Nursing (Pre-licensure BSN)

Become a Health Care Hero With a Degree in Nursing

Nurses have a powerful impact in the lives of the patients they serve. This rewarding and relevant field of study is an excellent choice if you're looking for a career that will allow you to make a difference from day one. At UT Martin, our nursing program emphasizes real-world, hands-on learning experiences that will give you the skills you need to soar in this meaningful profession.

Program Highlights

Clinical Sites

  • West Tennessee Healthcare Facilities
  • Baptist Memorial Hospitals
  • Henry County Medical Center
  • Various other healthcare facilities

NCLEX Pass Rate

  • 2021-2022 95.23%
  • 2020-2021 87.88%
  • 2019-2020 97.06%

Student Resources

Accreditation

The baccalaureate nursing program at the University of Tennessee at Martin located in Martin, TN and also offered at the UTM Parsons Center in Parsons, TN is accredited by the:

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)

3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400 Atlanta, GA 30326

(404) 975-5000

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the baccalaureate nursing program is continuing accreditation.

Application Requirements

Application Deadline:  February 15 (Fall entry)

*Be admitted to the University of Tennessee at Martin as a degree-seeking undergraduate student.

*Minimum cumulative college GPA of 2.75

*Composite ACT score of 21 and a Reading subscore of 20 or higher are required. Note: If the ACT score is self-reported, student must go to the ACT website, create an account, download the official score, and attach as a pdf to application for clinical nursing program.

*Minimum GPA and ACT requirements apply to all students declaring the BSN major including first-year, readmission, and transfer students. These requirements do not apply to RN-BSN applicants.

*Prerequisite Courses: Math 140 or Math 100 and110, Psychology 101, Microbiology 251, Zoology 251, Zoology 352 or the equivalent of these courses are required.

*A minimum grade of “C” is required in all prerequisite courses. One science prerequisite course may be repeated only once; if repeated, the second earned letter grade of the repeated course will be used in the GPA calculation regardless if grade is higher or lower. Science Courses that are seven years or older will not be transferrable. This does not apply to RN-BSN applicants.

*Students who are transferring from another nursing program must submit a letter of good standing from the Dean/Director of the previous nursing program. Transfer applicants with less than a grade of “C” in two Nursing courses will not be eligible. This includes repeated Nursing courses in which a grade above “C” was earned.

*Candidates may be required to complete an interview process.

*The ATI TEAS is the required pre-admission test for entrance into the clinical nursing program. Total scores for the TEAS are reported as levels, and a total score at the PROFICIENCY LEVEL of achievement is the minimum acceptable level for candidates applying to the nursing program. The TEAS can be taken a maximum of two times for one application cycle. Applicants will be ranked based upon the highest total percentile score in case of identical scores. The TEAS test is not required for applicants to the RN-BSN program.

*If indicated, TOEFL scores are required for non-native English speakers seeking admission to BSN Program or RN-BSN Program at the University of Tennessee at Martin. Applicants must achieve a TOEFL score of at least 80 on the internet-based test if their native language is not English. A minimum speaking score of 26 is also required. Official scores are required prior to admission and must be completed within two years of admission to the nursing program. There is no English language conditional admittance available.

Re-Admission Application to the Clinical Nursing Program Apply Here

Admission Application to the Clinical Nursing Program Apply Here

Academic Program Requirements

Additional Program Information

Clinical Nursing Fees

Payable through Banner Self-Service

  • Nursing Test and Badge payment - you must add charges to account manually according to Level and term:
    • Level I (all new clinical students) - Nursing badge, Kaplan Test fee (add each semester)
    • Level II - Mental Health badge, Kaplan Test fee (add each semester), replacement Nursing badge as needed
    • Level III - Kaplan Test fee (add each semester), replacement Nursing badge or Mental Health badge as needed

Note: All clinical nursing students must add a Kaplan Test fee before the beginning of each semester.

Additional Nursing Costs

  1. Uniform - $100
  2. Shoes, watch with a sweep second hand, stethoscopes, penlight, scissors, and other clinical items - approximately $200.00 (total cost will vary depending on selection).
  3. Liability insurance - $16.00 per year.
  4. Kaplan Integrated Testing Program fees - $100 per semester for Level I and II: $100 fall semester and $160 spring semester Level III.
  5. Supply pack - $50.00 per year.
  6. Background check/drug screen per year - $125.00 per year.
  7. Lab fee - $100-150 per semester, based on program level.

