What does a nurse do?
Registered nurses with a BSN degree are probably the nurses that you think about first. These are the nurses typically caring for patients on the floor in a hospital or taking your vitals in the physician’s office. Their training is broad, allowing them to move easily between different departments in a hospital (e.g., begin in emergency room, transfer to surgery, transfer to neonatal intensive care). If you choose to gain graduate school training, the nurse practitioner is probably the most popular option. A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse who has advanced academic and clinical experience, which allows for diagnosis and management of most common illnesses, either independently or as part of a health care team. Most nurse practitioners have earned a MSN (some have a Doctorate) and may prescribe medications in most states. Nurse practitioners focus primarily on health maintenance, disease prevention, counseling and patient education. Nurse practitioners can specialize in neonatology, midwifery, pediatrics, school health, family and adult health, women’s health, mental health, home care, geriatrics, or acute care. The advanced nursing degrees also qualify you for a career in Forensic Nursing, Health Systems Management, Public Health Nursing, or for work as a Clinical Nurse Specialist. The current demand for nurses is overwhelming, providing both career choices and job security. While Wittenberg does not have its own school of nursing, we provide a liberal arts foundation and outstanding professional opportunities for our students via cooperative arrangements with two nationally ranked nursing programs.
How can I become a nurse, and which nursing degree will best meet my professional needs?
The current demand for nurses is overwhelming, providing both career choices and job security. There are a variety of degrees available to the student interested in nursing, and it is important that you take the time to understand the differences between the degrees and decide which one is best for your professional interests. The BSN degree would be a second Bachelor’s degree for Wittenberg students, and qualifies you to take the licensing exam and then become a registered nurse who might work in a hospital, physician’s office, or home health care. The Master’s or Doctorate degrees qualify you for a career as a Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Public Health Nurse, or to work in Health Systems Management depending on which track you choose in the graduate school program. These advanced degrees give you more autonomy and make it easier for you to open your open practice or move up quickly into a management position. The doctoral degree in particular would also qualify you to teach in a nursing school should you desire.
Most Wittenberg students enter one of two types of nursing programs after graduating from Wittenberg (if they don’t participate in the cooperative programs with Case Western Reserve): entry level Master’s programs or accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs. The entry level Master’s program is typically 3 years, and intended for college graduates who do not have a degree in nursing. During the program, you will take the licensing examination to become a registered nurse (RN), and gain graduate level training in nursing.
The accelerated BSN programs are also intended for college graduates who do not have a degree in nursing. These programs are typically 12-15 months long, and provide the necessary coursework and training to pass the licensure examination to become a RN. Students who receive this degree can work as a nurse in a clinic or hospital.
What cooperative programs do you have with nursing schools and how do I qualify?
Case Western Reserve University Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing
Wittenberg has a 3-4 program with Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing (their Senior Year Students in Professional Studies (SYPS) Option). Case Western Reserve University’s School of Nursing has also been consistently ranked as one of the top nursing schools in the country (current rank is #1 in Ohio, #15 in Overall graduate programs). Students complete the general education program and a significant number of courses in the Biology major, including the prerequisite courses for Case Western Reserve University’s School of Nursing. Wittenberg offers all courses required for admission to this program. Students then apply to Case during their junior year. Wittenberg students are given preferential consideration, although admission is not guaranteed. After the first two years at Case, students must pass the national licensing exam for nursing (NLEX-RN). Upon completing four years of nursing courses at Case, students receive their Doctor of Nursing (ND). An interesting feature of this program is the required research component, involving six to twelve months of clinical research. Students use their research findings to complete their doctoral thesis.
Prerequisite courses taken at Wittenberg:
Additional requirements:
What major should I pursue at Wittenberg if I am interested in nursing?
What major should I pursue at Wittenberg if I am interested in nursing?
You can choose any of Wittenberg’s 20+ majors if you apply to an entry level Master’s program or an accelerated BSN nursing program as long as you take the prerequisite courses required by the schools to which you apply. As far as the nursing schools are concerned, they do not put much emphasis on whether you graduate with a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree – that choice is yours. Look at the prerequisite requirements for the nursing schools that you are interested in and the degree requirements for your major to determine which degree is the best match for you.
If you are applying to one of Wittenberg’s cooperative programs in nursing with Case Western Reserve, your choices are more limited because courses from your first year in nursing school are transferred back to Wittenberg to complete your major requirements. At this point, the only department accepting courses from these programs is Biology.
University requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in Biology when participating in the 3-4 program with Case Western:
Biology department requirements:
Required cognates:
Do I need to have medically related hours when applying to nursing schools?
Yes. Most nursing programs do not have specific minimum requirements for number of paid or volunteer hours spent with a nurse, but they appreciate your efforts to gain a more hands-on understanding of the field. Volunteering for 2-3 hours each week during the semester demonstrates to the schools your loyalty and commitment to the profession at a time when they know you are already busy.
Is it important that I participate in extracurricular activities while at Wittenberg?
Yes. While the schools do not require a specific number of extracurricular activities or leadership positions, they look for both in your application materials. They consider how many years you spent with each organization and how involved you appear to be with each one (e.g., leadership roles). The schools use your experiences in this area to better understand your ability to socially interact with others, your leadership potential, and your time management skills. They seek to recruit well-rounded individuals who can successfully balance a heavy academic load with medically related experience and extracurricular activities. If successful, they infer that you will rise to the challenge of their academic program when you have fewer non-academic commitments.
How can I locate the nursing program that is best for me?
Start early. The nursing schools have not agreed on one standard set of prerequisite requirements. Therefore, students should start looking at 8-10 schools of potential interest to them before registering for classes in the spring of their SOPHOMORE YEAR. The courses listed above are common to many nursing schools, but there may be additional requirements for the schools you are interested in as prerequisites vary widely from one program to another.
Do research. Go to the schools’ websites and make a table of courses required, average GPA of their incoming class, and number of hours in a medical setting (if any). These will give you some idea of where you need to be academically when you graduate from Wittenberg, and the courses you need to take inside your major and in the general education program to make you a good candidate for that particular set of nursing schools. Schools consider both your science GPA and your cumulative GPA, so it is not wise to prioritize your grades in science courses over those taken for your general education requirements.
Summarize your findings. Create a sample table of school information assuming all want general biology and general chemistry. Add a column for each different course as you encounter them as prerequisites at your schools of interest.
|
Human A&P |
Micro |
Nutrition |
Psych |
Soci |
O Chem I |
Average GPA |
Medical hours |
|
|
School 1 |
X |
X |
X |
X |
||||
|
School 2 |
X |
X |
X |
X |
||||
|
School 3 |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Evaluate your findings. Match your cumulative GPA and GRE scores with the averages for last incoming class at each school. Read all web pages for associated hospitals/medical centers that have a specialty that interests you. Look for data that report on the percentage of students that have passed the board exams.
Always apply to the school(s) in the state where your parents are living and paying taxes. You have the best chance to get into the public school in that state, and the tuition at your in-state school is much less than at a private or out-of-state public school. Apply to the public and/or private nursing schools in your home state.Regardless of which type of program you choose, consider applying to between 3 and 7 nursing schools.
How and when should I apply to nursing schools?
Do I need to go through the Pre-Health Professions Committee when applying?
No. Nursing schools do not require its applicants to have a composite letter of evaluation that is generated by Wittenberg’s Pre-Health Professions committee. Instead, you will usually be required to have three letters of evaluation submitted directly to the schools on your behalf. When choosing your evaluators, consider asking at least one nurse and one faculty member, but be sure to follow the specific directions for each school to which you apply.
Do I need to coordinate my applications through a service?
No. There is no central application service for applying to nursing schools. You must request and fill out separate applications for each nursing school to which you apply.
What is the General Record Exam (GRE)?
The General GRE is a test taken by students wishing to pursue a graduate degree in many professions including nursing and is typically taken at the end of your junior year. It is not a test based on specific courses that you have taken in college, but rather is a test of general knowledge and aptitude. While it is not linked with specific college courses, the General GRE is difficult, and you should consider studying for it well in advance of taking the test. The verbal section is particularly difficult as they assume that you have continued to learn new vocabulary throughout your college career. It may be taken as many times as you like, but has a mandatory wait period before it may be retaken. The General GRE is a computerized test that can be taken year round at testing centers in Athens, Centerville, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Stowe, and Toledo, Ohio.
The General GRE is approximately 3 hours in length and contains three sections:
For more information on the GRE, visit the GRE Web site at http://www.gre.org or call 1-800-GRE-CALL.
Which nursing schools have Wittenberg students been accepted to in the last 10 years?
