College of Nursing > Office of Student Affairs
The following packet includes detailed information about the onboarding process for the RN-BSN program at the University of South Florida’s College of Nursing for the Summer 2020 semester.
It is essential that you read the information below in its entirety. There are several steps required before you are allowed to register for classes, as well as additional information to prepare you for your first semester in the RN-BSN program.
Classes begin on May 18th, 2020. Your courses have a mandatory first day check-in online. If you do not log in to your courses and complete any required assignments by those deadlines, you will be dropped from your course(s).
Please note:
- The RN-BSN program is intended to be part-time (6 credits/semester) to ensure the success of our working RN’s. A formal request to go full-time (12 credits/semester Fall or Spring; 9 credits/semester Summer) must be sent to your advisor via e-mail to be approved by the RN-BSN Program Director. Please inquire with your advisors for the official process by Friday, May 1st.
- HCC/USF concurrent students must submit their RN License number through SOAR by the deadline to be considered for full-time status.
- The Castle Branch requirements (Section 1: Step 3) and additional forms must be completed prior to final approval
- Consecutive enrollment is expected in the RN-BSN program (Summer, Fall and Spring semesters). Students who take off three consecutive semesters will have to reapply to both USF AND the College of Nursing
- Experiential Learning hours must be completed in the state of Florida.
If you have any questions after reviewing this information, please contact your RN academic advisor (see below):
Justine Nandkishorelal (advises last names A-L) justinen@usf.edu
Maikelyn Lopez (advises last names M-Z) mlopez21@usf.edu
Appointments: Phone and in-person appointments can be made through USF's online appointment scheduler-ArchivumWe look forward to working with you!
Warm Regards,
USF College of Nursing - RN Academic Advising
Section 1: Prior to Registration
You will not be able to register for courses until these items have been completed and verified. You will receive an email notification that your holds have been removed and at that time you will be cleared to register at your assigned registration time. Please note: this is a manual process which could take up to 48 hours after completing the appropriate steps.
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To confirm your admission to the College of Nursing, you must complete the Intent to Enroll form via SOAR no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17th.
If your form is not submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17th, you will forfeit your seat in the program. |
title | Step 2: Purchase a Background Check, Drug Screening, & Immunization Verification for the College of Nursing & begin uploading your information |
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All College of Nursing students are required to complete a Background Check, Immunization Verification, and Drug Screening for the College of Nursing via CastleBranch.com. This is not the same as the USF Health Immunization Form from USF Student Health Services. The Castle Branch requirements are required for all RN-BSN students. The USF Health Immunization Form cannot be used in lieu of Castle Branch.
The College of Nursing has created a Guide to Castle Branchwhich can assist you in understanding the required documentation for Castle Branch.To remove the Castle Branch hold, you must purchase the package by Friday, July 3rd. After you've purchased the package, all Castle Branch requirements must be completed and approved by June 1st in order to progress to semester two. If you are a returning USF RN to BSN student, please contact your advisor as you may not need to repurchase the package.
- Purchase your CastleBranch account IMMEDIATELY using your USF email ($155)
- Go to https://portal.castlebranch.com/UD98
- Select Place Order –> College of Nursing –> RN to BSN
- Select Code UF17: I am a new student ordering for the first time
- Once purchased you will receive instructions from Castle Branch within 48 hours
- The urine drug screen must be completed within 72 hours after receiving your instructions
- If the drug screening is not completed within 72 hours of purchase, an additional cost will be required as the drug screen package will need to be re-purchased ($38).
- HIPAA Instructions are below Section 2 - Step 3
Please contact Castle Branch with any questions regarding the uploading of documentation or requirements for your profile.
When completing the waiver for the Florida FDLE Fingerprints, please follow these directions:
- Name of Qualified Entry: University of South Florida
- Check One: Please check "Volunteer"
The USF College of Nursing Student Academic Compliance Officer Mr. Shawn Afflick (safflick@usf.edu) can assist you if the Castle Branch Customer Service cannot resolve an issue.
