Department of Associate Degree in Nursing Student Handbook 2025 - 2026

SECTION I: PROGRAM OF STUDY AND REQUIREMENTS

• A. Department of Associate Degree in Nursing Organization Chart

  The Department of Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) organizational chart allows students to see how the school is structured and who they should reach out to for any issues.

• B. Program Description

  The 4-semester Registered Nurse (RN) program in the Associate Degree in Nursing Department is a year-round, 38-credit, four-semester program preparing entry-level clinical practice registered nurses. The 4-semester RN program is held on three campuses:

  • WSU Davis Campus – Layton, UT
  • WSU Ogden Campus – Ogden, UT
  • Hybrid Campus

  The 2-semester Practical Nurse to Registered Nurse (PN to RN) program in the Associate Degree in Nursing Department is a 20-credit, two-semester program intended for licensed practical nurses or those who have successfully graduated from an accredited practical nursing program and are eligible for licensure. The PN to RN program is consistently held on three campuses. PN to RN students may also fill vacancies on the RN program campuses in the third and fourth semesters.

  • Davis Technical College – Kaysville, UT
  • Bridgerland Technical College – Logan, UT
  • Hybrid - Ogden, UT

• C. Programs of Study

  4-semester RN program of study
  Coursework Required for Graduation

  1st Semester

  • NRSG 2100 Pharmacology for Nurses I (1.5)
  • NRSG 2100 Pharmacology for Nurses I (1.5)
  • NRSG 2200 Nursing Foundations (3)
  • NRSG 2251 Foundations of Nursing Lab and Clinical (4.5)

  2nd Semester

  • NRSG 2300 Patient-Centered Nursing Care I (3)
  • NRSG 2351 Patient-Centered Nursing Care Experience I (4.5)
  • NRSG 2700 Pharmacology for Nurses II (1.5)

  3rd Semester

  • NRSG 2500 Patient-Centered Nursing Care II (3)
  • NRSG 2551 Patient-Centered Nursing Care Experience II (4.5)
  • NRSG 3100 Pharmacology for Nurses III (3)

  4th Semester

  • NRSG 3200 Complex Patient-Centered Nursing Care (3)
  • NRSG 3300 Entry into Nursing Professional Practice (3.5)
  • NRSG 3350 Entry into Nursing Professional Practice Capstone (3)

  2-semester PN to RN program of study
  Coursework Required for Graduation

  3rd Semester

  • NRSG 2500 Patient-Centered Nursing Care II (3)
  • NRSG 2551 Patient-Centered Nursing Care Experience II (4.5)
  • NRSG 3100 Pharmacology for Nurses III (3)

  4th Semester

  • NRSG 3200 Complex Patient-Centered Nursing Care (3)
  • NRSG 3300 Entry into Nursing Professional Practice (3.5)
  • NRSG 3350 Entry into Nursing Professional Practice Capstone (3)

  Both Associate Degree in Nursing Programs are considered full-time programs, but not full-time credit loads (12 credit hours). If students require a full-time credit load, please consult with an advisor.

• D. Program Requirements

  • Nursing is a demanding program of study. Extensive individual study time is required for didactic, lab, simulation, and clinical courses. It is strongly recommended that nursing students commit to working less than 20 hours per week. Students who work while enrolled in the nursing program are encouraged to keep the number of hours within the limits of good health, allowing adequate time for rest, recreation, study, and extracurricular activities.
  • All required course materials (i.e., books, eBooks, electronic charting products, etc.) must be purchased before the first week of the semester. The bookstore website has an up-to-date list of course materials.
  • All student paperwork must be submitted before the established deadlines. Failure to do so may result in forfeiture of clinical placement and grade deduction in clinical courses.
  • Students are REQUIRED to check WSU email at least once a week. In addition, during the capstone placement cycle in the third and fourth semesters, students must check their WSU email several times a week. The student Canvas orientation course contains the most up-to-date information.
  • WSU-approved uniforms must be ordered early to ensure on-time delivery for clinical, simulation, and lab days. Students are encouraged to purchase two sets as they will be required to wear them in lab, simulation, and clinical.

