Description

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is a bachelor-level, workforce-oriented program that prepares students for a high-value career as a bachelor’s-prepared, licensed nurse. As part of the BSN Community College Collaborative, this program is intended for licensed nurses who hold an associate degree in nursing. This program combines lower-division foundational courses with upper-division baccalaureate-level coursework. Building upon the knowledge and skills acquired in an Associate of Science in Nursing (RN) degree, the BSN curriculum focuses on advanced nursing practices. Students develop critical competencies such as applying evidence-based knowledge, evaluating scientific research in patient-centered care, analyzing interdisciplinary healthcare approaches, utilizing informatics and communication technologies, and cultivating a sustainable professional identity. 

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Generate nursing knowledge integration and translation, defined as the process of communicating, combining, and applying established and evolving knowledge, to make clinical judgments and innovate nursing practice.
2. Evaluate the scientific body of knowledge regarding patient-centered care focusing on the individuals’ whole person, including physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs providing respectful and compassionate care.
3. Participate in population health to improve health for everyone, not just the sick, using a collaborative approach that includes public health, health care, and other organizations generating equitable health outcomes for all.
4. Generate, synthesize, translate, apply and disseminate nursing knowledge to improve health and transform health care.
5. Evaluate established and emerging principles of safety and improvement science to enhance quality and minimize risk of harm to patients and providers.
6. Analyze collaborations across professions and with care team members, patients, families, communities, and other stakeholders to optimize care, enhance the healthcare experience, and strengthen outcomes.
7. Respond to and lead within complex systems of healthcare to effectively and proactively coordinate resources to provide safe, quality and equitable care to diverse populations.
8. Analyze information and communication technology (ICT) and informatics to provide care, gather data, make decisions, and support healthcare professionals.
9. Create a sustainable professional identity by being accountable, open-minded, collaborative, and professional reflecting on values and characteristics of the professional nurse role.
10. Engage in activities and self-reflection that foster personal health, resilience, and well-being contributing to life-long learning, and supporting the acquisition of nursing expertise and assertion of leadership.

Entrance requirements

To be eligible for admission to the BSN, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:  

• Complete an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) or Associate of Science (AS) in Nursing by the fall term of admission.  
• Hold an unencumbered RN license by the end of the first term of the program. 

Selection Process

Admission into the BSN is lottery-based, with priority given to in-district residents.  

Step 1: Lottery Grouping  

In-District Applicants are placed in the first lottery group and receive priority consideration. The OCCC District consists of all of Lincoln County.

Out-of-District Applicants are placed in a secondary lottery pool and will only be considered if seats remain unfilled by in-district applicants.  

Step 2: Seat Offers  

Seven (7) seats will be offered from each college in the consortium for a cohort of 42, and communication will be sent via email.  

If fewer than seven in-district applicants apply or accept, remaining seats will be filled from the out-of-district pool using the same lottery process. 

Additional Costs (Beyond Standard Tuition/Fees and Textbooks)

• Cost of a background check and drug screen the term prior to Capstone.
• Maintaining current AHA BLS certification. 
• Immunizations if applicable. 

Course Requirements

¹

• Must be 100-level or higher courses
• Recommended subjects include: Science, Behavioral & Social Science, Nutrition, Human Development, and Health & Human Performance, Math, Writing, and Communications, or health-related CTE programs
• Lower or upper division courses can be counted
• Must pass with a C or better

Advising Notes

As part of a one-of-a-kind state-wide consortium called the Bachelor of Science: Nursing Community College Collaborative (BSNCCC), COCC’s RN to BSN program is designed for registered nurses who already hold an associate degree in Nursing and are licensed RNs by the end of the first term. The BSN degree is designed to be offered as a cohort program with students progressing through the coursework in 15 months of continuous attendance. The course schedule meets the needs of working adults through online coursework while finishing the program with an in-person capstone experience right here in their home community.  The Capstone clinical experience will be in one of three clinical practice settings in the students’ community: palliative care, underserved and vulnerable populations, and nursing administration and management 

Performance Standards

• Academic Requirements:
  • All courses in the program must be completed with a grade of C or higher.
  • Students must have a 2.0 cumulative GPA to earn a COCC certificate or degree.
• Additional Requirements:
  • To be admitted, students must already have received an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) or Associate of Science (AS) in Nursing.
  • Students must have an unencumbered, Oregon-issued RN license by the end of the first quarter of this program. 
  • To complete the program, students must have a minimum of 180 credits total: counting credits from both the AAS or AS in Nursing, and their BSN credits.