Please note that this is not a one time process. You, the student, must monitor all requirements and keep them up to date during the time of your enrollment in The College of Nursing. Failure to keep the programmatic and clinical requirements up to date will result in a HOLD on your course registration and/or clinical placement.
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The College of Nursing requires new students to complete a mandatory Online Orientation and quiz. Through this orientation, you will become acquainted with program and college policies.
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title | Step 4: Review Personalized Program Plan in DegreeWorks |
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Your individual program plan and degree audit (showing outstanding General Education/State Mandated graduation requirements) can be accessed through USF’s online degree audit system, DegreeWorks. You can access DegreeWorks through OASIS (http://oasis.usf.edu/) using your NetID and password.
All new students are highly encouraged to make an appointment with their Nursing advisor to discuss their personalized program plan. We offer appointments in-person and over the phone. Please schedule an appointment through our online appointment scheduler - Archivum.Justine Nandkishorelal (advises last names A-L) justinen@usf.edu
Maikelyn Lopez (advises last names M-Z) mlopez21@usf.edu
Items to note when reviewing DegreeWorks:
- The Planner tab in DegreeWorks will show a split screen; one screen showing the full degree audit (items in green are complete; items in red are outstanding) and one screen showing your Nursing degree plan for your entire program.
- RN Nursing coursework is intended to be taken in the order listed in your program plan. If you register for a Nursing course outside of your program plan without pre-approval, you may be dropped from that course.
- Statistics (and its pre-requisites) must be taken before Semester 3
- The Capstone and Writing Intensive USF Exit Requirements are built into your Nursing coursework and will be covered by core Nursing classes.
- The High Impact Practice and Ethical Reasoning & Civic Engagements are built into your Nursing coursework and will be covered by core Nursing classes.
- A Portfolio requirement is built into your Nursing coursework and will be graded at the end of NUR4634C in your last semester.
- Most USF General Education requirements that you may need can be taken at any time during your program and are not listed under specific semesters on your degree plan.
- USF Undergraduate Admissions has taken into consideration transfer credit received from your previous institutions. However, DegreeWorks sometimes requires manual application of those credits to the College of Nursing requirements, so please let us know if you see anything missing that you think you have taken.
- If you attended an ASN school that granted credits based on the quarter system - please schedule an appointment with your Advisor as soon as possible to ensure you will meet the final credit requirements.
- Note that your ASN Nursing courses have not been counted for credit - if you are in need of additional credit in DegreeWorks in excess of the 30 credits in nursing and any other outstanding requirements you have, we will count your nursing courses for credit to cover the outstanding value. This will happen in your first semester once you're enrolled.
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The USF Health Immunization Form from Student Health Services is not the same as the Castle Branch Profile immunization requirements and cannot be used in-lieu of completing the Castle Branch immunization requirements.
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title | Step 6: RSVP for Orientation: RN-BSN |
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We strongly encourage you to take the opportunity to join us at the USF College of Nursing for RN-BSN Orientation. Many students find that this event provides them with essential tools for success and is the best place to get questions answered prior to the start of the semester. It is also a great opportunity to meet you Academic Advisors in person and go over your personalized program plan. While not mandatory, it is highly recommended.
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Log into OASIS to view your Financial Aid information. Be sure to note your credit limit (if applicable). If you have any questions regarding your account, please schedule with the USF Health Office of Financial Aid by using Archivum. |
Section 2: Prior to the Start of the Semester
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Once you have completed the steps in Section I and received email notification that the holds have been removed from your account, you are able to register for your courses. If you are seeking tuition reimbursement though your employer be sure to confirm policies and requirements prior to registration! To register:
There will be a $100 late fee if you register after Friday, May 15th. For more information please view the fee information HERE
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All new USF students should obtain a USF Photo ID before the start of the Summer 2020 semester. You will need $10.00 (cash or check), a photo ID, and your USF ID number.
