Department: | |
Hours Required: | 120 |
Categories: | Major, Undergraduate |
Delivery: | On-Campus |
Nursing is among the most challenging, rewarding, and versatile careers available today. With a degree in nursing from SAU, you will be well-equipped to work in this high-demand field. Classroom and clinical experiences provide the necessary training in the Department of Nursing. State-of-the-art facilities provide for traditional classroom space and the real-life hospital feel of the Wharton Simulation Lab. Students complete clinicals off-campus through partnerships with area medical facilities
Our mission
The Department of Nursing at Southern Arkansas University supports the mission, vision, and goals of the University. The Department of Nursing is committed to meeting the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education© through educating students to reflect essential elements of: person-centered care, quality improvement, safety principles, communication, technology, professionalism, critical thinking, clinical judgment, and informed decision making for healthcare leaders in a global environment.
Core Values: Person-Centered Care, Quality Improvement, Safety Principles, Communication, Technology, Professionalism, Critical Thinking, Clinical Judgment, and Informed Decision Making
Admission Selection
Students who meet application requirements will be selected for entry into the nursing program based on grade point average in Nursing Science Core Courses (NSCC), TEAS scores, and number of NSCC hours completed on SAU campus. The ranking of admissions is as follows:
- Students will be initially ranked by grade point average in the NSCC, TEAS scores, and number of NSCC hours completed on SAU campus.
- If more than one student has the same grade point average in the NSCC and TEAS score, students will be randomly ranked.
Students who are not initially selected or who submit a late application will be placed on a waiting list. Placement on the waiting list will be in order of grade point average in the NSCCs. Spaces, which become available prior to the beginning of the semester, will be filled from the waiting list. Students not admitted from the waiting list must re-apply. Please note the Department of Nursing application deadlines.
Transfer Nursing Student
Transfer requests are considered on an individual basis. Students previously enrolled in another nursing program must forward a letter requesting transfer, submit a BSN Transfer Nursing Student application, and attach copies of all unofficial college transcripts. Students who are requesting transfer from another nursing program are also required to provide a letter from the program dean/chair/director of eligibility to re-enter their previous nursing program in order to be eligible for consideration in the SAU nursing program. If a student has failed a nursing course, the request for transfer is classified as an academic reentry request, and reentry policies apply. If a student has failed more than one nursing course they are not eligible for consideration for entry into the SAU nursing program. Transfer equivalency information for Nursing Science Core Courses can be accessed through SAU admissions.
Expected End of Program Student Learning Outcomes (EPSLO)
1. Synthesize knowledge from the sciences, the humanities, social sciences, and nursing as the foundation for clinical judgment for professional nursing practice. |
2. Facilitate person-centered care utilizing the nursing process to provide compassionate, holistic care to the person, family, community, and population |
3. Consider social determinants of health to facilitate safe, holistic, person-centered care using evidence-based practice to promote and manage population health. |
4. Integrate evidence-based practice, critical thinking, and clinical judgment in the delivery of person-centered care. |
5. Apply quality improvement and safety principles while delivering culturally competent care to the person, family, community, and population. |
6. Employ collaborative communication to deliver evidencebased, person-centered care adhering to legal, regulatory, and practice policy guidelines |
7. Apply knowledge of systems to promote cost-effective person-centered care to diverse populations. |
8. Facilitate safe, quality person-centered care utilizing innovative technologies across diverse populations in various settings. |
9. Integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion in person-centered care using a framework of legal, ethical, and professional standards accepting responsibility and accountability for professional nursing practice decisions. |
10. Promote personal well-being and a spirit of inquiry to develop leadership qualities that guide one’s professional development and clinical judgment. |
Major in Nursing – (BSN)
120 hours
University Requirement – 2 hours
GSTD 1002 Freshman Seminar
General Education – 31 hours (Physical science course is included in the major). BIOL
2063/2061 Anatomy & Physiology I/Lab, PHIL 2403 Introduction to Philosophy and
Ethics, and PSYC 2003 General Psychology are required.
