Part-Time Weekend Nursing Degree Program

Why should you pursue your BSN at GMercyU's nursing school? A BSN degree is the standard for entry-level nursing positions today and is increasingly a prerequisite for work in hospital settings. Our Weekend BSN program, offered in a hybrid format, can be completed in three years. Because all in-person classes are held on the weekends, you have the option of maintaining your regular work and home schedule during the week. All summer courses are held online. This is an excellent option if you want to become a professional registered nurse, but also need to continue working while earning your degree. Pursing a BSN degree involves continued growth as an educated person and citizen of the world, as well as education as a professional nurse infused with Mercy values. 

Gwynedd Mercy University’s nursing curriculum will help you develop your clinical, leadership, interpersonal and technological skills. With our nursing program, we offer:

• A Weekend BSN degree program that can be completed in as few as three years 
• State-of-the-art technology, including  low and high fidelity simulators  and Advanced Video System (AVS) replay for improved confidence and deeper understanding
• 100+ regional health care affiliations
• Richer learning experience with our low 7:1 laboratory and 6:1 clinical student-faculty ratios
• All courses taught by experienced credentialed instructors with clinical backgrounds (no teaching assistants)
• Diverse, real-world clinical preparation featuring actual patient care and interaction with healthcare professionals in a variety of specialties and settings
• Degree program approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

GMercyU offers online prerequisite courses in the health sciences specifically designed for students like you who want to make the change to a nursing career. These classes are offered online and feature hands-on, at-home laboratory experiences.  Prerequisite online nursing courses are offered at $382 per credit. You may also complete these courses at another accredited college or university. If any of the required prerequisite science courses did not include laboratory sciences or were completed more than seven years ago, you will need to complete and pass these courses before beginning your BSN degree. Virtual Labs for the science courses are not accepted. In addition, the Nutrition course must be taught by a Registered Dietician.

Students must earn a GPA of 3.0 with C+ or higher grades in your math and science prerequisites, including Nutrition.

We offer online health sciences prerequisites that can help you fill any gaps in your knowledge. 

Prerequisite Courses

• Nutrition (7-week course)
• Developmental Psychology - Across the Lifespan (5-week course)
• Statistics (5-week course)
• Microbiology with lab (8-week course)
• Anatomy & Physiology I with lab (8-week course)
• Anatomy & Physiology II with lab (8-week course)
• Chemistry for the Allied Health Sciences with lab (8-week course)

Visit our Online Nursing Prerequisites page to learn more.

To register for an upcoming online course, please contact accelerate@gmercyu.edu. All other inquiries about the admissions requirements for the hybrid Weekend BSN program should also be directed to accelerate@gmercyu.edu or by calling 844-707-9359.

Course Sequence 

Credit requirement
A minimum of 67 credits in the major is required for the bachelor of science in nursing degree. This program requires a criminal background check, child abuse clearance, certain immunizations, and other health-related clearances in order to participate in clinical experiences. 

Please see the undergraduate catalog for more information and course descriptions.

Here are just a few of the places where GMercyU’s nursing students have completed their clinicals and found employment after graduation:

• Abington Jefferson Lansdale
• Einstein Jefferson Montgomery
• Doylestown Hospital
• Grand View Hospital
• Chestnut Hill Hospital
• Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
• Paoli Hospital
• Holy Redeemer Hospital
• Valley Forge Medical Center
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• St. Christopher's Hospital for Children
• St. Luke's
• Foulkeways at Gwynedd
• Souderton Mennonite Community
• St. Mary Medical Center
• Bayada Home Health
• Crossroads Hospice
• Abington School District
• Cooper University Medical Center
• Easter Seals of Philadelphia
• Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience
• Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes

Laraine Amoia-Watters, EdD, MSN, CRNP
Position: Associate Professor, BSN Program Director
Did You Know? Dr. Amoia-Watters is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the National Honor Society for Nurses. She coordinates GMercyU's annual spring break trip to Jamaica, a unique service learning opportunity for BSN and Social Work students.
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Patricia Brown O'Hara, RN PhD
Position: Professor, Student Support Specialist for Nursing & Health Profession students
Did You Know? Dr. O'Hara serves on the Board of Trustees at Grand View Hospital and is a Legal Nurse Consultant.
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Michele Hawks, DNP, RN-BC, CCRN-K, GERO-BC
Position: Assistant Professor
Did You Know? Dr. Hawks holds certifications in Critical Care Nursing and Gerontological Nursing and has co-authored several articles and is the author of a book on Critical Care Nursing.
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Andrea Mann, MSN
Position: Professor of Practice
Did You Know? Her clinical experience includes critical care, stepdown, and medical surgical nursing.
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Michele Hawks, DNP, RN-BC, CCRN-K, GERO-BC
Position: Professor of Practice
Did You Know? She has worked in various settings, specifically behavioral health and substance abuse (acute, sub-acute, geri-psych, residential units, drug and alcohol units, methadone clinic, chronically homeless programs, and eating disorders). 
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Dona Molyneaux, PhD
Position:  Professor
Did You Know? She earned her BSN, RN, ONC and MSN from the University of Pennsylvania and her PhD from Widener University.
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Possible Careers for Nursing Majors

• Acute Care Nurse
• Ambulatory Care Nurse
• Ambulatory Child Health
• Cardiovascular Nurse
• Community Health Nurse
• Community Mental Health Nurse
• Correctional Health Nurse
• Critical Care Nurse
• Diabetes Nursing
• Emergency Nurse
• Gerontology Nurse
• Maternity Nursing
• Medical-Surgical Nurse
• Mental Health Nurse
• Neonatal Nurse
• Neurological Nurse
• Nurse Supervisor
• Occupational Health Nurse
• Office Nurse
• Oncology Nurse
• Pediatric Nurse
• Primary Ambulatory Care Nurse
• Public Health Nurse
• Pulmonary Nurse
• Rehabilitation Nurse
• School Nurse
• Trauma Nurse
• Traveling Nurse