Nursing Major

Let your compassion and desire to help others drive your career with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Wisconsin Lutheran College.

As a student in our nursing program you'll get hands-on training in the classroom and our state-of-the-art nursing lab. You'll engage in clinical experiences in the metro Milwaukee area that offer direct patient care opportunities with diverse and vulnerable populations in adult health, mental health, pediatrics, and obstetrics. You'll also experience a population health clinical that offers an immersion experience abroad or an opportunity to work with a vulnerable population in the local community. A 120-hour preceptorship in the final semester of the program facilitates your transition from the role of student to professional nurse.

Graduates of our nursing program enter the workforce as Christian servant leaders who are ready to provide holistic, high-quality patient care in a variety of settings.

Local Clinical Opportunities

At WLC, you’ll receive hands-on experience within our Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) program. Our unique location and curriculum design provides you the opportunity to engage in a variety of clinical experiences. Our nursing students have engaged in clinical experiences at inpatient rehabilitation units, assisted living facilities, elementary schools, long-term care, and occupational health and community settings. Froedtert Hospital (a Level 1 Trauma Center) and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, located across the street from WLC, as well as numerous other medical centers across the greater Milwaukee area, provide opportunities for students to regularly participate in acute care settings.

Preparing the Next Generation of Christian Professional Nurses

The results of our graduates’ state board exams (National Council of State Boards of Nursing [NCLEX-RN]) and graduates’ employment rates reflect the high quality and rigor of the WLC nursing program.

Nursing grads are consistently employed in a nursing role within four months of graduation. Many of our students receive job offers before graduation!

Over the past three years, the first-time pass rates for nursing grads who took the state board exam (NCLEX-RN) was 93%.

WLC nursing alumni currently hold desirable positions in emergency rooms, intensive care units, trauma units, OB-GYN units, and oncology units. They currently work at Froedtert Hospital, Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center, Aurora Sinai Medical Center, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, and Columbia St. Mary's Hospital, as well as a variety of other settings throughout the nation.

SHARON A. SCHOENECK NURSING LAB

In 2018, we transformed a portion of Generac Hall into dedicated nursing simulation labs and classrooms. In addition to robust clinical and preceptor opportunities, our nursing majors receive training with moderate- and high-fidelity human patient simulators across the lifespan - from newborns to older adults - in labs designed to imitate patient clinic and hospital rooms.

The labs allow students to take vital signs, hear heart and lung sounds, care for wounds, and set up IVs, practicing their skills before treating real patients. Our labs include VALT, an audio visual capture system, to provide real-time observation of simulations in our nursing classroom, recording, and post-simulation debriefs.

See for yourself!

Schedule your personal visit experience and request a tour of our nursing simulation labs.

Plan Your Visit

Direct Admission to the Nursing Major

Students are encouraged to express an interest in the nursing major upon application for admission to WLC, because incoming first-year freshmen can be admitted directly into the nursing program. Meeting the minimum criteria for WLC admission may not be sufficient to be admitted to the nursing major. All full-time, non-transfer students who consistently meet the academic progression criteria for the School of Nursing should expect to graduate in four years!

Required criteria to continue in the nursing major:

Minimum of 2.75 cumulative GPA during freshman year.
Minimum of C in all required nursing program courses.
Pass a caregiver and criminal background check.

Additional information:

Certified Nursing Assistant certification must be completed before taking sophomore-level nursing courses. American Heart Association BLS Healthcare Provider certification must be completed, and current CPR certification must be maintained throughout the entire nursing program.
In addition to the college health requirements, nursing students must also provide documentation of various immunizations and be free of communicable disease, including tuberculosis.

Note: This application information is intended for incoming first-year freshmen. Transfer students will work with an Admissions counselor and the Chair of the School of Nursing to devise a personalized plan of study.

Technology Requirements

For students interested in pursuing nursing, please note that Chromebooks, iPads, and tablets are not compatible with some of the software that is required in nursing classes.