RN to BSN Concentration
Benefits of choosing APSU for your RN to BSN completion
- 100% online coursework
- 5 start dates per year
- Accelerated 7-week courses
- Supportive Faculty
- Finish in as little as one year
- Choice of Elective
(Holistic, Wound Care or ER Nursing)
- Affordable In-State Tuition
- Military Tuition Benefits
- Scholarships available
- Made for the working RN
- CCNE accredited
- No entrance exam
Admission Process
The application process is easy and all online. Follow the steps below.
- Create an account and apply now for admission to the RN to BSN program.
- Have all colleges and nursing schools submit transcripts to the Admission's Office.
- Submit a copy of your nursing license with the expiry date to admissions@apsu.edu and include your A number.
- If you have questions email rntobsn@apsu.edu
Admission Requirements
The admission process is the first step toward earning your online degree. Familiarize yourself with the requirements by viewing the RN to BSN Concentration bulletin, along with information on required documentation.
RN to BSN Concentration Bulletin
If you need to submit official documents by mail, send them to:
Austin Peay State UniversityOffice of Admissions
P.O. Box 4548
Clarksville, TN 37044
Documentation can be sent via email to: admissions@apsu.edu
The RN to BSN concentration is for the registered nurse with an active, unencumbered licenses or new graduates with an ADN or AAS who are eligible for licensure. Nurses wishing to further their education through the completion of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing find the online 24-hour accessibility of all coursework convenient and manageable.
BSN graduates gain exposure to a wider range of nursing competencies not typically taught in an associate degree program:
- Decision-making and critical thinking
- Leadership and management skills
- Holistic assessment of patients, families, and groups
- Evidence-based research to strengthen and improve patient outcomes
The APSU School of Nursing faculty is comprised of published practitioners and experienced nurse educators who are committed to your success. Benefit from accelerated 7-week courses, with the convenience of five start dates per year.
Broaden your range of nursing competencies while preparing for leadership roles. Enhance your decision-making and critical-thinking skills, prepare for graduate school, and learn holistic assessment techniques for patients, families and groups. You can complete this affordable and accessible program in as few as 12 months.
This CCNE accredited RN to BSN program will enrich your ability to provide safe and effective care in an evolving healthcare environment, with an emphasis on demonstrating cultural competence in providing care to individuals and groups. Plus, our unique "Pathways to Certification" initiative supplements the core curriculum with electives in either holistic, wound management, or emergency room nursing specifically designed to prepare you for certification exams.
Expand your professional knowledge in such areas as pathophysiology, community nursing, ethical and legal issues in healthcare, and more. You will study the principles of analyzing and treating diseases across the human life span, prepare for graduate school, and learn to perform holistic nursing assessments and physical examinations. Examine evidence-based research to strengthen and improve patient outcomes.
As part of our rigorous core curriculum, you will learn prevention and health promotion practices for populations, including clinical experiences in both individual and family settings. In addition, you will evaluate trends and current issues impacting holistic healthcare and the nursing profession. Plus, gain a background in managerial and leadership concepts and apply them to professional nursing roles.
Our electives provide a convenient pathway to prepare for BSN-level certifications—in holistic nursing with the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation, in wound management as a Wound Treatment Associate (WTA) through the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurse Certification Board (WOCNCB), or in emergency room nursing through the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN).
In this online program, you will learn to:
- Collaborate in safe, cost-effective care using evidence-based practice to support optimal client health outcomes.
- Integrate knowledge about current healthcare policy, finance and regulatory environments.
- Employ effective oral, written and technological communication skills when interacting with colleagues, clients and the healthcare system.
- Demonstrate culturally competent health promotion and disease prevention interventions for individuals and populations.
- Exhibit professionalism and professional values that include altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity and social justice.
The APSU RN to BSN program is flexible and made with the working RN in mind. The program offers five start dates a year (Starting mid-January, mid-March, end of May, mid-August, and mid-October). The APSU academic calendar provides specific start dates. The RN to BSN program follows the Fort Campbell Campus Calendar found here: https://www.apsu.edu/academic-calendar/
The RN to BSN courses can be completed in as little as one year.
Yes. The courses are offered as seven-week accelerated courses. Every student is on an individualized plan of study and can choose to take one course per term or up to three courses per term. Most students take two courses per term which is considered full-time. Students are allowed to switch between full-time and part-time status depending on preference.
No. The coursework is 100% online and asynchronous. RN to BSN students are not required to come on campus but are always welcome.
Each student is assigned an advisor who will review each student’s program sequence outlining which courses to be taken in the various semesters.
