Professor: Susan L. Conrad
Associate Professors: Sandra I. Austin, Stephen M. Bolio
The program, accredited by the
National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, offers a bachelor of
science with a major in Nursing for registered nurses who already have
an associate degree or a diploma in Nursing. Students may enroll on a
full-time or part-time basis. The curriculum provides a broad
educational base in the humanities and in the natural and social
sciences. The program encourages self-directed learning, critical
thinking, independent action and professional awareness. The goal is
preparation of nurses who are able to function as generalists in a
variety of health-care settings. Each course has a practice learning
experience that is on campus or in nearby community settings. The course
of study provides a base for graduate work in education, research,
clinical specialization or administration.
The curriculum is organized
around the concept of prevention as a means of attaining wellness.
The goal of prevention:
1. Primary prevention - to
prevent the initiation of illness through the reduction of risk factors
and the promotion of wellness.
2. Secondary prevention - to
arrest the development of illness through early detection of illness and
the promotion of wellness.
3. Tertiary prevention - to
minimize the consequences of illness and disability through the
promotion of wellness.
Program Objectives:
1. Utilize nursing theory
and research in making decisions on nursing practice in relation to the
three levels of preventive health nursing care.
2. Utilize nursing process
as a means of decision-making for refining and extending practice.
3. Synthesize the
theoretical and empirical knowledge from the natural and behavioral
sciences and the humanities with nursing theory in preventive health
care.
4. Provide nursing
activities of education, motivation, advocacy, and assistance to the
person in relation to health.
5. Demonstrate
accountability for decision-making related to professional nursing.
6. Evaluate research for
applicability of its findings to nursing theory and practice.
7. Demonstrate leadership
skills through interaction with others as a professional nurse.
8. Collaborate with
colleagues and others on the interdisciplinary health team.
9. Participate in resolving
community and societal health needs through nursing activities.
10. Provide comprehensive and
individual nursing care based in assessment which includes the person’s
socioeconomic status, life style, gender, culture, and personal values
and beliefs.
11. Utilize current electronic
technology/computer to enhance nursing practice.
Applicants must meet the
following requirements for admissions:
1. Application to the
College.
2. Official transcripts from
basic nursing programs and all colleges and/or universities attended.
3. Evidence of current
Registered Nurse licensure in Massachusetts. (May apply during basic
nursing program, but must be licensed prior to taking nursing courses.)
4. Evidence of current
professional liability insurance prior to taking nursing courses.
Transfer credit evaluations
are made by the Registrar’s Office. Registered Nurses can receive credit
for non-nursing college courses successfully completed at other
institutions of higher learning. Students may also receive credit
through the challenge examination process [National League for Nursing
and College Level Examination Program (NLN and CLEP)]. The policies for
acceptable challenge exams and scores are determined by the department
offering the courses. The acceptable NLN challenge exams are: anatomy
and physiology, and microbiology.
The General Education
Requirement
All students must satisfy a
general education requirement consisting of eleven (11) courses outside
of the major department (see page 58). The General Education Goal 7
(Life Science) and laboratory requirements are satisfied through the
completion of the Nursing major.
Course Prerequisites
Courses may have specified
conditions for enrollment, such as prior completion of less advanced
courses, permission of the instructor, or appropriate placement test
scores. Students should refer to course descriptions in the department
listings for prerequisite requirements.
NURSING MAJOR
Prerequisites to the Upper
Division Nursing Major
To meet the requirements of
the Nursing Program, the College will accept in transfer the following
courses (subject to College transfer policy):
Two college-level laboratory
courses in anatomy and physiology
Chemistry
(laboratory course)
Microbiology
(laboratory course)
Introduction to
Statistics
General Psychology
Sociology
Human Development
Lower Division Nursing
Knowledge
A. Seven (7) course credits
earned by graduating from a program accredited by the NLN Accrediting
Commission. Specific articulation agreements exist with the following
Massachusetts programs:
Becker College
Berkshire
Community College
Bristol Community
College
Bunker Hill
Community College
Cape Cod Community
College
Greenfield
Community College
Holyoke Community
College
Laboure College
Mass Bay Community
College
Massasoit
Community College
Mt. Wachusett
Community College
Middlesex
Community College
North Shore
Community College
Quincy College
Quinsigamond
Community College
Roxbury Community
College
Springfield Tech.
Community College
or
B. For graduates of non-NLN
accredited programs: Five (5) course credits earned by passing the
National League for Nursing Accelerated Challenge Examination II (ACE
II) with a decision score of 90.
Two (2) course credits earned
by passing the Clinical Competency Exam at 70%.
The National League for
Nursing Accelerated Challenge Examination II (ACE II) and the Clinical
Competency Exam can be repeated no more than twice.
