Nursing
Western Michigan University offers two undergraduate nursing programs—a pre-licensure professional nursing program leading to a BSN and an RN-to-BSN progression track. Both programs integrate knowledge from liberal arts, sciences and the discipline of nursing, and are designed to prepare nurse generalists who comprehend the discipline and the profession of nursing and who are competent to provide, coordinate and evaluate patient care in the multiple social contexts in which health care is delivered.
WMU's pre-licensure BSN program is the right option for you if you are:
- Interested in a dynamic profession in health care working with people
- A high school graduate who is going to college for the first time
- A transfer student coming to the WMU Bronson School of Nursing from
another academic major program, college or university - A non-traditional student without a RN license
WMU's RN-BSN program is the right option for you if you are a:
- Registered Nurse who has graduated from an associate or diploma program
- Student in an associate's degree in nursing, or ADN, program who wishes to continue your nursing education by transferring directly to a RN-BSN program after earning your ADN.
As a nursing student at WMU, you will learn to:
- Provide holistic, caring and culturally sensitive nursing care for communities, groups and individuals
- Develop community health partnerships with clients and other health providers in order to shape health policy, promote health and prevent disease
- Analyze and apply nursing research and scholarly inquiry to inform professional practice
- Accept responsibility and accountability for behavior consistent with the profession's code of ethics and standards of professional practice
- Employ critical thinking to guide professional practice
- Utilize effective human and technological communication in professional practice in order to enhance the health and well being of diverse individuals, families and communities
The WMU Bronson School of Nursing is approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The nursing school also has received endorsement from the American Holistic Nursing Certification Corporation, which means that upon successfully completing the program, you will be exempt from prerequisites should you choose to sit for the National Certification Examination in Holistic Nursing.
Three nursing science clinical laboratories are located on the third floor of the Health and Human Services Building on Oakland Drive in Kalamazoo. As a pre-licensure nursing student at WMU, you may use these labs to observe and participate in simulations, prepare assignments and practice skills.
Students in the BSN program with high academic standing may also be invited to join the Upsilon Epsilon Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
After earning a bachelor's degree from WMU's pre-licensure nursing program, you will be eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN), which will allow you to practice as a Registered Nurse.
Recent WMU graduates with BSN degrees are prepare to:
- Care for clients in acute, long-term and rehabilitation settings
- Provide nursing care for individuals, families and populations in the community
- Teach clients
- Manage client health care
Enter a graduate nursing program to become a nurse practitioner, midwife, nurse anesthetist, researcher or nurse educator. Bronson School of Nursing graduates with bachelor's degrees are prepared to work in a variety of settings, including:
- Hospitals
- Outpatient clinics
- Schools
- Health departments
- Hospice
- Wellness centers
WMU's BSN program is offered in Kalamazoo. The RN-to-BSN program is offered online.