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Deadlines for Applicants and Transfers

• Freshman Applicants — To ensure there's an available spot and you're meeting any program-specific deadlines, applications must be received by Nov. 15.
• External Transfers — Deadline for transfer is March 1. If you're currently attending, or you have earned credits after high school, at a regionally accredited college or university, you can apply to the BSN program. Transfer application. Final decisions will be made around mid-May by the Department of Nursing. The nursing program is very competitive, so space is limited.
• Internal Transfers/Change of Major — Deadline for transfer is April 1. To be considered, students must complete the Internal Transfer Student Application. Transfers are based on seat availability, pre-requisites met and GPA. Completed application should be returned to Tammy Detterbeck for processing.

All deadlines are based on the qualifications of the candidate and seat availability. Decisions are not made on a rolling basis for nursing, unlike other undergraduate programs.

The Nursing curriculum at Commonwealth University includes a strong background in the sciences and algebra. It will also allow you to develop very high reading comprehension skills and a strong work ethic. You'll enjoy high success on the NCLEX examination, a strong placement rate and opportunity for continuation of graduate studies after initial work experiences.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) recipients are eligible to take the NCLEX licensure examination administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

As a nursing major, you'll take courses in psychology, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, physiological chemistry, statistics, composition, communication, and choose from sociology or cultural anthropology. Professional courses for "generic students" include professional nursing, nutrition, pharmacology, foundations of nursing practice, health assessment, pathophysiology for nursing practice, nursing research, pediatric nursing, adult health, obstetrics and newborn nursing, population health nursing, mental health nursing, and leadership principles in nursing practice. You'll work with your adviser to complete the B.S.N. curriculum with elective courses that support your personal interests and career goals.

*Students must assume responsibility for their own travel to both inpatient and outpatient/community clinical agencies at the beginning of the sophomore year through senior year. Travel may vary from one mile to approximately 60 miles, depending on the nature of clinical experiences.

BSN - Degree Requirements

Note: Degree requirements effective for enrolled students beginning Fall 2023. All enrolled students, including matriculating students prior to Fall 2023, can review their degree program requirements and track progress to degree completion with our degree audit and advisement tool, .

Students spend their first two years at the Mansfield main campus completing general education and introductory nursing courses. The last two years of the program are completed in Sayre, Pennsylvania at the Guthrie-Mansfield Education Center. Students have the opportunity to learn in regional medical centers and community settings, such as long-term care facilities, public schools, correctional facilities, and occupational, mental health, pediatric, and other outpatient clinics. Students also have clinical experiences in home health, hospice, and public health agencies.

• Integrate, translate, and apply established and evolving theoretical and empirical professional nursing knowledge and ways of knowing, including a foundation in the arts, sciences, and humanities.
• Demonstrate and apply person- and family-centered, evidence-based, and respectful nursing care by employing clinical judgment and problem-solving skills that meet the needs of individuals, families, and communities using a compassionate, holistic approach across the lifespan.
• Integrate traditional and nontraditional community resources, including industry, academia, and local government entities to provide equitable and inclusive care across the healthcare delivery continuum to prevent disease and injury, account for social influences on health, improve health outcomes and promote wellness among individuals, families, groups, and communities to improve population health outcomes. 
• Critically appraise, translate, apply and disseminate nursing knowledge to improve health care outcomes for diverse patient populations.
• Incorporate established and emerging quality improvement and safety science that minimizes risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
• Apply core professional nursing values to intentionally collaborate and effectively communicate with patients, families, communities, other stakeholders, and the health care team to optimize care, enhance the healthcare experience, and strengthen outcomes.
• Coordinate resources effectively in complex health care systems (micro, meso, and macro) to provide safe, quality, and equitable care to diverse populations.
• Use information and communication technologies and informatics processes to manage and improve the delivery of safe, high-quality nursing care, gathering data and information related to health care services and evidence-based practice in accordance with best practice and professional and regulatory standards.
• Demonstrate accountability, perspective, collaborative disposition, and comportment in the development of a sustainable professional nursing identity that reflects the values and characteristics of nursing practice.
• Participates in activities and self-reflection that fosters professionalism, personal health, resilience, and well-being, contributes to lifelong learning, and supports the acquisition of nursing expertise and the assertion of leadership.

Commonwealth University’s Simulated Learning Lab’s (SLL) purpose is to provide our nursing students with a safe and controlled environment to learn and practice the skills necessary to excel not only during their clinical experiences at CU but throughout their nursing careers. The SLL, located on each campus, is equipped with hospital beds, various injection and task trainer models, numerous manikins of differing fidelities from newborn to adult, and computerized medication dispensing systems.

Students have access to a computer program that allows for practice in reading and documenting in an electronic medical record during simulated clinical scenarios. Students engage in skills demonstrations, practice sessions, and clinical simulations during their sophomore, junior, and senior years. 

Skills Testing

Demonstrations of select, course specific skills are provided at the sophomore and part of the junior years. As the student progresses in their junior and through their senior year, skills will transition to independent learning. Students are required to complete readings within their skills book, watch assigned videos, and take an online quiz prior to most skills demonstrations. Students will then have free time throughout the week to practice prior to a designated testing time.

Students are responsible for reviewing the BSN handbook and D2L Brightspace for specific requirements related to dress, lab coats, and nurse packs when coming to the SLL for practice or demonstration. While the SLL remains a safe place to learn and make mistakes, point reduction policies are in place in order to foster student accountability, professional behaviors, and efficient use of SLL resources.

Simulation

As part of the clinical curricular thread, undergraduate students complete simulated clinical scenarios during their sophomore, junior, and senior years.

Through the use of medium and high-fidelity manikins, and in some cases the use of standardized patients, pairs of students’ complete cases that include acute and chronic med-surg conditions, home health, school health, and prison or occupational nursing. Simulations are created around the psychomotor skills learned within the lab. The objective of simulation is to critically think about these acquired skills in order to safely apply them to their ‘patient’ in a safe and controlled setting. This process grows confidence in the nursing student as they continue and progress in a live clinical setting. Students will be provided with background information on their scenario prior to their simulation experience and will take part in a debriefing exercise following simulation.

SLL Resources

Nursing students may borrow various resources from the SLL including posters and models for health fairs, blood pressure cuffs, and various other client education materials for teaching projects. Additionally, nursing students have access to current course textbooks and small meeting rooms for group projects.

If you are currently enrolled at any of our Commonwealth University campus locations and are requesting to change your major to Nursing (BSN) please complete the following steps: 

Internal Transfers/Change of Major — Deadline for transfer is April 1. To be considered, students must complete the Internal Transfer Student Application. Transfers are based on seat availability, pre-requisites met and GPA. Completed application should be returned to Tammy Detterbeck for processing.