Nursing BSN

Admissions Requirements and Course Requirements

Every year students must provide health services with evidence of a negative PPD test or compliance with treatment. Before beginning some clinical nursing courses, students may be expected to meet additional health requirements. All nursing students must have the following information on file with RIC's Office of Health Services in Browne Hall.​

• an admission physical exam
• 1 dose of tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap)
• 2 doses of live measles vaccine (preferably MMR) or a blood titer confirming immunity*
• 2 doses of mumps vaccine (preferably MMR) or a blood titer confirming immunity*
• 1 dose of rubella vaccine or a blood titer confirming immunity*
• 3 doses of hepatitis B vaccine (A hepatitis B surface antibody titer to confirm sero-conversion is recommended on-to-two months after the final dose)
• provider documented proof, including date or age, of chicken pox disease or a varicella titer confirming immunity or two doses of varicella vaccine
• an initial 2-step PPD** tuberculin skin test and yearly PPD updates (or chest x-ray if PPD positive and yearly TB assessment, which is completed at RIC's Office of Health Services)
• flu vaccine every fall semester
• complete COVID vaccination

*Health-care workers born on or before Dec. 31, 1956, are only required to have documentation of one dose each of measles, mumps and rubella or titers confirming immunity.

**2-Step PPD – two separate PPDs planted at least a week apart but not more than a year apart prior to entering into nursing clinical.

Students will not be admitted to the first class meeting of a nursing practicum course without having complied with the health requirements. Proof of immunization may be obtained from your physician, high school, previous college or university, military record and/or from blood titers.

Please Note: Religious exemptions are not accepted due to the need to meet requirements of our clinical agencies.

Nursing majors should follow the guidelines on the college immunization form or call RIC's Office of Health Services at 401-456-8055 for further information. Once all required information is complete, students may pick up their laminated identification cards at RIC's Office of Health Services in Browne Hall.​

Our Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is what's commonly known as a Basic Baccalaureate Program or Basic BSN – the standard Nursing program designed for high school graduates and transfer students to complete in four years. This program integrates knowledge of the arts and sciences with nursing theory to prepare you to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN). The three major elements of the nursing curriculum are general education courses, courses related to nursing, and required nursing courses.

Admissions Requirements and Course Requirements

Course Descriptions

Students must consult with their advisor each semester before registering for courses.

Freshman Fall

Freshman Spring

Sophomore Fall (Beginning)

Sophomore Spring (Beginning)

Junior Fall (Intermediate)

Junior Spring (Intermediate)

Senior Fall (Advanced)

Senior Spring (Advanced)

Total Credits for All Semesters: 120

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

• demonstrate clinical judgment and innovation supported by established and evolving nursing knowledge, ways of knowing, and knowledge from other disciplines
• provide person-centered care across the organization/systems for patients, communities and populations, including family or important others to promote positive health outcomes
• integrate population health concepts spanning public health prevention to disease management to promote the improvement of equitable population health outcomes at the local, regional, national, and global levels
• demonstrate the ability to synthesize and apply current evidence that guides clinical practice and patient care decisions
• demonstrate knowledge and use of established and emerging principles of safety science in care delivery
• demonstrate interprofessional person-centered care that reflects core professional values including altruism, caring, ethics, roles and responsibilities, shared accountability, diversity, equity, and inclusion
• apply knowledge of systems, fiscal impact, social determinants of health, health promotion, improved access, social justice, and systemic racism to improve the health of diverse populations
• use information and communication technologies and informatics processes to improve the delivery of safe, high-quality, and efficient healthcare services in accordance with professional and regulatory standards
• acquire a sustainable professional nursing identity that includes self-reflective practice, advocacy, accountability, a collaborative disposition, and ethical comportment that reflects nursing’s characteristics and values
• demonstrate a capacity for leadership that includes a commitment to activities that foster personal health, resilience and lifelong learning