The eLine Military Program (ELM) is the pre-licensure nursing track for an individual wishing to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree while preparing to become a Registered Nurse (RN). This track is offered to those who have prior medical experience and training in the Military.
The eLine Military track coursework is completed online with the clinical component completed with a preceptor in your area (if available) and/or in regional clinical groups (i.e. Corpus Christi, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, etc.). Additionally, some clinical components will be completed through virtual clinical experiences online. All clinical components should be completed within the state of Texas. The eLine Military pre-licensure nursing track is typically five semesters in length.
The innovative Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) model for active duty and veteran students utilizes a refined competency-based validation approach. This approach provides a mechanism for the removal of redundancy of content, at the concept level, where competency has been validated. Thus, providing an individualized curriculum for each student, allowing the student to move rapidly through the curriculum, while remaining engaged and challenged.
ELM allows you to seamlessly process through the program without repeating prior content which can accelerate completion! Instructors and ELM staff are available through virtual office hours, a virtual class time, and video conferencing software (Skype and Webex).
Most importantly, the Program Coordinator provides continual contact with the participant providing encouragement and support for academic success. Unlike many other programs, ELM employs a Program Coordinator who provides the key support, guidance and expertise to students so that they may access other mainstream resources (i.e WIC, Lone Star Card, SSI, SSDI).
Entry Term | Application Opening Date | Deadline Date for all Credentials | Mandatory Orientation Day | Projected Graduation Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Spring 2021 | June 1, 2020 | July 31, 2020 | January 2021 | August 2022 |
Fall 2021 | December 15, 2020 | February 15, 2021 | August 2021 | May 2023 |
Acceptance into the nursing program is highly competitive. Admission to the program is two times per year – fall and spring. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi students and transfer students will be accepted based on their GPA for the last 60 hours, their science GPA from the required pre-requisite science courses, and the requested scores from their HESI A2 entrance exam. No “D” or “F” grades will be accepted for credit. The essay questions found in the CAS application may also be used as part of the admission decision.
Minimum recommended overall GPA to be eligible to apply for admission to the nursing major is 3.0. Freshmen generally declare pre-nursing as their intended course of study. Prior to registration, students need to contact the nursing academic advisor to assist in degree planning.
Freshmen and sophomores enrolled as pre-nursing students must complete the Core Curriculum Program (42 semester hours) and required support courses prior to admission to the nursing major. Transfer students, including post-baccalaureate students, must satisfy current state of Texas core curriculum requirements. In the areas of science, mathematics, and social science, all applicants should complete the following general education and support courses:
BIOL | 2420 | Principles of Microbiology |
CHEM | 1411 | General Chemistry I |
PSYC | 2301 | General Psychology |
BIOL | 2401 | Anatomy and Physiology I |
BIOL | 2402 | Anatomy and Physiology II |
PSYC | 2314 | Lifespan Developmental Psychology |
MATH | 1442 | Statistics for Life |
NURS | 3342 | Use of Pharmacology Principles |
NURS | 4322 |
Health Alterations or BIMS 3401 Pathophysiology |
Students should consult their academic advisor for additional information on core curriculum and support courses, including the sequence in which the courses should be taken. To lighten the academic load, some of these courses can be taken in the summer sessions. Science courses may not be older than 7 years for BSN students.
Students must have credit for at least two high school credits in one foreign language or American Sign Language OR two semesters of study with passing grades in a single foreign language or American Sign Language at the college level are required for graduation from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Courses must be validated with an official high school or college transcript. Foreign language must be completed prior to the expected semester of entry to the nursing program.
Transfer students from another nursing school who have completed nursing courses over 2 years ago must validate completed course work or repeat the course. Additionally, students should provide nursing course descriptions from the college catalog and the course syllabi and course sequence (must have at least the course objectives, course outline, and a list of textbooks used) from the transferring college/school of nursing. Students should also submit a letter from the Dean or Director of the previously attended nursing program indicating they are in good standing and eligible to return. Any student needing to validate courses must meet with the academic advisor who will forward materials to the Associate Dean.
Contact and send all unofficial academic and military transcripts to the eLine Military Program Coordinator at Samuel.Ramos@tamucc.edu for a Initial Review (prelimary evaluation).
Prospective students often want to know what it takes to be admitted to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CONHS). After tracking many semesters of successful students, the CONHS has determined the student most likely to succeed meets or exceeds the ideal criteria for success in the nursing program. Each criteria is explained below along with the accepted cohort’s averages for each criteria. Please note these are not minimums, they are the group averages for the whole cohort.
