Wheeling Jesuit University Nursing School Review
Wheeling Jesuit University (WJU), a relatively small Catholic liberal arts university founded in 1954, is situated in the northern part of West Virginia, on the Ohio River. The school enrolls just over 1500 students each year from 26 states and over 20 countries. Wheeling Jesuit University offers over 50 programs of study on a 65-acre campus and a 550-acre retreat farm and research reserve.; most students are pursuing undergraduate degrees although the school also offers a variety of graduate programs.
For students who want to pursue careers in the healthcare field, WJU offers both undergraduate and graduate education in the nursing field. Its programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Wheeling Jesuit University offers a variety of nursing program including a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program (BA/BS to BSN), a Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN/MSN) or Master of Science in Nursing program and a Master of Science in Nursing program (MSN).
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program has a standard, four-year curriculum. Incoming students spend their first year focusing entirely on WJU's general education requirements and on the nursing prerequisite courses in the sciences and social sciences. In the first semester of his sophomore year, a BSN student can enroll in the first, one-credit nursing class. He continues with introductory nursing coursework in the spring of his sophomore year, and begins the intense nursing courses and clinical rotations in his junior year. Over the course of his four years at WJU, he must earn at least 135 credits. The four years of study prepare him for the National Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). If he passes this test, he can look for work as a Registered Nurse (RN) or pursue specialized nursing education at the graduate level.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing – Accelerated (BA/BS to BSN Program)
The BSN Accelerated program (also called the BA/BS to BSN program) is designed for baccalaureate-prepared students who want to switch careers. In order to be eligible for the program, a student must have a bachelor's degree already; either a Bachelor of Arts degree or a Bachelor of Science degree is acceptable. Regardless of her type of degree, however, she must have completed the following prerequisites: anatomy and physiology, chemistry, general psychology, developmental psychology, microbiology, and statistics. The BSN Accelerated program begins with a summer semester, and wraps up eighteen months later, in the fall. Over the course of these eighteen intense months, a student on the BSN Accelerated track must earn seventy-eight nursing credits. At the conclusion of the program, she is prepared to take the NCLEX-RN and start her new career as an RN.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing – RN to BSN
WJU offers another special track within its BSN program, specifically designed for RNs who are graduates of an associate degree or diploma nursing program. The RN to BSN program is tailored for working RNs, so all courses are offered online. Clinical rotations are included in the program, but nurses can schedule those in locations that are convenient for them. An incoming RN can receive up to thirty-nine advanced placement nursing credits, which will allow her to skip the lower-level nursing courses. She must take twenty-five credits of upper-level nursing courses through WJU, and complete any missing general education classes. For its general education requirements, WJU requires eleven credits of science classes and fifty-one credits in the liberal arts.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing/Master of Science in Nursing – RN to BSN/MSN
An RN who has an associate degree or diploma in nursing needs to complete his BSN degree before he can pursue a graduate nursing degree. WJU provides a specific path for an RN who wishes to do this, allowing him to earn both his BSN and his Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. As the RN completes his BSN degree, he can substitute as many as five graduate-level nursing courses for the undergraduate-level nursing courses. The credits for these courses count for both the BSN degree and the MSN degree, enabling him to get a head start on his MSN coursework. Once he has completed the BSN degree and moved entirely into the MSN coursework, he can choose from among the three areas of specialization: Nursing Administration, Nursing Education, and Family Nurse Practitioner. Like the RNs on the RN to BSN path, an RN on the RN to BSN/MSN path can complete all the required coursework online.
Master of Science in Nursing – Nursing Administration
An RN with a BSN degree can enroll in WJU's MSN program, specializing in Nursing Administration. The program requires forty credits in total, which includes six core graduate nursing courses and eight courses in the Nursing Administration area of focus. The graduate student can complete all the coursework for this degree online, and can schedule clinical rotations in a location that is close to her home.
Master of Science in Nursing – Nursing Education
The Nursing Education track of the MSN program is also offered online, to enable a working RN to complete the coursework at his own pace. He must take five core graduate classes, four clinical courses, and five courses in Nursing Education. In total, he must earn at least forty-two credits. The MSN Nursing Education program is only open to RNs who have already earned a BSN degree.
Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner
The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program focuses on preparing students to be primary caregivers in rural areas of West Virginia. The program requires forty-eight credits in total, and includes ten core courses (both clinical and classroom) and four courses in the FNP area of specialization. The majority of the coursework can be completed online.
Post-Master's Certification
After earning an MSN degree, a nurse can choose to return to school and work toward another graduate-level certification. WJU offers all three tracks of its MSN program as post-master's certification programs. MSN-prepared nurses can skip the core graduate nursing classes and clinical rotations; they can complete the post-master's certification program by taking the classes in their chosen area of specialization. The Nursing Education post-master's track requires eighteen credits. The Nursing Administration post-master's track requires twenty credits, and the FNP post-master's track requires twenty-seven credits. All classes for the post-master's certification program are available online; nurses may complete the required clinical rotations in a location that is convenient for them.
Wheeling Jesuit University
316 Washington Avenue,