Bachelor of Science in Nursing | RN to BSN Online

Online Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN)

Earn your accelerated, online Bachelor of Nursing degree from Ottawa University and gain the skills and education you need to serve on the front lines of health care. Many colleges offer a 16-week course semester, while Ottawa University offers a unique, accelerated environment with our eight-week course terms. 

Our accelerated nursing program builds on real-world experiences in a 100% online learning setting to prepare registered nurses to take on new challenges in an ever-changing health care field. Many registered nurses who have graduated from Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or diploma programs are returning back to school to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree in order to fulfill their personal and/or career goals, as well as to likely increase their overall earning potential. This nursing bachelor's degree (RN to BSN or ADN to BSN program) is designed for the current RN who is ready to advance his or her career in nursing and make a difference in the health care field.

Download a program overview.

Nursing Program Admissions Requirements

• Successful completion of a criminal background check.
• Negative 12-panel drug screen.
• Two professional or academic letters of recommendation.
• Career Statement of professional experience and goals in nursing.
• A degree from an accredited associate degree or diploma nursing program with a minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA (per 4.0 scale) on previous coursework, or acceptance and enrollment in an Associate Degree in Applied Science in Nursing Program partner school.

*Students who meet the following criteria may qualify for the RN to MSN Bridge Option:

• Junior standing or higher (at least 90 credit hours)
• A minimum cumulative OU grade point average of 3.0
• Have earned a minimum of 12 credits in residence at Ottawa University Undergraduate to Graduate RN to MSN Bridge Program

View detailed information about our RN-BSN online program.

Beyond the BSN

As you begin working towards your bachelor's degree in Nursing, consider what continuing on to complete a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree could do for your nursing career and nursing salary. Ottawa University now offers a RN to MSN bridge program! Qualified students may participate in Ottawa University’s Bridge program, enrolling in three specified graduate-level courses in substitute of three specified undergraduate-level courses. Doing so gives students three courses completed toward their MSN while completing their RN-BSN. Your MSN program at Ottawa University is then shortened from 36 credit hours to 27 credit hours. Students pay undergraduate level tuition for graduate level courses, saving you time and money. 

RN-MSN Bridge Program

RN students enroll in the following three graduate-level courses in substitute for the undergraduate-level courses:

MSN Courses to take for the RN-MSN Bridge	BSN Courses being replaced by the MSN Courses
NRSG 7100 Advanced Pathophysiology	NRSG 32006 Human Pathophysiology
NRSG 7300 Advanced Health Assessment	NRSG 32009 Health Assessment
NRSG 7500 Cultural Diversity, Policy and Advocacy within Population Health	NRSG 30007 Health Promotion and Teaching Culturally Diverse Populations in Nursing

Download the RN-MSN Bridge Curriculum Overview.

CCNE Accredited Nursing Program

The online RN-BSN and online RN-MSN at Ottawa University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The CCNE is the leading accrediting agency for baccalaureate and graduate degree nursing programs in the United States, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791. The CCNE is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and serves the public interest by assessing and identifying programs that engage in effective educational practices. Program accreditation was effective in March 2019 and extends through December 2024.

Contact us today for more information!

Related Degrees

Master of Science in Nursing | MSN 

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (CEP) Concurrent Enrollment Program

Bachelor of Arts in Health Care Management | Clinical Degree in Health Care 

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Nursing | RN to BSN Online is offered at the following locations.

• Overland Park, Kansas
• Brookfield, Wisconsin
• Online

Nursing Education and Qualifications

The RN to BSN Online Nursing Program is designed for the registered nurse student (RN) who has graduated from an accredited associate degree or diploma nursing program, and for the student who has been accepted and is enrolled in an Associate Degree in Applied Science in Nursing Program partner school who wishes to complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Most of our graduates who wish to further their education and increase their nursing salary go on to pursue their Masters in Nursing.

For curriculum and course descriptions, please  download the RN-BSN program overview. 

Nursing Careers  

Earning a BSN degree will not only assist you with opening the door to your future career opportunities but may serve to satisfy your current employer’s organizational objectives, and ultimately the overall profession’s goals for obtaining a higher educated nursing work force. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average nursing salary for registered nurses with a bachelor’s degree was $75,330 annually in May of 2020. This area is projected to grow 9% from 2020 to 2030.

With the projected shortage of nurses in concert with the aging population, the demand for well-trained nurse educators and leaders is projected to continue to experience rapid growth. Ottawa University recognizes the huge demand for nurses and makes it easy for students to further their education with this flexible, fully online, accelerated program. There are additional outside influences that have impacted the reason many of these nurses are seeking an online RN to BSN completion educational program: national organizations such as the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the American Nurses Association (ANA) are advocating and supporting initiatives to increase the number of BSN-prepared nurses at the patient’s bedside. This is being heard by many health care-related facilities, including hospital employers.

