Creating an online RN to BSN program

[born2inspire]

I'm currently a graduate assistant in the College of Education at a public liberal arts college in the Southeast. I was asked today by the Dean of Education if I would be interested in working with the Dean from the College of Nursing in an effort to move their Bachelor of Science in Nursing completion program from face to face to completely online/or completely revamp their program to help with competing in the state. It's a big task for me but it would look really good seeing as I'm trying to advance into becoming an adjunct professor at the university.

The problem I'm having, as you'll be able to clearly see the more you read, is that I haven't the first clue about nursing. I'm in Education and have been for the past 6 years, so understanding other programs is a bit difficult for me. I hope the questions I'm asking makes sense and I'm sorry for its length, I just have to mull this task over and have information ready to present by Wednesday and I'm freaking out.

My questions for you are mostly questions to see if you can explain what these course requirements on this program means because I'm not understanding it at all, as well as gain input/suggestions on the program style we should offer/things we should change.

• The program is accredited through the NLNAC and I'm not sure if that is a good thing or if they should try and gain accreditation in CCNE/AACN instead.
  

• It says in order to be accepted into the BSN you must already have a SC, NC, or GA nursing license as well as already graduated from an accredited nursing program. Wouldn't this be a downfall to the program because that would mean that in order to get my BSN I have to go to a total of 2 schools to do it right?
  

• It says that you have to take 34-41 hours in core curriculum and 14 hours in foundation courses, which they do offer at this university, but I'm not sure what they mean by the 30-35 hours of nursing courses transferred from Technical and diploma programs under the Major Requirements. Shouldn't that explain itself in the previous question I asked about having to go to a total of 2 schools in order to be considered for this program?
  

• To come to an ending with all this, how do we take the added 33 hours of coursework needed for the major requirements for the BSN program and make it completely online if there are classes that require a laboratory and practicum? Should we do away with the clinicals (or is laboratory/practicums not considered clinicals)?
  

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING ALL OF THIS! Any help is greatly appreciated and I'm so sorry for asking questions that might make me sound mentally slow, lol.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

RN to BSN assumes that you have already gone to school once for the RN, whether it was an Associates program (more common) or a diploma program (less common these days, no degree with the RN). So yes, that does mean two schools for a BSN. It is common for RN to BSN programs to award a certain number of credits based on having RN licensure.

NLNAC accreditation is fine. Students also like to see regional accreditation too.

As to the rest of your questions, your Dean of Nursing will have to help you with the particulars. But looking at various schools' RN to BSN programs (many post their curricula) will give you an idea of typical BSN courses such as nursing research, evidence-based practice, management in nursing, community health nursing, etc.

Congrats on the opportunity and good luck!