University of Saint Joseph Nursing School Review

The University of Saint Joseph (USJ), previously known as Saint Joseph College (SJC), is a Catholic school founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1932 as a liberal arts college for women. It remains as the only four year women’s college in the state of Connecticut. USJ also offers coed graduate and professional studies. The student to faculty ratio is 11 to 1, and the average class has 16 students in it.

The School Of Health And Natural Sciences at USJ offers several options for undergraduate and graduate nursing studies.

Nursing Programs

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

The traditional BSN program is for students with no previous nursing experience and for transfer students. Students are admitted into the nursing program at the beginning of their sophomore year. To stay in the program, students must maintain a 2.33 GPA or higher in nursing classes until graduation. Students will take 51 credits of core nursing courses, in addition to their General Education and Science requirements.

Graduates are eligible to take the state license exam for Registered Nurses (RNs).

BSN Second Bachelor’s Degree

This program is for students with a bachelors degree in another program, who want to earn a BSN and get their RN license. To apply, students need a 3.25 cumulative GPA or better, and a grade of B or better in their science courses.

Multicultural RN-BSN

The RN to BSN with Multicultural Health concentration prepares nurses to work with diverse populations, assess cultural health factors, communicate in Spanish, and promote Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS standards) in health care.

Nursing Dual Admission

Students who are starting on their associate degree in nursing may apply for dual admission to the RN to BSN program. If accepted, they will be guaranteed admission to the University of Saint Joseph after completion of an accredited associate program in nursing.

The University of St. Joseph allows transfer of 38 nursing credits from the associate degree program, and usually will award another 38 credits toward the BSN degree.

Master’s Program in Nursing

The Masters program at USJ is for students with a bachelors degree and an RN license. Students have the choice of studying to be Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing Practitioners, Family Nurse Practitioners, or Nurse Educators.

The program allows students to take core courses, then design their own program according based on their specialty and interests.

To apply, students must have a GPA of 3.0 in their undergraduate program, be a licensed RN, complete an essay, have reference letters, and complete an interview.

The Master’s program requires completion of 24 core credits. The Family Nurse Practitioner concentration requires an additional 22 credits of study, Nurse Educator needs another 9 credits, and Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner needs 20 credits. In addition, they must complete a scholarly research project.

Post Master’s Certificate in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

This program is for nurses with master’s degrees in the program who want to become certified as Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioners. This program requires 12 credits of study to complete.

If a student has a masters in a different nursing specialty, they can arrange to create their own plan of study to complete this certificate program.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

RNs with a Masters Degree in Nursing may apply to the DNP program. The DNP is designed to teach students the principles of advanced nursing practice and health promotion.

This program is a two year course of study with online courses, and students will complete 39 credits to finish. Students must have a 3.2 GPA to apply, along with GRE scores, reference letters, an RN license, an essay, and an interview.

Guyana Immersion Experience

USJ’s Guyana Immersion Experience was established by the Division of Nursing in 2002, and now includes students and faculty from several other departments as well.

Participants travel to Guyana each January to provide education and health care, as well as conduct research. This program gives students the opportunity for growth and learning, and helps them become citizens of the world.

Contact:
University of Saint Joseph
1678 Asylum Avenue
West Hartford, CT 06117-2791

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