As founding partners with Washington State University’s College of Nursing, a nursing degree through Whitworth and WSU will put you at the forefront of transforming and improving healthcare in the United States, where nurses make up the largest group of healthcare providers. Whitworth’s Pre-Nursing program will equip you with the solid foundation of a Christian liberal arts education and provide you the opportunity to be a part of Whitworth’s community throughout the entirety of your undergraduate education. Students will complete their general education and nursing pre-requisite requirements at Whitworth before applying to the WSU College of Nursing. Those accepted to the College of Nursing then engage in a unique blend of coursework, clinical training and community engagement based out of the WSU Health Sciences campus in downtown Spokane. Students graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from WSU.

Dual enrollment option with Certificate of Vocational Development in Nursing

Upon acceptance to the College of Nursing, Whitworth students will have the option to transfer to WSU, or be dual enrolled at Whitworth and WSU, through Whitworth’s unique Certificate of Vocational Development in Nursing.  This distinctly Whitworth program taught by Whitworth faculty, includes one seminar course each of your four semesters while at WSU’s College of Nursing. The seminar curriculum is designed to help nursing students consider what a mind and heart nursing education really means.  Topics such as faith and values, ethics, professionalism, vocational calling, job satisfaction, purpose and meaning in vocation, self-care, spiritual therapeutics for patients, resiliency, and holistic health and wellness will be explored.  Participation in Whitworth’s certificate program is what constitutes dual enrollment, and provides students the opportunity to stay connected to Whitworth’s campus and community.  At graduation, dual enrolled students will receive their diploma and nursing degree from WSU, and the certificate from Whitworth, and may participate in both commencement ceremonies. Whitworth students that do not wish to pursue dual enrollment will transfer to WSU for their nursing degree completion.

Why begin your nursing degree at Whitworth and participate in the Certificate of Vocational Development in Nursing?

• Leverage a Whitworth liberal arts education to become a well-rounded healthcare professional. In addition to gaining a theoretical and practical understanding of human health and wellness, you will have the opportunity to take a wide variety of classes that will enhance your communication and critical-thinking skills, which are important in the nursing profession.
• Experience Whitworth's vibrant campus life, and be a part of Whitworth’s community throughout the entire program! You will have full access to many of the resources and events that Whitworth offers even while at the College of Nursing: campus housing, on-campus employment, the recreation center, computer labs and the library, athletics events and more.
• Learn in the realistic environment of WSU's state-of-the-art Simulation Lab, which features mannequins and role-playing actors. A national leader in using simulation in instruction, the WSU College of Nursing will help you strengthen your clinical, teamwork and decision-making skills in a safe environment.
• Gain experience with diverse patient populations in a variety of real-world settings through clinical rotations. Rotations help many students decide which area of nursing they're interested in as a career.
• Learn how to genuinely connect with patients from all types of backgrounds. The program emphasizes caring for the whole patient, including on an emotional level.
• Be part of a nationally recognized nursing program. The National League for Nursing has named the WSU College of Nursing a Center of Excellence for “Enhancing Student Learning and Professional Development.”
• Become who you're meant to be.

Please note, dual enrollment and participation in the certificate program requires an additional one-credit fee, which is administered by Whitworth.  However, WSU administers all students' registration, financial aid, and WSU tuition and course fees when students are taking nursing courses at the WSU College of Nursing.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) through the WSU College of Nursing

Application/Admission

Application Deadline: Students may complete their applications online through NursingCAS. Visit nursing.wsu.edu for more information and deadlines.

All courses prerequisite to the upper-division major, general university requirements and junior standing must be completed by the end of spring semester for enrollment the following fall and by the end of fall semester for spring enrollment. During the spring or fall semester, when the application is being reviewed, the student must have no more than three prerequisite courses to complete. A letter or numerical grade must be submitted for prerequisite courses. The pass/no-credit option or advanced-placement credit cannot be used. Residency of 32 semester credits is required at Whitworth prior to acceptance at the College of Nursing. The degree is generally completed in two years of study at Whitworth and two years at the WSU College of Nursing.

