Nursing
Professor Paulette Thabault (Director);
Associate Professors Kate Healy and Llynne Kiernan; Assistant Professors Lyndsey Gates; Lecturers Sarah Manacek, Corey Bennett, Jamie Maxham-Robillard, and Elizabeth VanHorn. Assistant Director of Simulation and Assessment Kevin Scott; Clinical Placement Coordinator and Advisor for Special Programs Charity Cerminara.
The School of Nursing offers a program, accelerated, and RN-BS programs leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). The traditional four-year and accelerated programs lead to eligibility to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).
Traditional Program
The first year of the Nursing program is dedicated to courses in the Humanities, Sciences, Social Sciences and two foundation courses in Nursing. The clinical experience begins in the Fall semester of the sophomore year and continues through the remainder of the program. By graduation, students will have practiced in a variety of settings, including hospitals, community/home health agencies, schools and clinics. Well equipped, modern, simulation laboratories provide on-campus learning labs for skill acquisition and health assessment practice. Morning, evening, and weekend hours are utilized for the clinical experience.
Accelerated Program
The School of Nursing also offers an accelerated program for students with a previous degree and who have met the accelerated track pre-requisites. Students in this track begin in the summer prior to the junior level courses and join the junior cohort in the fall. Students in this track begin in the summer and complete the Nursing Program in five consecutive semesters, including summer ending the following December.
Traditional and Accelerated Programs
Students will take a pre-NCLEX exam during senior-level Nursing courses to determine readiness for NCLEX exams. Students are required to purchase student uniforms. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from clinical agencies. Nursing majors must have current “American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR & AED Training for Healthcare Professionals” certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) upon entering the sophomore year and through all subsequent nursing courses. All immunizations must be up to date including an annual Flu immunization and a tuberculosis skin test done annually.
RN-BS
The Register Nurse to Bachelor of Science (RN-BS) is for students with an associate degree in nursing. This program is entirely online and allows the students flexibility to complete courses at their own pace.
The RN-BS program is for currently licensed nurses, so they do not take any pre-license exams. Also, the curriculum is different for the purpose of enhancing the nurse’s current skill set. This program is entirely online, and does not involve in person clinical experiences, meaning the students do not need to complete the above clinical requirements.
Goals
- Integrate knowledge derived from nursing science, health-related sciences, and humanities when designing and providing patient-centered care.
- Provide patient-centered care in which the dignity, spirituality, and rights of the individual family and community are respected.
- Promote the profession’s obligation to legal, ethical and moral standards.
- Lead, based on the values of commitment, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.
- Employ informatics to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision-making.
- Communicate effectively in a manner that fosters respectful and collaborative decision making, thus enhancing patient satisfaction and health outcomes.
- Integrate political awareness, critical thinking, social justice and participation in the policy process with professional role behavior.
- Use the best current evidence coupled with clinical reasoning to minimize risk and improve the quality and safety of patient care.
- Value the pursuit of practice excellence, lifelong learning, and professional engagement to foster professional growth and development.
Outcomes
- Ethical behavior and clinical reasoning, promoting advocacy, collaboration and leadership in the patient care setting
- Professional accountability for nursing practice with an emphasis on patient safety
- Evidence-Based Practice skills with the ability to conduct basic research
- Patient centeredness with emphasis on families and communities.
- Connectedness, with strong peer advocacy in the workplace environment
Accreditation
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Norwich University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, (202)-887-6791. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing is and approved by the Vermont State Board of Nursing, Office of Professional Regulations, 89 Main Street 3rd Floor, Montpelier, VT 05520-2482, (802) 828-2396.
Philosophy
Nursing at Norwich University is grounded in the core essentials of baccalaureate education and predicated on the profession’s ideals to meet the needs of a complex, dynamic healthcare environment. Inherent in professional practice are the emerging trends in population health, patient care technology, and cultural diversity. The Faculty believes that through direct patient care and simulated clinical experience students will acquire the knowledge base to ensure optimum health outcomes for our patients, families and communities.
The Faculty further believes that teaching and learning evolves, through a seamless progression, in competency-based nursing practice. Graduates become proficient in patient-centered care with an emphasis on quality improvement methods and patient safety. The responsibility of the professional nurse is complex, requiring expertise in leadership, communication and teamwork.
Traditional Program Admission standards
In addition to the university General Admission Requirements, nursing applicants must:
- Meet or exceed the SAT requirement of 1050 for Math and Reading combined
- Complete 4 years of high school (HS) math including a minimum of two of the following: Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry or Pre-calculus or Calculus.
- Complete 3 years of HS science including Biology and Chemistry
- College-level GPA must be at a minimum of 3.0
- An applicant transferring from another nursing program must submit a letter of reference from the Chairperson/Dean of the transferring school prior to acceptance.
