General Catalog 2025-2026

Nursing (BSN)

The Nursing Program's mission is to train nursing professionals focused on competent, sensitive, effective, safe and quality care oriented to the needs of the person, family, group and community.

Program Goals

  1. Incorporate the ethical values of the nursing profession, humanistic care and legal aspects when offering sensitive care.

  2. Collaborate in an interprofessional team and apply leadership and management principles when providing safe, cost-effective, efficient and quality care within a framework of professional identity.

  3. Integrate evidence-based practice and informatics to support decisions that contribute to improvement in care.

  4. Assume commitment as a member of the profession to comply with the standards established for practice.

Program objectives

  1. Promote professional values and attributes to maintain a high level of ethical conduct with patients, employees, colleagues and other members of the interprofessional health team.

  2. Develop the ability to function as an active member within the interprofessional health team, addressing the needs of the patient.

  3. Develop critical thinking skills for problem solving and decision making in practice as clinically competent nursing professionals.

  4. Develop the competencies necessary to perform your duties and responsibilities within the standards of practice established for your profession.

  5. Encourage commitment to continued professional development.

For the development of this professional, diverse and flexible study modalities are offered. This facilitates the continuity of study at the degree level associated with high school.

The Baccalaureate Degree Program at the Aguadilla, Arecibo Barranquitas, Bayamón Guayama, Metropolitano, Ponce and San Germán campuses are accredited by a professional agency for nursing education (See accreditations section in the Catalog).

The Baccalaureate degree Programs in Nursing at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico in the following campuses: Barranquitas, Bayamon, Guayama, Ponce y San German Campus are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791 (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).”

The Aguadilla, Arecibo, Barranquitas, Bayamón, Guayama, Metropolitano, Ponce, and San Germán campuses are authorized to offer the Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

The Barranquitas, Guayama, and Metropolitano campuses are authorized to offer the program through distance education (online).

Important Note: Each state/territory in the United States may require additional specific requirements for this academic program to obtain a professional license or certification. Additional specific requirements for obtaining a professional license or certification vary by state/territory. Students are responsible for researching the specific requirements of the state/territory in which they are located or plan to work after graduation.

For more information on professional licenses and specific requirements in the United States, please visit the following link: Professional Licensure | NC-SARA

Competencies Profile of Graduates

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program is designed to promote the development of a nursing professional with the following competencies:

Knowledge

  1. Integrate scientific and humanistic concepts of the discipline in the biopsychosocial, cultural and spiritual aspects throughout the life cycle.

  2. Apply the nursing process as an instrument for clinical judgment and clinical decision-making considering evidence-based practice when offering safe and quality care.

  3. Critically evaluate research findings to make clinical judgment when offering safe and effective care to the individual, family and community.

Skills

  1. Demonstrate clinical skills in evidence-based therapeutic interventions by delivering person-centered care across the health continuum in diverse settings.

  2. Use effective communication skills, critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and the use of informatics to maintain the quality of care offered throughout the life cycle.

  3. Apply leadership and management principles to improve quality and safety in person-, family-, and community-centered care.

Attitudes

  1. Apply ethical-legal principles when offering humanistic and holistic care in responses to the changing needs of society.

  2. Exhibit professional conduct in nursing practice to provide safe, effective and quality care.

This design articulates both levels of preparation (associate and bachelor's degree in nursing) integrating knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Admission Requirements

  1. Comply with all admission standards established in the General Catalog.
  2. To be a candidate for admission to the Bachelor's Degree in Nursing Program, you must have an academic index of 2.50 from high school or your place of origin.
  3. To be a candidate for admission to the third level (third year courses) for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing you must:

a. Have satisfactorily completed the requirements of the first two years of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing or,

b. Present evidence of possessing an associate's degree in nursing from a higher education institution recognized and/or accredited by the Board of Postsecondary Institutions of Puerto Rico (JIPS), Nursing Examining Board of Puerto Rico (JEEPR) or other recognized agency by the United States Federal Department of Education (known as USDE). External candidates holding an associate degree must complete any general education requirements established by the Institution.

