The University of Florida College of Nursing’s BSN program is designed around the core principles of Care, Lead, Inspire — three essential pillars that guide students’ development into competent, compassionate, and transformative nursing professionals. These pillars form the foundation of the nursing curriculum and ensure that graduates are prepared to meet the demands of contemporary healthcare systems while leading innovation in nursing practice.

The curriculum is structured to build from fundamental nursing principles to advanced practice, with students acquiring the cognitive, affective, and technical competencies necessary for professional nursing. It is organized logically from simpler to more complex concepts, allowing students to progressively develop and refine their clinical reasoning, judgment, and leadership skills.

Early Semesters: Foundational Knowledge & Clinical Competencies

In the first two semesters, students focus on foundational courses that provide an understanding of the core principles of personalized nursing care. These courses emphasize the foundational knowledge needed to care for patients across the lifespan, covering essential areas such as:

• The principles of professional nursing practice and ethical decision-making.
• Understanding of nursing theory and the nurse-patient relationship.
• Legal guidelines, professional values, and standards of care.
• Developing clinical reasoning and judgment in controlled environments with increasing complexity.

During these semesters, students will also begin gaining hands-on experience in simulated clinical settings, enabling them to apply what they’ve learned in a safe, structured manner. The emphasis is on learning basic clinical techniques, understanding the context of nursing practice, and becoming familiar with the nurse's ethical, legal, and professional responsibilities.

Intermediate Semesters: Enhancing Clinical Judgment & Care Delivery

As students progress into the third and fourth semesters, the focus shifts towards applying knowledge in real-world clinical settings, with increased complexity in both content and outcomes. During these semesters, students will:

• Engage in more advanced clinical practice and refine their clinical judgment through hands-on patient care experiences in diverse settings.
• Develop a deeper understanding of evidence-based practice, learning to incorporate the latest research into care delivery for individuals, families, and communities.
• Explore leadership roles, developing formal and informal leadership skills, such as team coordination, conflict resolution, and delegation in clinical environments.
• Begin working with interdisciplinary teams to foster collaboration among healthcare professionals and improve patient outcomes.
• Apply critical thinking skills in managing increasingly complex patient care scenarios involving individuals, families, and vulnerable populations.

This stage of the curriculum introduces students to more complex patient care scenarios, including patients with multi-faceted healthcare needs. Students can integrate theoretical knowledge with practical, hands-on care, preparing them for increasingly independent practice in clinical settings.

Final Semester: Leadership, Innovation, and Professional Advocacy

In the final semester, students engage in a culminating project where they must develop an innovative solution to a problem or issue relevant to the nursing profession. This capstone experience encourages critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

Students are expected to:

• Collaborate with peers and faculty to develop and implement an innovative nursing practice solution.
• Enhance their leadership skills by participating in interprofessional collaborations and advocating for positive change within the health care system.
• Demonstrate a deep understanding of the health care system and how nursing can influence individual and population health outcomes.
• Engage in professional activities that promote social justice, health equity, and cultural competence in nursing care delivery.

Students are also expected to refine their ability to advocate for patients, improve healthcare systems, and lead initiatives that drive the future of nursing practice. The final semester reinforces the importance of inspiring others, whether that be through mentorship, leadership in practice, or contributions to research and innovation in health care.

Throughout the program, clinical experiences and coursework are intricately designed to prepare students to meet the challenges of the ever-evolving healthcare system. By the time they graduate, Gator Nurses will have developed the ability to care for individuals, families, and communities, lead innovative changes in the nursing field, and inspire their peers and patients.

Critical Tracking records each student’s progress in courses that are required for progress toward each major. Please note the critical-tracking requirements below on a per-semester basis.

Equivalent critical-tracking courses as determined by the State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites may be used for transfer students.

The following recommended curriculum plan enables students to satisfy university-wide general education requirements and required preprofessional courses. The plan includes the courses and academic standards (overall GPA and preprofessional GPA) required each semester for continuation in the pre-nursing program and application for admission to the nursing major.