RN to BSN students are able to acquire clinical hours where they work and where they live with approved clinical contracts. Students are encouraged to work closely with the RN to BSN Advisor and RN to BSN Program Facilitator to secure preferred clinical sites. Preceptors are utilized in the leadership clinical course and students spend time with a nurse leader. Students develop quality improvement plans and community assessment projects on their own time in their own towns.
The APSU RN to BSN Program welcomes out-of-state applicants and military-affiliated applicants. Current or potential nursing graduate students who fall into any of the following categories should email rntobsn@apsu.edu to discuss their individual needs:
- Out of state students interested in applying to the RN to BSN Program.
- Any RN to BSN student who is interested in completing clinical in a state that is different than TN.
- Students who are considering a move to a different state after entering the program. The APSU RN to BSN Program cannot guarantee placement of students for clinical practicum in all 50 states.
Yes. The RN to BSN Program is made with the working RN in mind. The faculty are supportive and want to see the students succeed.
RN to BSN Curriculum
The RN to BSN curriculum has been designed with the working RN in mind. Follow this
link to Course Descriptions.
Course Descriptions
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NURS 3300 Concepts of Professional Nursing for RNs |
3 Hours |
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NURS 3380 Pathophysiology for RNs |
2 Hours |
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NURS 3390/3391 Nursing Assessment for RNs/Lab |
4 Hour |
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NURS 3310 Research for RNs |
3 Hour |
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NURS 4350 Community Nursing for RNs |
3 Hours |
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NURS 4351 Community Nursing for RNs Clinical |
3 Hours |
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NURS 4380 Trends & Issues for RNs |
3 Hours |
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NURS 4370 Leadership for RNs |
3 Hours |
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NURS 4371 Leadership for RNs / Clinical |
3 Hours |
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Electives (Choose One) |
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NURS 3341 Holistic Nursing for RNs |
3 Hours |
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NURS 3343 Emergency Room Nursing for RNs |
3 Hours |
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NURS 3344 Wound Care for RNs |
3 Hours |
RN to BSN Concentration Plan of Study
Each student is offered an individualized plan of study with options to go full-time or part-time with courses offered five terms per year (Spring I, Spring II, Summer III, Fall I, & Fall II).
Follow Fort Campbell Campus Academic Calendar: https://www.apsu.edu/academic-calendar/
Sample Full-Time RN to BSN Concentration Plan of Study
Term I
- NURS 3300 Concepts of Professional Nursing for RNs (3)
- NURS 4350 Community Nursing for RNs (3)
Term II
- NURS 4351 Community Nursing for RNS Clinical (3)
- NURS 3380 Trends & Issues for RNs (3)
Term III
- NURS 4370 Leadership for RNs (3)
- NURS 3380 Pathophysiology for RNs (2)
Term IV
- NURS 4371 Leadership for RNs Clinical (3)
- NURS 3390/3391 Nursing Assessment for RNS/Lab (4)
Term V
- NURS 3310 Research RNs (3)
- Elective (Wound, ER, or Holistic) (3)
Total Program: 30 credits
CCNE Accredited
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at Austin Peay State University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
https://www.aacnnursing.org/CCNE
Statewide Articulation Agreement
APSU participates in a statewide articulation agreement for RN to BSN students. These voluntary articulation plans and models are developed collaboratively with nurse educators, regulators, such as the Tennessee Board of Nursing, legislators, and stakeholders with a goal of enhancing the educational mobility for RN’s. The agreements guide credit transfer between associate degree and baccalaureate degree programs and admission decisions. The agreements eliminate curricular redundancy, streamline the application process and promote collaboration among institutions and educators.
To be eligible for admission:
- Students must have graduated from an accredited Associate Degree or Diploma Nursing
Program.
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In cases where students have not graduate from an accredited program completion of validation testing will be required. Successful completion of the National League for Nursing (NLN) Nursing Acceleration Challenge Exams (NACE) II is required to validate current knowledge in Pediatrics, Obstetrics, Adult Health, and Psychiatric Nursing.
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- Students must hold an unrestricted RN license.
- Students must have a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- Students must achieve a minimum grade of “C” in all nursing courses in the prelicensure associate or diploma program.
- A grade of “C” or higher in the first twelve Nursing credit hours and an “S” in the clinical components.
Licensure and Clinical Disclosures
Find more information below on nursing licensure and clinical practice regulations.
Licensure Program Eligibility Disclosures
APSU's online program was made with the working RN in mind!
Have a question about the RN to BSN Program?