Hunter College Nursing Program Review

Hunter College (HC) is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) and is located in Manhattan on the Upper East Side. The college has over 100 fields of study and six schools including The School of Nursing. There are several nursing degrees offered for undergraduate and graduate students at this large, prestigious nursing program. The School of Nursing is on the Brookdale Campus on 25th Street at 1st Avenue near the Veterans Administration Hospital, New York University Medical Center, and Bellevue Hospital.

Nursing Programs

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree is offered at Hunter College of Nursing. It is called the Generic Pathway and is for undergraduate students. When the program has been completed, students will be prepared to take the NCLEX national exam for licensure as a Registered Nurse. If students want to continue their education and earn their Master’s Degree in Nursing, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) coursework prepares them to do this. Admission to the program is extremely competitive. Each year, 100 students are admitted, but they are not guaranteed a seat into the program. Students must have a very high grade point average and score on the Pre-RN exam to be considered for admittance to the program. Those admitted to the program must have health insurance, liability insurance, a CPR certificate, and medical and immunization records that are current. Students must also have malpractice insurance and are usually required to have criminal background checks.

It takes 120 credits to earn the BSN and a minimum grade of C must be earned in all classes. General education requirements must be finished before admittance to the nursing program. They are called Lower Division courses. These are Chemistry 120 and 121, Biology 120, Biology 122, and Biology 230. Students then begin their studies by taking English Composition, Quantitative Reasoning, U.S. History, Literature in English, a Humanities elective, Visual & Performance Arts, Chemistry and Lab, and Biology. Other required general education requirements are Biology 230, and Pluralism and Diversity courses. Once students have completed these courses, they may apply to the Upper Division courses.

Students who apply to the College of Nursing must be matriculated undergraduate students at Hunter College, and they must have at least a 3.0 grade point average. Students who are admitted usually have a grade point average of 3.5. Students must have completed at least 60 credits before beginning the Upper Division courses. In addition, students must have U.S. citizenship, and must be permanent residents, or have been granted some type of refugee status.

Students accepted into the Upper Division must attend classes full-time. They take Introduction to Nursing, Nursing 1, and Essentials of Pharmacology during the first semester. During the second semester, Nursing 2, Nutrition in the Nursing Process and Nursing Research must be taken. The third semester requires that Nursing 3, and two nursing electives are taken. In the final semester, Nursing 4, Nursing Management and Leadership, and Nursing and Society are taken.

Accelerated Second-Degree Pathway (A2DP)

This Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program is for students who have a non-nursing baccalaureate degree. It consists of 50 credits that are earned over 16 months of full-time study. Students may take the NCLEX, the national exam that is required for licensure as a Registered Nurse after completing the program. Prerequisite courses include General Chemistry with lab, Organic Chemistry with lab, Human Anatomy and Physiology I & II, Introduction to Statistics, Microbiology, English Composition, General Psychology, and Developmental Psychology of the Life Span. Students who are admitted to the nursing program take Introduction to Nursing, Nursing 1, and Pharmacology the first quarter. They take Nursing Nutrition the second quarter, and Nursing 2, Pathophysiology, and Nursing Research & Theory the third quarter. In the summer quarter, students then take Nursing 3. Their final quarter is in the fall when they take Nursing 4 and Leadership and Systems.

The RN Pathway (RN-BSN)

Students admitted to this program must be a practicing RN in New York State. Students may be given credit for some of their previous nursing courses, and they must complete all of the required Lower Division general academic courses before being admitted to the Upper Division nursing courses. Students must complete two years or four semesters in the Upper Division and take Nursing and Societal Forces and Nursing Culturally Diverse Families during the first semester. The second semester, they take Health Assessment Throughout the Lifespan and a nursing elective. Third semester requires Nursing Research & Theory and Promotion of Wellness in the community. The last semester, students take Advancement of Roles & Relationships in professional nursing, and two nursing electives.

Nursing students in the Upper Division also spend a significant amount of hours on clinical experience. They work in many different types of health care to gain experience with pediatric and adult care, as well as psychiatric and other specialties.

Master of Science (MS) in Nursing

Hunter College offers a wide variety of specialty choices for RNs who already have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and who want to advance their nursing careers by specializing in a particular patient care area. Programs take up to five years to complete and consist of around 42 credits in graduate-level courses. Since most RNs are working during the day, most classes are held on weekends or in the evening. One of these is the Adult Nurse Practitioner program that prepares nurses to deliver primary care for adults. These specialty RNs work in community health centers, clinics, hospitals, wellness centers, and other locations within the community. Another graduate-level specialty is Adult Health Nursing/Clinical Nurse Specialist. The focus of this program is to educate students in caring for patients in medical and surgical specialties. Graduates from the program will be prepared to work in acute care or other specialty nursing services, mostly in hospitals.

The master’s level program entitled Clinical Nurse Leader is a program that prepares RNs with a BSN to move into management roles that carry heavy responsibilities. After graduation, they will be able to manage floors or departments in hospitals or to work for government agencies or corporations that need a nurse leader. This program of study offers a clinical practicum at the RNs current place of employment. RNs who have graduated from this program are considered advanced generalists in nursing.

Another choice of Master of Science (MS) degrees for those with a BSN is the Community/Public Health Nursing degree. This course of study prepares RNs to work in public health and community-based agencies. Students may also opt to earn a dual degree which consists of a Masters in Nursing and a Masters in Public Health. A similar degree offering is the Community/Public Health Nursing/Urban Public Health program. These two dual degree programs require 57 credits of courses before graduation.

Hunter College offers three other MS programs for nurses, including the Gerontological/Adult Nurse Practitioner program that prepares RNs to work with older adults in a variety of settings. Students in this program learn about wellness and illness in adults of all ages. The Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing/Nurse Practitioner program presents advance practice methods for RNs who work in psychiatric centers or who provide primary care for the mentally ill. Another MS program is Nursing Administration/Public Administration. The focus of this program is to prepare RNs to assume leadership roles in a variety of health care settings.

Post Master’s Degree Certificates

Many times it is helpful to have more than one master’s degree. An RN who would like to add on another master’s degree to the Master of Science (MS) in nursing that they already have may want to complete one of Hunter College’s post master’s degree certificates. With these degrees, it is not necessary to start at the beginning by taking all of the courses required for someone without a master’s degree. A Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Advanced Certificate can be earned by taking classes part-time. It usually takes from three to five semesters to earn the 15 to 24 credits needed for a post master’s certificate. Hunter College also offers a Post-Master’s Advance Certificate in Nursing Education .This program consists of four courses and typically takes four semesters to complete. One of them is a 135 hour of practice teaching.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

This program consists of 90 credits and 1,000 hours of clinical experience that are earned over a period of four years. Full-time study is required to complete the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Those accepted into the program must have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on their undergraduate studies. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is also required, and applicants must have a minimum score of 1200 on math and English combined. The City University of New York (CUNY) also offers a doctoral program for nurses with a MS degree who want to continue their studies. This particular program leads to a Nursing Science (DNS) degree. It is designed to train nurses to be leaders in nursing in many healthcare settings.

Contact:
Hunter College-CUNY
695 Park Avenue,
New York, New York 10065
(212) 772-4000