Semester 1

• Complete 2 critical-tracking courses with minimum grades of C: APK 2100C, APK 2105C, DEP 3053 or EDF 2110 (recommended), HUN 2201, MCB 2000/MCB 2000L, STA 2023, 3 credits of social and behavioral science (with PSY, SOP or SYG prefix), and 3 credits of physical or biological sciences (with BSC, CHM or PHY prefix)
• 3.0 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
• 3.0 overall GPA on work from all institutions

Semester 2

• Complete 2 additional critical-tracking courses with minimum grades of C
• 3.1 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
• 3.1 overall GPA on work from all institutions

Semester 3

• Complete 2 additional critical-tracking courses with minimum grades of C
• 3.2 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
• 3.2 overall GPA on work from all institutions

Semester 4

• Complete all critical-tracking courses with minimum grades of C
• Complete Writing Requirement
• Complete all general education coursework with minimum grades of C
• Complete a total of 60 credits
• 3.3 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
• 3.3 overall GPA on work from all institutions

Semester 5

• Complete all nursing courses with minimum grades of C
• Course required score on the external nursing skills examination in NUR 3066C

Semester 6

• Complete all nursing courses with minimum grades of C
• Course required score on the external nursing skills examination in NUR 3227C

Semester 7

• Complete all nursing courses with minimum grades of C
• Course required score on the external nursing skills examination in NUR 4768C

Semester 8

• Complete all nursing courses with minimum grades of C
• Course required score on the external nursing exit examination in NUR 4766C

To remain on track, students must complete the appropriate critical-tracking courses, which appear in bold. These courses must be completed by the terms as listed above in the Critical Tracking criteria.

This semester plan represents an example progression through the major. Actual courses and course order may be different depending on the student's academic record and scheduling availability of courses. Prerequisites still apply.

Plan of Study Grid

Semester One		Credits
Quest 1 (Gen Ed Humanities)		3
ENC 1101	Expository and Argumentative Writing (State Core Gen Ed Composition; Writing Requirement)	3
State Core Gen Ed Mathematics		3
State Core Gen Ed Biological or Physical Sciences (Critical Tracking)		3
Select one (Critical Tracking; State Core Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences):		3
PSY 2012 or SYG 2000	General Psychology or Introduction to Sociology
	Credits	15
Semester Two
Select one (Critical Tracking):		3
EDF 2110 or DEP 3053	Human Growth and Development or Developmental Psychology
STA 2023	Introduction to Statistics 1 (Critical Tracking; Gen Ed Mathematics)	3
Gen Ed Composition; Writing Requirement		3
Civic Literacy Course Requirement (Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences)		3
Elective		3
	Credits	15
Semester Three
APK 2100C	Applied Human Anatomy with Laboratory (Critical Tracking; Gen Ed Biological Sciences)	4
MCB 2000 & 2000L	Microbiology and Microbiology Laboratory (Critical Tracking; Gen Ed Biological Sciences)	4
Elective (Writing Requirement)		3
State Core Gen Ed Humanities		3
	Credits	14
Semester Four
Quest 2		3
APK 2105C	Applied Human Physiology with Laboratory (Critical Tracking; Gen Ed Biological Sciences)	4
HUN 2201	Fundamentals of Human Nutrition (Critical Tracking; Gen Ed Biological Sciences)	3
Elective (Gen Ed International)		3
Elective (Writing Requirement)		3
	Credits	16
Semester Five
NUR 3066C	Clinical Reasoning: Health Assessment (Critical Tracking)	3
NUR 3106	Lead and Inspire 1: Professional Nursing Practice	2
NUR 3737C	Principles of Personalized Nursing Care 1	6
NUR 3196	Pathophysiology/Pharmacology in Nursing 1	4
	Credits	15
Semester Six
NUR 3128	Pathophysiology/Pharmacology in Nursing 2	3
NUR 3168	Lead and Inspire 2: Research and Evidence-Based Nursing	2
NUR 3219C	Clinical Reasoning and Personalized Nursing Care: Adult Acute Conditions	4
NUR 3227C	Principles of Personalized Nursing Care 2 (Critical Tracking)	2
NUR 3535C	Clinical Reasoning and Personalized Nursing Care: Mental Health	4
	Credits	15
Semester Seven
NUR 4108	Lead and Inspire 3: Policy and Change in Nursing Practice	3
NUR 4467C	Clinical Reasoning and Personalized Nursing Care: Women, Children and Families	6
NUR 4768C	Clinical Reasoning and Personalized Nursing Care: Adult Chronic Conditions (Critical Tracking)	6
	Credits	15
Semester Eight
NUR 4827	Lead and Inspire 4: Leadership and Innovation in Nursing Practice	2
NUR 4636C	Clinical Reasoning and Personalized Nursing Care: Population Health	4
NUR 4766C	Clinical Reasoning and Personalized Nursing Care: Adult Complex Conditions (Critical Tracking)	6
NUR 4815	Professional Nursing Transformation	3
	Credits	15
	Total Credits	120

