For Prospective Students

The Nursing Department believes that nursing is a great career for you to be entering at this time. Our goal is to see that every student on campus who wants nursing and meets the minimum requirements will have a space in the program. Students who are admitted to the university as nursing majors are tracked based on their completion of 8 prerequisite courses, GPA in these prerequisites, length of time on campus, and so on. If you are admitted to Dominican University of California as a nursing major, it is assumed that you will be admitted to the nursing program as long as you satisfy the minimum entry requirements.

Minimum Requirements

The GPA requirement for entering the nursing program is different than the requirement for admission to the university. In order to be accepted into the nursing program, students must pass (or have in progress) all 8 pre-requisites with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (a 'C-' grade is not considered passing). The minimum passing grade in NURS/NURL classes is C+. Students who have failed two or more required classes (pre-requisite, co-requisite, or Nursing) are disqualified from being eligible for the Nursing program. Furthermore, before entering the nursing program, all students must be medically cleared in order to ensure the safety and well-being of patients encountered in the clinical setting.

TEAS Policy: Effective spring 2013, the TEAS will no longer be required for admission to the nursing program.

Overview of Nursing Curriculum and Prerequisite Requirements

Transfer Students

Due to the increased popularity of the nursing major, pre-nursing transfer students are typically on campus one to three semesters before being placed into the nursing program (even if they transfer to the university with ALL pre-requisites completed). If necessary, pre-requisite courses can be completed at Dominican in preparation for entrance into the nursing program. The priority admission deadline for fall 2012 has passed and the Office of Admissions is no longer accepting applications. If you have questions about the entrance requirements for the nursing program, please contact Erin Aradi, Student Services Administrator, at erin.aradi@dominican.edu. Questions regarding the application process should be directed to the Office of Admissions.

Please note: Transfer students who have failed two or more required classes for the major (within the last 5 years) or those who have been disqualified from another nursing program are not eligible for admission to the nursing major.

Prerequisite Courses (or accepted substitutes)

* Must be taken within previous five years of matriculation to Dominican University of California; if a student does not pass one of the required science courses (anatomy, physiology, health science chemistry, microbiology), a minimum grade of B- is required upon repeat.

High School Students

The following high school classes are considered minimum preparation for the college-level science classes required for nursing majors:

• 2 years college preparatory  math -- algebra, geometry, etc.
• 1 year of biology
• 1 year of chemistry

Transferable Courses from Other Colleges and Universities

Check out our transfer course equivalency chart to see whether your classes satisfy the university's Nursing prerequisite requirements. We also have general education articulation agreements with many Bay Area community colleges.

LVN OPTIONS

The Nursing Program at Dominican University of California has limited spaces for licensed LVN students who wish to obtain an BSN. In addition to the university's standard application materials, LVN's must submit documentation of current California vocational nursing licensure.

LVN to BSN

LVN students enter the BSN program at the sophomore level (on a space-available basis). Prerequisite requirements are the same as for pre-nursing students.  All prerequisites must be completed before entering clinical nursing classes.

LVN to RN (CURRENTLY CLOSED)

In compliance with the regulations of the California Board of Registered Nursing, Dominican University of California offers an LVN to RN option plan for LVN's who are currently licensed in California and who wish to prepare only for licensure as a registered nurse in California. Upon successful completion of the required courses, the student is eligible to take the NCLEX-RN Examination for licensure. This program does not lead to a BSN and licensure may not be recognized in all states.

The LVN to RN option is 30.5 units. In order to enter clinical nursing classes, students must have a 3.0 cumulative grade point average and have completed Microbiology and Human Physiology (with a grade of C or better).

Required Courses (or accepted substitutes) for LVN to RN

NCLEX Pass Rates

For information regarding Dominican's most recent pass rates on the NCLEX, please refer to the California Board of Registered Nursing website.

Clinical Lab Fee

Clinical lab fees become part of students’ tuition expenses once they enter the nursing program (i.e., Second Year Nursing) and continue until graduation. These fees help sustain the successful operation of the Skills Lab, Assessment Lab, and Simulation Labs where students spend over 200 hours learning and refining the mandatory skills for patient care. Specifically, they support the cost of purchasing equipment and supplies; training actors for practicing clinical scenarios; maintenance and/or replacement of high-fidelity and low-fidelity equipment; repair and maintenance of the recording systems; implementation and maintenance of the electronic medical records system; and all other materials essential to developing the laboratories into simulated hospital environments and optimal learning experiences.