The MSN program with the clinical concentration: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) consists of 46 credits and the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) consists of 50 credits. All students must complete the program within five years of matriculation. Students may transfer a maximum of nine (9) appropriate graduate nursing credits from an accredited college or university (clinical courses are not transferable).

AGPCNP and FNP Post-Master's Certificates require additional didactic coursework and clinical hours.

Yes. Admission is open to RNs with a baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN) from either an NLN- or CCNE-accredited school. Prospective applicants must meet the admissions criteria listed under the "Admissions Criteria" tab at the top of this page, however, meeting the minimum criteria does not guarantee admission.

No, GRE scores are not required.

Students are admitted in the Fall and Summer semesters.

While graduate admissions selection committees review applications until the start of the semester, by applying prior to the Priority Deadline, you can ensure that your transition to Stockton is as smooth as possible: you will be invited to the New Student Orientation Event, and have access to priority registration which means you may have more options for monthly installments of a payment plan, as well as greater options for class selection.

Priority Deadlines

For a Summer start in the 24-month option: April 1
For a Fall start in the 33-month option: July 1

Yes. There are three graduate level nursing courses in the MSN & DNP programs available for non-matriculated students:

• NURS 5325 Health Care Systems & Policy 
• NURS 5330 Advanced Pathophysiology
• NURS 5326 Biostatistics, Epidemiology, & Population Health 

To register, students must complete the online Graduate Non-Matriculated Student form. 

Stockton may accept up to 9 credits that sufficiently match corresponding Stockton courses, provided that the grade earned is a 3.0 (B) or better. Clinical courses are exempt from transfer.

Transfer requests should be submitted to the student's advisor for prior approval, but in all cases no later than the first semester following admission to the program.

Yes, Stockton University offers tuition discounts to matriculated nursing students who are employees of the following healthcare partners: AtlantiCare, RWJBarnabas Health,  Hackensack Meridian Health and Virtua Health. For more information, click here.

• Every nursing student is required to receive a Criminal Background Check upon program entry and then annually thereafter until graduation.
• For fall entry students the Criminal Background Check must be completed and submitted to the university approved software system by August 15^th. Information about obtaining the background check will be given at orientation and via email.
• For spring-entry students the Criminal Background Check must be completed and submitted to the university approved software system by December 15^th. Information about obtaining the background check will be given at orientation and via email.

All Criminal Background Check reports must be received by the Nursing Clinical Placement Specialist or Program Chair by the designated due dates or the student will be dropped from nursing classes and cannot be guaranteed a clinical placement.

*The Program Chair reserves the right to change or extend the deadline for completion for all applicants depending upon the date of acceptance.

• Results of the Criminal Background Check (CBC) will be valid for one year, unless there is reason to initiate another check or if the facility requires more frequent screening.
• If the nursing student leaves the Program for more than two semesters, a new Criminal Background Check and Urine Drug Screen is required prior to return.
• Students must use the university approved vendor for the CBC. No other results will be accepted. Information to access the screening will be provided by the Nursing Clinical Placement Specialist.
• History of the following infractions will disqualify an accepted student from enrollment in the Nursing Program:
  • Falsification of records or omission of pertinent information on either the certified background check or urine drug screen
  • Felony convictions
  • Misdemeanor convictions, probated sentences or felony deferred adjudications involving crimes against persons, including physical or sexual abuse
  • Misdemeanor convictions related to moral turpitude, including prostitution, public lewdness/exposure, theft, etc.
  • Felony probated sentences or deferred adjudication for the sale, possession, distribution, or transfer of narcotics or controlled substances
  • Registered sex offenders
• A nursing student who is charged/convicted of a criminal offense must report the charge or conviction to the Program Chair within three days of the charge.
• A nursing student whose subsequent Criminal Background Checks reveals any of the infractions noted above, will be disqualified from participating in any clinical experience and will then be dismissed from the Nursing Program.

• Every nursing student is required to receive a urine drug screen upon program entry and then annually thereafter until graduation.
• For fall entry students the urine drug screen must be completed and submitted to the university approved software system by August 15th. Information about obtaining the background check will be given at orientation and via email.
• For spring-entry students the urine drug screen must be completed and submitted to the university approved software system by December 15th. Information about obtaining the background check will be given at orientation and via email.

All urine drug screen reports must be received by the Nursing Clinical Placement Specialist or Program Chair by the designated due dates or the student will be dropped from nursing classes and cannot be guaranteed a clinical placement.

*The Program Chair reserves the right to change or extend the deadline for completion for all applicants depending upon the date of acceptance.