Biological Science – 11 hours
BIOL 2003 Nutrition & Diet
BIOL 2073/2071 Anatomy & Physiology II/Lab
BIOL 3613/3611 Microbiology for Nursing and Allied Health/Lab
Physical Science – 4 hours
CHEM 1013/1011 College Chemistry I/Lab
CHEM 1023/1021 University Chemistry I/Lab
Other Requirements – 7 hours
PSYC 3223 Developmental Psychology
MATH 1001 Math for Allied Health
Select 3 hours from the following:
SOC 3183 Statistics
MATH 3043 Applied Probability and Statistics I
Elective – 1 hour
1 hour of unrestricted elective
Nursing Requirements – 64 hours
NURS 2003 Introduction to Professional Nursing
NURS 3083 Foundations of Mental Health Nursing
NURS 3093 Techniques of Health Assessment
NURS 3101 Introduction to Pharmacology
NURS 3103 Gerontological Nursing
NURS 3206 Nursing Care I – Foundations
NURS 3303 Pathophysiology for Nurses
NURS 3307 Nursing Care II – Acute Care
NURS 3403 Nursing Research for Evidence Based Practice
NURS 3412 Pharmacology II
NURS 4092 Contemporary Issues and Ethics in Nursing
NURS 4121 Pharmacology III
NURS 4123 Synthesis of Nursing Concepts
NURS 4205 Leadership & Management in Nursing Practice
NURS 4214 Nursing Care III: Pediatrics
NURS 4224 Nursing Care III: Community Health
NURS 4234 Nursing Care III: Maternal Newborn
NURS 4307 Nursing Care IV–Complex Care
All programs are approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing and Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). The ACEN is a source of information about the program and invites third party comments as a component of accreditation. The ACEN may be reached at 3343 Peachtree Road, NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, Georgia, 30326, or by phone at 1-404-975-5000.
A minimum 2.85 GPA is required in Nursing Science Core Courses (NSCCs). GPA for admission to the department will be calculated based on NSCCs completed at the time of application.
*To be considered for admission into the BSN degree program the student must:
- Be admitted to SAU with regular or conditional admission status and maintain a 2.00 GPA at SAU.
- Transfer students currently enrolled in other universities at the time of application will be considered for admission into the nursing program if the following documents are on file in the SAU Office of Admissions: completed SAU application form; valid ACT or SAT scores (if available); completed high school transcript or GED scores; college transcripts through the previous semester; and required immunization records. International students must contact the International Student Services Office. Admission to the University does not mean automatic admission to the Department of Nursing.
- Recognize that priority ranking will be given to SAU students and any student who have successfully completed all non-nursing support courses for the degree (pre-licensure track only).
- Have a minimum 2.85 GPA* in Nursing Science Core Courses (NSCCs) (pre-licensure track only).
- The GPA for admission to the department will be calculated based on NSCCs completed at the time of admission (pre-licensure track only).
- NSCCs and courses applying towards the BSN degree must be completed with a C or better. Students with Ds or Fs in these courses will not be admitted (Pre-licensure track only).
- GPA will be calculated to include all science courses ever taken. Admission is denied for the applicant with more than three attempts at obtaining a passing grade in a NSCC course (pre-licensure track only).
- Complete a HESI standardized preadmission examination administered through the Office of Testing. This exam is for diagnostic purposes and must be taken at SAU. HESI Admission Assessment (HESI A2) pre-admission examination scores must be 75% or greater. The reported score does not round up to 75%. There is a maximum of three (3) attempts per calendar year to this preadmission exam.
- Have proof of the following infectious disease immunizations and screenings or serological evidence of immunity:
- Influenza vaccine during current flu season
- Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Rubella (MMR) – 2 vaccine doses or positive titer.
- Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (Tdap) within the past 10 years
- 2-step Mantoux tuberculin skin test (TST) or clear chest X-ray
- Varicella vaccine or positive titer or medically documented history of disease
- Hepatitis B – 3 vaccine series or positive titer
- To comply with mandates from clinical agencies utilized by the SAU Department of Nursing, students enrolled in all nursing programs are required at the time of conditional acceptance or acceptance into the program and yearly thereafter to have a criminal background checks, driving history record check, child maltreatment check, and urine drug screening in order to remain enrolled in any nursing course. All screenings are conducted at the expense of the individual student. More information and pricing are available on the nursing website at www.saumag.edu/nursing.
- Dependent upon clinical site availability to the nursing program, understand travel will be required to clinical sites in Southwest Arkansas, Central Arkansas, or East Texas (Pre-licensure only).
- Realize if an injury occurs in the clinical setting, the student is responsible for all applicable cost related to the injury. Students are strongly encouraged to obtain health insurance. Information concerning health insurance available for SAU students may be accessed on the University website at https://web.saumag.edu/international/students/incoming-students/planning-arrival/medical-health-insurance/.
- Submit a completed Department of Nursing BSN Program application according to the deadlines posted on the nursing website at www.saumag.edu/nursing.
- Applications to the BSN Program may be obtained, completed, and submitted electronically during the open application cycle via the Department of Nursing website at www.saumag.edu/nursing/. Please attach an electronic copy of the following: a) completed BSN Program application; b) unofficial college transcripts; c) HESI Admission Assessment (HESI A2) with critical thinking pre-admission examination; and d) other pertinent information that may be needed for consideration regarding admission to the BSN Program.
*All exceptions to these requirements must be approved by the Nursing Department Chair and Dean of the College.
*A particularly strong GPA or HESI A2 score may, at the discretion of the Department Chair, compensate for a deficiency in another area.