• E. Program Progression & Completion

  • In order to promote student success in passing the NCLEX®-RN exam on the first attempt, all RN and PN to RN students are required to complete their designated program of study within 150% of the initial semester start. Failure to do so may result in program dismissal and/or repetition of coursework.
  • When students receive a failing grade (anything below 80% B-) in any nursing course, progression in the program will be paused, and the course must be repeated. Enrollment in the repeated course is dependent on available course openings. To register for a repeated course, contact the Department of Associate Degree in Nursing administrative specialist.
  • Failure of ANY two nursing courses during the program mandates immediate dismissal from the program. To be reinstated in the program, a student must apply through the standard application process and repeat the entire program. Students seeking readmission must follow the process outlined in the Annie Taylor Dee SON Handbook Part B, Section V.B. Students dismissed from the program two (2) times will not be allowed to reapply.
  • PN to RN students who do not have their PN license must take and pass the NCLEX®-PN before the end of the third semester. If NCLEX®-PN has not been taken and passed before moving to the fourth semester, progression in the program will be paused, and recommendations made by the ADN Second Year Program Director.
  • Students withdrawing from any nursing course must notify their faculty and the ADN Program Director(s). Withdrawn courses must be retaken but may or may not be taken the immediate semester following the withdrawal, depending on program availability. (First and second semester withdrawals should be addressed to the ADN First Year Program Director; third and fourth semester withdrawals should be addressed to the ADN Second Year Program Director.)
    • Reminder: Students are required to complete their designated program of study within 150% of the initial semester start, regardless of the reason for withdrawal. Failure to do so may result in program dismissal and/or repetition of coursework.
    • Withdrawal (W) from a class in poor standing (not passing the course at the time of withdrawal) is considered a course failure (Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing Handbook Part B, Section V.C.).
  • Students withdrawing from the program for any reason will be required to reapply.
  • Students requesting a deferral must submit a letter to the appropriate ADN Program Director stating their request. Requests will be reviewed by the appropriate ADN Program Director and granted on a case-by-case basis. (First and second semester withdrawals should be addressed to the ADN First Year Program Director; third and fourth semester withdrawals should be addressed to the ADN Second Year Program Director.) Reminder: Students are required to complete their designated program of study within 150% of the initial semester start, regardless of the reason for deferral.
  • In addition to successfully completing fourth-semester coursework, all students must attend a mandatory NCLEX®-RN Live Review during fourth semester as part of NRSG 3300; this is a three-day NCLEX®-RN prep that will assist students in preparing for the NCLEX®-RN examination.
  • Students with an incomplete (I) grade will not be allowed to progress in the program.

SECTION III: ACADEMIC STANDARDS

• A. Academic Grading Standards

  Academic grading standards, including the Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing (SON) grading scale, rounding policy, and evaluation incentive, can be found in The Annie Taylor Dee SON Student Handbook, Part B, Section II.

• B. Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism

  The Weber State University (WSU) Annie Taylor Dee SON upholds a strict no-tolerance policy on plagiarism. All student work must be original and properly cited in accordance with academic integrity standards. Plagiarism includes the use of another person's work, ideas, or words without proper attribution, as well as self-plagiarism, which occurs when a student submits their own previous work, in whole or in part, for multiple assignments or courses without prior authorization. This includes using the same assignment(s) when repeating a course. It is the responsibility of each student to ensure their work adheres to these guidelines.

• C. Late Assignments

  • Students are responsible for notifying faculty members before due dates regarding difficulty with assignments or crises that impede their ability to complete an assignment or test in the designated time frame.
  • Nursing faculty are NOT required to accept late assignments or tests.
  • A zero (0) may be recorded for the score.
  • Faculty may impose a grade deduction for any late work submitted.

• D. Testing

  • The ADN program has a three-day testing policy for unit exams and a one-day testing policy for final exams. Course exams are offered outside of class time and must be taken in an approved Weber State University testing center. Tech campus students may take exams at their approved Technical College testing centers as allowed by affiliation agreements. Test dates will be communicated via Canvas on the first day of class.
  • A student must achieve at least an 80% average on the combined unit and final exam scores. Failure to achieve an average examination score of 80% or higher in a course at the conclusion of the semester will result in a failing course grade. Any score under 80% will NOT be rounded. All grades above 80% will be rounded to the nearest tenth.
  • A 10% deduction per day will be applied to the exam score if a student fails to take an exam during the three-day testing window, before or after. This does not apply to the final exam, which must be taken on the scheduled exam date. Emergent situations will be escalated to the ADN director. Any discussion of test items during the testing window or removal of test items from the testing location is considered cheating and will follow the consequences outlined in The Annie Taylor Dee SON Student Handbook, Part B, Section IV.

