ADMISSION TO THE NURSING MAJOR

Students who are interested in pursuing a baccalaureate degree in Nursing at La Salle University in the ACHIEVE evening/weekend program must first apply for admission to the University. Students must submit a completed Evening and Weekend Program Application for Admission to the Office of Adult Enrollment. An official high school transcript or GED is required of all applicants to the University interested in pursuing a nursing degree; other requirements include official copies of transcripts from colleges or universities attended. College credit may be granted for selected prerequisite courses through CLEP and Excelsior's College Examinations. Admission to the University requires the student to provide a clear state criminal record check for Pennsylvania and the student’s primary state of residence as well as a clear Pennsylvania child abuse check.

In addition, the student is required to submit official scores from a standardized test of English and math ability that has been taken within the past three years of application to the nursing program. If SAT or ACT scores are not current or not available, the student is required to take the National League for Nursing (NLN) pre-entrance R.N. examination. Students must have a composite score, reading comprehension score, and a math ability score all within the average range or admission will be denied. A score at or above the 50th percentile on the NLN Pre-entrance exam in both reading and math is required. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required of any student who is requesting credit evaluation through WES or who has attended secondary school in a foreign country. As clear and effective verbal communication is a necessary ability for a professional nurse to practice safely when caring for patients and when communicating with other interprofessional health care team members, the TOEFL is also required for any student whose primary language is not English and for any student for whom the Admissions and Academic Standards Committee deems a language/communication evaluation is necessary.

Students are admitted to the nursing program for a fall semester cohort at the Main campus or a spring semester cohort for the Bucks County Center. Prior to formal acceptance into the nursing major, all students must be interviewed by the Assistant Director of the Evening/Weekend program who will then present each student’s academic file for review by the undergraduate Nursing Program's Admissions and Academic Standards Committee.  This review does not require a separate application for admission. However, formal acceptance into the clinical courses of the major through this review is required. This review consists of both academic and non-academic requirements, including criteria such as (but not limited to) the student’s overall GPA, science GPA, criminal background and health history. A cleared child abuse check, a cleared criminal record check from the state of Pennsylvania and primary residence state, and a cleared FBI nationwide fingerprint check must be current (i.e., within 6 months of starting the nursing major courses). The Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing reserves the right to deny a professional license to any applicant who has been convicted of a felony or any offense related to the use and sale of alcohol or controlled substances in Pennsylvania or any other state. Other felony convictions and certain misdemeanor offenses may be considered impaired moral character. The determination of whether such conduct constitutes poor moral character is a discretionary matter for the Board of Nursing. Students should contact the Board with questions pertaining to this policy; however, the SBON typically does not address questions related to individual circumstances until once an applicant makes a formal application requesting licensure.

In order to be formally accepted into major and begin nursing clinical courses, the student must have earned the following:

• at least 67 La Salle University credits in the core and pre-requisite courses in the liberal arts and sciences, which include the following: writing (six credits), anatomy and physiology (eight credits), chemistry (four credits), microbiology (four credits), psychology (six credits), nutrition (three credits), sociology (three credits), and statistics (three credits);
• a grade of “C” or higher in Developmental Psychology, Nutrition, and Statistics;
• an overall GPA of 3.0;
• a Science GPA of 3.0, with completion of Chemistry (4cr), Microbiology (4cr), Anatomy & Physiology I (4cr), and Anatomy & Physiology II (4 cr); no individual science course grade may be lower than a “C”; students may only repeat one science one-time in order to achieve the required 3.0 GPA or required minimum course grade.

Students should be aware that the grading system and requirements for a passing grade in the undergraduate nursing program as well as most programs within the School of Nursing and Health Sciences are different than those of the general University. Specific grading scales are published in the SONHS Undergraduate and Graduate Nursing Programs’ Handbook. Additional clinical compliance requirements are needed before a student may attend any clinical experiences. Failure to complete requirements may result in a student being dropped from a clinical course. Any missed clinical time due to non-compliance with clinical requirements will result in clinical make-up time with a fee attached.

Students are permitted to change division one time only during their program of studies in the undergraduate program. This applies to a student who wishes to transfer from the Day Program to the ACHIEVE Program or from the ACHIEVE Program to the Day Program. Students must stay in their original cohort on Main Campus or at the Bucks County Center. Students in the ACHIEVE Program must successfully complete each clinical course each semester and pharmacology before progressing to the next clinical semester in the program of studies. While in the program, students should expect additional expenses such as those for books, uniforms, a clinical laboratory pack, a stethoscope, a watch with a second hand, public transportation or parking, licensure, and NCLEX-RN fees. Access to a car is required for transportation to clinical sites.