As a BSN student, you’ll develop key relationship, communication, and advocacy tools and learn to inspire patients and families.
Providing you with a firm foundation are the pre-nursing courses, completed as part of your Basic Skills and General Education requirements. Subjects covering chemistry, biology, statistics, physiology, sociology, anatomy, nutrition, and psychology get you ready for the clinical, patient care, and technical demands of the BSN curriculum and further strengthen your written and oral communication abilities.
Once you’re accepted into the BSN program, you’ll complete 66 credits of nursing courses along with four credits of upper-division electives. Angled toward your aspirations, you’ll become familiar with the principles of pharmacology and pathophysiology, learn to conduct health assessments, and gain a more detailed understanding of chronic and acute conditions. From the classroom into the simulated labs and through your clinical experiences, you’ll see how nurses provide, coordinate, and manage care, better understand the human experience, and begin to develop your professional identity.
Throughout, the BSN curriculum emphasizes strategic thinking, conflict resolution, health promotion, diversity, evidence-based practices, legal factors, and care management and addresses a spectrum of health care environments. Advanced courses integrate simulation labs, helping you practice your skills in a safe, controlled environment.
Along with classroom learning and hands-on experience in the simulation labs, you’ll be assigned to a clinical site. Placements include public health departments, clinics, outpatient and surgery centers, and regional medical centers. These experiences serve to expand and strengthen your technical and clinical knowledge, refine your patient interactions, and cultivate connections to boost your career. At the same time, they fulfill SVSU’s mission of service learning and addressing the needs of local and global communities.
In total, you’ll complete 124 credits to earn your degree. As the BSN is an interdisciplinary program, a second major or minor is not required.
