RN to BSN School Requirements
To successfully meet the enrollment requirements for the Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences online Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, it is important to have all the details. Read the who, when, what, and how of the enrollment process below. If you have any questions, you may speak to a Distance Enrollment Specialist immediately by calling, toll free, 1-888-768-6276, or click on “Learn More” and complete the form.
Who can apply:
Both Associate degree and diploma nurses may be eligible.
When you can apply:
Applications are accepted continuously throughout the year for the Spring, Summer, and Fall trimesters.
What you need to apply:
- A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 (on a 4.00 scale) with no grade below a “C” (2.00).
- Official transcripts from all colleges/nursing programs.
- A current license to practice as a registered nurse in your state of residence or practice. If you are a new or international graduate, you must be eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN.
- Two satisfactory recommendations submitted on FHCHS recommendation forms.* Applicants must submit a recommendation from an employer/supervisor if employed within the last five years. Applicants who graduated within the last five years must submit a recommendation from their basic nursing program faculty.**
- Applicants for whom English is not their first language, please call your Distance Enrollment Specialist for the English Language Proficiency Policy.
* Recommendation forms expire after two years of receipt by the Admissions Office.
** Further references or information regarding character, attitude, or coping ability may be required.
How you can use prior coursework to meet the admissions requirements:
Associate Degree Graduates
Graduates of regionally-accredited Associate degree programs have met the Associate degree general education and cognate requirements. If a microcomputer course, ENGL 101 or 102 (or equivalent) were not included in the Associate degree, they must be completed as part of the Baccalaureate degree. Students who complete the entire online program will receive credit by validation for the microcomputer course.
Diploma Graduates
Prior to consideration for admission to the online RN to BSN program, graduates of diploma programs who do not have college credit for Associate degree cognate courses must complete each required cognate course with a minimum grade of “C” (2.00) and earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50.
General education and cognate courses will be accepted according to the Transfer of Credit Policy. Additional cognate credit may also be earned according to the College Credit by Examination Policy.
Nursing Courses
Graduates of regionally-accredited Associate degree programs may transfer a maximum of 28 semester hours of nursing credit as Associate degree credit and apply it toward the Baccalaureate degree.
Graduates of diploma programs may validate their nursing coursework by holding current licensure in their state of practice. They may transfer a maximum of 28 semester hours of nursing credit transferred as Associate degree credits and applied toward the Baccalaureate degree.
For all students, an additional eight trimester hours of advanced Associate degree nursing credit (equivalent to Adult Health Nursing IV and Practicum) will be held in escrow as Baccalaureate degree credit. Upon successful completion of ten Baccalaureate degree nursing program credits, these eight credits held in escrow will be applied toward the Baccalaureate degree as credit by validation.
General Education and Cognate Courses
Students enrolled in the Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences online Bachelor of Science in Nursing program must seek prior approval from the Department Chair and the Senior Vice President for Academic Administration (see Transfer of Credit Policy) in order to take any general education or cognate course off campus. Failure to have prior approval may result in earned credit not being transferred to FHCHS.
I am interested in Nurse Practioner/Physician Assistant programs, can you help?
Currently, we do not offer NP or PA programs at FHCHS. We do have an on-campus Master’s degree in Nurse Anesthesia. If you would like more information on the on-campus program, you can visit their website here: http://www.fhchs.edu/academics/nurse-anesthesia/nurse-anesthesia-program
Does being eligible to sit for the NCLEX exam mean going through CGFNS?
CGFNS handles the evaluation of your foreign transcripts to determine your education and eligibility to sit for the NCLEX. You can reach out directly to NCLEX on their website to determine whether or not you need to go through this process. https://www.ncsbn.org/nclex.htm
I am a Florida Hospital Employee. Do you offer tuition reimbursement or stipends for the Florida Hospital Employees? I have an ADN and am interested in the BSN program.
Florida Hospital does offer tuition reimbursement to employees wanting to further their education. This process is facilitated by each department manager, so a good place to start would be to reach out to your manager at the hospital. If you would like additional instruction from one of our Distance Enrollment Specialists, please call 1-888-768-6276.
I am in my second and final year of finishing my Associate’s RN degree. My GPA currently is a 3.8, with a 3.5 in my nursing classes. I also hold a Bachelor’s degree in English. In my first semester of college while pursuing my English B.A., six years ago, I got a C- for an unused course in Primitive Archaeology I didn’t have the foresight to drop. Does this mean I have no chance of admission to the RN to BSN program? I notice part of the requirements are that a student have “no less than a C in any course.” Thank you.
Since the primitive archaeology course is not a core requirement of the program, it should not effect your eligibility as your cumulative GPA appears to be above a 2.5. The only drawback would be that the course may not be eligible for transfer credit since it is under a C, however there is usually an equivalent course (such as humanities) that could take the place of Primitive Archaeology.
I am currently have and AS in Nursing and also and AA in general Studies. Can you please help me to see if your school is the right school for me?
We would love to talk with you directly about your specific qualifications and how FHCHS might fit into your future. You can speak with us directly by calling 1-888-768-6276, or a Distance Enrollment Specialist will be reaching out to you via email shortly.
Hi,
is statistic or english 1102 needed for this program? In addition to your ADN or diploma. What are the other requirements needed to enroll in the program?
English Comp II and Intro to Statistics are both general education requirements for this program. To be eligible, you must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5, a current license to practice as an RN in your state of residence or practice, and two satisfactory recommendations. You can learn more about our curriculum by visiting http://online.fhchs.edu/bachelor-of-science-in-nursing/curriculum-rn-to-bsn-courses/ and our requirements by visiting http://online.fhchs.edu/bachelor-of-science-in-nursing/rn-to-bsn-admissions-requirements/ or calling 1-888-768-6276 to speak to an enrollment specialist.
I am graduating from an ADN program in May. I read that if you have an ADN then the prerequisites are met. Are there others that are necessary?
Most of the time, if you have an ADN, the prerequisites were included in your associate degree coursework. You can learn more about our prerequisites by visiting our curriculum page at http://online.fhchs.edu/bachelor-of-science-in-nursing/curriculum-rn-to-bsn-courses/, or by calling 1-888-768-6276 and speaking with a Distance Enrollment Specialist.
I have an Associate in Nursing but have been out of school for 30yrs. Will my credits and wor experience count?
In order to determine if your credits will transfer, an official transfer credit evaluation would need to be completed. While we do offer credits for having your RN license, in order to keep our regional level accreditation, we cannot offer additional credits for work experience. You can call 1-888-768-6276 to speak with a Distance Enrollment Specialist to determine your eligibility for our program and to request a transfer credit evaluation.