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Program Description Concentration in Nursing: Entry-into-practice Concentration in Nursing: RN to BSN Courses of Instruction in Nursing

Nursing (NUR)

Pam Giles, Associate Dean
Nancy Dameron                    
Mary Lou Dunn
Karen Oaks                           

The School of Nursing offers a major leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN).  The BSN program has two concentrations. The first concentration, entry-into-practice, is for a student desiring pre-licensure nursing coursework. The entry-into-practice concentration is a traditional four-year degree and is designed for a student without  nursing licensure. The graduate of the entry-into-practice concentration is eligible for licensure as a registered nurse through the Registered Nursing-National Council Licensing Examination (RN-NCLEX) process. The second concentration, RN to BSN, is designed for a Registered Nurse (RN) with an active, unencumbered United States registered nursing license to advance his or her education level through the attainment of a BSN degree. 

The two nursing concentrations at Averett build upon a foundation in the liberal arts to prepare the nurse for generalist practice in various healthcare settings. The nursing curriculum is designed to incorporate theories and concepts from various disciplines to include the humanities, social, behavioral, and natural sciences. The concepts of anatomy, physiology, chemistry, microbiology, and pharmacology are taught in the required non-nursing courses. The nursing student is also required to take courses in the behavioral sciences to include psychology, developmental psychology, and sociology. The nursing curriculum includes other required and elective courses to provide the student with further knowledge to better understand an individual and society. The learning experiences are designed to allow the student to gain proficiency in the provision of nursing care and leadership skills for the emerging and expanding roles within the healthcare domain. 

Various courses in the nursing curriculum have a clinical component which requires the student to care for patients and function as a healthcare team member in a healthcare setting.  Thus, the nursing program has specific clinical requirements to protect patients, healthcare team members, as well the student from harm or injury. The clinical requirements define necessary capabilities to allow the student to fully participate in the clinical setting and are generally categorized into three domains. The student’s full participation in the clinical setting is requisite for his or her demonstration of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor competencies relative to the programmatic outcomes. The student must be able to perform a number of physical and cognitive activities in the clinical component of the nursing program. Furthermore, the student must be able to demonstrate rational and appropriate behavior under stressful and dynamic conditions within the healthcare domain. Therefore, the student will be required to meet standards with regard to critical thinking, interpersonal skills, communication, mobility, motor skills, and emotional stability, in addition to sensory abilities in the visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory realms. The clinical requirements also include aspects of vaccinations, tuberculin sensitivity testing, drug screening, a criminal background check, and a physical examination.

Application Process
Applicants interested in entering either of the two nurse education programs must apply to the university and indicate either entry to practice or RN to BSN concentration.  For entry into practice applicants, completed application and transcripts will be evaluated by the admissions committee.  RN to BSN applicants will be evaluated by the Graduate and Professional Studies admissions committee.

Advising
Only students accepted to the nursing program can register for NUR courses.  Assigned nursing advisors will evaluate student progression in NUR courses and assist in course pre-registration each semester. To be considered for admission into the entry-into-practice concentration, applicants must meet the requirements below set forth by the School of Nursing:

• Minimum GPA of 2.0 and no grade below a C
• The student must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 in the major and no more than 2 C’s in NUR courses for the program.
• Students must successfully complete all required nursing and non-nursing courses to graduate.
  

Orientation Process
Students accepted into the School of Nursing BSN program will receive orientation to the nursing program in addition to the Averett University orientation. The orientation will last no more than eight hours and will consist of: program review to include program outcomes, student handbook review, review of the student’s rights and responsibilities, and facility and equipment orientation.