Nursing: Accelerated BSN: Undergraduate

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We see you becoming a skilled nurse, ready to provide high-quality healthcare in just 15 months.

Are you ready for a fulfilling career in the high-demand field of nursing? If you already have a bachelor’s degree (or will have one by May) our Accelerated BSN program can prepare you to enter the field of nursing and care for your patients with confidence.

You’ll receive the same exceptional and rigorous training that is the hallmark of the School of Nursing at Cedar Crest, in a 15-month format that allows you to start your career as a nurse more quickly.

Program Delivery

This is a full-time, 54-credit program delivered on our campus in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Cohorts begin the program during the College’s Summer Term, which starts in May each year. The curriculum also includes, at no additional per-credit cost, three graduate-level credits and the option to complete another six graduate credits. This can help students interested in graduate studies seamlessly transition to our Master of Science in Nursing programs, which include Nurse Educator, Nurse Administrator and Nurse Practitioner tracks. All courses are taught by Cedar Crest School of Nursing faculty.

Admission Requirements

The ABSN is open to both female and male students that successfully meet the following requirements:

Non-nursing bachelor’s degree
Overall GPA of 3.0
Interview with nursing program faculty

The Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) is waived for the ABSN program.

Required Nursing Prerequisites

Anatomy and Physiology I
Anatomy and Physiology II
Clinical Microbiology
Concepts in Chemistry
Principles of Human Nutrition
Probability and Statistics
Introduction to Psychology
Life-Span Development
Introduction to Sociology

Students have the ability to enter the prelicensure Nursing Program in one of five distinct tracks, which provides the opportunity to select the most appropriate track for their course of study. Program tracks include:

Full-Time Program Option: Fall Start
Full-Time 3-Year (3YBSN) Program Option: Fall Start
Part-Time Day Program Option: Summer Start
Part-Time Evening/Weekend Program Option: Spring Start
Accelerated BSN Program (ABSN) Program Option: Summer Start

After completion of the pre-requisite coursework, the Full-Time, and Part-Time Program Options take 2 years for completion while the ABSN Program Option allows students to complete the program in 15 months. Attendance in Summer semesters are required in the Part-Time Program Option.

Undergraduate Nursing Program Curriculum

The curriculum of the Undergraduate Program at Cedar Crest College is based on the professional standards, guidelines, and competencies of:

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice,
Quality and Safety in Education for Nurses (QSEN), and
National Academy of Medicine Competencies for Nursing Education

The curriculum builds upon the foundational knowledge of the liberal arts, allowing students to obtain core nursing knowledge, core nursing competencies, and professional role development through their classroom and clinical work.

Undergraduate Nursing Program Clinical Experience

A total of 819 clinical/laboratory hours across a variety of patient care settings
105 clinical hours in Independent Practicum spent 1:1 with a nurse preceptor.
Students spend time in clinical experiences that include peer leadership, service-learning and mentoring.
Simulation experiences across a variety of patient care settings using state-of-the-art high-fidelity human patient simulators and standardized patients.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program Outcomes

Program Outcomes

Cedar Crest College is a private, four-year women’s liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Cedar Crest College is a liberal arts college primarily for women dedicated to the education of the next generation of leaders. Cedar Crest College prepares students for life in a global community by educating the whole student at all stages of life and experience.

The mission of the Cedar Crest College Bachelor of Science in Nursing major is to prepare professional nurses by building on a foundation firmly grounded in the liberal arts. A Cedar Crest College nursing education fosters development of the whole person while cultivating commitment to lifelong learning. Nursing graduates are empowered to assume leadership roles in a global society. It is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), 3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30326, (404) 975-5000.

Performance on Licensure Examination – First time Test Takers Disaggregated by Program Options
Year	Full-Time	ABSN	Part-Time Spring Start	Part-Time Summer Start
2022 – 2023	98% (39/40)	100% (18/18)	96% (22/23)	100% (25/25)
2021 – 2022	100% (30/30)	N/A	86% (12/14)	80% (4/5)
2020 – 2021	96% (24/25)	N/A	85% (23/27)	100% (14/14)

Program Completion Rate – Disaggregated by Program Options
Year	CCC UG On-Time Completion Rates	Part-Time Summer Start	Part-Time Spring Start	ABSN	Full-Time	RN-BSN
2023 – 2024	58% (44/76)	50% (5/10)	50% (6/12)	100% (9/9)	53% (23/43)	50% (1/2)
2022 – 2023	55% (71/130)	10% (1/10)	50% (13/26)	78% (18/23)	54% (36/67)	75% (3/4)
2021 – 2022	42% (34/81)	15% 2/13)	27% (4/15)	N/A	51% (26/51)	100% (2/2)

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Role-Specific Graduate Competencies

Defines the role of the graduate upon program completion.

Scholarship for Evidence-Based Practice
Graduates will ground their profession in the translation of evidence-based practice.
Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration for Improving Patient Health
Outcomes
Graduates will communicate and collaborate among healthcare professionals to deliver high quality patient care.
Clinical Prevention and Population Health
Graduates will engage in health promotion and disease prevention strategies at the individual, family, community, and systems level to improve population health.
Professionalism and Professional Value
Graduates will demonstrate professionalism and incorporate the inherent values of altruism, human dignity, integrity, and social justice to their profession.
Baccalaureate Generalist Nursing Practice
Graduates will be prepared to provide wholistic care to patients, including individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations across the lifespan and across the continuum of healthcare environments. (as adapted by the AACN Essentials)

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Student Learning Outcomes

Synthesize knowledge from the physical and social sciences, humanities, and nursing in making nursing practice decisions involving culturally diverse individuals, families, and communities.
Practice effective communication with individuals, families, and communities.
Integrate all components of the nursing process in promoting optimal health of individuals, families, and communities.
Collaborate with other members of the health care team in affecting the delivery of health care.
Synthesize research findings into the practice of nursing and the delivery of care.
Demonstrate competency to assume a beginning professional nurse role.

Dive A Little Deeper

Tuition Reduction

Tuition for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs have been reduced beginning in the Fall 2024 semester, making them comparable to similar nursing programs in the Lehigh Valley. Click below to read more about the tuition reductions. (Note: ABSN and CRNA programs not included)

Learn More

Featured Event

Mission SIMpossible: Interactive Undergrad Nursing Event November 9, 2024 @ 1:00PM – 4:30PM

So you want to become a nurse? Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to attend our SIMPossible Nursing event. In this interactive and fun skills lab experience, you’ll: Work your way through interactive nursing skills stations Gain hands-on…

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Upcoming Admissions Events

Nov 01

Fri
5:15PM – 7:30PM

Frights & Futures: A Haunted Admissions Adventure Learn More

Nov 09

Sat
1:00PM – 4:30PM

Mission SIMpossible: Interactive Undergrad Nursing Event Learn More

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Cooperative Agreements

Cedar Crest College collaborates with several academic institutions to provide our students with innovative pathways that help them succeed in their chosen fields.

Cedar Crest Accounting Students in the Classroom

How To Apply

Ready to apply as an undergraduate student?

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Accreditation

The master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Cedar Crest College are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.
https://www.aacnnursing.org/ccne-accreditation

The baccalaureate, master’s, post master’s certificate nursing programs at Cedar Crest College located in Allentown, PA are accredited by the: Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). 3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400 Atlanta, GA 30326 (404) 975-5000 acenursing.org

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the baccalaureate, master’s and post master’s certificate nursing programs is continuing accreditation.

View the public information disclosed by the ACEN regarding this program on the ACEN website: https://www.acenursing.org/search-programs