Often referred to as “The Y,” Brigham Young University is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Provo, Utah-based institution is the largest religious university in the country, and approximately 99 percent of students belong to the LDS Church. BYU offers a number of academic programs, including law, nursing, mathematical and physical sciences, management, agriculture, engineering and liberal arts. The school is organized into 11 separate schools or colleges at its main Provo campus, and certain colleges define their own standards for admission.
Brigham Young University Accreditation Details
Brigham Young University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. In addition to regional accreditation, BYU’s online nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Accreditation indicates that BYU meets or exceeds criteria for assessing the quality of the school through a peer review process.
Brigham Young University Application Requirements
Students seeking admission into the online RN to BSN program at BYU must first apply to BYU-Idaho. The school will then complete a background check, and students may direct all questions regarding required courses for graduation and transfer credits to the CALS Academic Advising department. Once a student is accepted to BYU-Idaho, he or she may then submit the online RN to BSN application. For fall, winter or spring admission, students must apply by July 1, November 1 or March 1, respectively.
Regardless of the clinical option chosen, students are also required to ensure their immunizations are up-to-date and maintain these immunizations throughout the course of the program via an online immunization tracker.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Students pursuing an online RN to BSN from BYU-Idaho can expect to pay $163 per credit. The program also consists of the following estimated costs: $500 to $600 for textbooks, a $30 vertical credit fee and immunization tracker fees between $21 and $30. The school offers a number of financial aid options, including federal financial aid such as the Pell Grant & Direct Student Loans, Idaho Work Study, scholarships and more. Students may use financial aid for tuition and class fees, living expenses, books and supplies, insurance and other costs associated with obtaining an education.
Although on-campus students are eligible to apply for FAFSA, Pell Grants, federal student loans, BYU-Idaho scholarships and private or outside scholarships, online students are not entitled to BYU-Idaho financial aid. Interested students must first complete the FAFSA or the BYU-Idaho scholarship application before their needs will be considered. In addition, the school offers specific benefits for eligible veterans and their dependants.
Online RN to BSN Degree Available
The online RN to BSN degree program at Brigham Young University is designed to enhance personal and professional development. Students will demonstrate the value of lifelong learning and prepare for a broader scope of practice while also increasing their understanding of issues that influence the delivery of healthcare. The courses required by the university for a student seeking a bachelor’s degree may be completed before, during or after the student takes the RN to BSN courses.
The school requires that students complete a minimum of 120 total credits to earn their bachelor’s degree, and students are advised to complete the online program in either a three- or a six-month semester timeline. Students taking a three-semester sequences can expect to take a professional seminar and Nursing Research in the first semester, Community Nursing and Promoting Health & Wellness in the Aging Adult in the second semester and Nursing Leadership and Advanced Nursing Concepts in the third semester. The Nursing Research prerequisite course can include a statistics class.
Students must also complete Vertical Escrow Credits, which is a block of credit granted after the application is approved. In other words, it is not a specific course but worth six credit hours that the student may apply towards his or her degree.
The six-semester sequence is broken down in a similar way, except students will take one course per semester in the following order: Professional Seminar, Nursing Research, Promoting Health & Wellness in the Aging Adult, Community Nursing, Advanced Nursing Concepts and Nursing Leadership.
In order to earn an online RN to BSN degree at Brigham Young University, students are also required to complete a clinical project consisting of four courses. First, students must participate in Promoting Health & Wellness in the Aging Adult, which includes experience-based activities to satisfy the 20-hour requirement. As part of the coursework, students will also be presented with the chance to organize, advertise and teach classes with older adults, including family members 60 years of age or older in their communities throughout the semester. At the conclusion of the semester, students will have the experience necessary to teach two older adults who were identified from a needs interview assessment analysis.
Second, students will complete clinicals through two projects. The first includes a scholarly paper, health presentation, PowerPoint and brochure, and the second involves a family assessment project. The third clinical course, Advanced Nursing Concepts, is broken up into three distinct parts, including 12 hours of “Give Back,” 48 hours of project research and work, including web-based RN education, and 24 hours of planning and implementing a virtual health fair clinical project.
Finally, the Nursing Leadership clinical must be completed as either a preceptorship or a project. The clinical requirement for this course consists of the student choosing a project without or with a preceptor in management and leadership. Ideally, the project should include 84 hours, and the total clinical time includes all work coordinating and completing the project, two pre-clinical assignments and, ultimately, the creation of the final presentation or reflection.
In addition to the RN to BSN courses, students must also take Pathophysiology, The Teachings & Doctrine of the Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ & the Everlasting Gospel, Foundations of the Restoration and The Eternal Family. Upon completion of the online RN to BSN program, students will have developed the ability to think critically and with evidence in order to provide safe, quality, patient-centered care. Students will develop their professional identities through healthcare policy, ethical,legal, technological and leadership considerations.
Graduates of the online RN to BSN program at Brigham Young University will also demonstrate respect while advocating for diverse populations, families and patients while also demonstrating Christ-centered care and a commitment to lifelong learning.
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