Cohort Averages |
GPA (last 60 hours) |
Science GPA |
HESI A2 Composite |
HESI A2 Critical Thinking |
HESI A2 Readings |
Ideal Criteria |
3.5 |
3.25 |
83 |
850 |
86 |
Spring 2017 |
3.33 | 3.12 | 83.21 | 848 | 87 |
Summer 2017 |
3.55 | 3.53 | 85.14 | 860 | 89 |
Fall 2017 |
3.53 | 3.5 | 86 | 858 | 90 |
Fall 2020 |
3.51 | 3.50 | 85.6 | 869 | 89 |
Definitions:
GPA (Last 60 hours) – The last 60 hours of completed course work at the time of your nursing application. This includes any course regardless of where they are taken. Your advisor can help you calculate this.
Science GPA – These are sciences listed on your degree plan which include Anatomy & Physiology I, Anatomy & Physiology II, General Chemistry, and Microbiology.
HESI A2 Composite – This is your cumulative HESI score.
HESI A2 Reading – This is the Reading Comprehension score of the HESI A2.
HESI A2 Critical Thinking – This is the Critical thinking portion of the HESI A2.
The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) College of Nursing and Health Sciences developed the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) to award credit at the competency level within the nursing curriculum. Competency level credit is in addition to credit awarded through the military transcript (JST, AARTS, SMART, CCAF) evaluation. This process allows ELM participants to validate shared competencies (learned through military service) required by Registered Nurses (RNs) at the Baccalaureate level to provide safe and effective care.
In most cases, the award of concept level credit for military training and experience will be in Fundamentals of Nursing Care, Health Assessment, Care of Adults I, Care of Adults II and Nurse as a Coordinator of Care. This concept level (partial) credit award covers 25 credit hours (nearly 1/2 of the Nursing Major Courses). This innovative model provides the mechanism to maximize and individualize the award of credit for military training and experience and allow faculty to appropriately target student-learning needs for each student.
HOW IT WORKS
A diagnostic evaluation of the PLA results (at the concept level)reveals individualized “gaps” in didactic knowledge from military service and competence at the BSN level. Figure1 demonstrates PLA results before any BSN course content was delivered. Test results show military experience and training is valuable. Although there are “gaps” in knowledge, to complete the entire course would require repeating content already mastered.
The ELM program participant then completes the appropriate modules to fill in the gaps without repeating mastered content, demonstrated in Figure 2. Additionally, clinical skill demonstration, simulation and abbreviated clinical experiences provide a mechanism for faculty to validate and remediate the students’ clinical skill level.
Initial Review
We will complete an Initial Review of your military and academic credit then we will send you a Tentative Degree Plan (TDP) for your review. Once we have completed this initial process we will set up an appointment to discuss a plan for completion of any neccessary course work and project a term of eligibility for admission into the eLine Military BSN track. Please follow the process below and email all documents to Samuel.Ramos@tamucc.edu, if you have any questions please contact the eLine Military Program Coordinator at (361) 825-3782.
The application process is as follows:
To begin the process please send the following documentation to Samuel.Ramos@tamucc.edu:
Following Initial Review
Once we have projected your eligible term of application we will guide you through the following process to complete your application and apply to the eLine Military BSN track. Please do not do any of the following before you have contacted the eLine Military Program Coordinator at Samuel.Ramos@tamucc.edu or by phone at (361) 825-3782.
If the student is not already enrolled at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, the student must also Apply to the University for admission. Admission to the University DOES NOT constitute admission to the nursing program.
All applicants must complete the HESI A2, V-1 (Version 1) with Critical Thinking exam. This computerized exam is timed and will take approximately 3 hours. To fulfill this requirement, complete the following steps:
UPDATE for Fall 2021 applicants: As of June 1st, we are partnering with an online test proctoring service, ProctorU, so students may not have to go to a testing center to take the exam. Through ProctorU, students can schedule and pay to test from home. Visit the student resources page here for instructions on account setup and preparing for the exam. Contact candace.martinez@tamucc.edu or john.cantu@tamucc.edu if you require assistance.
a. To obtain your eligibility number, click here: (HESI A2 (with critical thinking).
b. Go to Prometric to schedule the desired testing date, testing time and testing location. You may take this exam at your local testing center. When scheduling your test, you will select the exam: Admissions Assessment with Critical Thinking. If you do not have a local testing center to go to or if you opt to take exam from home, please follow this ProctorU instructions.
c. Your final scores must be sent to the eLine Military Program Coordinator at Samuel.Ramos@tamucc.edu to complete your application for admission.
How to Download your HESI A2 with Critical Thinking Scores
Notification of the results of the admission review is mailed to students. Admission to the program is conditional pending submission of the background check, proof of vaccination status, and possession of a current Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (BLS) CPR card through the American Heart Association (AHA).
General education, core curriculum and support courses courses may be continued in the semester prior to admission. Students fail to complete all conditions outlined in the acceptance letter may have their entry withdrawn.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has specific immunization requirements for students involved with direct patient contact. These requirements, as stated in the Texas Administrative Code, Title 25, Part 1, Chapter 97, Subchapter B, Rule 97.64, include the following:
For additional information, please see the Texas Administrative Code, Title 25, Part 1, Chapter 97, Subchapter B. Please note that some hospitals have stricter requirements than the state minimum standards.
