Nursing

Dean-Dunnington

Interim Associate Dean-Patterson

Professors-Janiszewski Goodin, Dunnington

Associate Professors-Patterson, Shields

Assistant Professors-Fernandez, Janssen, ScholzMellum, Poellet, Taylor

Instructors-Campbell, Flynn, Hoag, Kinder, Long, Satre, Segovia, Sheppard, Stevens

Program Information: http://www.capital.edu/nursing/

Nursing Prelicensure Handbook

Introduction and History

The nursing program was established in 1950 as a department in the College of Arts and Sciences and is now an integral academic unit in the School of Natural Sciences, Nursing and Health. There are three distinct nursing programs that make up the nursing program. The traditional undergraduate program in nursing provides students the opportunity to blend a strong liberal arts foundation with professional studies. The faculty members are skilled professionals as well as dedicated teachers. Student experiences in a wide variety of health care facilities throughout Columbus and Franklin County provide a broad base of knowledge and skill for professional practice.

The Capital Nursing Accelerated Program (A-BSN) is designed for individuals who have a completed BA or BS degree in a non-nursing field who wish to make a career change to nursing. The degree granted for this program is the BSN. This is a pre-licensure program that has the option to integrate MSN courses into the curriculum.

The department offers a BSN to MSN fast track option for students with a 3.5 GPA cumulative or higher. Students in the traditional undergraduate nursing program may apply to this program in their junior year and take selected 500-level courses during their junior and senior year.

The department also offers the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree with concentrations in administration, legal studies, nursing education and Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist. Dual degrees are available in nursing and administration (MSN/MBA), nursing and law (MSN/JD.) Admission to the MSN program requires a BSN or Associates degree in Nursing and a Bachelor’s degree in another field.

Faculty offices, classrooms, assessment rooms, nursing skills, simulation and computer laboratories are located in the Battelle Memorial Hall of Science and Nursing. The assessment rooms and laboratories are equipped to allow students to develop their skills in simulated clinical settings in preparation for actual practice in health care facilities. The Helene Fuld Health Trust Learning Resources Laboratory provides computers for student use.

There are opportunities to participate in service/learning related health promotion activities off campus for shorter periods of time. The off campus opportunities are open to all nursing students.

The Department of Nursing is approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing to offer pre-licensure BSN programs. Both the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and endorsed by the American Nurses Holistic Certification Corporation. Capital University is a charter member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

Mission

Educating professional nurse leaders for lives of service to promote health and healing.

Philosophy

Capital University is a comprehensive, private, church-related university philosophically committed to providing a liberal arts education within a caring environment. Based on the University’s fundamental commitment to its Lutheran heritage, the Department of Nursing encourages the development of the total person: intellectual, physical, psychosocial, moral, ethical, and spiritual. Recognizing the unique worth of each student, the faculty support individualized attention to assist students as they develop and work toward the attainment of their individual learning goals. Through collaborative experiences, students participate actively in the learning process in a caring culture that values self-care and learning.

The faculty of the Department of Nursing embraces the core values of holistic nursing as the fundamental tenets within the discipline of nursing. The goal of holistic nursing is whole person healing. Holistic nurses recognize the totality of the human being, the interconnectedness of body, mind, emotion, spirit, social/cultural, relationship, context, and environment. The holistic nurse is an instrument of healing and a facilitator in the healing process. Holistic nurses assist individuals and groups to obtain or maintain optimum levels of health and well-being using the clinical and well-being reasoning process. Nurses enter into therapeutic partnerships with individuals and groups through their nursing roles such as clinician, educator, advocate, leader, consultant, and role model. Holistic nurses support people in finding balance, harmony, and peace throughout their life.

Professional education is geared toward the attainment of a specialized body of knowledge pertaining to a discipline through commitment to the social, ethical, and scholarly standards of the profession. It fosters the acceptance of responsibility for critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and decision making congruent with the level of practice. Nursing education develops students who provide culturally sensitive, ethically grounded, and spiritually appropriate evidence-informed / based health care services. Holistic nursing requires nurses to integrate self-care, self-responsibility, spirituality, and reflection in their own lives. The pre-licensure nursing programs provide a foundation for the development of creativity, maturity, and the growth of intellectual and cultural perspectives. The graduate programs extend the development of these qualities in both depth and scope.

Nursing knowledge is acquired through empirical, personal, ethical, aesthetic, and social knowing. Education occurs in an environment of scholarly inquiry and is dedicated to preparing students to care about and for individuals through the lifespan. They also develop respect for the inherent worth of every human being, reflect upon personal values and attitudes, and demonstrate commitment to lifelong learning and to the profession. Preparation for baccalaureate professional nursing practice is based on a program of study that includes nursing science, physical and behavioral sciences, and the humanities. Synthesis of theories, principles, and research from nursing and related disciplines enhances nursing’s specialized body of knowledge. Preparation for graduate professional nursing practice is based on a program of studies that includes the application of theories, research, and advanced clinical skills within a multidisciplinary context and develops awareness and the ability to provide leadership in health care systems and the profession of nursing. Within nursing coursework, students become competent with a variety of skills, learn to make clinical judgments based on analysis of empiric data and the individual context for each patient. In addition to creatively using knowledge from the sciences and liberal arts, nurses produce knowledge that contributes to a distinctive science of nursing.

Goals of the Pre-Licensure Program

In addition to the competencies of the General Education Goals of the University, the goals/outcomes/competencies of the prelicensure programs are based on the philosophy and the conceptual framework of the undergraduate curriculum of the Capital University Department of Nursing. The Conceptual Framework for the nursing curriculum is located in the Prelicensure Nursing Handbook. The curriculum concepts are designed to prepare entry-level generalists and professional practitioners in nursing, who practice from an evidence base and provide holistic, safe, quality care to individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations.

