The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh College of Nursing (CON) Undergraduate Program continues as Wisconsin’s largest producer of BSNs. This program growth was achieved while maintaining our legacy of nursing excellence. Students continue to achieve a 96-percent pass rate on NCLEX for first-time test takers, the highest of any UW System school.

The Traditional Option, the largest major on campus, had 140 applicants for 72 openings in fall and 128 qualified applicants for 72 openings in spring 2013. We continue to use a holistic admission process to select students who are the best fit for our Undergraduate Program.

At the annual faculty meeting, the faculty approved proposed changes in the admission process that included an increase in the minimum and preferred GPA and an increase in the required standardized test to the BSN national mean or above. These changes move forward to the University’s Academic Policies Committee for the next level of approval. It is anticipated that the new criteria will be in effect for the freshmen admitted in fall 2015.

The Nurse Scholar Program continues as a successful addition for academically-able high school students. Students with exceptional ACT scores and ranking in upper levels of their graduation class may be invited to apply for direct admission to the CON as freshmen. The application process is comparable to that of the Traditional Option applicants, including an interview. If they are accepted, Nurse Scholars will not compete for placement in the clinical program, as long as they maintain a 3.3 GPA through their pre-nursing courses.

There currently are 15 students who have been selected as Nurse Scholars; the first two students entered the clinical program in spring 2014, one more will begin in fall. Nine new students were admitted as Nurse Scholars during the 2013–2014 academic year and will begin as freshmen in fall 2014.

Our ACCELerated Bachelor’s to BSN Option gives students with a bachelor’s degree in another field the opportunity to earn a BSN in one calendar year. As we celebrate our 10th anniversary of the ACCELerated option, we continue to experience great outcomes and demand. Read more.

Our fall 2013 cohort had 152 qualified applicants for 30 openings. We maintain partnerships for clinical experiences in a variety of states and continue to seek new clinical partnerships in additional states. This fall will mark our third international clinical placement with a student at Landstuhl Air Force Base in Germany.

College of Nursing graduate Rebecca Olson, of Fond du lac, encouraged her fellow classmates to say “yes” to opportunities in life during her commencement address in May.