Applicants are judged on the following criteria:

• a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher;
• a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in prerequisite courses;
• at least a "C" grade in each prerequisite course; P/F grades are not accepted;
• junior standing;
• a minimum of 50 hours of work or volunteer healthcare experience;
• a minimum score of 70 percent on the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS);
• evaluation in a personal interview.
• Admission is competitive, and being a Whitworth student does not guarantee admission to the WSU College of Nursing.

For further information, please contact Whitworth's nursing advisor, Justin Ulbright, at julbright@whitworth.edu or 509.777.4947.  

For information on the upper-division program at WSU, contact the College of Nursing, nursing@wsu.edu or 509.324.7203.

Through guided reading, discussion, and reflection, a Certificate of Vocational Development in Nursing (CVD) is designed to provide nursing majors additional opportunities to explore, reflect, and personally apply the integration of values, ethics, professionalism, faith, purpose and meaning in vocation, while completing their entry level nursing degree. The certificate program is open to both Whitworth and WSU students concurrently enrolled in the BSN program through WSU, and students will register for the certificate program through Whitworth University. If a student does not finish the BSN degree and all four seminar classes for any reason, they will not be awarded the certificate. Each semester while in the College of Nursing, students will register for the one credit seminar for a total of four credits over the two years. The four seminars will be organized as follows:

Whitworth NU courses

NU 393 Core Values in Nursing (J1 Semester)

• Students will identify, discuss, and reflect on the integration of personal and professional values into nursing practice.  Values such as integrity, caring, empathy, altruism, social justice, respect, authentic communication, and others will be explored.
• Students will identify, discuss, and reflect on how personal and professional values intersect and create a foundation for better patient care, as well as personal and professional job satisfaction.  Topics will include how values impact professional practice, personal motivation and patient interactions, and how values impact collegiality and inter-professional relationships? Practically, students will discuss how to identify and integrate personal and professional values into professional practice.
• Students will learn to examine and identify personal holistic wellness and time management during nursing school.  
• Participate as a peer-mentor for pre-nursing majors.

NU 394 Ethics and Professionalism in Nursing (J2 Semester)

• Ethics have been defined as values in action.  Therefore, building on the core values discussions, along with exploration of bio-medical ethics, students will discuss and explore integrated ethics models that lead to a clearer understanding of nursing practice. Professionalism has been defined as a nurse’s contract with the patients they serve.  Special emphasis will be placed on the value of ethical and professional practice for the nurse, the patient, and the healthcare organization.
• Students will continue discussions and examination of personal holistic wellness and time management during nursing school.    
• Participate as a peer-mentor for pre-nursing majors.

NU 493 Spiritual Care in Nursing (S1 Semester)

• Spirituality is widely considered to be an important component of holistic health, yet is often ignored during patient-provider interactions.  Arising from discussions on the values of caring and altruism, and the ethical and professional duty to care for the whole patient, readings and discussions will focus on the role of spiritual care or spiritual therapeutics in nursing practice.   
• Exploration of spiritual care will come from a welcoming perspective, respecting differing values, through a lens of inter-faith and inter-cultural awareness, along with the mind-body connection especially during time of disease, chronic conditions, end of life, or health crisis.   
• Students will continue discussions and examination of personal holistic wellness and time management during nursing school.  
• Participate as a peer-mentor for pre-nursing majors.

NU 494 Finding Purpose and Meaning in Vocation (S2 Semester)

• In the final semester, readings and discussion will help students identify “Who” they want to be as professionals.  A personal exploration of motivation, identifying a sense of calling, purpose, and meaning in nursing practice will help students articulate their “Why”.  Understanding the “Who” and the “Why” will direct students toward “How” the live out their vocation as a nurse.  Students will write and share their personal mission statements as a culminating experience.
• Practical discussions of self-care and wellness while at the CON will shift to expectations of life after graduation.  Discussions with guest speakers (current nurses) will include what to expect in your first year as a nurse.  Practical tools will be identified to build resiliency and avoid the accumulation of stress that could lead to burnout.
• Participate as a peer-mentor for pre-nursing majors.

Dean of School of Health Sciences, WU

MIKE EDIGER

Dean of College of Nursing, WSU

MARY KOITHAN, PHD, RN, CNS-BC, FAAN

Whitworth Nursing Advisor

JUSTIN ULBRIGHT