• Results of the urine drug screening will be valid for one year, unless there is reason to initiate a random urine drug screening or if the facility requires more frequent screening.
• Students must use the university approved vendor for the urine drug screen. No other results will be accepted. Information to access the screening will be provided by the Nursing Clinical Placement Specialist.
• The drug screening will consist of a 10-panel urine drug screening, see below under program requirements for the list of the substances.
• A positive drug screen on admission may result in dismissal from the Nursing Program.
• If a nursing student has a positive drug screening on the test done prior to clinical, the student will not be permitted to participate in the clinical component of a nursing course and is required to withdraw from all nursing courses. A student’s academic standing will be reviewed internally with an outcome of possible dismissal from the program.
• All students are subject to random drug screening at the discretion of a nursing faculty, Nursing Clinical Placement Specialist, Chief Nurse Administrator, and staff member with due cause.

Note: Individuals with a history of any disqualifying behavior on the Criminal Background Check or urine drug screen, will only be considered for readmission to the Program if the NJ Board of Nursing issues a statement that the student is eligible for initial licensure as a registered professional nurse following program completion.

The University and the School of Health Sciences clinical preparation programs (including the nursing program) strongly recommend but do not require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and other diseases. Our clinical partners regularly update their immunization and health requirements, which may include mandatory vaccination against COVID-19, influenza, and other immunizations.

The University is required to comply with the placement requirements implemented by the respective clinical partners, including health and immunization requirements. Please note the following important information:

• Attendance and participation in clinical-based learning is a requirement for nursing students. Failure to comply with health and immunization requirements from clinical partners may impact a student’s ability to complete the clinical component of the nursing program.
• The University nursing program may admit students without vaccination compliance; however, the nursing program cannot guarantee clinical placements, degree completion, or program progression in the case that the student does not meet the clinical, health, and immunization requirements of our clinical partners. Non-compliant students may be permanently excluded from clinical participation due to external clinical site requirements.
• Placements are made based on the availability of our clinical partners; therefore, if students are placed at a rotation site that requires them to be vaccinated and students do not have the required immunization(s), students may be excluded from clinical experiences.
• Please be aware that clinical partners can and do react to population health and public health developments as they occur, and students may be subject to immediate enforcement of clinical site health requirements which could lead to possible clinical course withdrawal.

Accommodations/Exemptions

Clinical partners may require students to request accommodations/exemptions (medical or religious) through the clinical partner’s exemption/accommodation process. Each clinical partner will determine its own process for accepting requests for accommodations and exemptions. The School of Health will facilitate exemptions at the respective clinical site.

• The length of time it takes to decide an exemption request may delay the start of your clinical rotation.
• A request for exemption is not a guarantee that it will be granted.
• If an unvaccinated student intends to seek an accommodation or exemption and is placed at a clinical partner that has its own accommodation/exemption process, the student should contact the SHS to facilitate the accommodation/exemption process.
• If a clinical partner does not provide for or allow accommodations or exemptions to its vaccination requirement, or, requires students to go through the clinical partner’s exemption/accommodation process and the student’s request is denied by the clinical partner, the student may request an alternate clinical site through the School of Health Sciences. However, the university cannot grant exemptions or accommodations to a clinical partner’s vaccination requirements.
• If placement at an alternative clinical site is not possible, the only available accommodation(s) may be deferral, or temporary or permanent withdrawal from the program.

Acknowledgement

Your continued participation in the School of Health Sciences clinical preparation programs is an acknowledgment that you have been informed and have reviewed the nursing program and clinical site requirements for health and immunizations. Your continued participation also acknowledges that you have been informed that an unvaccinated student may be permanently excluded from clinical participation due to external clinical site requirements and may be ineligible to continue or to complete the degree program, which may delay or halt graduation.

Effective: October 1, 2013

Reviewed: May 2015

Revised: August 2020

The Stockton University Nursing Program has a responsibility to educate competent nurses to care for their patients (persons, families and/or communities) with critical judgment, broadly based knowledge, and well-honed technical skills. The Nursing Program has academic as well as technical standards that must be met by students in order to successfully progress in and graduate from its programs.

Nursing is a discipline that requires a range of psychomotor and psychosocial skills. Stockton University’s Nursing Program ensures that access to its facilities, programs and services is available to all students, including students with disabilities, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101-12212 (2013) (amended 2008) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq. (“Rehabilitation Act”). Stockton University’s Nursing Program provides reasonable accommodations to students on a nondiscriminatory basis consistent with legal requirements of the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act. A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to an instructional activity, equipment, facility, program or service that enables a qualified student with a disability to have an equal opportunity to fulfill the requirements necessary for graduation from the nursing program. To be eligible for an accommodation(s), a student must have a documented disability of (a) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual; (b) a record of such impairment; or, (c) be regarded as having such a condition (Marks & Ailey, 2014). Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with disabilities, provided the accommodation does not fundamentally alter essential academic requirements pursued by the student or any directly related licensing requirement. Student requests for reasonable accommodations will be considered on a case by case basis in consultation with the Learning Access Program (LAP), Stockton University's disability support services office.

