Part-Time Weekend Nursing Degree Program

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. 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.

Visit our Online Nursing Prerequisites page to learn more.

Course Sequence 

Credit requirement

You will also complete clinical rotations in local health care facilities. GMercyU has a wide network of health care affiliations, and your instructors will be able to help you obtain a clinical placement. Clinical placements are subject to hospital availability and some require evening or weekend hours.

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 University 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 Emerita, RN-to-BSN Program Director
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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Nancy McCormack, MSN, RN, NC-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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A BSN degree is the standard for entry-level nursing positions today and is increasingly a prerequisite for work in hospital settings. Earning your part-time BSN at GMercyU while working shows future employers you have the determination and work ethic needed to thrive in a past-faced environment.

Nurses with a second degree can also offer other marketable skills to equip you for future roles in nursing management, education, and more.

Once you graduate and pass the NCLEX, you could step into one of many nursing roles: 

• 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

For nearly 70 years, the Frances M. Maguire College of Nursing and Health Professions at Gwynedd Mercy University has been a leader in nursing education in the Philadelphia area. Graduates of GMercyU's BSN programs are known for their exceptional skills and Mercy values that set them apart as compassionate caregivers, patient advocates, and nursing leaders.

Our part-time nursing program empowers students to become skilled nurses who provide high quality patient care and serve as leaders in the field. A GMercyU nursing education can prepare you to make the change to a career with real meaning and purpose, a career as a professional registered nurse.