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RN-BSN students are required to complete the HIPAA certification before May 18th, 2020.
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title | Step 4: Ordering Textbooks |
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Textbooks for online classes may be purchased through the USF Bookstore in three different ways:
- Visit the USF Bookstore in-person
- Call (813) 974-4984 to place your order
- Go to the website - https://www.bkstr.com/usftampastore/shop/textbooks-and-course-materials
- Instructions on how to identify your course textbooks for the College of Nursing:
- Go to the website - https://www.bkstr.com/usftampastore/shop/textbooks-and-course-materials
- Option 1: You may find the books you need with your 8-digit Student ID #
- Option 2: Click on "Enter Courses", select "USF Tampa" as your program and the term from the drop-down menu. Then, select NUR for department, course number and section number to view and and add your selection to the cart.
- If you do not know certain details of your course (number or section) use your registration info from OASIS
- *If no textbooks are listed, it may mean that your instructor has not yet added them. Contact your instructor for more information.
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The RN-BSN program courses are 100% online (not including the experiential learning hours) and require daily access to the online classroom (Canvas) and email. All USF College of Nursing students are required to have a laptop/notebook computer with wireless internet connection. Students are also required to have a compatible webcam and microphone. The webcam and microphone should either be built into your notebook or be a portable model. Specific information on requirements can be found here. Students in all nursing courses are expected to meet these requirements to successfully participate in their courses. Failure to meet these technology standards may result in inability to complete course or program requirements. It is the student's responsibility to ensure all requirements are met prior to the start of the semester. The USF Computer Store offers laptop "bundles" and discounted software for registered students. For more information, visit http://www.computerstore.usf.edu. Additionally, as a Baccalaureate program, the RN-BSN program will expect a certain level of scholarly writing. Review the following documents to help prepare for and understand the program’s requirements: |
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The following link will help you to navigate and to better understand CANVAS, USF’s online portal for classes.
Canvas has a mobile app for your tablet and phone! Follow the link below for download instructions! |
Section 3: The First Week of Classes and Beyond
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Your courses have a mandatory first day check in online on May 18th! If you do not log in to your courses and complete any required assignments by the deadline, you will be dropped from your course(s). |
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Tuition is due at the end of the first week of classes (May 22nd).
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You have until Friday, May 22nd at 5pm of the first week of the semester to make modifications to your schedule (add/drop) with no academic or financial penalty. |
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Advisors cannot assist with any difficulties if they are not made aware of the problems. Please communicate any difficulties during the registration process with your advisor(s).
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The RN-BSN program requires students to complete at least two elective courses from the same cluster. The following presentation will allow you to navigate and better understand the cluster requirement and options. The presentation does not have active links. Please see below for the resources/links mentioned in the presentation: |
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The RN to Bachelor’s curriculum is designed to integrate new practice related knowledge and skills to function in the professional role as a Baccalaureate prepared nurse. Experiential Learning is a required element in three of the core courses. Students in NUR 4828C complete their Experiential Learning hours at their place of employment if the facility approves. It is the expectation that the student would have an opportunity in this situation to gain a broader and deeper perspective of his or her own organization, as well as for the employer to have the opportunity to provide a forum for professional growth within the organization for the employee. Additional hours are incorporated in NUR 4169C and NUR 4634C to meet student learning outcomes in Evidence Based Practice and Population Health through faculty guided experiences. An appropriate practicum facility allows students to complete the following tasks:
Please keep in mind; it is your responsibility to please notify us if your employment has changed since filling out your SOAR application. Students who do not have an approved work location for Experiential Learning hours will be placed in the Tampa Bay on a space available basis. The College of Nursing is unable to guarantee a specific time/schedule or specific preceptor availability for students requiring placement. The student must be able to complete their hours when the preceptor is available to them. Generally, there are no weekend and evening hours available. These hours are intended to be done outside of your normal work hours. If you plan to move out of state during your RN to BSN program you must contact your advisor ASAP. Experiential Learning hours must be completed in the state of Florida. |