Application
We only admit one cohort per year. The newly admitted cohort begins in January of each year. The application opens annually on November 1.
All application requirements must be completed, and documentation received no later than 11:59 PM on March 1 (for matriculation in January of the following year).
Applicants for our program are required to have a baccalaureate degree in Nursing or Related Science with a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (preferred).
Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, indicating an earned Bachelor’s degree and appropriate prerequisite courses must be submitted to NursingCAS.
Applicants are expected to have coursework in Microbiology, Anatomy and Physiology. We ask that you meet our minimum requirement of a BSN or Bachelors degree in a Related Science (Biology, Chemistry, etc). Please contact us at nrsa@vcu.edu if you have questions about your related science degree.
Applicants must have an active and valid license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the state in which they plan to attend school.
The Virginia Board of Nursing can be contacted at:
Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Health Professions, Board of Nursing
Perimeter Center
9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 300
Henrico, VA, 23223-1463
Phone: (804) 367-4515
Fax: (804) 527-4455
http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/Boards/Nursing/
Per our Council of Accreditation, applicants must have a minimum of one year of full-time work experience, or its part-time equivalent as a registered nurse in a critical care (ICU) setting (adult ICU preferred).
The following is our accrediting body’s definition of critical care:
Critical Care Experience – Critical care experience must be obtained in a critical care area within the United States, its territories or a U.S. military hospital outside of the United States. During this experience, the registered professional nurse has developed critical decision making and psychomotor skills, competency in patient assessment, and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques. A critical care area is defined as one where, on a routine basis, the registered professional nurse manages one or more of the following: invasive hemodynamic monitors (such as pulmonary artery catheter, CVP, arterial); cardiac assist devices; mechanical ventilation; and vasoactive infusions. Examples of critical care units may include but are not limited to: Surgical Intensive Care, Cardiothoracic Intensive Care, Coronary Intensive Care, Medical Intensive Care, Pediatric Intensive Care, and Neonatal Intensive Care.
The GRE is not required for application. The GRE is not scored as part of the application.
We require our applicants to have current Basic Life Support (BLS); Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) & Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certifications. They are required for matriculation and must be maintained throughout the duration of the program.
Our program will accept certifications from American Heart and the American Red Cross.
Additionally, applicants are required to have their CCRN (Critical Care Registered Nurse) certification.
Three professional references are required.
Who can serve as a reference?
Applicants must submit three professional references, one of which must be provided by the immediate supervisor responsible for the applicant’s performance evaluations. Other professional references can be obtained from colleagues, physicians or clinical educators. References are submitted electronically through the VCU Graduate School application.
Personal Statement: Applicants will be asked to provide a personal statement. The prompt will be provided in NursingCAS.