Nursing Pre-Licensure

At the completion of the baccalaureate program, the student will demonstrate the following: 

1. Apply knowledge from the liberal arts and sciences to professional nursing practice. 
2. Analyze and apply evidence from research and other information sources as a basis for nursing practice.
3. Apply knowledge and skills in using information systems and a range of patient-care technologies to facilitate the delivery of safe, quality patient care.
4. Advocate for financial and regulatory healthcare policies, processes, and environments that improve the nature and functioning of the healthcare delivery system and nursing practice.
5. Collaborate and communicate effectively with healthcare professionals to promote positive working relationships, improve patient health outcomes, and deliver safe, quality patient care.
6. Apply knowledge and skills of organizational and systems leadership, quality improvement, and patient safety in promoting safe, quality care for diverse patients across healthcare systems and environments.
7. Assess factors that influence health and apply culturally appropriate health promotion and disease prevention to diverse individuals and populations.
8. Demonstrate consistent application of nursing's professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct.
9. Integrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes expected of baccalaureate-prepared nurses to provide professional nursing care to diverse patients and populations across the lifespan, healthcare setting, and healthcare environments. 

Admission Requirements:

Admission to Emory & Henry College as a freshman or pre-nursing student does not guarantee admission to the nursing major until all criteria have been met. Through the early assurance program, qualified applicants may qualify for guaranteed admission to the nursing program and enroll as "pre-nursing" students if they maintain a 3.0 GPA, a "C" or better in their science coursework, and a score of 65% or higher on Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS).To meet the requirements of early assurance, applicants need a minimum high school GPA of 3.3, SAT >1150; or ACT >25. In addition, applicants would require an interview as a part of the application evaluation. SON would continue the annual fall application process for other students wishing to be accepted into the nursing program. Admission into the pre-licensure BSN program occurs yearly and is competitive and may be limited based on the availability of clinical rotation sites. Pre-nursing students are required to successfully meet the following admissions criteria before applying for admission to the BSN program.

Students will only be able to transfer in credits received at another institution for pre-requisite courses and the required courses, such as Sciences, English, Psychology, and Statistics if accepted as meeting the transfer requirements for the college. Students may not transfer nursing courses from another nursing program, directly into the nursing program. Students will be required to have completed successfully the required courses or in the process of completing these courses at the time of applying for the BSN program in the Fall semester of their sophomore year. Nursing credits from another institution will not be accepted for admission into the program.

Students start Nursing courses in the Spring of year two after meeting the following admission criteria:

• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
• Score of 65% or higher on Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) within the last two years
• Submission of the BSN Program application (due October 1 for consideration of spring admission into major)
• Interview with SON faculty
• Submission of signed Technical Standards form
• Current American Health Association (AHA CPR Healthcare provider certification
• Criminal background check, Drug Screen, Immunizations
• Completion of, or current enrollment in, the required nursing prerequisite courses must be completed prior to the state of the spring semester BSN courses:
  • BIOL/CHEM 100* Introduction to Biology (3) *It is possible to be exempt from the BIOL/CHEM 100 requirement if: You have taken AP Biology and scored a 3 or higher on the AP exam, or you have a 1200 SAT or  25 ACT and a GPA of greater than 3.3, or GPA of 3.3 or higher and have successfully completed other AP exams (3 or higher) in Science and/or Math and fell confident in science knowledge.
  • BIOL 120 Anatomy & Physiology I (4)
  • BIOL 121 Anatomy & Physiology II (4)
  • BIOL 232 General Microbiology (4)
  • CHEM 125 Introduction to Chemistry (3) or CHEM 111 (4)
  • PSYC 231 Lifespan Development (3)

After Admission Requirements

After admission to the Nursing program but before students can enroll in courses, students must complete the compliance requirements via the current SON credentialing vendor (see instructions below).
The School of Nursing utilizes ATI^TM to support student learning and success. ATI^TM Content Mastery Series (CMS) and/or Concept-Based Curriculum (CBC) assessment scores account for 10% or less of a student's course grade. The comprehensive ATI review program offers the following to students:

• A comprehensive, assessment-driven review program designed to enhance student NCLEX® success. 
• Multiple assessment and remediation activities. These include assessment indicators for academic success, critical thinking ability, and learning styles. Additionally, online tutorials, online practice assessments, and proctored assessments are provided and span major content areas in cursing. These ATI tools, in combination with the nursing program content, assist students to prepare effectively, helping to increase their confidence and familiarity with nursing content. 
• ATI Orientation resources, such as ATI Plan, which may be accessed from the "My ATI" tab. It is highly recommended that you spend time navigating through these orientation materials. 

Review Modules/E-Books
ATI provides Review Modules in eBook formats that include written and video materials in Key content areas. 

Students are encouraged to use these modules to supplement coursework and reading. Instructors may assign chapter reading either during a given course and/or as part of active learning/remediation following assessments. 

Tutorials to Support Assessment and Remediation Process
ATI offers unique tutorials that are designed to teach nursing students how to think like a nurse, how to take a nursing assessment, and how to make sound clinical decisions. ATI is committed to increasing student confidence by providing students with experience answering NCLEX-style questions in a variety of quizzing formats. 

Assessments
Content Mastery Series Assessments (CMS) provide essential data regarding a student's mastery of concepts in relation to specific nursing content areas, including a series of Targeted Medical Surgical assessments that address the individual body systems to provide formative evaluation of content prior to the final Medical-Surgical course. There are practice assessments available for students as well as standardized proctored assessments that may be scheduled during courses. These assessments will help students identify what they know, in addition to areas requiring remediation (called Topic to Review).

All TBSN (pre-license RN) students are required to sign the ATI^TM policy before enrolling in nursing courses.

Progression, Retention, Dismissal Guidelines 
All Nursing students must maintain the required 80% (B) average in cursing courses. If a student fails ("F") a nursing course, they will be dismissed from the nursing program. If a student does not successfully pass a nursing course with an 80% or above, they will be allowed to retake the course one time. A second failure (79% or below) of any subsequent nursing course will result in dismissal from the nursing program. If a student fails a Pass/Fall portion of the course, the maximum grade that can be obtained will be 79%. The student will be required to repeat the course. 
First-time students in the nursing course will be given precedence over a student repeating the course. If there is a second failure of the same nursing course*, from the previous attempt, will not be acceptable. 

Pursuant to VA BON 54.1-3007 A student will receive a failing "F" clinical and didactic course grade and be dismissed from the program for any of the following:

• Fraud or deceit in procuring or attempting to procure a license, certificate, or registration;
• Unprofessional conduct;
• Willful or repeated violation of any misdemeanor involving moral turpitude;
• practicing in a manner contrary to the standards of ethics or in such a manner as to make his practice a danger to the health and welfare of patients or to the public;
• Use of alcohol or drugs to the extent that such use renders him unsafe to practice, or any mental or physical illness rendering him unsafe to practice;
• The denial, revocation, suspension, or restriction of a license, certificate, registration, or multistate licensure privilege to practice in another state, the District of Columbia, or a United States possession or territory; or 
• Abuse, negligent practice, or misappropriation of a patient's or resident's property. 

BSN Graduation Requirements

Academic graduation requirements include the following:

1. Completion of 124 semester hours and all required courses. This includes the required CORE courses. 
2. A grade of B or better in all nursing courses.
3. A cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher for all courses taken at Emory & Henry College and a grade point average of 3.0 or higher for all nursing courses. 

Special Note: Students going into the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program will take NURS 502 in place of NURS 402 and NURS 505 in place of NURS 405. Application to MSN track will be in the last 12 credit hours of the BSN program.