RN - Advanced Placement Program

Registered Nurses with either an Associate Degree or Diploma in Nursing may be admitted to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree Program and be given advanced placement. Advanced placement will be granted according to the option selected by the student as described in the Iowa articulation plan for registered nurses wising to obtain the B.S.N. degree. Students should discuss these options with an admission counselor and a nursing faculty advisor before deciding on a specific option. Depending upon the amount of previous credit transferred, R.N. students will need 10 or more course credits in the program to meet requirements for graduation. The student must also meet the college residency requirement.

RN Advanced Placement Admission Policy

*To be eligible for admission to the Department of Nursing and to enroll in the Senior Level Clinical Nursing courses, the student must:

  1. File an application for admission by December 1 for Spring Term admission and by August 1 for Fall Term admission.
  2. Have satisfactorily (C or higher) completed the following required supporting courses:

    Organic and Biochemistry
    Anatomy
    Physiology
    Microbiology
    Introductory Sociology
    Introductory Psychology
    English Composition
    English or a related humanities course

  3. Coe College participates in the Iowa Articulation Plan therefore students may choose one of three options to obtain advanced placement in the nursing program. Students must visit with a member of the Nursing Faculty for details and to determine appropriate option.

    Option 1: Direct transfer of credit for ADN and Diploma graduates of validated Iowa schools.
    Option 2: Standardized Regents Exam for ADN and Diploma graduates from any state. Students have two attempts to pass the Regents Exam; if unsuccessful after two attempts, they must take the corresponding required course(s).Students who pass the Regents Exams will receive 8cc academic credit towards their BSN degree
    Option 3: Validation of credit for ADN and Diploma graduates from any state. Credit granted upon successful completion (C or better) of NUR-405 Managing Risk and Risk Assessment.

  4. Achieve a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.7 or above. Students with a GPA lower than 2.7 may be considered for admission on a space available basis.
  5. If students are accepted into the Nursing Program, but do not enroll in nursing courses in the semester following admission, they must reapply to the Nursing Department in writing according to the deadlines stated in #1.
  6. Provide documentation of licensure as a Registered Nurse in the state of Iowa. Exceptions will be made for V.A. employees who are students in the program and who do their clinicals in a V.A. facility.
  7. All RN students are required to take the following nursing courses:

    NUR 365 Pathophysiology and the Nursing Process
    NUR 405 Managing Risk and Risk Assessment in Health and Disease
    NUR 425 Nursing Research
    NUR 455/450 Leadership & Contemporary Issues and Clinical Application
    Three nursing electives
  8. Additional electives will vary, 5-8 credits are required to meet residency requirements.

Program Requirements

RN students must satisfactorily complete:

  1. NUR-365 Pathophysiology and Nursing Process before enrolling in the senior-level clinical nursing courses
  2. NUR-405 Managing Risk and Risk Assessment in Health and Disease
  3. NUR-425 Nursing Research
  4. Minimum of three nursing electives (choose from the following courses):
    • NUR-135 Human Sexuality
    • NUR-155 Cultural Aspects of Health Care
    • NUR-255 Topics in Health Care
    • NUR-245 Women's Health and Health Care Issues
    • NUR-385 Alternative Therapies for Health and Healing
    • NUR-215 Developing Relationships: Opportunities for Growth
    • NUR-375 Ethical Issues in Health Care
  5. A minimum of three electives on campus, one of which must be:
    • PSY-215 Statistical Methods in the Behavioral Sciences
    • OR
    • STA-200 Statistical Reasoning I- Statistical Foundations
    • And
    • STA-210 Statistical Reasoning IIA-Inferential Statistics
  6. A letter of intent to enter senior-level clinical nursing courses must be filed with the Department of Nursing prior to entrance into the degree program.
  7. The folowing senior-level clinical nursing course:
    • NUR-455 Leadership and Contemporary Issues in Nursing and Clinical Application 2 course credits