Wilson School of Nursing

The mission of the Wilson School of Nursing is to prepare graduates who value liberal arts, service, scholarship, and excellence to meet the needs of diverse populations and advance the profession of nursing.

Successful graduates of the Wilson School of Nursing should be able to:

• Compare favorably with national norms for professional practice
• Be employed in professional practice
• Manage multiple, complex clients in a variety of settings
• Demonstrate leadership within the professional discipline

The Wilson School of Nursing at MSU will provide:

• Student-centered education
• Innovative educational programs that meet the needs of our local and global community
• Interdisciplinary collaboration with the practice community
• Scholarly teaching, practice, inquiry, research, and service

To become a Registered Nurse (RN) you must:

1. Graduate from an approved prelicensure RN nursing education program (MSU’s BSN and ACCEL BSN programs are approved prelicensure RN nursing education programs)
   1. Admission criteria for the MSU prelicensure programs are listed here: Admission Criteria for the Traditional Prelicensure BSN Program
   2. Admission Criteria for the Prelicensure Accelerated BSN Program
2. Apply for licensure in the state where you intend to practice
   1. Each state has different requirements for licensure
   2. The states’ Board of Nursing websites have information as to the requirements
      1. Website that provides state boards of nursing profiles: https://www.ncsbn.org/membership/us-members/contact-bon.page
      2. Texas Board of Nursing website: https://www.bon.texas.gov/licensure_examination.asp.html
         1. Texas requires a criminal background check
         2. Texas requires the completion of the Jurisprudence examination
      3. Successfully complete the NCLEX-RN© examination. Information on this examination including the exam blueprint can be found at this site: https://ncsbn.org/nclex.page.

To become an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (RN) you must:

1. Hold a valid RN license in the state where you are practicing as a RN.
2. Graduate from an approved post-licensure advanced practice nursing education program or post-graduate advanced practice nursing education certificate program (MSU’s graduate and post-graduate certificate nursing programs are approved post-licensure advanced practice nursing education programs)
   1. Admission criteria for the MSU graduate and post-graduate certificate nursing programs are listed here: https://msutexas.edu/academics/hs2/nursing/msn/admission-information
3. Apply for advanced practice registered nurse status in the state where you intend to practice
   1. Each state has different requirements for licensure.
   2. The states’ Board of Nursing websites will have information as to the requirements.
      1. Website that provides state boards of nursing profiles: https://www.ncsbn.org/membership/us-members/contact-bon.page
      2. Texas Board of Nursing website: https://www.bon.texas.gov/practice_nursing_practice_aprninfo.asp.html
   3. Successfully complete a National Certification examination as an advanced practice registered nurse
      1. For the Family Nurse Practitioner graduates, the recognized examination is offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s FNP or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program’s FNP
      2. For the Psych/Mental Health graduates, the recognized examination is offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s PMHNP (across the lifespan)

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing/master's degree program in nursing at Midwestern State University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).