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School of Nursing

Michaelynn Paul, Interim Dean; Margaret Carman, Shelley Franco, Christina Lee, Deanna Ludwig-Bos, Michelle MacLachlan, Leasha Simafranca, Karen Tetz, Victoria Wilson.

The School of Nursing offers a four-year program leading to a baccalaureate degree with a major in nursing. The purpose of the program is to prepare professional nurses to function in a variety of settings and to provide foundation for graduate study.

The freshmen and sophomore years of the nursing curriculum are completed on the College Place campus and include a combination of general studies, nursing cognates, and sophomore-level nursing courses. The junior and senior years are completed on the Portland, Oregon campus. A limited number of students who have completed the required prerequisites and cognate courses may be eligible to apply to complete the sophomore nursing courses during the summer term on the Portland campus.

The Portland campus is located adjacent to Adventist Health Portland. The nursing education building houses faculty offices, classrooms, and the library. The Howard F. Hansen Hall is the residence for students on the Portland campus.

The School of Nursing has contractual agreements for student clinical experiences in a variety of settings, including regional hospitals, service agencies, home-care, extended care facilities, and schools.

Upon completion of the program, graduates are eligible to apply for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) in the jurisdiction of choice. 

Accreditation

The baccalaureate degree in nursing at Walla Walla University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org). The program is approved by the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission and the Oregon State Board of Nursing.

Admission

Applicants must first apply for admission online to the University. See the admission requirements to the University. Additional requirements are listed below for each student category.

Once admitted to the University, prior to entering the first clinical nursing course, each student must apply and be accepted to the School of Nursing as a nursing major. This typically occurs prior to the beginning of the sophomore year. The following requirements must be met for all categories of nursing applicants:

  1. Meet the minimal required GPA per nursing applicant category (see categories below). Credits in Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry, and Microbiology that are more than five years old at the time of admission will not be accepted. 
  2. Complete the nursing admissions essay.
  3. Submit two letters of recommendation in addition to the one required for general admission to the University (teacher, employer, or co-worker preferred). Requirement waived for currently enrolled WWU students.
  4. Obtain a passing score on the required entrance tests: reading comprehension, critical thinking/reasoning, and math. Testing to be scheduled with an admissions advisor. Fees apply. (See the Financial Bulletin for required testing fee).
Additional admission requirements must be met for each of the following categories of nursing applicant.

Category 1: Fall Applicant (College Place, Washington campus). In addition to the general admission requirements listed above, applicants must:

  1. Complete prerequisite courses with a grade of C or above (see School of Nursing website for a list of specific prerequisite courses).
  2. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.9.
  3. Complete at least 42 credits of required cognates, general studies and electives that apply to the nursing major.
  4. The application deadline for the Fall (College Place campus) applicant is April 15.
Category 2: Summer Applicant (Portland, Oregon, campus). In addition to the general admission requirements listed above, applicants must:
  1. Complete prerequisite courses with a grade of C or above (see School of Nursing website for a list of specific prerequisite courses).
  2. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25.
  3. Complete at least 85 credits of the required cognates, general studies, and electives that apply to the nursing major.
  4. The application deadline for the summer (Portland campus) applicant is February 1.
Category 3: Registered Nurse (RN) Applicant. In addition to the general admission requirements listed above, applicants must:
  1. Hold an associate degree in nursing from a regionally accredited college.
  2. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.9.
  3. Hold and provide proof of an unrestricted registered nurse license in the State of Oregon. License must remain active and unrestricted throughout the program.
  4. Have clinical experience in direct patient care equivalent to the current beginning senior nursing students in the program.
  5. Complete validation process. The School of Nursing uses a process of validation for previous nursing education in order to determine advanced placement for RNs. Placement in the program is determined by completed cognates and general studies courses. Additionally, RNs must pass a standardized examination to validate nursing knowledge and to confirm advanced placement as a senior level student (fee applies). After passing the validation exam, the applicant will receive course credit; see course description for NRSG 291 and NRSG 391.
  6. Applicants accepted on a space-available basis.
Category 4: Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Applicant. In addition to the general admission requirements listed above, the LPN applicant must:
  1. Hold and provide proof of an unrestricted LPN license in any state. License must remain unrestricted throughout the program.
  2. Complete 85 transferrable credits of prerequisites that apply to the nursing major with a grade of C or above.
  3. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.9.
  4. Have a grade of C or above in all prior nursing courses.
  5. Have clinical experience in direct patient care equivalent to the current beginning junior nursing students in the program.
  6. Complete validation process. The School of Nursing uses a process of validation for previous nursing education in order to determine advanced placement for LPNs. Placement in the program is determined by completed cognates and general studies courses. Additionally, LPNs must pass a standardized examination to validate nursing knowledge and to confirm advanced placement as a junior level student. (Fee applies.) After passing the validation exam, the applicant will receive course credit; see course description NRSG 290.
  7. Applicants accepted on a space-available basis.
After acceptance into the School of Nursing, the following are required:
  1. A deposit is required to hold a place in the program. Upon program enrollment, the deposit will be applied to tuition. If the applicant does not enroll in the program, the deposit is nonrefundable (See Financial Bulletin for deposit amounts).
  2. Each nursing student is subject to a criminal background check and drug screen. The School of Nursing reserves the right to deny admission or remove students from the nursing program who have record of criminal activity and/or a positive drug screen. State licensure boards reserve the right to deny licensure in their states if applicants have a criminal history or condition that could impact their ability to practice safely.
  3. Provide immunization and TB testing records that meet the School of Nursing immunization requirements. Up-to-date COVID-19 vaccinations are required by clinical agencies to provide patient care and proof of COVID-19 vaccination must be provided prior to enrolling in any nursing courses.
  4. Provide proof of current health insurance.
  5. Prior to beginning clinical coursework, each student must obtain and provide proof of current American Heart Association cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BLS-CPR) certification for health care providers. Current CPR certification must be maintained while enrolled in the nursing program.
  6. Purchase the standard School of Nursing uniform, available at the School of Nursing office.

