Prepare for Nursing School – Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center

What do you need to be a strong candidate for nursing school?

3 key factors that nursing schools are looking for:

Strong academic performance: high GPA in prerequisite coursework can show nursing schools that you are prepared for their curriculum.
Evidence of experience and personal development: experience in the healthcare field can help you determine whether nursing is the right fit for you. Your experiences (both related and unrelated to health) can also show nursing school that you have the qualities they are looking for in a future healthcare professional.
Strong entrance exam scores: like your GPA, your entrance exam score can suggest that you are ready for the rigor of nursing school.

More information on each factor can be found within their respective sections below.

UH Mānoa's School of Nursing (BSN) General Prerequisites Experience and Personal Development Researching Schools Entrance Exam Tracker Templates

UH Mānoa's School of Nursing (BSN)

UH Mānoa’s School of Nursing BSN

Prerequisites:

PHYL 141/141L and 142/142L	Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II	8 cr.
MICR 130	General Microbiology	3 cr.
PSY 100	Survey of Psychology	3 cr.
HDFS 230 (formerly FAMR 230)	Human Development	3 cr.
COMG 151/251	Public Speaking	3 cr.
1 FW course	(e.g. ENG 100)	3 cr.
1 FS/FQ course*	(e.g. MATH 100)	3 cr.
1 FG course	(e.g. HIST 151)	3 cr.
1 DP course*	CHEM 151/152/161/162 or BIOC 141/244/341	3 cr.

Notes about prerequisites:

A grade of “B” (not Credit/No Credit, Pass/Fail) or higher is required for all PHYL, MICR, and FS/FQ courses.
Remaining prerequisites must receive a grade of “C” (not C-, Credit/No Credit, Pass/Fail) or higher.
Any combination of 16 or more prerequisite credits listed above must be satisfactorily completed at the time of application, which must include 1 PHYL lecture/lab & MICR 130.
Applicants must complete all prerequisites by August 1.

*If you are going to a chemistry or math course for the first time, please make sure that you fulfill the placement exam requirement prior to registration.

Applicants may only repeat a maximum of 6 prerequisite credits. Only the most recent grade is used to calculate the prerequisite GPA. If the minimum grade is not received for required categories (i.e. FW, FS/FQ, FG, and DP), you may choose another course that satisfies the requirement instead of using your allotted retake credits.

Sample Plan of prerequisite courses based on the UHM BSN Program requirements

GPA Minimum: 3.0 in all college/university credits. UHM’s School of Nursing (SONDH) accepts students through a competitive application process. Pre-nursing students should consult an academic advisor before deciding whether to repeat courses.

Fall 2023 Class Average GPA: 3.858 (Cumulative), 3.898 (Prerequisites)

Entrance Exam: SONDH accepts both the NLN and the TEAS but no longer proctor the exam. For the NLN, SONDH uses the percentile, or “relative performance,” to evaluate students for admission.

Minimum TEAS Score Requirements:

50th percentile in each section, although admitted applicants typically score higher.
78% total
83.3% reading
86.7% mathematics
66.7% science
80% English language and usage

!! Admitted applicants typically score higher than scores listed above !!

Applications: All applicants need to apply through NursingCAS AND to UH Mānoa Undergraduate Admissions and declare their major as nursing.

Fall applications open: September 1st
Fall application deadline: Early January 5th

Contact Information: Students interested in UHM’s BSN program should attend an informational session.

Informational Session Schedule

For general advising, contact PAC at (808) 956-8646, preferably after attending an informational session.

Nancy Atmosphera-Walch School of Nursing
Webster 201
2528 McCarthy Mall
Honolulu, HI 96822
Telephone: (808) 956-8939
Website: www.nursing.hawaii.edu
Email: nursing@hawaii.edu

General Prerequisites

For those who are interested in applying to other programs besides the ones that are offered through UH Mānoa, general prerequisites for other nursing programs are provided below.

