Lower Division Nursing Courses

Lower Division Nursing requirements are accepted in transfer from an Associate Degree or a diploma in Nursing

Lower division nursing requirements may be fulfilled as follows:

• Anatomy and Physiology II

New York State Regents Examination (RCE)

• Chemistry

Earned by credit only

• Microbiology

College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or National League for Nursing
Achievement Exam (NLN)

• Introduction to Psychology and Introduction to Sociology

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

• Matriculation in the nursing major is required to earn credit for the lower division nursing (30 credits).

Upper Division Nursing Courses

• NURS 361 - Contemporary Concepts in Professional Nursing
• NURS 362 - Transcultural Nursing
• NURS 363 - Nursing Research for Evidence-Based Professional Nursing
• NURS 364 - Nursing Informatics
• NURS 365 - Introduction to Health Policy
• NURS 366 - Leadership and Management (cc)
• NURS 368 - (RN-BS Completion and RN-BS-MS Programs): Health Assessment and Health Promotion
• NURS 371 - Statistics for Nurses
• NURS 401 - (RN-BS Completion and RN-BS-MS Programs): Community Health Nursing: Advocacy for Population Health

Program Information

Undergraduate Nursing Program Goals

The nursing major is designed to prepare students to:

a) Be accountable for professional nursing care

b) Collaborate in leadership roles within the changing health care delivery system

c) Participate in the process of inquiry

d) Prepare for graduate study

Undergraduate Nursing Program Outcomes

Graduates of the Mercy College Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing will be expected to demonstrate the following program outcomes:

Technology

Students will demonstrate proficiency with patient care technologies and information management systems to gather and manage data to communicate effectively with patients, families, health care professionals, and policy decision makers.

Students will demonstrate skills in using patient care technologies, information systems, and communication skills, based on a foundation of the arts, sciences and humanities, that support patient outcomes and nursing practice.

Research

Students will demonstrate a basic understanding of how evidence is developed including the research process, clinical judgment, inter-professional perspectives, and patient preferences as applied to practice.

Leadership

Students will apply leadership concepts, skills, and decision making to the provision of nursing care and nursing practice in collaboration with organizations and communities.

Students will demonstrate leadership and communication skills to participate in quality improvement initiatives with health care teams.

Quality

Students will appraise principles of quality improvement, health care policy, and cost effectiveness to assist in the achievement of safe and quality outcomes of care for diverse populations.

Admission Criteria

Students who choose the major concentration in nursing must have:

1. An associate degree in nursing from an accredited Nursing Program or a diploma in nursing.
2. Students who completed their nursing degree outside of the U.S. must complete a WES evaluation
3. Passed the NCLEX-RN licensure exam.
4. A valid state license to practice as a registered nurse in the U.S.
5. A GPA of 2.75
6. Students will be considered for matriculation with GPAs 2.5-2.70.

Admissions Procedure

1. Obtain an application form and general information regarding your eligibility for the nursing program from the Admissions Office at the main campus, any of the branch campuses or online.
2. All applicants for the Nursing Program must submit the following to the Office of Admissions:
   1. An application for Admission, accompanied by the $40 application fee. (The application fee will be waived for students who are presently matriculated at Mercy College.)
   2. An official transcript of record from each diploma school, college, or university previously attended.
   3. Evidence of current licensure as a registered nurse.
3. Students applying for acceptance to the RN-BS Program are able to apply with the Mercy College Undergraduate Application or the Common Application. 

Eligibility for Admission to Nursing Courses NURS 361  and above:

To be admitted to these nursing courses, the student must have passed the NCLEX exam and hold a valid license to practice as a registered nurse in the U.S. Students who are in their senior year of their Associates Degree program are permitted to take up to 6 credits (NURS 361 , NURS 366 , or NURS 371 ) in one semester before they graduate. These students will not be permitted to take anymore nursing courses until they pass the NCLEX-RN exam and have a valid RN license.

Progression Criteria

Once accepted as a B.S. Nursing major, students are required to achieve a ‘B-’ or better in all clinical nursing courses and a grade of ‘C’ in prerequisite science courses and maintain an overall GPA as follows for non-nursing courses:

Students will not progress to the next level of the program if they do not meet the above criteria. 

Transfer Credit

Previously earned college credit in the liberal arts and sciences may be accepted in transfer by Mercy College. Additional academic credits can be earned by passing RCE or CLEP examinations.

Organization of the Program

This program has been designed for the part-time or full-time student. A student may enroll for 3-16 credits a semester. Courses are scheduled for a combination of evenings, days, weekends (general education classes) and/or online. A variety of schedule patterns and teaching and learning methods are utilized. Nursing courses are offered at the Dobbs Ferry and Online Campuses. General education courses can be taken at any of the branch campuses in the Bronx, Manhattan or Yorktown Heights.

Additional Nursing Science Requirements

1. Anatomy and Physiology II (transfer credit or NYS Regents exam)*
2. Microbiology (transfer credit, College Level Examination Program [CLEP], or National League of Nursing Achievement Exam [NLN]) *

Clinical Requirements for NURS 401 - (RN-BS Completion and RN-BS-MS Programs): Community Health Nursing: Advocacy for Population Health  

Current RN License. Additionally, must have taken at least three of the following courses at Mercy College: NURS 361 , NURS 362 , NURS 363 , NURS 364 , NURS 365 , NURS 366 , NURS 367 , NURS 368  and/or NURS 371 .

