4-Year BSN: What to Expect

The Wittenberg 4-Year BSN program is for students who are not yet registered nurses.

Wittenberg University offers a rigorous four-year program through which students earn the Wittenberg Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and prepare to take the national registered nursing licensure exam (NCLEX-RN). Students reap the benefits of strong liberal arts and professional education experiences while participating in all facets of traditional university student life. During all four years you are a Wittenberg student, live on Wittenberg's campus with full access to Wittenberg support services, and fully participate in Wittenberg student life including athletics. Admission to this program is competitive. The percentage of successful candidates depends on the number of total applicants.

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Information for Incoming Pre-licensure Nursing Students

Fall Schedule: Once you 1) submit your admission deposit and any prior college transcripts, 2) declare the Pre-Nursing major, and 3) complete the math and language placement tests.

Spring Schedule: About midway through Fall Semester you’ll meet with your nursing academic advisor. After meeting you will register yourself online for Spring Semester.

Before Year One

Visit with the Nursing Faculty. When you explore Wittenberg or visit campus, visit with the nursing faculty (nursing@wittenberg.edu). Nursing students are unique among other Wittenberg students. They declare the major immediately upon deposit and have early academic advising every term.

Take college credit classes. This helps you in so many ways:

  • College Credit Plus (CCP) is free of cost to your family while you’re in high school. After high school, transferrable community college courses can be taken at a reasonable cost. Need help selecting courses? Contact nursing@wittenberg.edu.
  • Learning what college-level work requires.
  • Taking one class at a time instead of a full-time course load.
  • Lightening academic load during difficult semesters or competitive sports season.
  • Improving your chances of selection into nursing.
  • Opening opportunities to study abroad, study a minor, or double major.
  • Complete Wittenberg University Application for Admission including transcripts
  • Submit your non-refundable enrollment deposit
  • Declare the Pre-Nursing major 
  • Take placement tests in math and foreign language

Year One

Students complete rigorous general education coursework, including psychology, sociology, statistics, English, chemistry, and two semesters of language. Registration holds will prevent you from registering for required classes. During Fall Semester students are identified as Pre-nursing. Students who declare the Pre-Nursing major are automatically considered to have "applied" for nursing selection.

Selection. Declaring the pre-nursing major indicates your interest in participating in selection; there is no separate application process. Selection for nursing occurs in December after Fall Semester grades are posted. Selection is competitive based on Wittenberg GPA, total completed college credits, Wittenberg credits, date of deposit, and date of declaring the major. To participate in selection, students must have a cumulative 2.5+ Wittenberg grade point average (GPA; note that transfer credits do not affect the Wittenberg GPA).

Before Year Two

After selection to Nursing, in the summer before the second year, Nursing students must do the following:

  • Create a CastleBranch account, the Clinical requirement tracking system, then:
  • Obtain an Ohio BCI and FBI Criminal background check
  • Drug test
  • Updated vaccinations, including Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella (Chicken Pox), Hepatitis B, and Tetanus, Diphtheria & Pertussis (Tdap)
  • A Tuberculosis (TB) Interferon Gold Test
  • The American Heart Association Basic Life Support Program Training (CPR and AED)
  • Each student will also provide proof of existing health insurance (the student's name must appear on the ID card)
  • Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) training and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) training
  • A physical examination completed by a Physician or Nurse Practitioner
  • Acknowledgement of Nursing Student Handbook, Code of Conduct, Confidentiality Statement, and other policies
  • The COVID-19 training program
  • Wittenberg University BSN Program Health Release
  • Clinical site specific requirements

Before the second year begins, Nursing students must also purchase the Nursing tote from the Wittenberg bookstore.

Uniforms will be required for all students. The uniform includes black scrub pants, a black scrub shirt, a black scrub jacket, black socks, and black shoes. They may be purchased at a location of the student’s choosing or through the Wittenberg Bookstore.  Once purchased, they must be dropped off at the Nursing Office, for the addition of the official Wittenberg Nursing emblem. (Please note – the scrubs purchased through the Bookstore will have the emblem already attached.  In addition, if you purchase through the Bookstore, you may use your student financial aid as payment). It is recommended that each student have at least two uniforms, in case of spills, etc.

Costs for these items vary by student, but can be anticipated to be in the $400 - $500 range.

Licensed Independent Provider Letter

Years Two, Three and Four

Students who are accepted into Nursing complete challenging nursing classes, topic-specific nursing exams, and additional general education classes. Nursing classes consist of required lecture, simulation lab, and clinical learning experiences. Students must earn a minimum 77% examination average in each class to progress. Final course grades are calculated as:

  1. The final grade for the course will be the theory grade if the simulation lab and clinical performance are "Satisfactory." Students are required to achieve an average of 77% in the examination category of grading; if at least a 77% is earned in examinations, and the simulation and clinical performance is “Satisfactory”, the final grade will reflect the average of the scores earned in examination and other theory components.
  2. Regardless of the examination or cumulative theory grade, the final grade for the course will be an "F" if the simulation or clinical performance is "Unsatisfactory."
  3. Any one of the following constitutes a course failure in nursing: a) A grade below C (77%) in any nursing course, b) An unsatisfactory simulation or clinical grade, or c) Withdrawing under condition 3a or 3b.

Nursing classes may be repeated only once; reinstatement applications are considered on a space-available basis. Applying for reinstatement does not guarantee reinstatement. In general each nursing class is pre-requisite for the following nursing classes, which means that the nursing curriculum cannot be hastened. Wittenberg BSN students complete a minimum of 126 credit hours and complete all Wittenberg general education requirements, including 30 hours of community service. Wittenberg Nursing must verify that each candidate for the national nursing license examination (NCLEX-RN) has completed all program requirements.

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