Most importantly, remember that requirements vary from school to school! Applicants need to research the schools to which they are applying to create a list of prerequisites.

Nursing programs accept students at many different stages of their education: directly after high school, sophomore (or above) level, after completion of certain prerequisite courses, or a non-nursing bachelor’s degree.

More than 25% of the programs in this field require the following UHM courses for admission:

PHYL 141/141L and 142/142L	Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II	8 cr.
MICR 130/140L	General Microbiology	5 cr.
CHEM 161*	General Chemistry I	3 cr.
PHRM 203**	General Pharmacology	3 cr.

Additional requirements may include certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), or courses in biology, cultural anthropology, English composition, history, human development, medical terminology, nutrition, and statistics.

For a list of other general recommended pre-health courses, click here.

*If you are going to a chemistry or math course for the first time, please make sure that you fulfill the placement exam requirement prior to registration.

**Students applying ONLY to UHM’s Schools of Nursing are advised to NOT take PHRM 203 as they are no longer allowed to use PHRM 203 toward the program.

GPA Minimums: Almost all nursing programs have a minimum GPA, usually between 2.5 and 3.0. The national average is 2.8, however, some programs are “impacted,” which means they receive far more applications than they can accept. Students accepted into impacted programs usually have a much higher GPA than the published cutoff. We recommend that you review the admissions webpage of the programs to which you are applying for information about the average GPAs (cumulative and prerequisite) for the most recently admitted class.

To calculate the Nursing CAS GPA, please see the NursingCAS GPA Calculation website and PAC's Nursing CAS GPA Calculation spreadsheet for more help. This guide is for reference. Please do not enter any estimates calculated from this guide into your application. Enter course information as it appears on transcripts only.

Experience and Personal Development

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Nation-wide Engagement Opportunities

NursingCAS Experience Log Template

Some programs like the Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa recognize that experience is an important contribution to a student’s application, but primarily use academics (GPA and test scores) for admission. Graduate programs in nursing, as well as undergraduate programs at other schools, do consider the following experiences in the application process.

The 3 most common types of experiences that those who matriculate into nursing school have included volunteer work, work experience, and shadowing.

Volunteer work: To demonstrate your genuine interest in helping others and the larger communities.
- Clinical Volunteer: To gain experience in the health professional field in which you are interested; aids in figuring out if that is the field you want to work in.
- Community Service: Not necessarily related to health, but demonstrates qualities that health professional schools are looking for.
Jobs: Another way to be well-rounded and grow personally and professionally. Related jobs include various allied health professions such as working as a CNA, LPN, or EMT.
Shadowing: To gain a deeper understanding of the field and determine if it is the right fit for you.
- Email the Pre-Health Career Corps for shadowing opportunities at phcc@hawaii.edu

Other Experiences:

Internships/Fellowships: To gain experience in the health professional field in which you are interested in.
Enrichment: To be more well rounded and gain experience communicating with others from different backgrounds.
Research: To ensure that you will be prepared for the research that will be included in the health professional school/program curriculum.

Preference is tiered for nursing-based experiences then healthcare-based experiences. All other experiences may count towards the UHM's SONDH programs, but the more aligned the experience is to the field, the better.

Experiences Accepted for UHM Direct Entry in Nursing (DEN):

College Credit (AP/IB/CLEP and Early College/Dual Enrollment Program): Shows the ability to handle courses at a collegiate level while in high school
Military Involvement (ROTC): Showing growth in character through leadership and experiences from a high school regulated military program
References: To depict your character as viewed by leaders and professionals you have worked under
Achievements & Experiences: To reinforce your character through accolades and past experiences

Experiences Accepted for UHM Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN):

Military Involvement (Active Duty/Veteran/ROTC): To show growth and well roundness in character from serving in the military
References: To depict your character as viewed by leaders and professionals you have worked under
Achievements and Experiences: To reinforce your character through accolades and past experiences

Personal Development:

It is not enough for admissions committees to see that you have completed experiences. You also need to share with admissions committees what you gave and got out of the experiences.

