The Second Degree  Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program is specifically designed as a pathway for students who already possess a bachelor’s degree in a discipline other than nursing. The program is designed to build on past educational achievements to earn a BSN degree in four consecutive semesters. This program prepares graduates for state board exams and licensure in nursing. The program follows the curriculum equivalent to UTRGV’s BSN Program.

The accelerated 15-month program has classes with face-to-face classroom instruction, campus labs, and in-hospital clinical labs. Instruction will be guided by expert nursing faculty in collaboration with local hospitals.

The UTRGV Second Degree BSN program is designed to prepare graduates at a high level of competency for beginning practitioners in a culturally diverse health care setting.  The program objectives are as follows:

• Demonstrate critical thinking in the use of knowledge and theory from the behavioral, physical and nursing sciences to provide safe, holistic (mind, body, spirit) client care in multicultural health care settings 
• Communicate effectively to establish trusting interpersonal caring relationships with individuals, families, groups, populations, and the community network
• Assess the health care status of clients across the lifespan through the use of a knowledge base, data collection techniques and nursing skills.
• analyze the nursing needs of clients to assist in the development of nursing diagnoses, client goals, nursing care priorities, and teaching plans
• Plan methods of assistance, including teaching, that aid clients to enhance learning, encourage self-care and achieve optimal health
• Implement the nursing care necessary to assist clients in reaching their health care goals
• Evaluate health care activity and the responses of clients to that activity, modifying the nursing care plan as needed to promote optimum health
• Practice culturally competent nursing within the bounds of professional standards and ethics, client rights, and legal statutes
• Collaborate as a responsible member of a multidisciplinary health care team to advocate for safe, effective, and holistic culturally congruent client care, utilizing appropriate resources as necessary.
• Demonstrate leadership, responsibility, and accountability in the practice of nursing and the management of health care personnel, being cognizant of societal, economic, political, and technological trends
• Use the research process to identify nursing issues and evaluate research findings for applicability to nursing practice
• Demonstrate commitment to the nursing profession 

client=individuals, families, groups, populations communities and society