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Location: 233 McFaddin Ward Health Sciences Building

Nursing Advising for Pre-Nursing Students (409) 880-8822

Advising for R.N.-B.S.N. (409) 880-7295

Advising for M.S.N. (409) 880-7720

Interim Chair: Dr. Cynthia Stinson, (409) 880-8833, Email, 233 McFaddin Ward Health Sciences Building

Degree Coordinators:

• Director of Undergraduate Nursing Studies, Iva Hall, (409) 880-8831, Email, 254 McFaddin Ward Health Sciences Building
• R.N.-B.S.N. Articulation Track, (409) 880-7295, Email, McFaddin Ward Health Sciences Building
• Director of Graduate Nursing Studies, Nancy Blume, (409) 880-7720, Email, 252 McFaddin Ward Health Sciences Building

The JoAnne Gay Dishman Department of Nursing faculty believe in preparing students to become competent graduates who provide quality nursing care to diverse populations in an ever-changing society. Personal, social, and professional strengths of the graduates are developed to form a basis for continued growth.

Nursing is based on the concepts of professional integrity, effective communication, active inquiry, and service to the community. The goals of nursing are to assist humanity in disease prevention, health promotion, health maintenance and restoration, and the support of death with dignity. Nursing utilizes a spirit of caring, interpersonal communication, critical thinking, and therapeutic interventions to contribute to the health of the individual and society. The responsibility of nurses is to utilize the nursing process to assist people to meet health care needs and to attain health-related goals. The faculty believe in the preparation of professional nurses for four major roles: member of the profession, provider of patient-centered care, patient safety advocate and member of the healthcare team.

Baccalaureate Degree graduates are prepared with a broad perspective and understanding of society, the environment, and people as diverse individuals, families, groups, and communities. Baccalaureate education incorporates a broad range of basic, behavioral and social sciences, communication and data analysis content to provide a strong foundation for future critical thinking and problem solving. A baccalaureate degree is the most common requirement for entry into graduate nursing education where nurses may further develop their professional roles to become nurse educators, researchers, administrators, or advanced practice nurses.

Nursing students meet course requirements through didactic courses, laboratory and simulation activities, and clinical experience in healthcare facilities under the supervision of university faculty. Students are expected to adhere to rules and regulations of Â鶹ÊÓƵ and the various agencies to which they are assigned. Specific policies may be obtained from the Director of Undergraduate Nursing Studies.

Graduates must pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-R.N.) in order to receive licensure to practice professional nursing. Graduates will be required to meet criteria established by the Texas Board of Nursing in order to take the NCLEX-R.N. examination.

Â鶹ÊÓƵ nursing programs are fully accredited by the Texas Board of Nursing and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC, 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 500, Atlanta, Georgia 30326, phone 404.975.5000, fax 404.975.5020).

The JoAnne Gay Dishman Department of Nursing offers two graduate tracks leading to the Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) degree and one dual track in nursing and business. The graduate nursing program is fully accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. Persons seeking admission may pursue the degree on a full or part-time basis. Potential students who qualify with a high GPA and are graduates of a nationally accredited undergraduate program may have the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) waived in the admission process. A Post-Master's Certificate option is also available in Nursing Education and Nursing Administration. Applicants for the Post-Master's Certificate program must have a MSN degree and meet additional entrance requirements.

Admission and Progression in Nursing Undergraduate Programs

Students seeking admission to the pre-licensure baccalaureate (B.S.N.) nursing program must submit an Application for Admission to Nursing. Admission to nursing is competitive. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in pre-requisite courses and in required science courses, have met the THEA requirement, and be in good standing in the university with an overall career GPA of no less than 2.0.

Students not enrolled at Lamar must submit two separate applications: one for admission to Lamar (), and one for admission to the nursing program (obtained from the Nursing Information Center, Room 255, McFaddin-Ward Health Sciences Building or on the Forms page of the Nursing Department website).

Applications for admission to the nursing programs must be received by March 1 prior to the Fall semester admission and October 1 for Spring semester admission. The following items must accompany the application:

• Application fee,
• Official transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended,
• Official transcript evaluation by Â鶹ÊÓƵ,
• Pre-admission test scores, and
• Written documentation showing passing all components of THEA.

Applicants are urged to follow application instructions carefully to ensure processing by the Admissions Committee. Admission to the nursing program is competitive. Students are responsible for assuring that their applications are complete, including the transcript evaluation. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Students seeking readmission are required to submit an application and fee.

Applications for admission to nursing are evaluated competitively on the following basis:

1. Admission to the university (See Admissions section of this bulletin.)
2. Transcript evaluation of previous college work.
3. Completion of all pre-requisite courses and science courses with a minimum grade of "C" and a minimum 2.5 GPA in pre-requisite courses and a minimum science GPA of 2.5.
4. Overall academic career GPA of 2.0 or higher.
5. Pre-admission exam scores. A minimum score of 79 is required on the Reading section of the entrance exam. (Contact Nursing Information Center for information.)
6. Admission may be limited by available space.
7. See program of choice for additional requirements.

