Admission to Professional Pathways

This path is designed for students waiting to start nursing core courses at the technical school. Students will be eligible to apply for financial aid at Viterbo, so long as the student is not taking courses at any other institution and has not applied for aid elsewhere.

The following program requirements must be completed and a Professional Pathway’s Verification form must be approved by the Associate Dean of the student’s respective nursing program. Students are required to:

• Complete Anatomy and Physiology and either Advanced Anatomy and Physiology or Microbiology, with a minimum grade of “C” in both courses
• Complete 15 credits of general education requirements, including: Written Communication, Speech, Sociology, Psychology, & Developmental Psych, with a minimum 2.25 GPA
• Maintain a minimum 2.25 GPA throughout the program

Admission (BSN completion)

• To be admitted to the BSN Completion program, applicants must have an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Registered Nurse Diploma from a regionally accredited college or technical school. Also, students must show documentation of an active U.S. registered nurse license prior to beginning the second session of nursing courses in the program.  
• Students will be considered for admission as long as they have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.25 on a 4.00 scale.

Policy (BSN completion)

• Up to 38 credits of lower division nursing credits will be awarded to the BSN Completion program student who has graduated from a community college, vocational/technical school, or diploma program.
• Students must take a minimum of 13 credits of nursing courses through Viterbo’s BSN Completion program. All nursing courses transferred, are subject to a review of the syllabus and approval of the program chair. The courses are those completed after the ADN or a Registered Nurse Diploma program from a regionally accredited college or technical school.
• A student who does not maintain a 2.5 cumulative grade point average in nursing courses may not be permitted to progress in nursing designated courses until the grade point average is re-established at 2.5.
• A student who receives a grade of “CD” or below in a nursing course is placed on probation and must earn grades of “C” or better in any repeated courses in all remaining non-concurrent nursing courses. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the nursing program.
• A non-probationary student who earns a “D” or “F” in a nursing course may be given the opportunity to repeat the course the following semester (if the course is offered). The student will only be permitted to take another nursing course pending development of an academic success plan.
• Additional requirements related to the program can be found in the BSN Completion program handbook.

Clinical Requirements (BSN completion)

• Students must meet both university (health history and immunization profile) and clinical agency personnel requirements (up-to-date immunization records - including COVID-19 complete series, and background checks) as specified for prescribed coursework and clinical experiences.
• Federal and state statues require that criminal background checks be completed for all persons who provide nursing care for others or who have access to people who receive care. Clinical agencies prohibit placement of students with criminal histories of specific crimes and offenses that have been identified by the state of Wisconsin or others as bars to employment or licensure (such as abuse, assault, or neglect). The School of Nursing requires that all students complete a background information disclosure statement and a criminal history search. Individuals whose background check identifies bars to the provision of care in contracted agencies or places restrictions of client contact will not be allowed to progress in the program.
• Students must have the ability to collect appropriate subjective and objective data associated with obtaining a nursing history and performing a physical assessment. The emphasis is on knowing normal findings and normal variations in the healthy adult, well child, and the well elder person as demonstrated by one of the following:
  • Currently completing health histories and physical assessments in the students’ nursing practice
  • Graduate after 1990 from an ADN program
  • A course must be completed prior to registering for NURS-451 if the student does not meet one of the above criteria

Readmission Policy (BSN completion)

• An individual previously dismissed from the School of Nursing shall be required to complete a readmission packet for the respective program (traditional or BSN Completion program). The packet shall be obtained from the assistant dean of the program to which the individual is seeking readmission. The completed readmission packet will be evaluated on an individual basis by the assistant dean and a readmission board.

Admission to the Nursing Major (traditional BSN)

The following requirements must be met in order to be accepted as a nursing major:

• composite ACT score of 18 (exceptions have been made for Fall 2021, Spring and Fall 2022)
• high school rank in the 50th percentile or higher; applicants with no high school rank must have a high school grade point average of 3.0/4.0 scale
• completion of one year of high school chemistry, or equivalent, with grades of C or better
• completion of two years of high school algebra, or equivalent, with grades of C or better

Admission to the Professional Nursing Program (traditional BSN)

Viterbo will admit two cohorts into the professional nursing sequence (fall and spring). Viterbo students wishing to enter the professional nursing program at the sophomore level must complete a formal application for admission prior to the semester of desired entry.

• FALL COHORT
  • Completed prerequisites and in-process prerequisites during spring semester. The application deadline is April 1*. Applicants will be notified of admission decisions by April 18*.
  • Incomplete prerequisites in-process during summer. Students may apply at any time. Additional applicants will be notified of admission decisions on a rolling basis through June, July, and August. Admittance is dependent upon available seats. Applicants will be reviewed in order of course completion date and grade submission. The course grade may be submitted via an unofficial transcript or screen shot.
• SPRING COHORT
  • Completed prerequisites and in-process prerequisites during fall semester. The application deadline is Nov. 1*. Applicants will be notified of admission decisions by Nov. 18*.

*Dates above may be adjusted for weekends and/or holidays.

