Georgia Baptist College of Nursing of Mercer University

Nursing Programs Offered

RN to BSN Program Details

The RN-BSN Advanced Track is a special accelerated course of study for registered nurses who hold a Diploma or Associate Degree in Nursing from an NLN or CCNE accredited program and are currently licensed to practice in the state of Georgia. Qualified RN students may complete the Advanced Track through full-time or part-time study. Courses are designed for the adult student with course times to accommodate most working RNs without duplication of prelicensure experiences or employment disruptions. Most courses are offered one day per week.

Students must complete a minimum of 32 semester hours at Georgia Baptist College of Nursing to meet BSN degree requirements. Individual academic advisement is required for all part-time and full-time students. Selected prelicensure nursing course credit will automatically be awarded as an additional 32 semester hours toward the BSN upon completion of NURN 310.

BSN Program Details

This track (formerly referred to as the generic track) provides a curriculum for students who do not have a nursing license but are seeking a degree (BSN) that will prepare them for the National Council Licensure EXamination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

The eight semester prelicensure curriculum plan requires fifty-seven hours of general education core. This required core should be completed prior to enrollment into the nursing program. The prerequisite courses are designed to create and support a foundation for professional nursing practice. The curriculum plan for the general education component includes: two sequential anatomy and physiology lab courses; a microbiology lab course; nutrition; introduction to psychology; pathopsychology; statistics; two English composition courses; human growth and development across the lifespan; political science or economics; a cultural appreciation course; philosophy or ethics; speech or communication; introduction to sociology or anthropology; religion; and six hours of electives (must include a fine arts/humanities course). Once the general education core is successfully completed, students are ready to enroll in the four semester nursing curriculum.

The nursing curriculum is divided into two levels and organized by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (2008). Level 1, the first semester of the junior year, students begin their socialization into the professional role. NUR 301, Essentials of Professional Nursing Practice (EPNP): The Discipline of Professional Nursing introduces new nursing students to the profession. Concurrently, students are enrolled in the first theory and practice course NUR 302, EPNP: Foundations and Health Assessment; NUR 302, EPNP: The Well Community; and NUR 306, Human Pathophysiology and Pharmacological Principles. These beginning courses are the cornerstones of professional practice development.

During the second semester of the junior year, students are enrolled in NUR 304, EPNP: Adult Health and NUR 305, EPNP: Mental Health. Both of these courses include clinical practice and classroom theory. During this semester students also are enrolled in EPNP: The Older Adult, focusing on successful aging.

At the start of Level II, the senior year, first semester, students are enrolled in NUR 400, EPNP: Adult with High Acuity Needs; and NUR 407, EPNP: Maternal-Child Health. NUR 403, EPNP: Nursing Research is also required providing students a basis for assessing research studies and applying findings to nursing practice.

During the final semester of the curriculum, students are in three courses which assist them to make the transition into the role of the professional nurse and prepares them for success on passing the NCLEX-RN licensure examination. The courses include NUR 404, EPNP: Leadership and Role Practicum; NUR 405, EPNP: Infants and Children; and NUR 406 EPNP: The Community at Risk.

MSN Program Details

The community’s focus on Magnet certification provides greater opportunities in the profession in the areas of clinical practice and research. Health care institutions are seeking advanced prepared nurses to develop evidence-based practice guidelines, develop innovative nursing care delivery methods, and serve to educate nurses in acute care settings. A student completing this specialty will be prepared to meet requirements to sit for the certification examination under American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) specific specialties and/or American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) Certification Corporation (CCNS) certification for Clinical Nurse Specialists in acute and critical care.

Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Details

The D.N.P. degree program prepared by nursing faculty at Georgia Baptist College of Nursing adheres to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice. 2006. The D.N.P. degree program focuses on the three major categories of practice: (1) direct care for individual clients, (2) health care for aggregates, communities, and populations, and (3) management of health care through roles in administration, policy development, and quality assurance. Courses will be taught primarily online.

The purpose of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program at Mercer University is to build upon the foundation of advanced nursing skills to prepare nurses for leadership roles in health care delivery, and to propose solutions for the improvement of health care outcomes for individuals and for society.

The D.N.P. degree program will prepare advanced practice nurse leaders to:

-Refine advanced practice competencies for increasingly complex practice, academic, and leadership roles.
-Enhance knowledge to improve health outcomes for individuals, groups, and communities.
-Assume leadership roles in health care organizational management, health policy development, and quality assurance.