Nursing majors at Stockton University should be able to perform the following skills and behaviors:

General Abilities: The student is expected to possess functional use of the senses of vision, touch, hearing, and smell so that data received by the senses may be integrated, analyzed, and synthesized in a consistent and accurate manner. A student must also possess the ability to perceive pain, pressure, temperature, position, vibration, and movement that are important to the student's ability to gather significant information needed to effectively evaluate patients. A student must be able to measure, calculate, reason, comprehend, analyze, integrate and synthesize materials in the context of nursing education and practice. A student must be able to quickly read and comprehend sensitive written material, engage in critical thinking, clinical reasoning and evaluate and apply information in both the classroom and clinical settings. A student must be able to respond promptly to urgent situations that may occur during clinical training activities and must not hinder the ability of other members of the health care team to provide prompt treatment and care to patients.

Technical Standards:

The following description/examples of technical standards are intended to inform prospective and enrolled students of the standards required to complete the nursing science curriculum.

1. These technical standards illustrate the performance abilities and characteristics that are necessary to successfully complete the requirements of Stockton University’s Nursing Program. The standards are not requirements of admission into the programs and the examples are not all-inclusive.
2. Individuals interested in applying for admission to the programs should review these standards to develop a better understanding of the skills, abilities and behavioral characteristics required to successfully complete the programs. Key areas for technical standards in nursing include having abilities and skills in the areas of: (1) acquiring fundamental knowledge; (2) developing communication skills; (3) interpreting data; (4) integrating knowledge to establish clinical judgment; and (5) incorporating appropriate professional attitudes and behaviors into nursing practice capabilities.
3. Examples of the key areas for technical standards in nursing (acquiring fundamental knowledge, developing communication skills, interpreting data, integrating knowledge to establish clinical judgment, and incorporating appropriate professional attitudes and behaviors into nursing practice capabilities) include the following (adapted from Marks & Bailey, 2014):

To acquire fundamental knowledge, students have the ability to:

• Learn in classroom and other educational settings
• Find sources of knowledge and acquire the knowledge
• Be a life-long learner
• Use and apply novel and adaptive thinking

To develop communication skills, students have the ability to:

• Communicate sensitive and effective interactions with patients (persons, families and/or communities)
• Communicate for effective interaction with the health care team (patients, their supports, other professional and non-professional team members
• Make sense of information gathered from communication
• Apply social intelligence

In the interpretation of data, students have the ability to:

• Observe patient conditions and responses to health and illness
• Assess and monitor health needs
• Apply computational thinking
• Manage cognitive loads

To integrate knowledge to establish clinical judgment, students have the ability to:

• Critically think, problem-solve and make decisions needed to care for persons, families and/or communities across the health continuum and within (or managing or improving) their environments and/or in one or more environments of care
• Intellectualize, conceptualize, and achieve the Essentials of Baccalaureate, Master’s, and Doctor of Nursing Practice education (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], Essentials, 2020)
• Apply information literacy
• Collaborate across disciplines

To incorporate appropriate professional attitudes and behaviors into nursing practice students have the ability to:

• Demonstrate: concern for others, integrity, ethical conduct, accountability, interest and motivation
• Acquire interpersonal skills for professional interactions with a diverse population of individuals, families and communities
• Acquire interpersonal skills for professional interactions with members of the health care team including patients, their supports, other health care professionals and team members
• Acquire the skills necessary to promote change for necessary quality health care
• Acquire cross-cultural competency
• Collaborate virtually

Skills that nursing majors may use also include the following:

Motor Function: Sufficient motor function, neuromuscular strength and coordination to effectively perform client care activities. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Transfer, turn, lift clients
• Push, pull, lift and support 25 lbs.
• Manipulate life support devices
• Use diagnostic instruments for physical assessments
• Achieve and maintain Basic Life Support (BLS) certification to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
• Apply pressure to stop bleeding
• Manipulate diagnostic and life support devices
• Measure and administer medications by all routes
• Maintain balance, reach above shoulders, reach below waist, stoop and squat

Gross and Fine Motor Coordination: To provide safe and effective nursing care. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Move about in limited patient care environments
• Perform a variety of treatments and procedures
• Calibrate and use equipment
• Write with a pen/pencil and use keyboard and/or mouse
• Sit, stand, move within classrooms, labs, acute nursing units, operating rooms, emergency rooms, community settings, and long-term care facilities for as long as required.