURS 3025Nursing Research4
    NURS 4005Health Care Delivery Systems & Policy4
    NURS 4010Leadership and Management4
    NURS 4015Population and Community Health Nursing4
    NURS 4020Baccalaureate Nursing Capstone (This requirement may not be met via of transfer credit or prior learning assessment.)5
    Elective Requirement
    Examples of nursing courses that can be used to meet the elective requirement are:4
    NURS 3035
    		Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Global Health
    NURS 3040
    		Foundations of Palliative Care
    More than 50 online courses have been approved by the nursing faculty to meet the elective requirement.
    In addition, the following professional certifications also have been approved to meet the elective requirement:
    AACN Certification Corporation: Certification for Adult Critical Care Nurses (CCRN Adult)
    AACN Certification Corporation: Certification for Neonatal Critical Care Nurse (CCRN Neonatal)
    AACN Certification Corporation: Certification for Pediatric Critical Care Nurses (CCRN Pediatric)
    AACN Certification Corporation: Certification for Progressive Care Nurses (PCCN)
    American Board of Neuroscience Nursing (ABNN): Certified Neuroscience Registered Nurse (CNRN) 3
    American Board of Perianesthesia Nursing Certification: Certified Ambulatory Perianesthesia Nurse (CAPA)
    American Board of Perianesthesia Nursing Certification: Certified Post Anesthesia Nurse (CPAN)
    American Board of Wound Management (ABWM): Certified Wound Specialist (CWS)
    American Heart Association (ACLS)
    American Heart Association (PALS)
    American Nurses Credentialing Center: Certified Gerontological (ADN) Nurse
    American Nurses Credentialing Center: Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Generalist
    Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing: Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN)
    Competency and Credentialing Institute: Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR)
    Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board: Certified MedicalSurgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN)
    National Board for Cert of Hospice and Palliative Nurses: Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN)
    Nursing Case Management Certification (ANCC)
    Oncology Nursing Certifications Corporation (ONCC): Certified Breast Care Nurse (CBNC)
    Pediatric Nursing Certification Board: Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN)
    Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse Cert Board: Certified Continence Care Nurse (CCCN)
    Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse Cert Board: Certified Ostomy Care Nurse (COCN)
    Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse Cert Board: Certified Wound Care Nurse (CWCN)
    General Learning Component
    The remaining 83 credits are obtained via the transfer of credits and by completing SUNY Empire State College general learning requirements. Students are required to meet all of the SUNY undergraduate General Education Requirements outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog. 83
    Total Credits124

*based on required individual degree planning

RN to BSN Clinical Practicum Experiences

The clinical practicum experience requirements are embedded into the Population and Community Health Nursing (NURS 4015) and Baccalaureate Nursing Capstone (NURS 4020) courses. These clinical practicum experiences are designed to meet both predetermined and personal course learning objectives. Students arrange each clinical practicum experience with a chosen preceptor within their own community, under the guidance of the clinical coordinator and lead faculty member.

The clinical courses require advanced planning in order to integrate the clinical practicum experiences and coursework into current employment and family schedules. It is recommended that students begin the planning process at least six months before course registration. Students initiate the planning process by contacting the clinical coordinator to receive instructions on how to upload their clinical paperwork into an online secure database for lead faculty review and approval.

These courses are completed near the end of the program and are offered during the fall, spring, and summer terms. Clinical practicum requests are due by June 1 for a fall clinical experience, October 1 for a spring clinical experience, and February 1 for a summer clinical experience

Guidelines for Clinical Practicum Experiences

The Population and Community Health Nursing course requires 45 direct practicum experience hours working with a preceptor in a community-based setting. This course focuses on community health nursing and involves viewing populations and aggregates as the client. Some examples are entire communities within a geographic region, migrant workers, teen parents, older adults, veterans, children with special needs, etc. Some examples of appropriate settings include a public health agency, school, community hospice, parish nurse program, or outpatient clinic with community outreach programs.

For the community health experience, the preceptor must be an experienced RN with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in nursing or a licensed professional from another health care discipline, such as a physician or social worker.

The Baccalaureate Nursing Capstone course requires 90 direct practicum experience hours with a nurse preceptor in a leadership position. This is a nursing leadership course with four specialty tracks: administration, clinical practice, education, and informatics. Students choose practicum sites based on their area of interest. Examples of appropriate settings include a hospital, long term care facility, college, medical office, or hospice. Community settings also may be utilized as long as the experience focuses on leadership.

For the capstone experience, the preceptor must be an experienced RN in a leadership role with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in nursing. 

Professional Expectations

The nursing program prepares nurses to function as professional nurses. In completing their academic program, nursing students come into direct contact with health agency staff and patients as part of their clinical practicum experience. SUNY Empire has an obligation to protect patients and staff; cannot tolerate student behavior that exploits, endangers, compromises or threatens the welfare, safety or rights of staff and patients. SUNY Empire expects students to demonstrate a set of values and attitudes consistent with the highest professional standards, and to comply with professional nursing standards and institutional codes of conduct. 

As noted by the American Nurses Association (ANA) (2021) in Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice, 4th ed; the standards of professional performance describe a competent level of behavior in the professional role, including activities related to: nursing process, care coordination, health teaching, health promotion, ethics, advocacy, respectful and equitable practice, communication, collaboration, leadership, education, scholarly inquiry, quality of practice, professional practice evaluation, resource stewardship, and environmental health. All registered nurses are expected to engage in professional role activities, including leadership, appropriate to their education and position. Registered nurses are accountable for their professional actions to themselves, their health care consumers, their peers, and ultimately to society.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Integrate knowledge from nursing, liberal arts, natural, and social sciences to provide person-centered care to a diversity of populations
  2. Utilize communication strategies to promote interprofessional collaboration and culturally responsive care.
  3. Apply informatics and healthcare technologies for the delivery of safe, evidence-based, quality nursing care.
  4. Demonstrate leadership skills to drive policy change, achieve shared goals, and ensure high-quality care.
  5. Participate in system wide initiatives to reduce health disparities and promote access to community resources.
  6. . Engage in ongoing personal and professional development while upholding ethical and legal standards of nursing practice