Nursing

Cooperative Program

Students interested in nursing may take advantage of the cooperative program between Knox College and Rush University’s College of Nursing. The student will complete a selection of required preparatory courses for nursing study while an undergraduate at Knox in addition to satisfying all of the normal graduation requirements. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree from Knox, the student will have a guaranteed slot in the Graduate Entry Master’s (GEM) advanced nursing program at Rush, which culminates in the receipt of a Master’s degree after 7 quarters of study. This degree is the equivalent of Clinical Nursing Leader (CNL) training found at other institutions, and Rush GEM program participants will typically sit for RN and CNL certification upon completion of their training.

Prior to starting study at the cooperating institution, a Knox student must:

• have completed all degree requirements at Knox College;
• have completed a slate of prerequisite courses prescribed by Rush and have maintained a cumulative GPA and science GPA of 3.0 prior to application;
• be recommended for the program by the Dean of the College or, upon the Dean’s request, by the faculty program advisor.

Professional work in health care requires the application of scientific knowledge to patient care. In addition to taking specified courses in biology, chemistry, and psychology, students in this program are expected to pursue courses in the humanities, arts, and social sciences while at Knox. The work at Rush provides nursing-specific coursework in addition to clinical training and experience. Given the range of duties undertaken by the Clinical Nursing Leader in the workplace, a broad-based undergraduate liberal arts education is ideal preparation for the program.

Students interested in this program should contact the program advisor early to discuss the specific requirements and to plan their courses accordingly.