UPPER DIVISION NURSING
MAJOR (NUR)
The upper division Nursing
major may be completed in as few as three semesters:
54.310
Professional Nursing Perspectives
54.325
Nursing Informatics
54.330
Primary Prevention in the Community
54.340
Nursing Care of the Family
54.420
Nursing Theory
54.430
Secondary Prevention
54.440
Introduction to Nursing Research
54.460
Nursing Leadership
54.470
Tertiary Prevention
As mandated by the
Massachusetts General Laws 444 of the Acts of 1996, a criminal offender
record information (CORI) check will be performed on students who will
have clinical experience in community and home settings.
Performance Standards
1. A quality point average (QPA)
of 2.0 in nursing courses is required for continuance in the program.
2. A grade of at least C- is
required in nursing courses.
3. When a grade of D or of E
is received in a nursing course the course may be repeated only once.
4. Failure to meet these
standards will result in dismissal from the program.
Any student on academic
probation cannot be admitted to 54.440 Introduction to Nursing Research;
54.460 Nursing Leadership; 54.470 Tertiary Prevention.
Course Descriptions
54.310 Professional Nursing
Perspectives
An overview of the Nursing
Department’s philosophy, conceptual framework, and objectives.
Philosophical, historical, ethical, economic, and legal aspects of
nursing practice are examined. Contemporary and future goals of the
nursing profession in relation to education, practice and research, as
well as the health care delivery system are investigated. In the
practice learning environment component students explore professional
nursing activities and the course concepts.
Prerequisite: Must be an R.N.
54.325 Nursing Informatics
A Web-enhanced course that
introduces the student to the role of nursing informatics in
identifying, collecting, processing, and managing information that
uniquely impacts nursing practice. The practice learning environment
component emphasizes the development of proficiency in the use of the
computer as a critical thinking and decision-making tool.
Prerequisite: Nursing majors
only.
54.330 Primary Prevention in
the Community
An exploration of community
values, beliefs, standards, and practices as they relate to health. The
concept of primary prevention is applied through the nursing activities
of education, motivation, advocacy, and assistance. A community-based
practice learning environment component with a focus on prevention is
included.
Prerequisite: Completion of
the prerequisites to the upper division except for Introduction to
Statistics.
54.340 Nursing Care of the
Family
An evaluation of the family in
relation to General Systems Theory and an exploration of the influence
of stress and self-actualization on the family’s development and health.
The practice learning environment component consists of nursing
activities which enable the family to progress towards wellness.
Prerequisites: 54.310
Professional Nursing Perspectives, 54.325 Nursing Informatics, and
54.330 Primary Prevention in the Community.
54.420 Nursing Theory
A description of the
scientific process of theory development. Current nursing theories,
including those of Neuman, Orem, Rogers, Roy, and Watson, are analyzed
and applied in the practice learning environment component of the
course.
Prerequisites: 54.310
Professional Nursing Perspectives, 54.325 Nursing Informatics, and
54.330 Primary Prevention in the Community.
54.430 Secondary Prevention
An overview of the utilization
of functional health pattern nursing assessment to identify health at
the secondary level of prevention in order to arrest the development of
illness and promote wellness. The practice learning environment
component enables the student to deliver nursing care through the use of
the nursing process.
Prerequisites: 54.310
Professional Nursing Perspectives, 54.325 Nursing Informatics, and
54.330 Primary Prevention in the Community.
54.440 Introduction to Nursing
Research
An introduction to the
research process and the evaluation of nursing research. The practice
learning environment activities are organized around the identification
and exploration of specific nursing problems.
Prerequisites: Introduction to
Statistics, 54.340 Nursing Care of the Family, 54.420 Nursing Theory,
and 54.430 Secondary Prevention.
54.460 Nursing Leadership
A presentation of theories of
leadership and management and their applications to nursing. Central
concepts included are: communication theory, teaching-learning theory,
the nurse’s role in delegation of responsibility, evaluation of nursing
care, and effecting change. The practice learning environment component
enables the student to apply the principles of nursing practice.
Prerequisites: 54.340 Nursing
Care of the Family, 54.420 Nursing Theory, and 54.430 Secondary
Prevention.
54.470 Tertiary Prevention
An examination of the role of
health-related behaviors in chronic illness or disability. Aspects of
habilitation and rehabilitation are explored throughout the person’s
life. The practice learning environment component enables the student to
apply nursing theory to the care of individuals and families in order to
minimize the negative consequences of illness or disability.
Prerequisites: 54.340 Nursing
Care of the Family, 54.420 Nursing Theory, and 54.430 Secondary
Prevention.