Note: Approval is being sought to require all core courses (including pre-requisites), with the exception of Political Science and PE, be completed prior to entering the B.S.N. program.  If approved, this policy change will be effective for students applying to enter the B.S.N. program in the Spring 2014 semester.

Official transcript evaluation by Â鶹ÊÓƵ is required for all transfer credits. Transfer credits which are not equivalent to Lamar credits must be evaluated on an individual basis by the appropriate department chair.

As part of the admission process, students are required to:

• Complete criminal background screening;
• Obtain CPR certification;
• Document essential health competencies and update immunizations; and
• Obtain nursing liability insurance.

Students accepting admission into the Undergraduate Program must demonstrate essential physical competencies for nursing. (Request a copy from the Director of Undergraduate Nursing Studies). Students must also demonstrate emotional capability for completing the program's instructional and clinical practice. The Texas Board of Nursing (TBON) requires students to report significant mental diagnoses and treatment to TBON, as well as any involvement in illegal activities or arrests.

For progression in the program, a minimum grade of "C" must be earned in English composition, nursing and science courses, and an overall academic GPA of 2.0 must be maintained in all course work.

A B.S.N. student who fails a nursing course must apply for readmission to progress. If re-admitted, the B.S.N. student must repeat all designated corequisite courses. B.S.N. students may be readmitted only one time. Under no circumstances may a nursing course be repeated more than once. Failing two nursing courses results in program failure.

See the Undergraduate Nursing Studies Handbook for specific policies. The handbook is available by contacting the Dishman Department of Nursing, (409) 880-8831.

Students are required to complete nursing courses in the sequence identified on the program of study. Due to the required sequencing of the nursing program courses, students who fail a nursing course will not be allowed to progress to the next courses. Re-admission to the program is not guaranteed and is based upon space availability, assessment of previous performance in the program, and grades. Progression policies are published in the Undergraduate Nursing Studies Student Handbook.

B.S.N. students requesting readmission or transfer must submit an application for readmission or transfer to the Nursing Admissions Committee by October 1 for Spring admission and March 1 for summer and Fall admission. Students who have been unsuccessful ("D" or lower) in one or more nursing course(s) at another nursing program are not eligible for admission. Transfer students are admitted on a space-available basis. See department transfer policy available from the Nursing Information Center.

Additional costs above tuition and fees are involved in nursing programs. Uniforms, equipment, instruments, liability insurance, health examinations, immunization costs, CPR certification, special testing fees, course packet fees, additional laboratory/clinical fees and transportation to clinical facilities are the student's responsibility. Financial aid is available for eligible students (see Financial Aid and Awards section of this bulletin).

Liability insurance, CPR certification, health examinations and immunizations must be renewed each year of the nursing program. Students may be assigned to clinical experiences during day, evening, night or weekend hours. Clinical agencies may require additional health examinations, dress codes or conformity with other policies. Students will be informed in advance of such requirements.

Eligibility for Graduation

In addition to the university graduation requirements and compliance with the written degree plan, students must pass a nationally standardized examination designated by the department in order to graduate from the respective program. The courses of the final semester of each program constitute the capstone experience. The Department recommends that all other course requirements are completed prior to entry into the final capstone semester. Further explanation is provided in the Undergraduate Nursing Studies Handbook.

Degrees Offered

Undergraduate

Bachelor of Science in Nursing - 124 hrs

R.N./B.S.N. Articulation Track – 124 hours

(Up to 66 hours of non-nursing hours can transfer from a community college in addition to 32 hours of escrow credit for prior nursing courses.)

Graduate

Master of Science in Nursing – (Nursing Administration or Nursing Education) 37 hours

Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Business Administration Dual Degree - 61 hours

Post-Masters Certificate – 20 hours

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Director of Undergraduate Nursing Studies: Iva Hall 254 McFaddin-Ward Health Sciences Building

Completion of the program leads to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree. Recipients of the degree are eligible to make application to take the NCLEX-R.N. exam to become a Registered Nurse (R.N.).

The baccalaureate program also provides an opportunity for Registered Nurses who wish to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. This special track is called the R.N.-B.S.N. Articulation Track. Please refer to separate admission requirements in the appropriate section below.

To be considered for admission to the B.S.N. program, the student must:

1. Have completed all prerequisite courses with a minimum grade of "C" and GPA of 2.5.
2. Have a minimum grade of "C" with a GPA of 2.5 in the sciences (Biology and Chemistry courses).
3. Have an overall academic grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher.
4. Have a minimum grade of "C" in Nursing Pathophysiology from an accredited college or university that was earned no more than 3 years prior to admission.
5. Have a minimum grade of "C" in Theories of Nursing taken at Â鶹ÊÓƵ prior to admission.
6. Meet criteria in the section on Admission to Department of Nursing.
7. Take the department designated pre-admission exam. A minimum score of 79 is required on the Reading section of the entrance exam.

Applications are available by calling the Advising Center at (409) 880-8868 or via the web. B.S.N. students are admitted for Spring and Fall semesters.