The Mark and Huldah Buntain College of Nursing at Northwest University graduates scholarly professional nurses who practice from a uniquely Christian worldview and are dedicated to helping all human beings in pursuit of holistic health. Life-long professional learning is a hallmark indicating the quality and excellence required of all nurses. It begins as the learner enters nursing, and remains a strategic force throughout the nurse’s lifetime of professional practice.

BSN Program at Northwest University

The Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN) program is a track of the Mark and Huldah Buntain College of Nursing prelicensure BSN program that allows licensed registered nurses who have completed their associate degree to complete the academic and clinical practice experience requirements for a baccalaureate degree in nursing. The RN-BSN curriculum is based on the core courses, essential curricular concepts, and contextual themes in the prelicensure BSN program. At the completion of the RN-BSN program, learners are able to achieve the BSN graduate nursing program outcomes.

Nursing Program Outcomes

Graduates are able to

1. Integrate Christian faith into professional nursing practice to serve individuals, families, and populations.
2. Plan compassionate and culturally sensitive care with the guiding principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
3. Apply clinical judgement to deliver safe person-centered care across the lifespan and health-illness continuum.
4. Utilize patient care technologies and informatic processes to deliver quality, safe, and effective nursing care.
5. Integrate evidence-based practice and scholarly inquiry into clinical decisions for quality patient care.
6. Practice leadership behaviors, ethical decision making, and communication skills in collaboration with interprofessional teams.
7. Articulate problems in complex healthcare systems to contribute to a culture of safety.
8. Examine solutions for population health within the frameworks of health promotion, policy, and health systems.
9. Create a professional identity inclusive of personal well-being, professional growth, and career-long learning.

RN-BSN Online Program Design

Seamless Advancement

Total credits for the RN-BSN online program are commensurate with the pre-licensure BSN program. Transfer credits are allowed per Northwest University policies in coordination with:

• Commission on Collegiate Nurse Education (CCNE) accreditation requirements
• Council on Nursing Education in Washington State (CNEWS) has formulated policies to streamline navigation through advanced and higher education for professional nurses in this State. ) The Associate in Nursing Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) is a pathway that allows students to complete nursing prerequisites, general education requirements and their pre-licensure RN study at a community/technical college. Graduates of this degree may then apply for transfer to a college/university that offers a post-licensure RN-to-BSN program.
• RN graduates from Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) programs can transfer up to 60 semester (90 quarter) credits of lower division (LD) credits including all of prior nursing courses. RN graduates from diploma programs who have accredited college/university credits are evaluated separately according to their individual programs for up to 60 semester (90 quarter) LD credits; the credit transfer may or may not include nursing classes.
• All RNs educated outside of the United States are required to have formal nursing and post high school level education transcripts evaluated by foreign transcript evaluation services to determine acceptable transfer credits.
• The nurse’s current state RN license attests to his/her legal right to practice and is awarded 30 credits in the DTA experiential credits category.
• Complete 30 upper division nursing credits for the RN-BSN Online Program at Northwest University.

Motivational Commitment

• Establish a personal Contract of Study, using self-assessment and description of why he/she is pursuing higher education in nursing, the expected outcomes by engaging in an online program at Northwest University, and possible future plans to pursue a masters’ and/or doctoral education.
• Identify support systems already in place to aid the learner through a rigorous program of professional studies, back-up plans for stressful periods of greater than anticipated course work/study, and the ultimate support systems that must be considered in personal and/or family emergencies that may require delays or stop-outs in the student’s course of studies.

Engaged-Collaborative Learning 

• Actively engage throughout the Online Program via assignments, discussion boards/forums, collaborative projects and papers, and critique of class colleagues’ work.
• Exhibit a high degree of flexibility to maintain optimum involvement with mobile technology, potentially different time zones, self-prepared preceptorships and practice environments, and time-zone-specific deadlines for course assignments.
• Responsively and reliably communicate with a nursing faculty course mentor.
• Constructively collaborate with duo/triad study partners for selected assignments/projects as determined by course faculty.

Applicants’ Experiential Practice and RN Licensure Requirements

Nursing faculty will have on-going participation in assessing compliance with the following standards:

1. Associate degree in nursing, diploma in nursing, or an international nursing education. 
2. Clinical RN nursing practice is current within two (2) years of applying for the RN-BSN Online Program.
3. A current and unencumbered RN license in Washington, Oregon, Montana, or Alaska.

Program Practice Experience Requirements

Clinical opportunities in the nursing program require applicants to submit the following records to an online data collection service.

1. Health history and physical examination that includes immunization, vaccination documentation, and titer levels, conducted and signed by a licensed healthcare practitioner.
2. Immunizations

• DPT series and any subsequent Boosters.
  • One booster after age 19 must be a Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis) vaccine.
• Hepatitis B series & proof of positive titer
• MMR series or proof of positive titer
• Varicella series or proof of positive titer
• Influenza (annual requirement)
• COVID-19

3. Annual two-step testing for TB (TST or TB IGRA).
4. Current AHA healthcare provider-level CPR card.
5. National background check, OIG, GSA, and Washington State Patrol Criminal Background Check is required.
6. Proof of health insurance.
7. Proof of malpractice and liability insurance.
8. RN license.
9. Students may be required to undergo drug screening and/or fingerprinting for selected agencies as a prerequisite to practice experiences. It is the student’s responsibility to pay for this screening.