Program overview – Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN)
Prepare for lifelong service and leadership with our 60-credit Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing. This intensive ABSN track offers the academic foundation, hands-on training and clinical experience you need to enter the rapidly growing professional field of nursing with confidence and skill.
The ABSN features small classes led by expert faculty with specialist expertise, plus 945 hours of hands-on training and clinical experience across a range of care settings and populations, including medical-surgical acute care, geriatrics, surgery, behavioral health, pediatrics, OB-GYN, emergency room nursing, intensive care units (ICU), intermediate care (IMC) and community health settings.
Program format – how you will study
The ABSN track is a hybrid program designed for applicants who want to make a career change to nursing and have at least an associate degree or equivalent or a bachelor’s degree in another field of study. The ABSN can be completed in as few as 16 months of full-time study.
Your courses will combine:
- Classroom instruction – Master fundamental and advanced academic concepts in engaging classes led by our expert faculty.
- Training in state-of-the-art simulation labs – Learn patient assessment and clinical treatment skills through hands-on practice with advanced patient simulators and in simulated health care environments.
- Research opportunities – Working under the guidance of a faculty member, you can contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the nursing profession while gaining an understanding of how scholarly research is conducted and can contribute to nursing care.
- Clinical experience – We have partnered with regional care facilities ranging from hospitals to clinics in order to ensure you gain experience working with many different types of patients in different care settings and specialty areas.
The ABSN track is designed to prepare you for an intensive and rewarding profession in nursing.
Nursing Program outcomes – what you will learn
Our ABSN track prepares you to pursue licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN) and to pursue career opportunities in nursing. You will also have the academic foundation necessary to pursue graduate-level nursing education.
As a graduate of our program, you will learn to:
- Apply nursing theory and evidence from liberal arts and sciences to inform sound clinical judgment in diverse healthcare
- Provide holistic, compassionate, and culturally sensitive care, respecting individual values and
preferences. - Lead community-partnered initiatives in health promotion, disease prevention, and improving
equity across diverse populations. - Critically appraise research and integrate evidence into practice to enhance nursing care quality.
- Implement system-level safety strategies to identify, mitigate, and prevent patient harm.
- Communicate and collaborate effectively with patients, families, and interprofessional
colleagues for coordinated care delivery. - Analyze healthcare systems, apply policy initiatives, and optimize resource use to support valuebased delivery.
- Employ health informatics and technology to document care, make decisions, and enhance
patient outcomes. - Uphold legal, ethical, and professional standards; assume accountability and demonstrate
advocacy and leadership in nursing. - Engage in self-reflection and leadership in practice, commit to lifelong learning, and mentor
peers.
We want you to graduate prepared to pursue licensure as an RN in Texas to provide care to patients across the lifespan and to join the many TLU nursing alumni who are working and leading in some of the region’s most prestigious hospitals and care facilities.
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Texas Lutheran University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791. Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
ABSN course schedule
Semester 1 – 15 credits
- NURS 330 Age-Span Health Assessment (4 credits)
- NURS 332 Fundamental Nursing Concepts & Practice (5 credits)
- NURS 334 Evidence-Based Professional Nursing I (3 credits)
- NURS 338 Nursing Pharmacology (3 credits)
Semester 2 – 15 credits
- NURS 340 Complex Nursing Concepts & Practice I (7 credits)
- NURS 342 Behavioral Health Nursing (5 credits)
- NURS 344 Nursing Research (3 credits)
Semester 3 – 15 credits
- NURS 430 Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family (3 credits)
- NURS 431 Pediatric Nursing: Principles and Practice (3 credits)
- NURS 432 Complex Nursing Concepts & Practice II (7 credits)
- NURS 434 Leadership & Management of Nursing Care (3 credits)
Semester 4 – 15 credits
- NURS 440 Community Health Nursing (5 credits)
- NURS 442 Evidence-Based Professional Nursing II (2 credits)
- NURS 443 Capstone – Nursing Leadership Practicum (7 credits)
Total 60 credits
*Can be taken once, whenever available, before Semester 4.
Learn more today!
Make the change to a career in nursing with a university that challenges you to learn boldly and live to inspire. Contact us today to take the next step toward earning your ABSN from TLU.
