Please review the Application Instructions below.
Inquire here
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Accreditation
Academic Requirements
The University of Great Falls RN to BSN Nursing Program has received five-year, full accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for its baccalaureate degree program.
The Board of Commissioners of CCNE determined that the baccalaureate program at the University of Great Falls met all four accreditation standards with no compliance concerns. Those four standards are 1) program quality: mission and governance, 2) program quality: institutional commitment and resources, 3) program quality: curriculum and teaching-learning practices and 4) program effectiveness: student performance and faculty accomplishments.
CCNE is an autonomous accrediting agency contributing to the improvement of the public’s health and serving the public interest by assessing and identifying programs that engage in effective educational practices. Accreditation is a voluntary process and a reaffirmation of the quality and integrity of the programs evaluated.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree completion program is a selective program offered primarily for the licensed, practicing Registered Nurse in the Providence Health & Services System and for other Registered Nurses in Montana. The program is delivered through a combination of distance technologies and commences with a two-week intensive immersion session in the summer. Nurses progress through the program on a part-time, cohort-based model with required nursing courses being offered on a single day per week. Note that employees of Providence Health & Services may be eligible to receive scholarship support through the PH&S Programmatic Support program.
The program’s mission is “to prepare graduates for accountable and professional nursing practice that is relationship-based, vigilant, theory guided, and grounded in the best possible evidence.” This mission is supported by a conceptual framework comprised of the following constructs:
Relationship-Based Care
The University of Great Falls RN to BSN Degree Completion Program honors the patient and family as the center of the care delivery team. In relationship-based practice, excellent patient care outcomes are achieved through collaborative and sacred relationships among the patient, his or her family, and the healthcare team.
Vigilance
Nursing vigilance is reflected in unwavering attention to both the patient and the care delivery environment. This vigilance protects patients from harm and assures their safe passage as they journey through the continuum of their care experience.
Professional Accountability
The professional nurse is accountable for nursing outcomes of care delivery by ensuring vigilant care processes, maintaining expertise in practice, and creating healing care environments. The professional nurse is answerable for practice that consistently meets established standards. This accountability includes steadfast pursuit of opportunities to coach and mentor other members of the inter-professional healthcare team. Nurses are at all times responsible for their own self-care, professional development, and proactive career management.
Change
Constant, complex change is the expected norm and sets the context for contemporary life in health care delivery. Professional nurses thrive in- and are prepared to lead and manage positive change in improving health; with patients, colleagues, and communities.
The University of Great Falls Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree Completion Program is designed for completion in five consecutive semesters, with fewer required course requirements in both summer semesters. Following a required two-week, on-site immersion in Summer I, students complete all required nursing and other coursework at their designated hospital receive site. Local nurse faculty members at each distance site work in close partnership with University of Great Falls faculty in Great Falls, Montana to assure students receive a consistent and student-focused experience. Successful students begin in Summer I as a cohort, progress through the subsequent four semesters together, and meet requirements for graduation at the end of Fall Semester II. The program as designed is completed in approximately 18 months, once all non-nursing course requirements are successfully completed. Students interested in applying to the University of Great Falls Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree Completion Program, please click here.
Upon receipt of the application for admission and official transcripts from any and all colleges attended, a transcript evaluation will be performed to assess courses to be transferred to The University of Great Falls and to determine if a student has any outstanding core courses. Students may not have more than 10 outstanding university core courses prior to starting the program and must complete a degree completion plan stating when and where the outstanding core courses will be completed (see section below about pre-requisite completion). Once a student has applied for admission submitted transcripts and a degree completion plan, the students will then be notified of program admission and a faculty advisor will work with them in completing all outstanding core along with the BSN course block.
NRS 301 Applied Statistics in a Healthcare Context
NRS 303 Professional Role Transitions
NRS 401 Evidence-based Nurse Practice and Healthcare Informatics
NRS 403 Ethical & Spiritual Dimensions of Nursing Practice
NRS 405 Applied Pathophysiologic & Pharmacologic Concepts across the Lifespan I
NRS 406 Applied Pathophysiologic & Pharmacologic Concepts across the Lifespan II
NRS 407 Nursing Care of Communities and Populations
NRS 409 Bioethical & Genetic Challenges in Healthcare Delivery
NRS 411 Leading Effective Change in Healthcare Organizations
NRS 413 Administration & Management of Resources Healthcare Organizations
NRS 489 Emerging Trends in Nursing & Health Policy
NRS 499 Human Response to Variations in Health Status across the Lifespan (Capstone)
Course Sequence Nursing Major
Summer semester Year 1
NRS 301 Applied Statistics in a Healthcare Context
NRS 303 Professional Role Transitions
Fall semester Year 1
NRS 401 Evidence-based Nurse Practice and Healthcare Informatics
NRS 403 Ethical & Spiritual Dimensions of Nursing Practice
NRS 405 Applied Pathophysiologic & Pharmacologic Concepts across the Lifespan I
Spring semester Year 2
NRS 406 Applied Pathophysiologic & Pharmacologic Concepts across the Lifespan II
NRS 407 Nursing Care of Communities and Populations
NRS 409 Bioethical & Genetic Challenges in Healthcare Delivery
Summer semester Year 2
NRS 411 Leading Effective Change in Healthcare Organizations
ENG 3xx Upper Division Writing (if needed)
TRL Core Requirement (if needed)
Fall semester Year 2
NRS 413 Administration & Management of Resources Healthcare Organizations
NRS 489 Emerging Trends in Nursing & Health Policy
NRS 499 Human Response to Variations in Health Status across the Lifespan (Capstone)
Application Instructions for the RN to BSN Degree Completion Program
Applications for the 2014 RN to BSN Program have closed. The application period for the 2015 RN to BSN program will be announced in early 2014.