Rule 97.65 lists the following exceptions to the immunization requirements:
(Immunizations are available for a nominal fee at the student health clinic for currently enrolled students and from the Public Health Department.)
Sem.Hrs. | |
A. Core Curriculum Program (may substitute other Texas institution core curriculum) | 42 |
B. First-Year Seminars (when applicable)* | (2) |
C. Nursing Support Courses** | 20 |
D. Upper-Division Nursing Major | 58 |
Total 120 (122) |
A. Core Curriculumn Program
ENGL | 1301 | Composition I |
ENGL | 1302 | Composition II |
HIST | 1301 | U.S. History to 1865 |
HIST | 1302 | U.S. History since 1865 |
POLS | 2305 | U.S. Government and Politics |
POLS | 2306 | State and Local Government |
BIOL | 2401 | Anatomy and Physiology I |
CHEM | 1411 | General Chemistry I |
MATH | 1442 | Statistics for Life |
COMM | 1315 | Public Speaking |
ECON | 2302 | Microeconomics Principles or ECON 2301 Macroeconomics Principles |
PSYC | 2301 | General Psychology |
Fine Arts | see catalog |
Literature | see catalog |
**Any courses from the Core Curriculum Program that are four hours may only apply three hours towards the Core Curriculum Program requirement. The additional one hour laboratory requirement will be added in the Nursing Support Courses. Courses in BOLD in Core Area are also Nursing support courses.
B. Full-time, first-year students are required to take the following courses:
UCCP | 1101 | First-Year Seminar I |
UCCP | 1102 | First-Year Seminar II |
C. Nursing Support Courses:
BIOL | 2420 | Principles of Microbiology |
CHEM | 1411 | General Chemistry I |
PSYC | 2301 | General Psychology |
BIOL | 2401 | Anatomy and Physiology I |
BIOL | 2402 | Anatomy and Physiology II |
PSYC | 2314 | Lifespan Developmental Psychology |
MATH | 1442 | Statistics for Life |
NURS | 3342 | Use of Pharmacology Principles |
NURS | 4322 | Health Alterations or BIMS 3401 Pathophysiology |
D. Upper Division Nursing Major Courses:
NURS | 3318 | Nurse as Therapeutic Communicator |
NURS | 3435 | Health Assessment |
NURS | 3614 | Fundamentals of Nursing Care |
NURS | 3548 | Nursing Care of Children and their Families |
NURS | 3550 | Nursing Care of Parents/newborns |
NURS | 3628 | Nursing Care of Adults I |
NURS | 3150 | Professional Issues I |
NURS | 4150 | Professional Issues II |
NURS | 4318 | Nurse as Research Consumer |
NURS | 4564 | Nursing Care of Psychiatric Clients |
NURS | 4628 | Nursing Care of Adults II |
NURS | 4660 | Nursing Care of Community Health Clients |
NURS | 4370 | Nurse Coordinating Care |
NURS | 4470 | Professional Transitions |
The following requirements refer to grading policies.
The following requirements refer to grading policies (eLine Military track).
Students accepted or reinstated to eLine prior to Spring 2012 or eLine Military prior to Spring 2014:
eLine Military Clinical Acknowledgement:
The College of Nursing and Health Sciences will attempt to secure appropriate clinical placement in the student’s region. The College of Nursing and Health Sciences makes no guarantee, implied or otherwise, to the availability of appropriate clinical sites or the ability to secure appropriate clinical placement in the student’s region. If the CONHS is not able to successfully secure the appropriate clinical placement, the student, at the student’s expense, will be required to travel to successfully complete clinical course requirements. This could include, but is not limited to, travel to Corpus Christi.
Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information on this page. However, information is subject to change without notice. Therefore, pre-nursing students and transfer students must consult with their Nursing Program advisors each semester prior to registration.
Students in the nursing major are assigned a faculty mentor by the Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. If for any reason the faculty mentor-student assignment is not effective, the student or the faculty member can request a change in assignment. Freshmen and sophomore students pursuing the pre-nursing curriculum are also assigned a nursing faculty mentor. Academic advisors for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences are available for advisement. Students must make appointments for advisement.
For information regarding using Veterans Benefits please contact the Texas A&M University Corpus Christi VA office
Students who have recently separated from Active Duty may need to make adjustments to their FAFSA report to reflect current wages (Special Circumstance); please contact the eLine Military Program Coordinator for assistance at Samuel.Ramos@tamucc.edu or (361) 825-3782
Certification of benefits courses within the nursing curriculum requiring the completion of clinical practicum that is a requirement to successfuly complete the course are certified as Residency hours and courses that do not require the completion of clinical practicum for successful completion of the course are certified as distance hours. The program is designed for full-time students based on the generic sequence. Every semester will include both residency hours and distance hours during completion of the nursing curriculum (based on the generic sequence).