SCHOOL OF NURSING

Sheila Green, Director/Interim Dean
Associate Professors Green (Dean), Tolbert (Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management); Assistant Professors Clark, Franklin, Hanna, Howard, Jared, Russell, Stearman, Stewart

The Bachelors of Science Nursing degree provides a high quality professional nursing education with emphasis on meeting health needs of rural and semi-rural communities. Specifically, the program provides opportunities for students to develop knowledge, attitudes, and skills that form the basis for professional nursing practice. The program emphasizes the utilization of the nursing process, which includes critical thinking and decision-making in planning, implementing, and evaluating health care services.

The curriculum is designed to prepare the generalist professional nurse to function in and contribute to the delivery of health care services to individuals, families, and groups in homes, clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, schools and community health care settings. The first two years provide a basic foundation in the physical and social sciences, humanities, nutrition, computer technology as well as an introduction to nursing.

The last two years comprise the professional nursing major with its focus on the understanding and the application of the nursing theory, nursing process, scientific principles, and the research process to health promotion, disease prevention, and care of the sick. The clinical practica utilize major hospitals, mental health facilities, primary care centers, community and state health departments, private health care offices, and other agencies in the Upper Cumberland region and occasionally in urban settings. Students must meet academic requirements as well as requirements for performance in clinical practice. These requirements are found in the TTU School of Nursing Student Handbook and course syllabi.

Freshmen entering the nursing program follow a two-year directed plan of study (Lower Division Nursing) that prepares them to apply for acceptance into Upper Division Nursing. Students may also apply to the Upper Division Nursing after two years of required course study at a liberal arts or junior college.

The TTU School of Nursing has articulation agreements with Tennessee Board of Regents Community Colleges offering "Associate of Applied Science Degree in Nursing" and general education courses required for the TTU School of Nursing curriculum. The detailed agreements are available in the TTU School of Nursing.

When two candidates for admission are equally qualified, preference for admission to Upper Division will be given to students at TTU, to transfer students from TBR colleges, and to those who are Tennessee residents.

Candidates apply to the School of Nursing by December 1 for acceptance to the following Fall Upper Division Junior Level. The School of Nursing Admissions and Credits Committee implement the admission process. Candidates are required to have a 2.5 quality point average (QPA) in all university course work to compete for admission to Upper Division Nursing. Also, candidates must complete all required courses in Lower Division prior to entering into Upper Division. Conditional acceptance may be given to candidates completing required Lower Division course work prior to Fall Semester entry. Admission to Upper Division Nursing is limited to space available. Students must have a valid Basic Life Support CPR Certification for Health Care Providers as part of admission to Upper Division Nursing.

Students must attain a grade of "C" or better in each required social, physical science, and nursing course.

A comprehensive overview of admission, progression, and retention policies for the program are in the School of Nursing Handbook. The Handbook can be accessed on the TTU School of Nursing web page.

The School of Nursing is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (One Dupont Circle, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036-1120, 202-887, 6791), and approved by the Tennessee Board of Nursing. Graduates may be admitted to the examination for license to practice as registered nurses (R.N.) following successful completion of the BSN.

Registered nurses who have a diploma or associate degree and are currently licensed or eligible for licensure in Tennessee may also enter the School of Nursing for a BSN. A flexible program of study designed for RN's offers opportunity for part-time study or online study in a time frame that allows for continued employment. Under the Tennessee Career Mobility Plan, registered nurses who have graduated from programs accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission at the time of their completion, have earned the grade of "C" or better in their previous nursing course work, and have been active in clinical practice during the last three years (or graduated from their nursing program within the last three years) will be awarded 32 semester hours of credit (NURS 3250, 3251, 3360, 3361, 3370, 3371, 4000, 4001, 4100 & 4101) after the successful completion of 15 hours of Upper Division nursing course work (NURS 3200, 3380, 3465, 4230). Registered Nurses not meeting these requirements will be required to complete the NLN Mobility Profile II exams.

All Upper Division Nursing students are required to complete and submit the Student Health Form that shows proof of certain immunizations required for clinical practice. Because the School of Nursing seeks to provide a reasonably safe environment for its nursing students and their patients, a student may be required during the course of the program to demonstrate physical and/or emotional fitness to meet the essential requirements of the program. Such essential requirements may include freedom from communicable diseases, the ability to perform certain physical tasks, and suitable emotional fitness. Any appraisal measures used to determine such physical and/or emotional fitness would be in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Upper Division Nursing students are required to purchase liability insurance and will be assessed fees for achievement tests. The School of Nursing supports and enforces the TTU drug free campus/work place policy. Criminal background checks may be a requirement for training at some affliated clinical nursing sites. Based on the results of these checks, an affiliated clinical site may determine not to allow a student's presence at their facility. This could result in the students' inability to complete the program. The THA.com website has links available for requesting this check, a list of available vendors can be provided on request or the student may choose to use the vendor used by the clinical site.

Individual curricula
Course descriptions