Baptist College of Health Sciences Nursing Program Review

The Baptist College of Health Sciences (BCHS), while officially founded in 1994, traces its roots back to the School of Nursing (founded 1912) which was associated with Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis. After a long and successful track record of educating nurses, the diploma nursing program closed in 1997, and the new Baptist College of Health Sciences took over the mission of educating nurses and other healthcare professionals in the Memphis area. Through its Division of Nursing, BCHS offers a bachelor’s degree in nursing. There are three different tracks of the program, all of which are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the Tennessee Board of Nursing.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing – Traditional Option

On the traditional track of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, students take classes during the day. The program, which takes four years to complete, is broken into trimesters (fall, spring, and summer) instead of the traditional semesters. Typically, students take classes during two trimesters each year, although they have the option of including a third trimester occasionally to lighten the course load in the other two trimesters. They don’t necessarily take classes only in the fall and spring; depending on the assigned clinical rotation, they may take classes during the summer trimester instead of the spring or fall trimester. In total, a student in the BSN program must earn 122 credits hours. This curriculum includes fifty-nine credits of general education/nursing support courses and sixty-three credits of nursing courses. The traditional track of the BSN program begins each spring and each summer; about eighty students are accepted for each trimester. After completing the four-year program, a graduate is eligible to take the National Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

Bachelor of Science in Nursing – Evening/Weekend Option

Each fall, BCHS begins the evening/weekend track of the BSN program. About forty students are accepted each year. Before beginning this track, however, a student must complete almost all of the general education courses (forty-six out of the required fifty-nine credits). With these complete, he can study part-time for the first part of the program, and full-time for the last two years. Once enrolled in the nursing course sequence, he studies for six consecutive semesters (including two summer semesters). Classes are scheduled in the evenings. The student participates in clinical rotations on Thursday and Friday evenings, and during the day on Saturday.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing – RN to BSN Option

After completing an associate degree program or a diploma program and passing the NCLEX-RN, an RN can return to school and earn a BSN degree through the RN to BSN option. While this program is short (as little as twelve months), an incoming RN should complete most, if not all, general education requirements before beginning. On a full-time basis, an RN can earn a BSN in a year, but BCHS will accommodate students who wish to take up to two years to earn the degree. The program begins each January. Courses are offered in a hybrid format, partly online and partly on campus.

Contact:
Baptist College of Health Sciences
1003 Monroe Avenue,
Memphis, TN 38104