Nursing Programs
- Associate Degree in Nursing
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing
- Second BS/BA Degree Entry Option
- Registered Nurse to BSN
- LPN to RN
- Graduate Nursing
- Doctor of Nursing Practice
Policies, Forms and Handbooks








The Medical Center-WKU Health Sciences Complex Groundbreaking Ceremony
RN to BSN May 2012 Graduates and Faculty
BSN students participating in the annual Bowl for Kids Sake
BSN Graduates
Welcome to The School of Nursing!
Our mission is to provide undergraduate and graduate education to meet the changing health care needs of a global society.
Why Choose Nursing as a Career?
The ANA (American Nurses Assoication) defines nursing as:
"Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and population."
Nurses are involved with all aspects of a patient's care, from providing therapeutic and diagnostic procedures to providing comfort to patient's and their families.
If you want your life work to make a difference in the lives of others, nursing can be an excellent career for you!
Recent Events and News
School of Nursing to move to the new Health Sciences Complex at The Medical Center August 2013

The Medical Center announced its plan to construct a new 73,471-square-foot, three-story facility on the hospital's campus to house the university's nursing and physical therapy programs. The project is estimated to be completed by the 2013 fall semester at WKU.
BSN Program has more openings than ever before:
The School of Nursing is pleased to announce that we have doubled the number of seats available in the BSN program. A maximum of 80 new students will be accepted each semester starting Fall 2012. This means that more qualified students will be able to reach their dreams of becoming an RN at WKU, without having to wait for an opening.
Graduate Program News:
Nurse Practitioner Students will be obtaining more scholarships: Starting Fall 2012 students in the WKU nurse practitioner program will be benefiting from the new HRSA grant obtained by WKU nursing faculty. Over $620,000 in funding will be available over the next two years for students in the nurse practitioner programs.
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program
The post-masters DNP program admitted its first class Fall of 2011 for students who currently are at the Master's level or above. The BSN to DNP program will admitt the first group starting Fall 2013. Applications are being accepted now for people who have BSN degrees and want to be part of the first cohort of students in the WKU BSN-DNP program. All students graduating from the BSN-DNP program will be qualified to take the family nurse practitioner certification exam and be licensed as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN).
RN-BSN News
Sixteen students enrolled in WKU's on-line RN to BSN program participated in a health fair organized by four nursing faculty members. The health fair took place at the UPS center in Bowling Green on March 15th . Forty-six employees visited various health promotion displays including arthritis, high blood pressure, sun safety, diabetes, healthy back practices, hand washing, healthy heart, and cholesterol/diet/BMI.

The curriculum is designed to build on the education registered nurses (RNs) received in their AD program. Both full-time and part-time options are available. The RN to BSN program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. For more information please visit http://www.wku.edu/cohort/rn-to-bsn/ or call 270-745-2391.
Recent Faculty Publications
Dr. Mary Bennett, Dr M. Laurie Branstetter, Dr Melinda Joyce and Dr Cherie Howk published an article in the February 2012 Journal for Nurse Practitioners. The article, titled Nurse Practitioner and Pharmacist Interactions: Implications for Effectiveness of Interdisciplinary Health Care Teams, can be viewed on TopScholar at http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/nurs_fac_pub/47/
School of Nursing Helps RN to BSN Students Attend Medical Reserve Corps Training
Faculty in the School of Nursing and staff at the Barren River District Health Department collaborated to offer the opportunity for students enrolled in the on-line RN to BSN program to attend the Medical Reserve Corps Training. Seventeen students, from areas throughout the state, participated in the training. Those completing the training are now able to become volunteers in their local communities to assist during a disaster. Four faculty members (Cathy Abell, Lisa Proctor, Kathleen Riley, and Deborah Williams) accompanied the students.