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The major in Nursing prepares graduates as generalists to provide holistic care that addresses the healthcare needs of diverse individuals, families, communities, and populations across the lifespan. Nursing practice is built on nursing knowledge, theory, and research. Graduates will translate, integrate, and apply knowledge that leads to improvements in patient outcomes.

Before Graduating Students Must

• Achieve a passing grade of C or higher in all required courses.
• Pre-licensure student must achieve a score of 850 on the Health Education Systems Incorporated (HESI) RN Exit Examination.
• Complete requirements for the baccalaureate degree, as determined by faculty.

Students in the Major Will Learn to

Student Learning Outcomes | SLOs

Content

1. Apply critical thinking to synthesize knowledge grounded in liberal education and nursing, in the practice of professional nursing in the global community.
2. Utilize knowledge of health care regulation to advocate for policy change to improve health care systems and professional nursing practice.
3. Utilize health promotion, health maintenance, and disease prevention strategies across settings to improve the health of diverse individuals and populations across the lifespan.

Critical Thinking

4. Integrate evidence-based findings in decision-making in the practice of professional nursing.
5. Appraise current evidence to evaluate health care safety and quality improvement initiatives for individuals and groups.
6. Analyze information from health care technology systems to apply evidence that will guide nursing practice.
7. Illustrate the importance of advocacy in the improvements in nursing practice and throughout the healthcare system.
8. Demonstrate professional competence and values reflective of professional nursing standards and mutual respect within a global society.

Communication

9. Collaborate with the healthcare team and clients to provide safe and cost effective high quality health care.
10. Demonstrate professional communication, collaboration, and documentation with healthcare teams to support improvement in patient health outcomes.
11. Build therapeutic alliance with patients and families to provide personalized care.

Curriculum Map

I = Introduced; R = Reinforced; A = Assessed

Academic Learning Compact 11

Courses	SLO 1	SLO 2	SLO 3	SLO 4	SLO 5	SLO 6	SLO 7	SLO 8	SLO 9	SLO 10	SLO 11
NUR 3106	I						I	I
NUR 3066C						I			I	I	I
NUR 3186				I	I	I
NUR 3227C	R		I		R			R	R	R
NUR 4108		I				R	R	R
NUR 4467C	R		R	R				R	R	R	R
NUR 4768C	R		R	R		R		R	R	R	R
NUR 4636C	R	R	R				R	R	R	R
NUR 4766C	R, A	R		R	R	R, A		R, A	R, A	R	R, A
NUR 4815	R	R, A	R, A	R, A	R, A	R	R, A	R	R	R, A	R

Assessment Types

• Faculty evaluation
• Achievement of minimum benchmark score on Health Education Systems, Inc. (HESI) Exam
• Exit Survey (Skyfactor)
• Passing score on the National Council Licensure Examination

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