Careers in Nursing

• Nurse Educator
• Nurse Manager
• Nurse Midwife
• Nurse Practitioner
• Nursing Administrator
• Oncology Nurse
• Orthopedic Nurse
• Pediatric Nurse
• Perioperative Nurse (Surgical/OR Nurse)
• Public Health Nurse
• Registered Nurse (RN)
• Travel Nurse

Nursing Courses

Liberal Arts Courses

The following courses must be taken to fulfill Ottawa University's liberal arts requirement.

• Academic Success & Personal Significance
• Writing and Critical Thinking in the Liberal Arts
• Global Issues in the Liberal Arts

Nursing Foundation Courses

The following may be taken at Ottawa University or equivalencies/substitutions transferred in. Please note not all Foundation Courses may be available online.

• Human Anatomy & Physiology Lab
• Human Anatomy & Physiology
• Microbiology Lab
• Microbiology 
• Statistics for Social Sciences

Nursing Major Courses

Professional Nursing Theory, Roles and Practice | NRSG 30000 (3 credits)
Introduces foundation concepts and essential components of the professional baccalaureate prepared nurse role. Examines nursing theory, quality practice, and ethical/legal issues. Analyzes historical nursing advocates/issues as well as professional nursing topics/trends of today.

Health Promotion and Teaching Culturally Diverse Populations in Nursing | NRSG 30007 (4 credits)
Focusing on health promotion concepts, theories, and tools, learners explore nursing care of individuals, families, and special populations from a cultural perspective. Promoting culturally relevant age-specific healthy lifestyles across the life span are addressed. Cultural perspective is expanded through health risk assessment screening, leveraging health educational resources, and the use of targeted strategies for promoting the health and well-being of diverse populations. Using the concepts of cultural awareness, sensitivity, and humility, learners explore the social determinants of health important to equitable care domestically and internationally.  

Clinical Informatics and Technology | NRSG 32000 (3 credits)
Explores the impact of the vast amount of technology used in today's health care organizations. Focuses on information technology as related to health care safety, quality improvement, resource utilization, and data management to improve outcomes. Other topics include the ethical and legal issues impacting the use of technology in health care

Human Pathophysiology | NRSG 32006 (3 credits)
Course explores cellular functions and pathology and the changes that occur within the human body as a response to various disease processes. Discusses the role of the professional nurse in the management of specific health problems across the lifespan.

Health Assessment | NRSG 32009 (3 credits)
Focuses on expanding and refining knowledge and assessment skills needed in performing a complete nursing health assessment across the life span. Students will describe and analyze assessment findings. Techniques explored: interviewing, observation, percussion, palpation, inspection, and auscultation utilizing selected volunteers and/or simulated experiences.

Health Care Policy and Regulations | NRSG 46000 (4 credits)
Examines the development of health care policy in the U.S. and the influences of societal, political, and economic environments on the health care industry. Explores the interaction of government and other regulatory agencies within the health care industries.

Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice | NRSG 46003 (3 credits)
Course serves as an introduction to the concepts of nursing research methods and theoretical principles. Focuses on providing students with the knowledge base to define and critically analyze and evaluate clinical research problems and develop techniques to practically implement the evidence in leadership or professional practice roles.

Community Based Nursing | NRSG 46006 (3 credits)
Examines health issues, disease prevention, and current trends in public health within diverse urban and rural settings. Topics include evaluation of evidence-based nursing and various epidemiological principles to develop an effective understanding of the role of the professional nurse in the community setting.

Nursing Leadership and Management | NRSG 46009 (3 credits)
Course utilizes theoretical principles of management to provide the student with the foundation to become an effective change agent/leader/manager in today's complex health care setting. Topics include strategic planning, quality improvement, and organizational/system leadership.

Professional Nursing: Integration Concepts | NRSG 49003 (3 credits)
Capstone course that provides the opportunity to reflect, integrate, and synthesize key concepts from previous courses as well as observations from "real-world" experiences. Students prepare a written proposal on an approved topic of their choice which addresses a plan related to a relevant and timely nursing/health care concern. Proposal incorporates knowledge obtained from previous program courses to include such areas as evidence-based research, patient safety, performance improvement, cultural competence, ethical leadership, and health care access.

Full Degree Catalog

University Accreditation

Ottawa University, as a whole, is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Specific degree programs within our institution have also been accredited by relevant bodies within the field:

• Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing and master's degree program in nursing Ottawa University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.
• National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC)
• Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
• National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA)

We are proudly recognized for our commitment to student excellence by the following designations:

• Colleges of Distinction 2021-22
• GOLD Military Friendly School 2021-22

Why Choose Ottawa
Almost all courses in Ottawa University’s programs are available online and accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. We make it easy for you to transfer credits in order to help keep tuition costs down. We also offer courses in accelerated 8-week terms in order to reduce your time to completion. These are just a few of the reasons why we are proud to be the best, fastest, and most affordable option locally in the Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Phoenix areas, as well as serving students nationally through our online degrees.