All students must complete the following before starting clinical. Copies of these documents/clearances must be submitted electronically to the Clinical Placement Coordinator by the specified due date. No one is allowed to begin clinical without the following:

1. Current CPR for Health Care Personnel
2. Liability malpractice insurance
3. Heath clearance approval
4. Immunization titers - MMR, Hepatitis B, Varicella
5. Flu vaccine
6. PPD or Quantiferon or chest x-ray (if PPD positive)
7. Copy of current RN license
8. *Criminal background check - Depending on agency requirements
9. *Drug screen - Depending on agency requirements
10. *Fingerprints - Depending on agency requirements.

Program Probation

If a student’s cumulative and/or major GPA falls below a 2.00, they will be placed on program probation and will have two semesters to raise their cumulative and/or major GPA to a 2.00 or higher.

RN-BS-MS

RNs with 3.0 GPAs from an associate degree program are eligible to apply for the accelerated R.N.-B.S.-M.S. program. In this program, up to nine graduate credits are substituted for undergraduate credits. After 120 credits, a student earns a bachelor’s degree in nursing and is able to enter either the Masters in Nursing Education or Masters in Nursing Administration track.

Requirements for progression in the RN-BS-MS courses:

1. Undergraduate GPA 3.0.
2. Completion of a minimum of 60 general education credits.
3. Undergraduate nursing courses NURS 366, NURS 363 , NURS 371 , and NURS 401.
4. Meet with faculty advisor in the undergraduate program to activate program plan.
5. Faculty advisor to notify the undergraduate coordinator for approval.

Upon completion of the above requirements, the student will take NURS 514 (Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations of Nursing) in lieu of NURS 361 . The student must receive a B or above to be considered for the progression into the master’s program and to progress to the additional two graduate courses (NURS 502 and NURS 503).

Substitution courses are as follows:

NURS 514* in lieu of NURS 361 
NURS 503* in lieu of NURS 365 
NURS 502* in lieu of NURS 364  

*(These are graduate courses-  please see the graduate catalog for the course description)

Admission requirements for the RN-BS-MS Program:

Students admitted into the RN-BS-MS program must complete all of their undergraduate requirements. Pending undergraduate graduation, the graduate application is initiated. The following information must be in evidence:

1. Undergraduate GPA 3.0.
2. NURS 514* (Grade: B or above).
3. Completed graduate application.
4. Approval from Director and/or Associate Director of Nursing Program.

Before entering into the M.S. component of the RN-BS-MS program, the student must graduate from the R.N.-B.S. program.

Program Dismissal Review

In cases which a student has been dismissed from the Nursing Program, the student may request a dismissal review when he/she believes that extenuating circumstances effected his/her academic performance in the program. The student must follow the SHNS Program Dismissal Review Policy detailed at the beginning of the School of Health and Natural Sciences  section.

Complaints That Fall Outside the Realm of Due Process

The Department of Nursing is committed to meeting its mission as it relates to serving our students, potential students, staff, faculty, adjunct faculty, clinical faculty and the public consumer of nursing services. To that end, we are committed to ensuring that exceptional complaints for which there is no established College, School or program policy or procedure are considered and resolved in a timely, fair, consistent and equitable manner.

Procedure: Complaint to the Program:  Complaints should be addressed to the Program Director through the online form located here . 
If the program director is the subject of the complaint, the complaint should be addressed to the Dean, School of Health and Natural Science.

Program Policies

• The readmission policy applies to students dismissed from the Mercy College nursing programs.
• The admission policy applies to students dismissed from other nursing programs.
• Readmission or admission is only offered once. If a student is dismissed a second time from the nursing program, they may not reapply.

Readmission Policy

A student dismissed from the nursing program at Mercy College because of academic criteria may apply for readmission 1-3 years from the date of the academic dismissal.
Students must meet all the current admission criteria to be considered for readmission to the nursing program.

Admission Policy

A student dismissed from other nursing programs for academic reasons may apply for admission to the nursing program at Mercy College. Applicants must meet the current admission requirements at Mercy College. Students must have a grade of C or better in a transferred course(s). 

The Nursing Program may accept up to 6-credits in transfer for the courses listed below (courses must be taken within 5 years of starting the program):

• Nursing Research
• Informatics
• Health Policy
• Contemporary Topics

Readmission to the College (Mercy College Students) or Admission (Applicants dismissed from other nursing schools)

The Applicant must:

• Apply to the Office of Admissions 1-3 years from the dismissal date.
•  Submit a personal statement addressed to the Readmissions Committee (Admissions,PACT and Nursing) requesting readmission or admission to the Nursing Program for a specific semester and year.
  The letter should also contain the following information:
  • Reasons for dismissal from the program
  • Explanation of contributing factors that led to dismissal
  • Discussion about your academic readiness to begin the nursing program
  • Plans to achieve academic success
  • Submit two letters of recommendation supporting eligibility for readmission to the nursing program

Readmission to the Program

• Work with PACT mentor to initiate a review for possible readmission to the Nursing Program.
• Submit a personal statement addressed to the Readmissions Committee (Admissions, PACT and Nursing) requesting readmission or admission to the Nursing Program for a specific semester and year.
  The letter should also contain the following information:
  • Reasons for dismissal from the program
  • Explanation of contributing factors that led to dismissal
  • Discussion about your academic readiness to begin the nursing program.
  • Plans to achieve academic success
• Submit two letters of recommendation supporting eligibility for readmission to the nursing program.

Students who are successful in their readmission or admission to the Mercy College nursing program, are required to adhere to academic requirements and maintain the required GPA for program progression and completion.

Professional Licensure

If you are interested in obtaining professional licensure, please check with the appropriate licensing body in the state where you intend to practice. For additional information and detailed requirements, please refer to the specific program of interest on the “School Resources” section of the Mercy College NC-Sara webpage.