  Didactic Unit Exams

  The Associate Nursing Department at Weber State University is committed to fostering critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills through the use of Bloom’s Taxonomy leveled questioning, and comprehensive testing strategies. Faculty design learning experiences that guide students from foundational knowledge to higher levels of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Students begin the program with more knowledge-based questions during the first semester and progress to more complex, application- and analysis-based questions by the end of the fourth semester.

  Each course also includes questions from previous unit content on subsequent exams, promoting knowledge retention and the integration of concepts over time. By integrating Bloom’s Taxonomy into both classroom and clinical instruction, students are encouraged to think deeply, apply concepts to complex patient care scenarios, and demonstrate sound clinical judgment. Comprehensive testing strategies ensure that assessments accurately reflect students’ ability to integrate theory and practice, preparing graduates to deliver safe, evidence-based nursing care in a variety of healthcare settings. 

  Dosage Calculation Exams

  WSU Annie Taylor Dee SON is committed to student and patient safety in clinical practice. To prepare nursing students for medication administration, all nursing students in NRSG 2100, NRSG 2700, and NRSG 3100 will complete a standardized dosage calculation exam as part of the criteria for the course. The exam must be completed by week 2 of the semester. The exam will account for 5% of the total grade in the course. In addition, dosage calculations will be integrated throughout the entire ADN curriculum. All exams in every ADN didactic course will contain at least 2 dosage calculation questions. Skills lab exams may also include dosage calculation questions as appropriate.

  ATI Proctored Exams

  Students who violate the Annie Taylor Dee SON's professionalism or academic integrity policies as outlined in the Annie Taylor Dee SON Handbook, breach the ATI Code of Conduct, or are involved in any testing irregularities when taking an ATI proctored exam may receive a zero for the exam and any associated remediation activities. Additionally, the consequences outlined in the Annie Taylor Dee SON Handbook Section IV B will be followed.

• E. Professionalism

  It is a privilege for a student to attend a WSU Annie Taylor Dee SON class, clinical, or lab setting. Any unprofessional, disrespectful, or disruptive behavior exhibited by a student toward an instructor, guest speaker, preceptor, staff member, or classmate during a classroom, clinical, or lab setting is grounds for immediate placement of the student on a behavioral contract as outlined in Part B, Section IV Academic Integrity and Behavioral Policies in the Annie Taylor Dee SON Student Handbook. This violation may lower the student's course grade, fail the student in the course, or cause dismissal from the Nursing Program as determined by the appropriate Nursing Faculty, ADN Program Director, and ADN Department Chair.

• F. Lab, Simulation, Clinical (LSC) Courses

  Skills Lab, Clinical, and Simulation are practical, hands-on learning activities critical to the field of nursing. If a student is absent for one day of a single component for any reason (lab, clinical, or sim), the student must complete a make-up day at the instructor’s discretion and facility availability. If the student is absent for more than one day of a single component of the course, a second make-up day will not be scheduled thus the course outcomes cannot be met, and the student will not pass that component even though points earned may be greater than 80% and a C+ final course grade will be awarded. As a reminder, students must pass all three components to receive a passing grade for the course. If two absences occur, the student must reach out to the instructor and the appropriate ADN program director to discuss options for progression in the program. (First and second semester absences should be addressed with the ADN First Year Program Director; third and fourth semester absences should be addressed with the ADN Second Year Program Director.)

  To pass the LSC course, students must pass each of the three components (skills lab, simulation, clinical) with a minimum of 80%. In addition, students must demonstrate competency in the skills pass-off to pass the course. Students who do not achieve lab skills competency by the final pass-off will receive a C+ and be required to repeat the course.
  Any absence in the LSC course may result in a 10% grade deduction from the specific portion (skills lab, simulation, clinical) that is missed; waiving the 10% deduction will only be done for emergent situations at the instructor's and ADN director’s discretion.. (2251 and 2351 will be addressed with the ADN first year program director; 2551 absences will be addressed with the ADN second year program director.) Being sent home for issues with professionalism counts as an absence, and will receive an automatic 10% deduction in total points for that specific portion - lab, sim, or clinical.

