DEPARTMENT OF TRADITIONAL
UNDERGRADUATE NURSING

The Traditional Undergraduate Nursing Program prepares students for entry-level professional nursing practice including the health needs of underserved populations. This level of education is based on core knowledge and clinical competency applied though a unique blend of critical thinking, caring, communication and collaboration. Health promotion, illness management and population-based care are the focus of the traditional undergraduate curriculum. Students are prepared to practice holistically as leaders in healthcare delivery, with an educational foundation grounded in the Benedictine values. Throughout the curriculum simulation, technology and integrative therapies are blended to prepare students as healers of the mind, body and spirit. Graduates will have the skills and knowledge necessary for responsible living and meaning work.

Clinical practice necessitates that students care for a variety of individuals in various settings. These practice experiences are designed so that students have diverse experiences in meeting the health care needs of individuals, families and groups. Clinical experiences occur in the nursing simulation laboratory, acute care, extended care and community health settings beginning in the first semester of the nursing program.

The program leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in nursing and qualifies the graduate to take the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses). Graduates are also eligible to apply for registration as a Minnesotapublic health nurse and have the academic credentials to pursue master's study in nursing.

Outcomes which students achieve in the program are derived from The College of St. Scholastica's institutional mission. The ANA's Standards of Clinical Nursing Practice, ANA's Code of Ethics, AACN's Essentials of Baccalaureate Education and the Minnesota Nursing Practice Act form the basis for nursing practice. These documents have been utilized in the development of the curriculum and in the structuring of clinical practice experiences.

The outcomes of the baccalaureate curriculum are:

1. Synthesize knowledge from nursing, the arts and sciences and the Benedictine values in the holistic practice of professional nursing.
2. Demonstrate professional values and behaviors consistent with professional standards.
3. Demonstrate competence for entry-level professional practice.
4. Advocate for health care that is sensitive to the needs of clients including vulnerable populations.
5. Assume responsibility for ongoing professional development in an ever-changing health care environment.

ATHENS Project

As the healthcare industry is being transformed by health information technologies of this type, students must be prepared to effectively use these tools in their future healthcare workplaces. Students in the Nursing program at The College of St. Scholastica have significant levels of hands-on experience using a state-of-the-art electronic medical record system to gain confidence and competence in using this type of information technology as a tool to enhance the quality of their professional practice. For more information about this unique aspect of health professions' education at St. Scholastica, visit the ATHENS project Web site.