University of Arkansas at Little Rock Nursing School Review

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) went through a series of name changes until it finally remained with the name it now has. It founded in 1927 as Little Rock Junior College and later changed to Little Rock University in 1957. However, after a merger in 1969 with the University of Arkansas, it was renamed as the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

As would be expected, the merger led to increased enrollments, more resources and an expansion in the number of courses it offered. The school is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The UALR Department of Nursing has been in existence for more than 40 years and has built a reputation for itself training nurses that are highly qualified. The courses offered include:

Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN)

Students that choose this course will be able to select from three options depending on their professional experience and where they want to take their nursing career. The course is built on a combination of both liberal arts subjects and nursing subjects. The three options that are available to students include:

Traditional and Traditional-Accelerated Option

Courses in the traditional option are offered fall, spring, all spring. On the other hand, the Traditional Accelerated option is offered fall, spring, summer, fall. Students will have the option to select their preferred choice during the admission process.

LPN/LPTN-to-RN Transition Option

This course is open to LPNs and LPTNs that want to become registered nurses (RNs). All applicants to the program must ensure that they possess a current unencumbered license prior and during the course. In addition to this, they must also have graduated from an accredited institution. There is also the possibility to gain advancement placement into the program, but this depends on how many months have passed since graduation, number of hours completed in work experience and passing the Excelsior Fundamentals of Nursing examination.

Paramedic-to-RN Transition Option

This is a one year course with admission occurring only once each year. Paramedics that want to become registered nurses are welcome to apply provided they graduated from a paramedic program that is affiliated with an accredited institution. In addition to this, they must have a current certification issued by the Arkansas Department of Health as an Arkansas Paramedic. During the course they are exposed to all the concepts and clinical knowledge that registered nurses have to undertake many roles in any health care facility. Applicants are also expected to have passed the Excelsior Fundamentals of Nursing Examination and be actively registered with the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) to enter the program.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

UALR has tailored its nursing program to ensure that RNs that have a associate of science degree or diploma are able to take further advanced studies to get their BSN. This is possible through the combination of online courses and face-to-face orientations that are given throughout the course. Registered Nurses must ensure that they have an unencumbered license before applying to the program. In addition to this, they may be required to take a list of subjects if their original program did not cover them. They must ensure they successfully pass all of these subjects prior to entering the BSN program.

Contact:

University of Arkansas at Little Rock
2801 South University Avenue,  Little Rock,
AR 72204

Tel: (501) 569-3000

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