College of Nursing

Undergraduate

Dean: Jing Wang

The College of Nursing has been educating men and women for the practice of professional nursing since 1950. The College offers undergraduate and graduate programs leading to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). For further information on graduate programs, see the Graduate Bulletin.

The undergraduate programs are approved by the Florida Board of Nursing and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org). The mission of the College of Nursing is to educate clinicians, leaders, scholars, and advanced practitioners who can enhance the quality of life for people of all cultures, economic levels, and geographic locations. The College of Nursing integrates the liberal arts and science with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for lifelong learning, personal responsibility, and sustained achievement in the nursing profession and the communities in which our graduates reside.

At the completion of the program, the student will have met all major requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The traditional graduate of the nursing program also will have met the academic eligibility requirements for taking the national licensing examination for registered nurses (NCLEX).

The curriculum for the Bachelor of Science (BSN) in Nursing at Florida State University builds on a liberal education and serves as the foundation for graduate study. The graduate of the FSU College of Nursing undergraduate program is a reflective practitioner who can:

• Use knowledge from the liberal arts, nursing science, and related disciplines to promote, enhance and create opportunities for client wellbeing through a generalist;
• Provide client-centered care by applying and evaluating the nursing process and NCSBN Clinical Judgement Model to maximize the health of clients and communities;
• Demonstrate critical-thinking attitudes, skills, and abilities in clinical decision making and evaluation of evidence-based nursing practice;
• Integrate technology and information management with culturally responsive and relationship-centered nursing care across the health continuum in a variety of health care settings;
• Use interpersonal communication, collaboration, and organizational skills to work in partnership with clients, families, communities, and health care teams to promote health across populations;
• Apply leadership principles and innovative quality improvement techniques to influence health policy, regulation, and provision of care to ensure quality and safety; and,
• Demonstrate professional values through commitment to self-evaluation, lifelong learning, professionalism, service, respect for diversity, and social justice.

The traditional BSN program is an upper-division major with required prerequisites and a sequential ordering of courses in semesters I - IV.

Facilities

A variety of clinical laboratory settings are utilized for meaningful learning experiences. The College of Nursing Simulation Laboratories, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Capital Regional Medical Center, Florida State Hospital, Archbold Medical Center Thomasville, GA, county health departments, and other agencies in Leon and surrounding counties are used for the clinical component of the program. In addition, Studer's Childrens Hospital in Pensacola, Florida, and Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, is used for pediatric clinicals. Internship clinical sites are available in partnership with acute care facilities. All experiences are under the direction of the faculty of Florida State University's College of Nursing.

Opportunities

The College of Nursing offers honors coursework in the baccalaureate program. For requirements and other information, see the “University Honors Office and Honor Societies” chapter of this General Bulletin.

Scholarships

Students requiring financial assistance should file an application with the Office of Financial Aid or confer with an academic advisor at the College of Nursing. Numerous scholarships and loans from federal, state, private, and College of Nursing sources are available.

BSN Program Requirements

Students desiring to enter the nursing profession should indicate their major preference on the University application and seek guidance from an academic advisor in the College of Nursing. A separate application to the College of Nursing is required for upper division admission to the nursing program. Applicants who meet the GPA requirements are required to participate in a live interview. The application deadline for Fall is February 1st, Spring is July 1st, and Summer is November 1st.

The College of Nursing program is an upper division specialized admissions major accepting students in the junior year. Admission is competitively based on previous academic performance. The Florida Board of Nursing and several state and/or private agencies require the disclosure of conviction records for misdemeanors and/or felonies; therefore, this information will be required at the time of admission. Legislation aimed at protecting the public has made it necessary to require a Level II criminal background check (this includes FDLE and FBI) for all students admitted to the College of Nursing. The Level II report must be on file at the College of Nursing before students can enroll. If the background check reveals violations resulting in students being denied admission to a clinical agency and/or access to patients in the agency, and if a comparable assignment cannot be made to meet course objectives, the student will be unable to progress and complete the program in the College of Nursing. Completion of the curriculum does not guarantee the Florida Board of Nursing (or any other licensing body) will allow students with criminal records to take the licensing examination to become a registered nurse. The cost for these background checks must be paid by the student. The background check will include the following: Patriot Act, Social Security Alert, Nationwide Healthcare Fraud and Abuse Scan, Sex Offender Index, local criminal check, residence history, and employment verification. Students will be required to submit a notarized Affidavit of Good Moral Character on an annual basis following the initial background check. Additional background checks may be required during the program based on clinical agency requirements. Drug screening will be required upon admission, and additional screening may be required throughout the program.

Students enrolled in the nursing program are expected to exhibit behavior that conforms to the Nurse Practice Act of the State of Florida. The College of Nursing reserves the right to refuse or discontinue enrollment of any student if the student violates the Nurse Practice Act of the State of Florida or in the judgment of the faculty the student does not meet the College's standards.

A drug math requirement is included in specified nursing clinical courses. A student must achieve one hundred percent accuracy to meet the drug math requirement of each clinical course. If a student fails to achieve one hundred percent on a third, repeat testing, the student is required to withdraw from the specified lab course.

A student who is passing a nursing course but has not completed all the required work for the course at the end of the term may, with the permission of the instructor, be assigned a grade of “I”, or incomplete. Students may not carry an incomplete grade in a prerequisite course through the next term. If the incomplete grade is not changed to a passing grade by the end of the drop/add period at the beginning of the next term, the student will be dropped from the continuing course(s).

A student must achieve a 75% or Satisfactory (S) grade in all nursing (elective and required) courses. Any nursing course (elective and required) in which a grade is below 75% (including Unsatisfactory-U) will result in failure of the course. Final course grades are not rounded.

A failed course must be repeated before progressing in the nursing program. A course may only be repeated once. Two or more course failures in the same semester will result in failure of the semester in which the courses were offered. A student has the option to repeat the entire semester in which multiple course failures occurred the following semester. Two failures of the same course or two semester failures will result in dismissal from the nursing program. Extenuating circumstances will be evaluated by the nursing administration.

Students in good academic standing within their academic map may NOT petition for an alternative plan of study.

Nursing majors are responsible for transportation expenses related to clinical experiences. They are required to carry health and accident insurance. To safeguard the health of clients, nursing students are required to submit proof of health examination prior to being cleared for entry into the nursing program. Failure to comply will result in rescinding the seat in the program. Students must maintain proof of American Heart Association BLS for Healthcare Provider certification, personal health insurance, and annual tuberculin skin testing throughout enrollment in the College of Nursing. Additional requirements may be imposed by individual clinical facilities/agencies.

Candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree in the undergraduate nursing program must comply with University regulations governing baccalaureate degrees and must complete the following:

• All University undergraduate degree requirements, including specific prerequisites as outlined above.
• Required nursing courses.
• Required standardized testing throughout the program (a fee, subject to change without notice, must be paid)