  If the student is more than 15 minutes late or does not attend the scheduled skills lab pass-off, the student will forfeit that opportunity to pass off the lab skills. Extenuating circumstances will be evaluated by the instructor and the ADN director on a case-by-case basis. (2251 and 2351 will be addressed with the ADN first-year program director; 2551 absences will be addressed with the ADN second-year program director.) If the student arrives less than 15 minutes late, the student must complete the skill pass-off within the scheduled time frame. Any lab skills not completed within the scheduled time frame of the pass-off will be considered failed. During each pass-off attempt, if a skill is attempted multiple times, only the final attempt will be graded. If the student is more than 15 minutes late or does not show up for the final pass-off, they will not be granted another opportunity for pass-off and will be given a zero, thus not passing the lab portion of the course.

  Lab, simulation, and clinical experiences vary according to the semester of the nursing program. There is a requirement of 135 clinical, simulation, and/or lab hours each semester. The start and end times of clinical shifts vary according to the facility.

  • First-Third semester: Students will complete 75 hours in a clinical facility (may vary with ambulatory rotations), 30 hours in simulation, and 30 hours in skills lab, for a total of 135 clinical hours. Skills lab will be 8 hours, once a week for the first 3 weeks of the semester (unless otherwise indicated). Clinical shifts will be 12 hours, once a week, every other week, for a total of 6 clinical days. Simulation will be 4 hours per day on alternating weeks from clinical, every other week, for a total of 5 simulation days. Note: A schedule will be provided in the Canvas course with details. Semester calendars will be posted in the Canvas orientation course 2 weeks before the semester starts. All calendars and schedules are tentative and are subject to change.
  • Fourth semester: Students will complete 135 hours of clinical capstone and will not have simulation or skills lab. Students will work with their assigned nurse preceptor and attend the nurse's scheduled shift hours until the student reaches 135 hours. Students will have 6-7 weeks to complete their assigned 135 hours unless otherwise indicated. All capstone experiences must be completed in the allotted time given. All communication regarding capstone placement requests and assignments will be communicated to students via WSU email during the third semester. Students WILL NOT be allowed to arrange their own capstone experience. Students must work the same shifts as their assigned preceptor during their capstone, except for spring break, Thanksgiving break, and the scheduled NCLEX®-RN Live Review. Students are expected to adhere to the highest professional standards and maintain excellent communication with their preceptor and faculty instructor.

• G. Clinical Expectations

  Students and instructors are guests in clinical facilities and are expected to act with the utmost respect and professionalism. Students are expected to abide by clinical facility policies and procedures as well as the Professional Conduct and Behaviors found in Part B, Section III of the Annie Taylor Dee SON Student Handbook.

  Students are required to provide their own transportation to all courses and clinical sites, and public transportation may not be available during clinical hours. Some sites, such as home care and hospice, may not allow the use of ride-share companies.

  Students are expected to follow all dress code requirements outlined in the Annie Taylor Dee SON Student Handbook, Part B, Section III.

  Clinical Requirements: Required documents and paperwork must be kept current throughout the program. Failure to keep ALL required materials up-to-date will result in an overall 3% grade deduction in the lab/simulation/clinical course each week the materials are not updated. This includes but is not limited to CastleBranch, Verified Credentials, MyClinicalExchange, Intermountain Student Portal, UofU Smartsheets, etc.

  Clinical Student Documentation:

  • BLS CPR: The ADN program accepts American Heart Association (AHA) and American Red Cross (ARC) BLS certifications. AHA certification is recommended, as currently, all clinical partners accept AHA. If a student completes ARC certification and attends a facility requiring AHA, the student will be required to complete the AHA training before clinical placement. Certification MUST include both written and hands-on components. There will be no exceptions, and it must be current throughout the entire program. Note: Current RQI through employment is accepted as long as the original AHA card is submitted.
  • Tuberculosis: On admission, students must obtain a baseline 2-step TB (TST) test, Quantiferon, or T-Spot TB blood draw. Some clinical partners require a yearly TB test. If a student attends a clinical facility requiring a yearly TB test, a 1-step TB (TST) test, Quantiferon, or T-Spot TB blood draw will be required before attending the clinical site. Students will be notified before the semester starts, and the TB test will be due on the first day of the semester.