Additional Nursing (BS) Requirements
Academic Advising
All Nursing majors are assigned an academic advisor. Students are responsible for monitoring their progress toward meeting degree requirements and for consultation with their advisors at least once every semester.
Essential Qualifications of Candidates for the Nursing (BS) Program
A Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Dominican University of California signifies that the holder of the BS degree has been educated to competently practice nursing in all healthcare settings and to apply for the RN licensure in the state of California. All students in the Department of Nursing are expected to meet specific qualifications and successfully complete course requirements. The Department of Nursing will endeavor to make reasonable modifications and otherwise reasonably accommodate students with disabilities. Students with disabilities should consider their ability to meet the qualifications with reasonable accommodations. A more complete description of these qualifications below is found in the Nursing Student Handbook.
Clinical Health Record Clearance Policy
Before beginning clinical courses (sophomore-1 level) all nursing students are required to upload health clearance documents. These documents include history and physical exam, immunizations or positive titers such as MMR, hepatitis B, varicella, TDAP and COVID. A background check, drug test, 2-step skin test for TB or quantiferon gold are required annually, and American Heart Association basic life support for healthcare professionals is required every 2 years. All documents are uploaded into the website discovercastlebranch.com. Students are responsible for keeping their Castlebranch accounts up to date. The university and nursing program reserves the right to request additional information when a health concern exists.
Nursing applicants who are concerned about health problems that might interfere with their fulfillment of clinical course objectives should seek medical consultation well in advance of entering sophomore-1 semester. Students who fail to comply with health clearance requirements and deadlines run the risk of being dropped from their clinical sections.
Insurance
Students are covered by the University for liability insurance. Students are required to provide proof of current health insurance.
Program Progression
A student who earns less than ‘C+’ (2.3) in a nursing course must repeat that course before enrolling in the next course in the nursing sequence. If a student withdraws from a nursing course after the academic mid-term in the semester and the student is failing the course at that time, the ‘W’ (for withdrawal) is considered a failure in terms of the Nursing Department's progression policy (refer to the Nursing Student Handbook for specific dates for each semester). Students who fail ('C-' or below) more than one class required for the Nursing major (i.e., prerequisite, corequisite, or nursing courses, with the exception of the NURS 3120 and NURS 4120 NCLEX prep classes) are disqualified from the Nursing program. Placement into any repeated nursing course will be on a space-available basis. In addition, if a student withdraws from a course before the mid-term when they have failed the clinical component of that course, the “W” (for withdrawal) will also be considered a failure. Students may repeat non-nursing courses off campus with department and university approval. Information about approved equivalents may be obtained from the Nursing Department office at Dominican.
Students must demonstrate competence in both theory and clinical in order to earn a course grade of ‘C+’ (2.3) or higher and to be eligible to progress in the Nursing program. Thus, in nursing courses with a clinical component, students must meet all clinical performance objectives satisfactorily in order to earn a grade of ‘C+’ (2.3) or higher for the course. A student who fails to complete any of the clinical performance objectives at a satisfactory level cannot receive a course grade higher than a ‘D’ (1.0) regardless of the grades earned in the theory component of this course. Students required to repeat a clinical course must repeat both the clinical and theory components.
Clinical evaluations are important, especially those given at mid-rotation. At this time the student and instructor meet to assess the student’s progress in achieving class and clinical objectives. Students whose mid-term grade is below ‘C+’ may be asked to meet with course faculty to plan strategies for improving performance.
Students must achieve a 77% or better on all coursework in order to earn a course grade of ‘C+’ (2.3) or higher in a nursing course.
Advanced Standing in Nursing
Registered nurses with previous education or experience in nursing may apply for admission to the Nursing Major with advanced standing. Transfer students enrolled and in good standing at an accredited RN Nursing school or who have been enrolled and in good standing within the past semester, may apply for advanced standing in the major. Course equivalency for previous nursing education is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. All missing prerequisite courses must be completed within one semester of matriculation to Dominican University of California. Transfer students must complete 30 units at Dominican and half of the upper division major courses including NURS 4100, NURS 4200, NURS 4120 and NURS 4500, and at least one other upper division clinical course. Part-time and full-time programs of study are available.
Advanced Placement for Military Trained Healthcare Personnel Policy
After meeting all general entrance requirements to the Sophomore 1 semester, individuals who have held an occupation in the military may apply for advanced placement into the second semester of the DUC undergraduate nursing program (contingent upon space availability). Specifically, those with the following ranking and honorable discharge from their service:
- Basic Medical Technician Corpsman (Navy HM or Air Force BMTCP)
- Army Healthcare Specialist (68W Army Medic)
- Air Force Independent Duty Medical Technician (IMDT 4N0X1C)
Advanced placement must include success in the following areas:
- Successful skills competency testing on all required learning objectives and skills for Fundamentals in Nursing
- 100% success rate on a fundamental medication examination
- 77% or above on NURS 2002 Nursing Fundamentals Challenge Exam
- 77% or above on NURS 2014 Health Assessment Across the Lifespan Challenge Exam
- Successful completion of a full health and physical assessment
- Successful written application of the nursing process assessment
- Successful completion of all Sophomore 1 Nursing and co-requisite courses (i.e., NURS 2040 Pathophysiology/Pharmacology I, and BIO 3600/BIO 3605 Microbiology for Health Sciences/Lab.)
The candidate for application for advanced placement must have:
At least one year experience working as Basic Medical Technician Corpsman (Navy HM or Air Force BMTCP) or any Army Healthcare Specialist (68W Army Medic or an Air Force Independent Duty Medical Technician (IMDT 4N0X1C)).
Applicants must have proof of active military service in the above roles within the last five years. Students who have been disqualified from another program are not eligible for admission to Dominican's Nursing program.
Academic advising is an integral part of the advanced placement program. Each student’s educational preparation and nursing experience are evaluated individually. In consultation with a nursing advisor, the student plans a program of study which is appropriate to his/her background, abilities, knowledge, and career aspirations. Credit for prior learning for all nursing courses may be obtained by transfer of earned college credits.
Advanced placement candidates should apply for admission to the University as early in the academic year as possible. Placement in clinical classes is contingent on the availability of spaces and these may be limited.
These guidelines are subject to change. For the most current information and guidelines, please contact the nursing department at Dominican University of California.