For more information and to be contacted for the next available application period, inquire here.
The University of Great Falls RN to BSN Degree Completion Program is a competitive program. Please use our online readiness profile and self-evaluation tools to determine if the RN to BSN program is the right one for you and whether or not you are ready to apply.
For application and program questions, contact:
Nicole Brandt, RN to BSN Admission Liaison
(406)791-5234 or (406)791-5202
rn2bsn@ugf.edu or nbrandt01@ugf.edu
Mailing Address:
University of Great Falls - Office of Admission
1301 20th Street South
Great Falls, MT 59405
Many prospective candidates have remaining course work, outstanding core courses required by the University of all students that must be completed in addition to the nursing courses. Pre-requisites can be completed through the University of Great Falls’ Distance Learning program at a discounted rate. The University of Great Falls expects students to apply for admission to the University of Great Falls with an expressed interest in the nursing degree program. Students choosing to take core courses outside of the University of Great Falls must work with the Registrar’s Office to ensure the transferability of these courses.
The Registrar's Office has previously approved several courses in transfer from a variety of schools. For a list of pre-approved courses, please click here. If you wish to take a course not listed here, please contact the Registrar's Office for approval.
Tuition
$453.00 per credit hour
Fees
General - $65.00
Technology: $22.00 per credit hour
One time $310.00 orientation fee
Note that employees of Providence Health & Services may be eligible to receive scholarship support through the PH&S Programmatic Support program from PH&S.
Core course tuition for PH&S, Benefis, and the Great Falls Clinic employees is $130/credit (no fees). This applies to core courses offered via the University of Great Falls Distance Learning.
Providence Health & Services with students currently enrolled in the program include Little Company of Mary in San Pedro and Torrance, California; Providence Medford Medical Center, Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital, Providence Newberg Medical Center, Providence Seaside Hospital, Providence Milwaukie Hospital, Providence Portland Hospital in Oregon; Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, Providence Regional Medical Center and Providence Centralia in Washington.
Lori Gaston
The UGF program is a great program for experienced nurses. The university takes into consideration prior nursing experience, so there seems to be fewer core non-nursing classes. This is a great opportunity that Providence is offering and the instructors from both Providence and UGF are amazingly talented people in their field of expertise. The course is not easy but I am impressed at how well it applies to what we do every day which makes the work much more meaningful.
The best experience of my life! And wow, I get an education to go with it. How lucky am I!
Milton Kaimoana
You can't beat the price. Compared to the local universities prices, I have saved about $12 -15,000
I was really scared to return to school after a twenty-five year absence. From the minute I arrived on campus for the intensive summer program, I felt that every effort was made to ensure my success. The UGF staff and faculty went above and beyond my expectations. The writing instructor even came in on his day off to tutor a student. I really felt the Providence Mission alive at UGF and it made me proud and grateful to be a Providence employee and a Great Falls student.
Dan Dahl
I had the privilege to see how "Amazing Service" should work. At every level from cafeteria to classroom, the people at UGF embody the spirit of Providence at its best.
Cathy Lamb, R.N., B.S.N. (2010)
Hello, just wanted to check in and give you an update on progress in the Gonzaga MSN program. Dottie and I are over half way through our first class. Jared and Mary are planning on joining us in the fall. Jared has turned in all paper work and anxiously awaiting confirmation. Mary is busy getting all her paper work together and hopes to turn it in next week. Before too long Providence will have 4 new Nurse Practitioners.
I have to say the UGF program has certainly prepared us for this program. I now understand why you pushed us so hard, it is paying off. I am currently in “Advanced Practice Ethics” I have written two 8 pages papers and have received an A on both. What surprises me is that I received great comments on my abstracts that I now have to include in each paper. I find myself looking back to Ethics with Sister Mary Kaye her class was difficult for me, she made me rewrite several papers, I am now very thankful. Pam please let her know that. Dottie is currently in “Evidence Based Practice” using the same book we used at UGF. She is doing well thanks to what we learned at UGF.
Dottie and I were just saying we feel we should be doing more work, Gonzaga is a little slower pace than what we did at UGF. Or we just got a whole lot smarter.
I know I have said it before and I am sure I will say it many more times to come, Thank you for everything you have done for all the nurses at Providence. The Great Nurses Great Falls program has produced some highly educated nurses and prepared them to continued their professional growth. Nice to see that the program is continuing to grow. Second cohort has only one term left, how great is that. Warm regards.