Gave = What and how did you contribute to the organization and/or the people through the organization? How did you make an impact?

Got = What did you get out of the experience? What skills did you gain or establish? What knowledge did you gain?

Admission committees seek students who demonstrate certain qualities that will make them strong practitioners, such as empathy, compassion, a commitment to public service, high ethical and moral standards, a conscientious work ethic, and maturity. These qualities should be demonstrated through the previous experiences mentioned. If this is not the case, then find other experiences from which you can grow.

Networking:

Networking with peers and professionals enables you to meet people with similar interests. You can find a mentor to help lead you in the right direction, or find a study buddy for your prerequisites and entrance exam!

UH Connect: If you are a UH student or alumni, you can find a professional mentor through the UH Connect website. You can use different search and matching tools to find UH alumni who are working in a field that you are interested in within the site.
Clubs and Organizations
Pre-Health Undergraduate Mentoring Program

Experience Log:

When applying for professional school, you will be asked to list and describe the experiences you have gained in preparation for the profession of your interest. Rather than having to recall from memory all your experiences, having an experience log will allow you to fill out your application with more ease. Students can use their C.V. as a record of these experiences. However, an experience log can include additional beneficial information, such as your employer’s contact information and a reflection portion of what you learned.

NursingCAS Experience Log Template

Researching Schools

There are over 1,000 accredited nursing programs in the US, each unique in its mission, philosophy, criteria, and strengths. When researching schools, be sure to double-check if the program is accredited.

Although there are resources that “rank” schools, the rankings are rarely pertinent for individual applicants. More important is whether there is a good match between the applicant and the school.

To find schools that are a good fit for you (PAC can help with this process):

Assess your individual strengths and weaknesses, your professional interests, learning style, and personality;
Start by considering all schools, which usually includes all 150+ schools;
Create your “Long List” by omitting the schools that do not match your professional interests, learning style, and personality;
Create your “Short List”. This list includes the schools to which you will most likely apply. You will need your entrance exam scores and/or current cumulative GPA to narrow and sort your school choices. We strongly recommend that you apply to schools for which your entrance exam score and/or current cumulative GPA are within the ranges of those who were accepted into that program. Ideally, you will apply to schools for which both your entrance exam score and cumulative GPA fall within the range of accepted applicants.
You can also consider other factors when categorizing your schools like prerequisites, pass rate on boards/ licensing exams, areas of specialization, and cost/ aid. When deciding how many schools to apply to, consider how many schools to which you can afford to apply. Finally, consider if you really want to attend the school if/when accepted even if it is the only school to which you have been accepted.

Nursing School Search Resources:

Nursing School Degrees: CNA to BSN Programs
AACN Nursing Program Search: BSN to DNP/PhD Programs
Peterson’s Book: BSN to DNP/PhD Programs (hard copy available for use in PAC)
NursingCAS School Events Schedule: Details for upcoming information sessions, webinars, recruitment fairs, etc.

Entrance Exam

Almost all nursing programs require applicants to take one of the following standardized tests: National League of Nursing Pre-Admission Examination (NLN or NLN PAX), Nursing Entrance Test (NET), or Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS or ATI-TEAS).

NLN-PAX Overview

TEAS:

ATI-TEAS Overview

TEAS Scoring:

UHM's scores are 78% total, 83.3% reading, 86.7% mathematics, 66.7% science, and 80% English language and usage, although admitted applicants typically score higher.

Note: Most Hawai`i nursing programs accept the ATI-TEAS (Assessment Technologies Institute – Test of Essential Academic Skills) and not the NLN-PAX. The NLN-PAX is no longer offered in the state of Hawai’i. Pre-nursing exam requirements vary within the UH consortium. The reference sheet below details which exams are necessary for each Hawai`i nursing program. Note that registration procedures and fees for both exams vary greatly by the testing center.

How to Prepare for an Entrance Exam

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