• Applicants for the professional nursing sequence must have completed the following prerequisites by the end of the semester in which the application for admission to the professional nursing program is filed: 
  • ENGL 103 or 105 or 195
  • PSYC 171
  • BIOL 104 and 114 (with grades of C or better)
  • CHEM 106 or 120 and 121 (with a grade of C or better)
  • cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 or above
• A Viterbo nursing math competency test must be successfully completed prior to submitting the application.  (scheduled through the Academic Resource Center)
• The Nursing Admission Review Team will review student records after the posting of current semester grades. The committee will admit the most qualified students based on a holistic review of items that may include cumulative grade point average (GPA), cumulative GPA in prerequisite courses, science GPA, previous academic records, interview, essay, or other supplemental items . Preference for admission will be given to the most qualified students.  The school may find it necessary to deny admission to a qualified applicant because of enrollment limits in the professional nursing sequence. Depending on the number of qualified applicants, meeting the minimum criteria for admission may not be sufficient to be admitted to the professional nursing sequence in the desired semester. Entrance is a competitive process.
• Current Viterbo students who qualify, but are not admitted to the cohort of their choice due to enrollment limits will be guaranteed a spot in the next cohort if they remain enrolled full time at Viterbo and maintain the academic criteria, such as cumulative GPA and prerequisite grade requirements.
• Students who do not qualify may submit an application for a subsequent cohort. Applications are not automatically carried forward. Applicants who have applied in the past are given no special consideration and are reviewed as a member of the current applicant pool.

Transfer Policy (traditional BSN)

• Viterbo will admit two cohorts intro the professional nursing sequence (fall and spring). In addition, transfer students will have the option to apply for direct entry into the professional nursing sequence if they meet all qualifications. The size of each cohort is limited and priority is given to current Viterbo students. See application requirements in Admission to the Professional Nursing Program section above.
• Transfer students need to first apply and be accepted into Viterbo University as a nursing major. In order to be a nursing major, students must meet the following requirements:
  • Submit high school transcript or equivalency which includes high school rank data
  • Submit transcripts from all previous post-secondary schools attended
  • Submit ACT data, if the test was taken, with results indicating a composite score of 18.
    • Applicants with a composite ACT score below 18 must be reviewed by the Viterbo admissions committee. 
    • If no ACT data is available, placement testing in math, reading, writing, and an interview, may be requested prior to acceptance.
  • Completion of one year of high school chemistry, or equivalent, with grade of “C” or better
  • Completion of two years of high school algebra, or equivalent, with grade of “C” or better
  • Cumulative GPA of 2.75 on transfer credits (total earned points divided by number of credits)
• Once admitted to the university as a nursing major, transfer students may then submit a separate application to the professional nursing sequence if they meet all of the following academic criteria:
  • ENGL 103 or 105 or 195
  • PSYC 171
  • BIOL 104 and 114 (with grades of C or better)
  • CHEM 106 or 120 and 121 (with a grade of C or better)
  • Cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 or above
• Additional requirements once admitted into the program are:
  • Current State Certified Nurse Assistant;
  • Current CPR for health professionals (American Heart Association);
  • Nursing Math test (administered at Viterbo);
  • Health physical, immunizations, and criminal background check

The deadline to complete these additional requirements is designated in the acceptance letters to the professional nursing sequence.

Clinical Requirements (traditional BSN) ALL STUDENTS

• Prior to starting the professional nursing sequence, students must show completion of the following: 
  • Current state certification as a nursing assistant (CNA),
  • Current CPR for Health Professionals (American Heart Association),
  • Up-to-date health history and immunization profile including: 
    • Physical examination form - Nursing Physical Form;
    • Record of up-to-date immunization status including – tetanus, diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, COVID-19 (complete series), and varicella,
    • Results of an annual Tuberculin test .
    • Failure to have these documents on file by the first day of classes may result in being dropped from the professional sequence.
• It is required that the student’s health file and CPR certification remain current throughout the course of the program. Failure to comply will mean that the student will not be allowed to begin or to continue in clinical practicum experiences.
• Federal and state statutes require that criminal background checks be completed for all persons who provide nursing care for others or who have access to people who receive care.
• Clinical agencies prohibit placement of students with criminal histories of specific crimes and offenses that have been identified as bars to employment or licensure (such as abuse, assault, or neglect). The School of Nursing requires that all students complete a background information disclosure statement and a criminal history search prior to beginning the first clinical practicum in nursing. Students also are required to complete background information disclosure statements at the beginning of each level of the program to insure that requirements continue to be met. In addition, clinical agencies may have other specific requirements that students must meet prior to placement. Individuals whose background check identifies bars to the provision of care in contracted agencies or places restrictions on client contact will not be allowed to progress in the program.
• Viterbo University School of Nursing utilizes a wide variety of community agencies to assist students in meeting the nursing curriculum objectives. Each student is responsible for his/her own transportation to and from these clinical agencies.
• Students will be required to purchase their own liability insurance for any clinical experiences occurring outside of the university semester dates.
• Additional requirements related to the professional program can be found in the current B.S.N. student handbook (traditional program) http://www.viterbo.edu/bachelor-sciencenursing/student-handbook.

Progression in the Professional Nursing Sequence (traditional BSN)

• In order to progress in the professional nursing sequence, students must earn a grade of C in BIOL 296 or repeat the course until a grade of C is earned.
• Students are expected to earn grades of C or higher in nursing courses. Students who earn a grade of CD or lower in a nursing course will be placed on probation and must earn grades of C or better in all remaining nursing courses.  Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the program.
• In addition, students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher throughout the nursing program. Failure to do so will result in being dropped from the program until the 2.5 GPA is reestablished.

Readmission Policy (traditional BSN)

• An individual previously dismissed from the School of Nursing seeking readmission shall be required to complete a readmission packet. The guidelines shall be obtained from the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Nursing Programs. The completed readmission packet will be evaluated on an individual basis by a readmission board.