The College of Nursing prepares baccalaureate nurses to care, lead and inspire. Nursing courses include classroom and laboratory activities correlated with supervised clinical experiences. Students may be required to travel outside of Gainesville for selected clinical experiences.

The curriculum is logically organized from simple to complex so that students acquire the cognitive, affective, and technical competencies of a professional nurse. Students are required to demonstrate competence at each semester in sequence to progress to more advanced concepts and skills. Knowledge from general education courses, nursing preprofessional courses, and introductory nursing courses is integrated and refined as student progress through increasingly complex theoretical nursing content and clinical application courses.

Courses in the first two semesters focus on foundational knowledge and principles of personalized nursing care. Students gain an understanding of the context of contemporary nursing practice, the meaning of professionalism, ethical and legal guidelines, professional values, and standards of professional nursing practice. Course content and concepts are aligned with clinical experiences to develop beginning clinical reasoning. Students acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to provide evidence-based, safe, cost-effective quality care to achieve optimal health outcomes.

Courses in the final two semesters build upon prior learning and are characterized by increased complexity in content and outcomes. Students enhance clinical reasoning and critical thinking through nursing practice in a variety of settings for individuals across the lifespan, families and other groups, and communities. Learning experiences are designed to enable students to demonstrate leadership, interprofessional collaboration, and advocacy skills that improve the health of diverse individuals and populations. In the final semester, students participate in a project to develop an innovative solution for a problem or issue relevant to professional nursing.

Progression

Students must earn minimum grades of C in all required nursing courses and maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA every semester while enrolled. Students may repeat only one required nursing course. Students earning less than a C in any required nursing course may repeat that course only once and on a space-available basis. Students who do not achieve a passing grade on their second attempt in a course will be dismissed from the nursing program. Students may withdraw only once from any required nursing course.

Students are expected to comply with college health policy requirements.

Students in the health professions are held to standards of conduct that exceed those usually expected of university students. Consequently, nursing students are required to demonstrate safe practice in the care of patients and to exercise appropriate judgment as beginning-level professionals, including appropriate demeanor and appearance. Students must adhere to the standards of conduct outlined in the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics and the Florida Nurse Practice Act in addition to the University of Florida College of Nursing handbook. Students can be removed from the nursing curriculum, and/or any college-sponsored programs or organizations, based on violation of professional conduct.

Bachelor of Science

The junior/senior-level Traditional BSN program is four semesters long and provides learning experiences in a variety of clinical settings.

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 3110 (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, pure math		3
State Core Gen Ed Biological or Physical Sciences (Critical Tracking) 1		3
Select one (Critical Tracking; State Core Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences):		3
PSY 2012 or SYG 2000	General Psychology or Principles of Sociology
	Credits	15
Semester Two
Select one (Critical Tracking; Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences):		3
EDF 3110 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
Elective 2		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		3
Elective (Writing Requirement)		3
	Credits	16
Semester Five
NUR 3066C	Clinical Reasoning: Health Assessment (Critical Tracking) 3	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) 3	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) 3	6
NUR 4815	Professional Nursing Transformation	3
	Credits	15
	Total Credits	120

¹

BSC, CHM, or PHY prefix. 

²

Students are also expected to complete the general education international (GE-N) and diversity (GE-D) requirements. This is often done concurrently with another general education requirement (typically, GE-C, H or S). 

³

 Requires External Nursing Skills Test exam score of 800 to pass the course.

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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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