Progression and Graduation Requirements

Students must earn a grade of C or better in every required nursing course within a level of course work before progressing to a higher level.

A passing grade in a nursing course cannot be achieved without the successful completion of the clinical portion of the course. An unsatisfactory clinical grade or a grade below C in the theory portion of any clinical course requires that the total course be repeated, both theory and clinical, prior to further progression in the program. Students with an incomplete in a clinical nursing course, NRSG 211, NRSG 212, NRSG 213, NRSG 321, NRSG 331, NRSG 344, NRSG 421, NRSG 437, NRSG 441, cannot begin the next clinical course until the incomplete is removed.

Students who are determined to be unsafe practitioners will be removed from the clinical area and are subject to dismissal as nursing majors.

All clinical placements are arranged and negotiated by the School of Nursing on behalf of students.  No students, family members of students, or other representatives may contact a clinical agency independently to try to secure a clinical placement without express permission from the School of Nursing.  Students who attempt to find their own clinical placement are subject to dismissal as nursing majors.

Students who receive a grade lower than a C or withdraw failing in a required nursing course cannot enroll in further nursing courses until approved to register by the School of Nursing Dean. A written request for approval to register that includes a written plan for improvement must be submitted. Approval to register is granted or denied on a case-by-case basis by the nursing faculty committee. If a request is denied, the student is dismissed from the nursing program. Readmission is not guaranteed and space for reentering students may be limited.

Any student with a WWU GPA average less than 2.75 will be placed on conditional progression status and be limited to 12 credits for the following quarter. If after one quarter, the student has not achieved a 2.75 GPA, he or she may not enroll in another clinical nursing course until the GPA is above 2.75. Clinical nursing courses may be repeated to improve the GPA on a space available basis.

Nursing majors on the College Place campus must complete all 200 level nursing courses and the following cognate courses (with a grade of C or above) to progress to the Portland campus: BIOL 121, BIOL 122, BIOL 123, BIOL 222, CHEM 105, HLTH 220, MATH 106, PSYC 130, PSYC 215, SOCI 204. In addition, ENGL 121, ENGL 122, and ENGL 223 plus sufficient general studies and electives courses applying to the major must also be completed to hold Junior class standing.

Standardized examinations are given after completion of sophomore and junior clinical nursing courses. Students who fail to achieve a satisfactory score, for the first failure, can elect to study independently and attempt the exam prior to the start of the subsequent quarter. Starting with the sophomore comprehensive exam, students who incur a second exam failure must enroll in a 1-credit remedial course and may be limited to 13 credits for the following quarter. Students who do not pass a standardized examination in three attempts must stop progression in the nursing program. Exam material must be reviewed by auditing the theory component of the course connected with the failed exam. After auditing the class, students have one more chance to pass the exam. If students still do not pass the exam on the fourth attempt, they may not continue as nursing majors. All sophomore and junior level standardized tests must be passed prior to entrance into any senior nursing classes.

During the last quarter of the senior year, two standardized comprehensive nursing examinations are given. A passing score must be achieved on one exam to graduate. Graduation will be delayed and the student will not be eligible to take the NCLEX-RN until a satisfactory score is achieved.

Students must graduate within two years of completion of nursing courses to be recommended to take the NCLEX-RN exam.

Student Responsibilities

The School of Nursing Student Handbook is given to all nursing students. Students have the responsibility to acquaint themselves with its contents and are held accountable for all policies therein.

Students are responsible for their own transportation to agencies used for educational experience. The use of a car is essential for each student to reach clinical sites. Transportation costs, including auto insurance, are the student's responsibility.

All clinical agencies require up-to-date vaccinations, including COVID-19, for students to be allowed to care for patients. Some clinical agencies require additional background security checks and drug screenings. Students are responsible for any associated fees.

Any student missing class or lab time during the first week of a quarter (for any reason) is required to make up that time with the instructor. The student will be charged a fee for each instructor hour of this make-up time (see Financial Bulletin). Students electing not to make up the time missed must withdraw from the course.

Transferring from another Nursing Program

Transfer students will be evaluated individually to determine program placement and accepted on a space-available basis. Placement in the nursing program will be determined by review of syllabi from completed nursing courses. The previous nursing school may be consulted concerning their curriculum content and sequence. General studies and cognate courses will be transferred according to WWU policy. Students wishing to transfer from another nursing program must:

  1. Meet all general admission requirements and be a current student or a student within the past two years at a regionally accredited school of nursing.
  2. Be in good standing with the previous institution with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.9.
  3. Submit a letter of recommendation from the dean of the school of nursing from which the applicant is transferring.
  4. Submit nursing class syllabi for evaluation.