Program

Siena Heights University offers a CCNE-accredited online RN to BSN degree completion program for nurses interested in continuing to further their professional studies and careers. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree (accelerated RN to BSN program) is designed for licensed Registered Nurses to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing and can be completed within 16 months, completely online. This accredited Nursing Program is respectful of the dignity and worth of all people and SHU nurses are prepared to provide high-quality clinical nursing care in ever-changing health care systems.

Based upon a liberal arts foundation, the faculty and students collaborate in a dynamic teaching and learning environment that embraces caring, diversity and creativity. We listened to what working nurses told us they needed, and adapted our online RN to BSN courses to be practical and relevant to today’s health care professionals, allowing students to tie their personal and professional experience into the coursework.

Finish your bachelors degree in nursing in a time frame that works with your schedule – in as little as two years, depending on your remaining requirements and availability. A Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree is also available.

Siena Nursing is approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing and by the Higher Learning Commission for the North Central Association.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree Completion for Registered Nurses (RN-BSN program) was designed for licensed RN’s to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Students admitted to the RN-BSN degree completion program must have graduated from a Siena Heights Nursing approved program; either a two-year associate’s degree nursing program or hospital-based diploma degree program. Incoming students must have a valid RN license.

Requirements for admission into the RN-BSN program: 

• An unencumbered license to practice as a registered nurse (RN)
• 40 semester hours of transfer credit in approved nursing courses
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5
• Current professional resume

Requirements for graduation with a BSN:

A total of 120 credit hours with a minimum of 64 hours in approved nursing courses. Students can transfer up to 90 semester hours of required courses: 

• English Composition: 6 
• Anatomy/Physiology: 5-10
• Microbiology: 4 
• Social Science, Literature, History, Fine or Performing Arts: 3 
• Mathematics Proficiency 

Residency Requirements (Classes are available online):

The required courses below constitute the 30 hours with Siena Heights. All students must apply and be accepted into the Nursing program before enrolling in nursing courses.

Required Nursing Courses: 

• 24 semester hours with Siena Heights University:
• 311 Foundational BSN Nursing Concepts
• 321 Global & Population Health
• 331 Systems Based Practice, Healthcare Policy, and Quality and Safety of Care.
• 411 Holistic Nursing Care for the BSN, RN
• 421 The Professional Nurse as an Emerging Leader
• 431 SHU Professional Nursing Synthesis

Required Non-Nursing Courses:

6 semester hours with Siena Heights University: 

• REL or PHIL course: 3 
• LAS 401 Senior Seminar: Integrative Experience

Find out more on the course requirements for the RN to BSN program.

Siena Heights University’s (SHU) Online RN-BSN Program was recently ranked fourth on AllNurses “15 Best RN to BSN Programs in Michigan” for 2024.

With over 20 accredited Online RN-BSN programs in the state, AllNurses evaluated factors such as length of program, curriculum, cost, availability of online courses, academic reputation, specific nursing school accreditation, graduation rate, and more.

Siena Heights University was ranked fourth and was the first private institution to appear on the list. Notable features, as recognized by AllNurses, included SHU’s flexibility and commitment to recognizing prior learning. Siena Heights accepts credit for previous college work, certifications, work experiences, and licensures, which helps students earn their degree in the fastest, cheapest way pos sible. In addition, another stand-out feature regarded Siena Heights University’s Online Program, which has been recognized by the U.S. News & World Report for ten consecutive years. In most of these years, SHU was the top-ranked in the state of Michigan.

• Siena Heights University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC) at 230 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500, Chicago, Illinois, 60604-1441, www.ncahlc.org.

• The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Siena Heights University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.

• The master’s degree program in nursing at Siena Heights University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

• Call for Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) Third Party Comments   Learn More

The Mission of the Siena Heights University Division of Nursing is to educate prospective and practicing health professionals at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Based upon a liberal arts foundation, the faculty and students collaborate in a dynamic teaching and learning environment that embraces caring, diversity, and creativity. Siena Heights University health professionals continually strive to become more competent, purposeful, and ethical in all interactions with individuals, groups, and communities while providing health care. Respectful of the dignity and worth of all people, graduates of the Siena Heights University Division of Nursing are prepared to provide high-quality care in the ever-changing healthcare systems.

The Philosophy of the Siena Heights University Division of Nursing is congruent with the mission and philosophy of its parent institution. The nursing faculty is committed to the scope, practice, and ethics of the nursing profession and to the traditions of the Adrian Dominicans.

