2025-2026 University Catalog
Undergraduate Programs in Nursing
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OHSU only offers health specific coursework and does not offer non-nursing arts, letters and science courses. Admitted students will take only nursing courses through OHSU and may need to complete their non-nursing courses at another accredited institution to fulfill the OHSU Bachelor of Science degree requirements. Students are responsible for finding, enrolling and transferring coursework from other institutions to OHSU to complete the Bachelor of Science degree requirements. The institution from which the coursework is taken will bill the students for those courses and related fees.
Brief Program Descriptions
Bachelor of Science with a Major in Nursing
The Bachelor of Science with a major in nursing program prepares graduates to practice in a variety of settings and to care for individuals, families and populations across the lifespan. Graduates achieve competencies that address the rapidly changing health care needs of Oregon’s aging and ethnically diverse populations and are eligible to take the National Council Licensing Examination. Students applying to the BS program are asked to designate their choices for application to any of five OHSU School of Nursing locations throughout the state.
The BS program is a three-year program and requires students to complete 87 credits of nonnursing prerequisites and upper division electives at other accredited institutions. As a part of this requirement, all students must transfer 15 credits of 300/400 level non-nursing courses from other accredited institutions. The OHSU School of Nursing and academic advisors from other accredited institutions may provide information to assist the student in creating a dual enrollment plan to meet the OHSU BS requirements. Students must designate the institution at which they will be dually enrolled for completion of these required non-nursing courses. At the time of admission, students will be provided with a list of partner institutions where the non-nursing courses can be taken for inclusion in the student financial aid package. If a student receiving financial aid designates an institution that is not on that list, his or her financial aid will only be based on nursing courses taken through OHSU. If the student decides to change the institution at which he or she is dually enrolled for the required non-nursing courses, he or she must notify the OHSU Office of Registrar and Financial Aid as it may affect the financial aid reward.
Oregon Consortium Nursing Education (OCNE) Partnership
In 2001, the OHSU School of Nursing joined with several Oregon community colleges in an exciting partnership, the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education. Established in response to the nursing shortage, OCNE expands the opportunities for students within partner schools to receive the BS nursing degree. Those who graduated with an AA in nursing from a designated OCNE partner school may apply for transfer to OHSU after completing the AA degree to the SoN - Portland campus or into the RNBS completion program.
OCNE transition students are responsible for enrolling and transferring 87 credits of non-nursing coursework from other institutions of which 15 credits must be 300/400 level courses. Students should refer to their program of study for course sequencing.
Bachelor of Science with a Major in Nursing
(RN-BS Completion Program)
The faculty of the OHSU School of Nursing support associate degree registered nurses who desire to complete their baccalaureate degrees through the RN-BS completion program. The RN-BS completion program offers upper-division courses in a variety of formats. RN-BS students take coursework online.
Bachelor of Science with a Major in Nursing
(Accelerated Bachelor of Science Program)
The Accelerated Bachelor of Science with a Major in Nursing Degree Program is for people who already have a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field but wish to begin a career as a bachelor ‘s-prepared nurse. Students enrolled in this program must have achieved an accredited bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing, and will complete a generalist nursing curriculum comprising five quarters of full-time nursing coursework required to achieve a BS with a major in nursing.
The BS degree is awarded at the successful completion of the undergraduate coursework and graduates are eligible to take the National Council Licensing Examination. This program will prepare the graduate for RN licensure and will also give interested students the necessary credentials to pursue a graduate degree in nursing. Over the fifteen months, students will take a combination of courses in traditional classroom settings as well as participate in clinical rotations. Clinical experiences are at agencies located in multiple sites throughout Oregon.
Accelerated Bachelor of Science to Doctor of Nursing Practice and PhD Programs
The accelerated bachelor’s to DNP and PhD degree programs are options where students with a bachelor’s degree in another field can accelerate through the BS with a Major in Nursing program and enter directly into the doctoral programs. These options are aimed at educating individuals as nurse-midwives, family nurse practitioners, pediatric nurse practitioners, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners and PhD students.
The first five quarters of this program are designed to deliver basic undergraduate nursing education preparing students for the BS with a major in nursing and licensure as a registered nurse. After completing the BS degree, students enroll in the course offerings for the graduate program. Upon completion of the program, graduates will have been awarded a Bachelor of Science with a major in nursing and be awarded a Doctor of Nursing Practice with a major in an APRN specialty area or PhD degree. Graduates will be eligible to take national certification exams for advanced practice roles in the advanced practice specialties.
Students in the accelerated bachelor to DNP or PhD Program who successfully complete the accelerated bachelor of science program of study continue in the graduate program for which they applied. Entrance into the DNP or PhD program begins immediately after successful completion of the accelerated baccalaureate program.
Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education (OCNE)
Curriculum Outcomes
The student learning outcomes defined by faculty in OCNE partner programs are based on a view of nursing as a theory-guided, safety-oriented, evidence-based discipline. The outcomes recognize that effective nursing requires a person with particular values, attitudes, and practices. Accordingly, there are two categories of outcomes: professional competencies and nursing care competencies. Professional competencies define the values, attitudes and practices that competent nurses embody and may share with members of other professions. Nursing care competencies define relationship capabilities that nurses need to work with patients/clients and colleagues, the knowledge and skills of practicing the discipline and competencies that encompass understanding of the broader health care system. In all cases, the patient/client is a member of the health care team, and is defined as the recipient of care, considered an active participant in care, and includes the individual, family or community. A competent nurse provides safe care across the lifespan directed toward the goals of helping patient/client (individuals, families or communities) promote health, recover from acute illness and/or manage a chronic illness and support a peaceful and comfortable death.
Professional Competencies
- 1. A competent nurse bases personal and professional actions on a set of shared core nursing values through the understanding that…
- 1.1 Nursing is a humanitarian profession based on a set of core nursing values. As affirmed in the ANA Code of Ethics and other nursing literature, these values include social justice, caring, advocacy, protection of patient autonomy, prevention of harm, respect for self and others, collegiality, authority, accountability, responsibility for nursing practice, and ethical behavior.
- 1.2 Ethical dilemmas are encountered in clinical practice. Nurses are obligated to notice, interpret, respond, and reflect on these dilemmas using ethical principles and frameworks as a guide.
- 1.3 Nursing has a legal scope of practice.
- 2. A competent nurse uses reflection, self-analysis, and self-care to develop insight through the understanding that…
- 2.1 Ongoing reflection and evaluation of one’s professional practice improves nursing practice.
- 2.2 Reflection and self-analysis encourage selfawareness, self-care, and self-regulation.
- 3. A competent nurse engages in intentional learning with the understanding that…
- 3.1 Engaging in intentional learning develops selfawareness.
- 3.2 Seeking current practice guidelines supports safe and effective patient care.
- 4. A competent nurse demonstrates leadership in nursing and health care through the understanding that…
- 4.1 Nurses take a leadership role to meet patient needs, improve the healthcare system, and facilitate community problem-solving.
- 4.2 Nurses effectively use leadership principles, strategies, and tools to improve systems, processes, and outcomes.
- 4.3 Nurses are competent in collaborating with team members when assigning, delegating, and supervising responsibilities.
- 5.1 A competent nurse collaborates as part of a health care team through the understanding that…
- 5.1 The patient is an essential member of the healthcare team.
- 5.2 Collaboration and effective team function are essential to successfully meeting patient healthcare goals.
- 5.3 Learning and growth within a healthcare team depend on providing, receiving, and using feedback constructively.
- 5.4 Contributing to a work environment where responsibility, civility, and accountability are shared among the healthcare team.
- 6.1 A competent nurse is able to practice within, utilize, and contribute to all health care systems through the understanding that…
- 6.1 Components of the healthcare system must be considered when coordinating or planning care and engaging with healthcare team members.
- 6.2 Healthcare systems use information technology for the collection and analysis of data.
- 6.3 Healthcare system-level thinking is required to develop and implement health policy to achieve health equity.
- 6.4 Improving organizational health literacy and expanding access to healthcare are essential to outcomes.
- 6.5 Responsible management and utilization of healthcare resources are essential.
Nursing Care Competencies
- 7. A competent nurse practices a relationshipcentered care through the understanding that…
- 7.1 Patient-centered care is based on developing mutual trust and respect for the autonomy of the patient.
- 7.2 Social determinants of health must be considered in a patient-centered approach.
- 8. A competent nurse communicates effectively through the understanding that…
- 8.1 Therapeutic communication establishes a caring relationship with patients, families, and/or communities to advocate, develop, and facilitate care.
- 8.2 Accurate and complete communication with both patients and the healthcare team is essential to ensure patient safety and provide comprehensive continuity of care.
- 8.3 Successful communication requires attention to social and cultural influences and the use of appropriate communication tools and technologies.
- 8.4 Health teaching requires attention to the patient’s and family’s health literacy, cognitive and physical abilities, and community values and beliefs.
- 9. A competent nurse makes sound clinical judgments through the understanding that…
- 9.1 Nurses use a variety of frameworks, classification systems, and information management systems to organize data and knowledge for clinical judgment.
- 9.2 Clinical judgment is a process of noticing, interpreting, responding, and reflecting.
- 9.3 Clinical judgment requires use of the best available evidence, a deep understanding of the patient’s experiences and cultural influences, recognition of contextual factors that may influence decisions, and sound clinical reasoning.
- 9.4 Clinical judgment involves the accurate performance of cognitive (thinking), affective (feeling), and psychomotor (doing) skills in the delivery of care while maintaining the safety of the patient, family, community, environment, and self.
- 10. A competent nurse, locates, evaluates and uses the best available evidence through the understanding that…
- 10.1 Sources of evidence for decision-making include research evidence, standards of care, community perspectives, a deep understanding of patient experience and preferences, and practical wisdom gained from experience and participation in professional organizations.
- 10.2 Knowledge from the biological, social, medical, public health, and nursing sciences is constantly evolving to inform best practices in nursing.
ProgramsCourses
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