- Background screening is a requirement for admission and condition of both acceptance and progression in nursing
-
Students must also submit to an intermittent background screening as required by clinical agencies. A criminal record deemed to be of consequence or the habitual intemperate use or addiction to habit-forming substances precludes enrollment in the Program.
Accelerated Program Admission Standards
In addition to the university General Admission Requirements, nursing applicants must:
- Earned Bachelor’s degree or Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, or Associate of Arts & Sciences.
- A minimum of a 3.0 GPA
- Courses in math, science, or psychology must be above a C+
- It is preferred that all, or most, of the prerequisites are complete at the time of admission
RN-BS in Nursing Program Admission Standards:
- An Associate degree in nursing from a regionally or nationally accredited institution and a nationally accredited nursing program.
- 46 credits of nursing equivalent courses (satisfied with an active, unencumbered RN license in the United States).
- An active, unencumbered license as a Registered Nurse in your U.S. state of practice.
- Associate's degree with a 2.75 GPA or higher
There is no SAT or ACT requirement due to an earned Associate’s degree. Up to 46 credits in Nursing are satisfied by the Nursing License. Additional credits may transfer to meet degree requirements.
Progression and Graduation
First Requirement:
- Nursing students must earn a minimum grade of C+ in all nursing (NR) courses including theory and practicum courses. A nursing student who does not earn the required minimum C+ in a nursing course may repeat the course only once. A student must receive a grade of C+ or higher in the repeated nursing course to progress in the nursing program. If a student receives less than a C+ when repeating a nursing course, the student will be dismissed from the nursing program. Failure to achieve the minimum required C+ in two nursing courses will result in dismissal from the nursing program.
- Both the theory and clinical components of linked nursing courses must meet the grade requirement to progress in the nursing program. If the student does not achieve the minimum required C+ in one component, the student must retake both components for progression in the program.
- Each grade in a linked course will be recorded individually as achieved. If a student does not achieve the minimum required C+ in both components of a linked course, this is considered two nursing course failures and the student will be dismissed from the nursing program.
** Linked nursing courses: NR 215/NR 215L; NR 316/NR 316L; NR 331/NR331L; NR 341/NR 341L; NR 416/416L; NR 421/NR 421L; and NR 431/NR 431L.
Second Requirement:
- Nursing students must earn a minimum grade of C+ in all math and science courses: BI 215, BI 216, CH 101, CH 102, MA 232, Math 100 level or higher, BI 220.
- Nursing and science courses must be taken in the order presented on the curriculum map in the appropriate catalog. Deviation requires approval from the School of Nursing.Students who earn below a C+ in science or math courses may choose to repeat a course at an institution other than Norwich. The student must have the course approved by the advisor in advance. When the transfer transcript arrives, the new grade will be used only for progression purposes.
- Failure to achieve a grade of C+ on the second attempt of BI 215, BI 216, BI 220, CH 101, CH 102, MA 232, or Math 100 level or higher will result in dismissal from the program. These requirements apply to non-nursing major students seeking a transfer to the nursing program.
- The C+ minimum requirement for math and science courses is effective for students admitted to the nursing program for University catalog year 2016-17 and thereafter.
Dismissal from School of Nursing
Criteria for dismissal from NUSON:
- Failure to receive the required minimum of C+ in two nursing courses during enrollment in the nursing program.
- Failure to achieve a minimum grade of C+ in any repeated nursing course.Failure to maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0.Unsafe laboratory/clinical practice as determined by NUSON.
- Violation of Professional Behavior Expectations.Violation of the ANA Code of Ethics and/or ANA Standards of Practice.Failure to achieve a C+ on the second attempt of BI 215, BI 216, BI 220, CH 101, CH 102, MA 232, or Math 100 level or higher.
- A student who has not been active in nursing major courses for one semester without prior approval of advisor and Director of Nursing.
Dismissal from the nursing program DOES NOT mean the student is dismissed from Norwich University. Upon dismissal from the nursing program, the student will receive a letter from the Director stating the reason for the dismissal. After receipt of the letter, if the student wishes to remain at Norwich they must meet with their advisor and select a new major.
If a student wishes to challenge a progression issue or dismissal, they should follow the NU grievance procedure outlined in the catalog.
Clinical Warning/Suspension
When a student has acted or performed in an unsafe or inappropriate manner, at the discretion and judgment of the clinical instructor, they will be removed from the clinical setting. These situations include, but are not limited to, evidence of recent alcohol or substance use that could impair judgment, patient or agency request, inadequate preparation for assignment, inability to demonstrate technical competence in a skill (previously certified in the laboratory setting), inappropriate dress, illness that may be considered contagious or could impair student’s judgment, client endangerment, or violation of the ANA Nurses Code of Ethics.
See the School of Nursing B.S. in Nursing Student Handbook for further information.