The purpose of the Siena Heights Division of Nursing is to provide a curriculum of academic excellence that will prepare competent, purposeful, and ethical professional nurses. Built upon a strong foundation in the liberal arts, the sciences, and nursing knowledge, Siena Heights faculty are professionals who are committed to the nursing profession and to nursing education. The following beliefs are the philosophical framework of the Siena Heights University Division of Nursing.

The faculty believes that all life is sacred. We believe in the dignity and worth of every human being, uniquely created by God. Dominican values of prayer, study, community, and ministry/service are the foundation of both the University and the Division of Nursing. The faculty incorporates these beliefs and values in interactions with each other, our students, our campus colleagues, our patients, and all members of the healthcare community and in pursuit of knowledge within the discipline.

The faculty believes that health is a continuum, and the goal of nursing is to assist persons, families, groups, and communities toward optimum health. The faculty believes the health needs of local and global societies are affected by and altered through environment. Health care requires a systems approach, focusing upon the diverse intellectual, environmental, interpersonal, spiritual, ethical, and technical aspects of nursing in relation to individual or society.

The faculty believes nursing education occurs best in a teaching and learning environment utilizing critical thinking and reflective writing as key to knowledge development. The faculty recognizes various roles as foundational to nursing practice: caregiver, teacher, counselor, leader, scholar, and advocate. The faculty embraces an awareness of ethics and spirituality in all roles of the nursing profession. Faculty commit to lifelong learning as well as to the importance of scholarly endeavors for extending the existing body of nursing knowledge.

The Vision of Siena Heights University Division of Nursing is respectful of the dignity and worth of all people. Siena nurses are prepared to provide high-quality nursing care in ever-changing healthcare systems. Based upon a liberal arts foundation, the faculty and students collaborate in a dynamic teaching and learning environment that embraces caring, diversity, and creativity.

NURSING DIVISION GOALS

• To facilitate fulfillment of the Mission of the Siena Heights Nursing Program through educating responsible, caring, professional nurses.
• Maintain an environment that supports faculty and students in educational and scholarly endeavors in nursing.
• Provide for continuing growth to meet enrollment needs of students, with awareness of diversity and equality in achieving excellence.
• Encourage collaborations with healthcare systems that promote professional nursing practice through purposeful, personal interactions.

At the completion of the Siena Heights nursing program, graduates must demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

Outcome 1: Critical Thinking Ability – A critical thinker demonstrates intellectual curiosity, problem-solving skills, rational inquiry, reflective thinking, creativity, and the use of logic. Both quantitative and qualitative data are utilized in critical thinking.

Outcome 2: Communication Competence – A competent communicator creates, accepts, processes, and sends information in understood formats. Communication modes may include listening, speaking, seeing, and writing. Communication competency may also be demonstrated through electronic formats or through the use of technology in nursing care. Communication may be appropriately demonstrated in a variety of levels, for varied purposes, and with a mixture of audiences. Communication may occur with individuals, families, and communities of diverse cultures, backgrounds, and experiences.

Outcome 3: Ethical Integration – An ethical nurse demonstrates abilities to weigh the ethical sides of a situation to make rational decisions. Ethical integration incorporates values, beliefs, and morals and is a key principle in nursing practice.

Outcome 4: Scientific Literacy – A graduate demonstrates competency in natural, behavioral, and nursing science through the use of various principles, theories, and concepts in problem-solving applications.

Outcome 5: Aesthetic Awareness – Aesthetic awareness is experienced in subjective, creative, expressive interactions with people and/or objects. A graduate achieves competency through the communication of these aesthetic experiences.

Outcome 6: Political Dynamics and Health Care Systems– A graduate demonstrates an understanding of health care systems including legal issues, social concerns, and health care policies. The graduate understands the global environment in relation to providing health care in diverse communities.

Outcome 7: Professional Role Model – A graduate demonstrates positive values of nursing, including caring, advocacy, integrity, social justice, and respect for human dignity. Professionalism in nursing includes the ability to understand and implement the change process.

Outcome 8: Leadership and Management of Resources – A graduate demonstrates responsibility in balancing human, fiscal, and material resources through health promotion and in the delivery of health care.

Outcome 9: Spirituality and Religious Traditions – A graduate demonstrates spirituality through personal expression, incorporating spirituality into appropriate nursing interactions. Religious traditions of all faiths are recognized and respected in delivery of health care.