RN-BSN Admissions Proposal

Overview
A discrepancy in the requirements for students to be admitted and start the RN-BSN program in
the College of Nursing and Health prevents maximum enrollment. One classification of students
is eligible to take the first three courses of the program on a conditional basis as pre-admit
students. The exclusion of the other students for this status is a missed opportunity for
additional revenue. A minor change to allow all students to be eligible for pre-admit status
would give staff additional time to sign-up prospective students and create uniform standards
that are fair to all students.
Background
Currently, the College of Nursing and Health at Wright State University offers two paths to
earning a Bachelors degree. One path is for traditional students that have recently graduated
high school or transferred into Wright State. The second path is for students that have already
obtained a registered nurse license through education at another institution or are in the
process of doing so. If students that wish to enroll in the RN-BSN program are currently
attending classes at another institution but have not yet graduated, become registered nurses,
or have their background checks submitted, they are still permitted to start the program as preadmitted students and take the first three courses. Meanwhile, prospective students that
already have their RN license and want to start the program must have their license and
background checks submitted before they can start any classes. Essentially, the latter group is
not eligible to start classes in a pre-admitted status while the former is, even though they have
already met more requirements for the program.
Proposal
Make all students eligible for pre-admit status into the RN-BSN program, regardless of licensure
status, which will allow all potential students that meet the requirements to start the program
and enroll in the first three classes.
Justification
1. Extended Recruiting Time
a. As a condition of full admittance, it can take thirty days for background checks to
reach the College of Nursing and Health. This effectively means that all potential
students with a current RN license that are interested in the program, but are
approximately one month from the start of a term, will potentially have to wait
up to five months to start at Wright State. This is valuable time to lose since
students will look elsewhere for starting a program if time permits. This change
will allow recruiters to sign-up all prospective students until the start of the
term.

2. Uniform standards for admittance

a. Eliminate confusion
i. Requirements that are the same across the board for all students make
the program easier to manage for staff and for the students to
understand.
b. Fairness to Students:
i. Students that have not yet passed the NCLEX are given the benefit of the
doubt that they will both pass the test and have their background checks
come back clean. Meanwhile, nurses that currently have an
unencumbered license and are often already working in a hospital are
required to meet extra requirements that can prevent a smooth
transition into the program.
3. Accreditation
a. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) does not regulate
admission requirements for RN-BSN programs as an inspection point for
accreditation.
Impact
1. Students
a. RNs will have the ability to start the RN-BSN program in a timely manner as
needed. Registered nurses are under increased pressure from employers to
obtain their Bachelors degree. For those that are under tight time constraints,
or are motivated to start immediately, the pre-admit status will allow them to do
so.
2. College of Nursing and Health
b. Potential Revenue
i. Short-term: Each student that enters the program and finishes brings in
roughly an additional $12,000 in tuition without taking into account any
pre-requisite or core courses needed for degree completion. There are
currently 125 students who have placed inquiries for the Spring 2015
semester. These students would be prohibited from starting this term
regardless if they met all requirements due to ineligibility for pre-admit
status. That is 1.5 million dollars in tuition.
ii. Long-term: Word of mouth about the College of Nursing and Health from
current students is a strong recruiting tool. For example, several current
students indicated on their initial inquiry cards that they heard about the
program from peers that were currently in the program or have
completed it in the past. Not all students will have this impact but many
prospective students work in hospitals and every student that is denied
and looks elsewhere is one less person that will have the opportunity to
promote Wright States program.

Tracking
The tools to ensure that pre-admitted students are aware of their conditional status and are
tracked appropriately for documentation submittal are already in place as outlined in the
College of Nursing and Health: RN-BSN Procedure Manual. Students in this status are notified
by mail that they are only eligible to take the first three classes until all documentation has
been received. The tracking of pre-admit students is already accomplished in the CRM Excel
spreadsheet as the guide states. No changes would have to be made save for adding names of
additional students that fall into this category in future terms. Procedures require this
spreadsheet to be regularly tracked to ensure that students have submitted needed
documentation before moving on from the first three nursing courses.
Counter-Argument
The argument has been made that most students should not be eligible for pre-admit status
due to the desire to have background checks on record before starting the program. The
exception for certain students to be able to start the program as pre-admit was created with
the desire to remain competitive in the recruitment of students that had not yet graduated or
passed their NCLEX but were ready to start a BSN program. The justifications show that being
able to aggressively recruit current RNs in a pre-admit status is equally important to the bottom
line of the College and that safeguards are in place to ensure that students know they are
admitted on a conditional status and are tracked accordingly. A change would also be fair to the
potential students who are already RNs, many of whom are trusted with the care of individuals
in hospitals. Furthermore, there are no accreditation concerns with CCNE if this policy is
implemented.