University of Saint Mary Nursing School Review

University of Saint Mary (USM) has its roots dating back to 1859 when it was established by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth as Saint Mary College. It was originally a women’s institute, but after relocation and name change it began accepting males in some courses in 1923.

Today this Catholic liberal arts institution has gained numerous recognitions for teaching excellence and low professor-student ratio. The university operates from two campuses which are located in Leavenworth and Overland Park. The main campus is located in Leavenworth. Students interested in nursing can choose from the following programs:

Traditional Bachelor of Science (BSN) Program

The BSN program at USM is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). There are nine pre-requisite courses which consist of Physiology (with lab), Statistics, Anatomy (with lab), Chemistry (with lab) just to name a few. The course aims at preparing students to become leaders and provide adequate health care to people from different backgrounds.

Applicants to the program must submit current certification in American Heart Association’s basic CPR (BCLS). They must also complete a background check and include an Immunization Record including Hep B and TB Skin test in their applications. Applicants should be sent to the main campus in Leavenworth.

Accelerated BSN Track

This is a new program launched by the University of St. Mary that allows students to have their BSN in 12-months. The program is designed for students that are interested in changing career paths and already have a bachelor’s degree in another field. This is a very intense program that requires full dedication to be successful, because two years of traditional coursework is being delivered over twelve months. Students will also be required to do clinical at any of the many hospital clinical sites that are located in Kansas. All classes are held on site except of the clinical experiences that are off-site. The classes start during the Summer II term and graduation is expected after completing the Summer I year of the following year. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 for all previous coursework in a BA or BS course to be considered for admission.

Online RN-Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) – Online RN to BSN Program

This program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). It is open to registered nurses that want to earn their BSN without hindering their current lives. The online Rn to BSN program guarantees added flexibility that makes it easy to balance both academic life and other obligations. During the course, students gain knowledge and skills that allow them to provide important optimal care for individuals, groups, and communities with diverse backgrounds and needs. The entire program consists of 18 courses- nine of which are nursing courses and the other nine are non-nursing courses.

The aim of the program is to hone the critical thinking skills of students and enable them to prepare nurse care plan development. They will also be able to provide health assessment, intervention implementation and outcome evaluation. The online program at USM distinguishes itself from other RN to BSN nursing programs in that it makes it possible for students to graduate in 18-months and complete a concentration in Health Care Management while doing their BSN.

Contact:
University of Saint Mary
4100 S 4th Street,
Leavenworth, KS 66048

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