This list does not include student costs incurred for travel to/from clinical, personal health insurance coverage, and physical exam, immunizations, screenings, and titers required for admission and retention. All costs subject to change.

Nursing Pre-entrance Exam (ATI's TEAS)

Follow these steps for the Nursing Pre-Entrance Exam:>

  1. Students register through RegisterBlast for a testing appointment at the UT Martin Testing Center. The proctor fee is $38.50.
  2. Students create an account with ATI prior to test date. (Choose U of Tn Martin as institution)
  3. Students will pay the TEAS test fee on the test date; students must bring debit or credit card to the test center. The TEAS test fee must be rendered using a credit or debit card. Be sure to fill in the correct billing address associated with the card or the system will not accept payment. This fee is approximately $72 with taxes.
Participation Requirements

Clinical Participation Requirements

All students must complete the following as a condition of acceptance into the Clinical Nursing Program:

  • Drug screen
  • Covid-19 vaccination (as required by clinical facilities)
  • Hepatitis B vaccination
  • Influenza vaccination (required during flu season)
  • MMR vaccination
  • TDAP vaccination (TD booster only, if not received within last 10 years)
  • Negative TB skin test (within past year) or proof of chest x-ray (within past 3 years)
  • Varicella vaccination
  • Medical Insurance
  • Professional Liability Insurance
  • Physical
  • CPR certification (Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers)
  • Personal Information Record

To receive a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (B.S.N.), all students must:

  1. Satisfy the university's general education requirements for a bachelor's degree;
  2. Attain a grade of C or above in each of the B.S.N. curriculum requirements;
  3. Attain a 70% or above on the Kaplan Nursing Assessment Test, a standardized exam, or complete Kaplan remediation if score is less than 70% correct and;
  4. Complete the B.S.N. degree program.

RN to BSN Option Students already licensed as Registered Nurses may complete the B.S.N. degree program and meet the general requirements for a bachelor's degree as follows:

  1. complete required non-nursing courses for which equivalent college credits have not already been received. Credit may be received for some courses through challenge or CLEP exams.
  2. receive credit for NURS 213, NURS 222, NURS 250, NURS 355, NURS 342, NURS 407, and NURS 463 by fulfilling one of the following options:
    • registered nurses with associate degrees in nursing - transfer the courses taken in their associate degree programs in nursing for credit and presentation of a current unencumbered registered nurse license in the state of residence. Registration of the proficiency validation with the registrar is required for NURS 463.
    • registered nurses with hospital diplomas - present record of a hospital diploma transcript and a current unencumbered registered nurse license in the state of residence as validation of knowledge and registration of the proficiency validation with the registrar.
  3. complete Nursing 351 Transition to Professional Nursing in place of NURS 305.
  4. take the remainder of required nursing courses. Students may request to challenge NURS 215, NURS 225, and NURS 313 via a standardized proficiency exam. Students with two years of related clinical experience within the past five years may apply for portfolio credit in NURS 405, NURS 412 or NURS 443.
  5. complete 58 semester hours from an accredited four-year school (may include challenge, CLEP, proficiency exams and portfolio credit).
Mission and Goals

The faculty of the Department of Nursing accepts the philosophy of The University of Tennessee at Martin supporting the goal to educate and engage responsible citizens to lead and serve in a diverse world.

The Department of Nursing's mission is to prepare caring, compassionate, professional nurse generalists committed to advancing the profession of nursing through leadership and service in diverse healthcare communities and the world.

The Department of Nursing believes a professional nurse is committed to making safe clinical judgments supported by evidence to implement patient-centered care for diverse individuals, families and groups across the lifespan. The nurse considers patients' self-identified, unique and individual preferences to provide optimal collaborative and compassionate care. The professional nurse utilizes concepts of informatics and technology, quality improvement, and health promotion in leadership roles in various healthcare systems (AACN, 2008; NCSBN, 2015; QSEN, 2015).

The faculty of the department of Nursing at The University of Tennessee at Martin believe:

Patient-centered care (PCC) includes recognizing the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient's preferences, spiritual and cultural values, and needs (QSEN, 2015).

