Admission Criteria
Nursing offers graduates a wide array of professional career choices. OBU Graduates are prepared for hospital, school, and community settings where they manage acute and chronic patient care and promote health and wellness. Nursing professionals specialize in geriatrics, pediatrics, oncology, emergency, medical, surgical, neonatal, obstetrics, and many other areas of health care. Upon graduation, our graduates will be expected to:
- Base practice on current knowledge, theory, and evidence related to health promotion, risk reduction, disease prevention, and illness management across the lifespan and with diverse cultures using the roles of educator, practitioner and leader;
- Exhibit critical thinking skills sufficient for beginning nursing practice;
- Demonstrate informatics and technology competence to promote safety, quality and efficiency in health care delivery and professional practice;
- Exhibit caring relationships in the provision of health care, creating an environment in which all parties can achieve and maintain dignity as a holistic being;
- Integrate faith consistent with the Judeo Christian belief system into professional practice and service;
- Exhibit acceptance and respect to persons whose values, attitudes, and beliefs are different from those of the nurse while providing culturally sensitive care in varied settings with diverse populations;
- Exhibit interprofessional collaboration by communicating, collaborating and forming partnerships with interdisciplinary teams, clients, families and populations;
- Exercise management of physical, fiscal and human resources to meet the health care needs of the client, families and populations;
- Begin to participate in activities that shape the health care delivery system through civic engagement, service and the political and regulatory processes;
- Assume moral, ethical and legal responsibility and accountability for practice based on current standards of practice, the ANA Code of Ethics and laws related to health care;
- Demonstrate a commitment to life-long learning by planning for personal and professional development.
- Facilitate growth towards holistic wellness and self-care by empowering individuals, families, communities and oneself.
Admission Requirements to Upper Division Nursing Courses
After being accepted into the University and having completed or currently enrolled in NURS 2024, the student may apply for enrollment in the upper division nursing courses. An application for admission may be obtained from the School of Nursing website.
Each applicant is considered by a committee composed of faculty from the School of Nursing. Admission to and continuation in the nursing program requires a professional review by the faculty. Criteria for admission to and progression in the Nursing Area of Concentration are listed below. These criteria must be met prior to enrollment in junior level nursing courses.
Prior to the first day of class in NURS 2024 (due date designated by School of Nursing), students must provide certification of the following:
- HEPATITIS B VACCINE with dates of each injection or declination completed. A complete Hepatitis B vaccination series (series of three or waiver) is required;
- Negative tuberculin skin test(s) (in conformity with the Oklahoma State Department of Health's guidelines, as expressed at Oklahoma Administrative Code 310:667-5-4) or negative chest x-ray;
- VARICELLA (chicken pox): A two injection series; a written verification of varicella history, varicella vaccination or a varicella titer by a physician or a physician's designee;
- MEASLES MUMPS, and RUBELLA (MMR) vaccination(s) or positive titer(s), including two appropriately spaced doses of the measles and mumps vaccines or positive mumps and measles titers;
- TENANUS-DIPHTHERIA and PERTUSSIS (TdaP) VACCINE: After initial TdaP, a routine booster of Td vaccine should be given at 10-year intervals;
- Seasonal influenza vaccinations and, at the request of the facility, vaccination for other strains of influenza;
- And any other immunizations that may be required by clinical agencies
- Basic Life Support and Automated Emergency Defibrillation CPR for Healthcare Providers (American Heart Association) that does not expire before the end of the semester;
- Criminal Background Check
- Negative drug screen
- Liability insurance purchased through the School of Nursing;
- Health Insurance, must provide a copy of health insurance card or proof of coverage. Must be updated annually.
The following criteria must be met for conditional admission into the nursing program:
- Complete online application and pay application fee.
- Earn a minimum 2.80 GPA in General Education courses.
- Complete the following courses with a minimum grade of "C": CHEM 1124, BIOL 2354, SOCI 1223, BIOL 2274, BIOL 2364, MATH 1163, PSYC 1223, and MATH 2003.
- Complete the following courses with a minimum grade of "C": NURS 1101, NURS 2013, and NURS 2024.
- Cannot repeat more than 2 courses. If a student must repeat more than 2 of the courses listed in the previous two bullets at any institution to achieve a C, he/she will not be able to apply for admission to the OBU School of Nursing.
- Achieve a minimum average of 75% on exams in NURS 2024.
- (A student may repeat any one course only once.)
- Achieve a satisfactory score on a Dosage Calculation Exam during NURS 2024.
- Completion of all immunizations, CPR, Background Check, Drug screen, and Health Insurance as outlined above.
- Submit a letter from the Dean/Director of the previously enrolled nursing program stating that the student was in good academic standing. This must accompany the application.
The following criteria must be met for full admission into the nursing program:
- Completion of all general education courses and prerequisites for nursing degree program. (exception Ethics 3hrs - Biblical REL 3703, Fine Arts 3hrs - FNAR 2063)
- Completion of all conditional requirements.
- Any Non-Native English Speaker student is required to score a level 8 or higher on the OBU Intensive English Program's English Placement Test prior to admission to the School of Nursing. A Non-Native English Speaker (NNES) may self-identify or may be identified by faculty or admission counselor. When identified the NNES will be directed to the IEP program for evaluation iep@okbu.edu. A student who fails to score a level 8 can choose to participate in the OBU IEP program for remediation. A level 8 on the English Placement Test must be achieved by the third attempt.
General Criteria for Progression in Area of Concentration Courses
Once a student has been admitted to the School of Nursing, the following progression criteria must be met to remain in the program:
- Earn a minimum grade of "C" or better in all Area of Concentration courses.
- Cannot repeat more than two courses in area of concentration. If a student must repeat more than 2 of the area of concentration courses to achieve a C, he/she will not be able to continue working toward a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Nursing at OBU. (A student may repeat any one course only once.)
- Achieve a satisfactory score on a Dosage Calculation Exam each semester.
- Achieve a minimum average of 70% on exams in each of the following courses: NURS 3156, NURS 3163, NURS 3171, NURS 3182, NURS 3223, NURS 4043, NURS 4134, NURS 4143, and NURS 4153.
- Maintain current Background Check, Drug Screen, CPR, TB, Influenza vaccination, Health Insurance, and any other requirements requested by the clinical agency.
Degree Completion
In addition to OBU graduation requirements, a nursing student cannot receive a final transcript unless they have achieved a level II on all Assessment Technology Institute (ATI) Mastery Exams required by the School of Nursing. If a level II is not achieved on any one exam after two attempts, the student is required to complete and provide proof of an NCLEX review course. Upon validation of achievement of level II on all ATI Mastery exams or certificate of completion of NCLEX review course, the final transcript will be released.