School of Nursing

Return to: Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences and Nursing

Jamie Adam, Kayla Alexander, Diane Allen, PJ Ambrefe, Olivia Bahemuka, Lauren Banks, Kristen Beach, Jean Blank, Loretta Bond, Martha Buckner, Steven Busby, Sara Camp, Seth Carey, Amy Charlton, Julie Crump, Robin Cobb, Keri Cochran, Laurie Culbertson, Lucyellen Dahlgren, Courtney Daniel, Marita Dell Aquila, Ruby Dunlap, Martha Ezell, Leslie Folds, Brandi Fruin,  Jeannie Giese, Laura Gray, Liz Hall, Beth Hallmark, Abbey Holthaus, Angela Lane, Tammy Legge, Beth Miller, Elizabeth Morse, Sandra Murabito, Barbara Padovich, Amanda Perry, Amy Rasmussen, Mimi Rose, Jessica Savage, Ashley Scism, Erin Shankel, Lynne Shores, Sarah Tarr, Cathy Taylor, Sarah Thompson, Jacey Walker, Amanda Waterman, Linda Wofford, and Tiffinie Zellars.

Vision:

The vision of the School of Nursing is to promote health, improve care, and impact cost through excellence in teaching, practice, service, and scholarship in the context of a caring Christian environment.

Mission:

The School of Nursing is a student-centered Christian community which embraces a culture of openness and mutual respect, excellence in teaching, and the privilege of service. We strive to provide an academically challenging education that enables men and women of diverse backgrounds to safely practice professional nursing with disciplined intelligence, compassion, courage, and faith. 

Affiliation:

The Baccalaureate, Masters, Post-graduate APRN, and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs at Belmont University as well as the Baccalaureate joint degree program of the Belmont University/Trevecca Nazarene University Consortium are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington DC 20001, (202)887-6791.

Belmont University School of Nursing is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the National League for Nursing and the Southern Regional Education Board’s Council of Collegiate Education for Nursing. The program is approved by the Tennessee Board of Nursing. In addition, the School of Nursing holds the charter for the Omicron Phi chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

Admission to the School of Nursing

Candidates are required to meet the admission requirements for Belmont University and the minimum admission criteria for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program to be eligible for admission.

Admission Criteria

In addition to meeting the admission criteria for Belmont University, applicants to the School of Nursing must meet the following minimum requirements. Applicants who meet this criteria are eligible for consideration, but acceptance is not guaranteed.

1. Traditional and transfer applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
2. Applicants may choose to submit ACT/SAT scores.  These applicants must have a 22 ACT composite test score or 1100 SAT Reading/Math composite score. Students with a previous Bachelor’s degree or an RN license are exempt from submitting ACT/SAT scores.
3. In consideration of the difficulties applicants have faced in taking ACT/SAT during the COVID-19 pandemic, applicants may opt out of submitting ACT/SAT scores. These applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale AND a Math/Science core GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
4. Courses in Anatomy and Physiology must have been completed within the last five years prior to admission.
5. Applicants to the Accelerated Second Degree BSN program must complete all prerequisite coursework prior to program enrollment.
6. Clinical coursework offered during the summer term is reserved exclusively for students in the Accelerated Second Degree program.
7. Persons who have been convicted of a crime, other than a minor traffic violation, could be ineligible for registered nurse licensure in the state of Tennessee even though they successfully complete the program.

Progression Requirements

1. Students must achieve a grade of “C” (2.0) or above in Microbiology, Chemistry, Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II in order to enter and/or progress in the School of Nursing.
2. If a student earns less than a grade of “C” (2.0) in Microbiology, Chemistry, Human Anatomy and Physiology I and/or II, the student must successfully repeat the course prior to progressing in School of Nursing (SON) courses.
3. Subsequent to admission in the Belmont University School of Nursing, students must take all nursing courses at Belmont University.
4. All requirements for an “I” in prerequisite and/or nursing courses must be completed before a student can progress to the next semester.
5. Withdrawal for any reason will necessitate reapplication and reconsideration for admission.
6. A student wishing to alter a course of study must submit a written request to the Admission and Progression Committee in the School of Nursing. The alteration must be reviewed and approved by the Admission and Progression Committee before the change can occur.
7. Any nursing major who demonstrates behavior inconsistent with the code of conduct in The Guide, the Belmont University School of Nursing Student Handbook, or professional nursing is subject to immediate dismissal from the SON.
8. A student who fails one nursing course with a grade of D, F, or WF may repeat the failed course when the course is offered again within the student’s program of study. A student may not enroll in additional nursing courses while repeating the failed course.
9. A student who fails either one nursing course twice or two nursing courses with a grade of D, F, or WF will be dismissed from the SON.
10. Students who are dismissed from the SON are allowed to reapply one time and must initiate the reapplication process by notifying the SON Admission and Progression (AP) committee in writing prior to the end of the semester preceding the reapplication term. The student will then be notified of the time and date of the Readmission Appeals Committee (RAC) meeting and will be asked to provide a written document outlining their appeal for readmission and their plan for academic success in future courses. 

Students meeting the criteria in number 10 above will appear before the Readmission Appeals Committee (RAC). Students will be permitted to give a five minute presentation outlining their appeal to continue in the nursing program and any extenuating factors they wish to share. The student will also be asked to respond to a series of questions from the RAC.

The RAC will consist of:

Members of the SON Admission and Progression committee
A non-nursing faculty member
A recent nursing graduate

Other persons who may attend the readmission meeting include:

• Representation by an attorney is not permitted regardless of university community membership. 
• Family members of the student are not permitted to attend the appeal meeting.

The RAC will then make a decision regarding readmission and individualized remediation and communicate this to the student in writing within 2-3 business days. If readmitted, the individualized remediation plan must be completed prior to re-enrolling in any nursing courses. Remediation requirements may include but are not limited to one or more of the following:

• Achieving a prescribed minimum on a required standardized exam
• Demonstrating selected nursing skills
• Completing a prescribed case study review
• Reenrolling in select prerequisite and/or nursing course(s)

Additional Requirements for Entering Clinical Nursing Courses

1. Each student must be compliant with the School of Nursing clinical dress code as outlined in the Nursing Student Handbook.
2. Each student is required to have a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop with webcam (not tablet or Chromebook), wrist watch with second hand, bandage scissors, stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, and a lab coat
3. Each student is required to verify health status by establishing a Complio account, our immunization tracking system. This is separate and distinct from the university health portal.
4. Current health professional CPR certification is required of each student.
5. Health insurance is required of each student.
6. Verification of required immunizations, titers, and skin tests must be in the student’s Complio record.
7. Each student is required to provide their own transportation to clinical settings.
8. Each student must complete a comprehensive criminal background check, FBI prints, and drug screen.
9. RN students must show proof of current licensure

Accelerated BSN Option

This option is available exclusively to students who have earned a previous bachelor’s degree. Students may start this program in the fall semester only.

Partner Program Option

The Partner Program is for transfer students who have completed all general education and prerequisite courses. Students may start this program in the fall semester only

Advanced Placement

1. Transfer credits or credit by CLEP or AP or IB may be awarded for non-nursing courses as described in the Belmont University Undergraduate Catalog.
2. Graduates of associate degree and diploma programs who are RN’s are eligible to earn credit in selected nursing courses. Please contact the School of Nursing for more information.

Return to: Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences and Nursing