Requirements of Clinical Practice

The student is responsible for meeting and submitting all the requirements required by the agencies to do internships:

  1. Current negative criminal record certificate issued by the Puerto Rico Police or its counterpart “Background Check”.
  2. Health certificate valid for one year issued by the Department of Health.
  3. Evidence of vaccinations or titers:

• Hepatitis B (three doses)
• Chickenpox (two doses)
• COVID 19
• Influenza (annual)

  1. Criminal history verification law for providers of care services for children and the elderly in Puerto Rico (Law 300).
  2. Evidence of current CPR certification (BLS) recognized by the American Heart Association.
  3. Use the representative practice uniform of the Institution.
  4. Attend the orientation offered by the practice agency.

Some agencies and courses require additional requirements. The student is responsible for complying with any other requirements that may be required for reasons of the internship agency.
The clinical practice hours will be carried out under the supervision of a physician authorized by the institution in the registered academic term.
The student will attend the clinical setting as scheduled by the program management.

Transfer Requirements

  1. Comply with the admissions requirements for transfer students established in the General Catalog.
  2. Admission of transfer students to the Program or to take courses of the major with combined registration requires the previous authorization of both Program directors.
  3. Concentration changes to the Nursing Program require a minimum of 2.50 GPA and signature of a Nursing academic administrator.

Academic Progress Requirements of the Nursing Program:

  1. Comply with all Satisfactory Progress Norms established in the General Catalog.
  2. Pass all courses in Nursing and the course GEMA 1000 (Quantitative Reasoning) with a minimum grade of C.
  3. Students who do not pass a major course with a minimum grade of C in their third intent will be dropped from the Program.

Graduation Requirements

  1. Students are required to complete 50% of the major credits in the campus from which they expect to receive the degree.
  2. All students who are candidates for graduation must graduate with a minimum grade point average of 2.50.
  3. Upon completing the requirements of the first two years of study, the student has the option of requesting the certification of the Associate of Applied Science in Nursing Degree to apply for the revalidation exam.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing

General Education Requirements

45 credits

 Related Requirements 10 credits 
Major Requirements 62 credits
Elective Courses 3 credits
Total 120 credits

General Education Requirements - 45 credits

Forty-five (45) credits are required as explained in the section “General Education Requirements for Bachelors’ Degrees.” Students of this Program are exempt from taking the course GEHP 3000 in the Health and Quality of Life category.

Related Requirements - 10 credits

BIOL 1105Basic Concepts of Microbiology

3

BIOL 1106Principles of Human Anatomy and Physiology

4

BIIN 3220Biochemistry

3

Major Requirements - 62 credits

NURS 1111Fundamentals of Nursing

3

NURS 1112Fundamentals of Nursing Practice

2

NURS 1130Pharmacological Aspects

4

NURS 1231Fundamentals of Adult Care I

3

NURS 1232Practice of Adult Care I

2

NURS 2141Fundamentals of Maternal-Neonatal Care

3

NURS 2142Practice in Maternal-Neonatal Care

2

NURS 2233Fundamentals of Adult Care II

3

NURS 2234Practice of Adult Care II

2

NURS 2351Fundamentals of Pediatric Care

3

NURS 2352Practice in Pediatric Care

2

NURS 2361Fundamentals of Psychosocial Care

3

NURS 2362Psychosocial Practice

2

NURS 3115Introduction to the Nursing Research Process

3

NURS 3116Nursing Leadership and Management

3

NURS 3120Health Assessment

3

NURS 3121Health Estimation Practice

2

NURS 3140Intervention in Psychosocial Transitions

3

NURS 3190Professional Life Cycle Interventions

3

NURS 3191Practice in Professional Interventions in the Life Cycle

2

NURS 4180Family and Community Nursing Care

3

NURS 4980Integrated Workshop

2

NURS 4981Integrative Workshop Practice

2