Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Philosophy
The school of nursing philosophy contains the faculty's beliefs about nursing and nursing education.
The faculty believes that caring is the essence of nursing. Caring in the human health experience is the focus of the discipline of nursing. Caring is a relational process in which the aim is to nurture the wholeness of persons, including faculty, students, colleagues, and patients. Caring has both spiritual and ethical dimensions. Spirituality involves creativity and choice and is revealed in support, empowerment, growth, and hope in caring practice. The crucial part of ethical caring focuses on promoting the good and functions as the compass in the nurses' choice making.

In transpersonal caring, the nurse seeks to connect with the spirit of another in a mutual search for meaning and wholeness. Through transpersonal caring, the nurse develops a helping-trusting, authentic caring relationship with a client or patient to facilitate healing. The transpersonal nurse centers consciousness and intentionality on caring, healing, and wholeness, rather than on disease, illness, and pathology. Transpersonal caring calls for an authenticity of self, an ability to be present to self and others in a reflective frame. Caring in practice is developed and known through reflection-on-experience.

The holographic paradigm in nursing recognizes the interconnectedness of all things, and that everything is a whole in one context and a part of the whole in another context. Spiritual/ethical caring infuses all nursing phenomena, including physical, social-cultural, legal, technological, economic, political, and educational structures. The holographic paradigm, based on the reality of practice, introduces the spiritual and ethical dimensions of caring to the whole of nursing.

Faculty philosophical beliefs are explicated further by defining each concept within the nursing metaparadigm.
A person is a unique functionally integrated individual connected with others and with the environment. To be human means to be free to choose, which gives meaning to life and affects a person’s well-being.

The environment consists of diverse geographical, social-cultural, technological, economical and political structures that influence each other and the development of individuals. The Faculty view society as a dynamic, influential network of relationships that link nurses to other systems such as individuals, groups, communities, nations, and the universe.

Well-being (Health) is considered to be a dynamic process involving unity and harmony within the individual person as a whole (mind, body, soul). Health encompasses the entire nature of the individual; the physical, social, esthetic and moral realms. When the individual experiences his/her real self, harmony is the result. Harmony is associated with wellbeing.

Nursing is both an art and a practice science. The goal of nursing is to promote well-being through caring. Through transpersonal caring, the nurse is able to help the client recognize both harmony and disharmony within the individual. The nurse supports the well-being of persons, families, groups, communities and societies via a caring relationship.

The faculty believe that knowledge exists in the relationship, rather than the objective world or the subjective experience. Nursing requires integration of multiple types of knowledge. These include empirics (the science of nursing), aesthetics (the art of nursing), ethics (moral knowledge), and personal knowledge (knowledge gained by life experience). The creation of nursing knowledge requires complex decision making involving consciousness, caring, and choice. Learning involves the creation of understanding and appreciation of knowing within a context of value and meaning.

Education involves all aspects of caring for the person (student, faculty, patient, or community member). Undergraduate education in nursing builds on previously learned information and prepares the student as a beginning professional practitioner. Within nursing, learning and growth are lifetime endeavors.

Learning Outcomes Critical Thinking

• Integrate empirical, ethical, and personal knowledge to provide caring in the human-health experience.
• Use critical clinical decision-making to provide nursing care for individuals, groups, families, and communities.
• Analyze and evaluate research findings for application to best nursing practice.

Communication

• Develop helping-trusting, authentic caring relationships with clients/patients to facilitate healing.
• Collaborate and communicate with other professionals and community resource groups to promote the health, safety, and well being of the community and its members.

Effective Citizenship

• Create a therapeutic and caring environment that facilitates promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health for culturally diverse individuals of all ages.
• Facilitate change in meeting current and future societal health needs through the use of leadership skills and knowledge of the healthcare system.
• Assume professional responsibility and accountability through reflection on within legal and ethical standards

Admission Requirements To establish eligibility for admission into the nursing program, students must have the following:

• A cumulative GPA in all coursework of 2.5 or above and a nursing program specific GPA of 3.00 or above.
• Courses completed with a grade “C-“ or lower will not be considered for transfer.
• A student must complete all prerequisite course requirements prior to entry into the upper division major (see School of Nursing home page for more detailed information).
• Score on TEAS preadmission test • Enrollment in the nursing program may be limited.

Retention Requirements

• All students must earn a grade of "C" or higher in each course (including clinical courses) used to complete the nursing degree to continue in the program.
• Maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA.

Health Documents Students must provide their own health insurance, as well as their own transportation to clinical sites. They must also provide documentation that they have met various health requirements prior to entry into the nursing major including:

1. Hepatitis B vaccination series
2. Rubella vaccine or titer
3. Rubeola vaccine or titer
4. Tetanus and diphtheria: inoculation within past ten (10) years
5. Chicken pox: history or documented receipt of vaccination
6. Tuberculosis: Must select one of the choices below:
   1. Two-step TB skin test (PPD) for students with no history of receiving a PPD or have not been tested in the last 12 months;
   2. Proof of a negative Tuberculin- PPD in the last 12 months and an original negative two-step;
   3. Documentation of a negative chest x-ray within the past 5 years for students with a history of past positive PPD
7. All students with a history of a past positive PPD must complete the tuberculosis signs and symptoms questionnaire available in the nursing program office yearly.
8. Negative result to an 8-panel drug screen.
9. CPR certification (health care provider)
10. Background check
11. Physical Exam
12. Health History