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the process of integrating best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal health care (QSEN, 2015). Clinical judgment is using evidence-based practice to make decisions within the care setting. Professional nursing practice is grounded in the translation of current evidence into one's practice (AACN, 2008).

Teamwork and collaboration (TC) occur when the nurse functions effectively within nursing and interprofessional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision making to achieve quality patient care (QSEN, 2015). Communication and collaboration among healthcare professionals are critical to delivery high quality and safe patient care (AACN, 2008).

Safety (S) minimizes risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance (QSEN, 2015). Safe performance of nursing care is considered foundational for the professional nurse and is essential to provide high quality health care (AACN, 2008).

Quality improvement (QI) is the process of using data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems (QSEN, 2015). Knowledge and skill in quality improvement is necessary to provide high quality health care (AACN, 2008).

Professionalism (P) and the inherent values of altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity and social justice are fundamental to the discipline of nursing (AACN, 2008). As professionals, nurses use a well-delineated and broad knowledge base for practice. Professional nursing requires strong critical reasoning, clinical judgment, communication and assessment skills. Baccalaureate nurse generalists are members of the profession and in this role are advocates for the patient and the profession (AACN, 2008).

Informatics (IT) involves the use of information and technology to communicate, utilize knowledge management, mitigate error, and support decision making (QSEN, 2015). Knowledge and skills in information management and patient care technology are critical in the delivery of quality patient care (AACN, 2008).

Leadership (L) skills of the baccalaureate nurse generalist emphasize ethical and critical decision making, initiating and maintaining effective working relationships, using mutually respectful communication and collaboration within interprofessional teams, care coordination, delegation, and developing conflict resolution strategies (AACN, 2008).

Health promotion (HP) is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. It moves beyond a focus on individual behavior towards a wide range of social and environmental interventions (WHO, 2015). Health promotion and disease prevention at the individual and population level are necessary to improve population health and are important components of baccalaureate generalist nursing practice (AACN, 2008).

Program Outcomes

Program Completion

Sixty percent (60%) of students who begin in the baccalaureate program will complete on time-- (pre-licensure students within six semesters; RN-BSN completion students within four semesters).

Graduation YearPre-Licensure: Martin CampusPre-Licensure: Parsons CenterRN-BSNOverall
201848%30%77.30%49%
201940%41%84%50.50%
202044%75%58%55%
202140.80%61.90%55.60%48.10%
202250%57%45.50%51.65%
202338.60%54.50%42.90%43%
Success on Licensure Exam

At least 80% of graduates will pass the NCLEX-RN on the first attempt within the same 12-month period.

Graduation YearMartin CampusParsons CenterOverallTennesseeNation
2018100%100%100%92.18%88.30%
2019100%90.90%96.88%92.37%88.18%
2020100%93.30%97.06%91.67%86.58%
202195%76.90%87.88%87.65%82.48%
2022100%87.50%95.23%86.07%79.91%
202395.45%100%97.05%  
Job Placement

90% of all students who complete the BSN will be employed as Registered Nurses within 3-6 months of graduation.

Graduation YearOverall
2018100%
2019100%
2020100%
202196.7%
2022100%
2023100%
Take the next step in your path to UT Martin.
UT Martin graduates have high historic pass rates on the NCLEX exam.
UT Martin graduates have high historic pass rates on the NCLEX exam.
In addition to the main campus, the UT Martin Parsons Center also offers the pre-licensure BSN degree with a state-of-the-art nursing labs.
In addition to the main campus, the UT Martin Parsons Center also offers the pre-licensure BSN degree with a state-of-the-art nursing labs.
UT Martin's Department of Nursing has a fully operational simulation lab to enhance your education through beginning, intermediate and advanced levels of study.
UT Martin's Department of Nursing has a fully operational simulation lab to enhance your education through beginning, intermediate and advanced levels of study.
Off-campus clinical laboratory experiences are taught by UT Martin faculty at local health care agencies, giving our students the opportunity to work in real-world settings.
Off-campus clinical laboratory experiences are taught by UT Martin faculty at local health care agencies, giving our students the opportunity to work in real-world settings.
“I love that UT Martin is a small campus community filled with amazing opportunities. ”
JaKiya Bond
JaKiya Bond
Nursing

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Department of Nursing
CONTACT:
Karen Saldana
LOCATION:
136 Gooch Hall
The University of Tennessee at Martin
Martin, TN 38238
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