Health is the central concern of nursing and is the core concept of the conceptual framework for the pre-licensure curriculum. The conceptual framework is organized around six additional concepts: These concepts include four professional nursing practice concepts: Critical Thinking / Clinical Judgment, Caring, Communication and Transitions. The framework also includes two concepts that comprise the context of nursing practice: Culture, and Systems.

Graduates of the prelicensure nursing programs will demonstrate standards of professional nursing practice while:

Using critical thinking and clinical judgment in the process of clinical reasoning to answer, impact, or resolve clinical problems, questions, or issues.

Competencies demonstrating critical thinking/clinical judgment include the ability to:

Apply relevant knowledge, theory, experience, standards, principles, or models from the liberal arts, biological, behavioral and nursing sciences as a framework for interpretation.
Utilize cognitive, empirical, intuitive, and reflective processes for clinical reasoning.
Holistically collect and purposefully analyze data to identify clinical problems, questions, or issues among individuals, families, groups, and communities.
Appraise and acknowledge salient factors to determine the level of health and well-being present.
Develop a prioritized plan of care based on effective decision making and grounded in theory, experience, standards of care, and/or care bundles.
Deliver safe, competent, and effective, holistic nursing care based on cognitive, psychomotor, and affective knowledge and skills with individuals, families, groups, communities and populations.
Analyze and apply levels of evidence to develop an evidence-based practice that reflects best practices in patient care management.
Evaluate the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of the care provided in relation to expected patient outcomes or benchmarks.
Explain how the interrelationships among individuals, families, groups, environment, and factors among professional nursing practice, and the healthcare context influence health and well-being as well as healthcare.

Demonstrating the holistic caring practice of professional nursing.

Competencies demonstrating caring include the ability to:

Use cognitive, psychomotor and/or affective therapeutic interpersonal processes to comfort, value, nurture, and facilitate health and well-being of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations.
Convey unconditional, positive regard, honor, intention, respect, and hope to clients, intraprofessional and interprofessional team members.
Practice holistic carative behaviors that enhance both patient care and self care.
Provide safe, skilled, nursing care interventions in accordance with standards of practice.
Incorporate complimentary and alternative health modalities and holistic healing interventions in nursing practice.
Provide patient-centered care in the context of holistic health promotion, disease prevention, risk reduction holistic illness care, rehabilitation and palliation.

Communicating effectively to collaborate with clients, and inter/intraprofessional teams.

Competencies demonstrating effective communication include the ability to:

Use appropriate written, verbal, and nonverbal communication skills.
Develop and demonstrate effective communication abilities of presence, intention, centering, professionalism, active listening, and interpersonal/transpersonal connection when working with clients, faculty, peers, and members of the healthcare team.
Use principles of therapeutic communication in the delivery of nursing care.
Acknowledge and use the contributions of clients and members of the health care delivery systems.
Demonstrate communication behaviors that facilitate and maintain patient safety and quality care.
Document nursing care according to current professional, ethical, and legal guidelines.
Recognize and utilize standard nursing language systems.
Delegate tasks to others in accordance with professional, ethical, and legal standards.
Represent the Department of Nursing and affiliating agencies with respect and dignity.
Advocate for safe, quality, nursing care.
Demonstrate effective teaching/learning principles & strategies in the classroom and in the healthcare setting taking into consideration level of knowledge, literacy, culture, readiness, and ability.

Facilitating transitions for self and clients.

Competencies demonstrating transitions include the ability to:

Facilitate and advocate for clients through the life span and health continuum, recognizing patterns and salience of transition indicators, facilitators and inhibitors.
Incorporate the Patient Bill of Rights and Professional Organization Standards in client care situations.
Demonstrate personal responsibility and accountability for professional behaviors.
Transition to the professional role from classroom, lab, and theory to clinical practice.
Transition from knowledge to practices of self - care to the care of individuals, to clients, clients and their families, to multiple individuals, and to community and population arenas.
Develop principles of leadership and professionalism during the transition to the role of the beginning professional nurse.
Integrate principles of change theory while navigating transitional conditions in the education process and within healthcare environments.

Demonstrating cultural competence.

Competencies demonstrating cultural competence include the ability to:

Develop cultural awareness, knowledge, and skill, toward the desire to work holistically with clients from diverse backgrounds.
Be sensitive to and respect the beliefs, values, norms, lifeways, and health care practices of individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds.
Acquire knowledge about a client and/or cultural group and practice skills of cross-cultural communication, cultural assessment, cultural interpretation, and intervention when providing care.
Engage effectively in cross-cultural encounters in the educational or healthcare setting.

Functioning within a variety of systems.

Competencies demonstrating ability to function within healthcare systems include the ability to:

Provide for coordination and continuity of care across health care settings.
Involve clients, their support systems, and other health care professionals when providing and managing nursing care in a variety of settings.
Function safely in intra/inter profesional collaboration and teamwork.
Analyze safety and quality concerns in health care systems.
Demonstrate competent skills in clinical information systems and with clinical technology with regard for human-machine interactions and latent effects of technology.
Adopt and comply with ethical and legal principles related to professional nursing practice.
Recognize the influence of health policy and economics on the healthcare system and on health outcomes.

Admission procedure

Direct admission to the Traditional Undergraduate Program is selective. Measures of academic performance (reflected in grade point average, class rank, and standardized tests), recommendations and participation in extracurricular activities are considered. All nursing students must possess the capability to complete, with or without reasonable accommodations, the curriculum and clinical practice. (See Pre-licensure Handbook for Essential Performance Requirements.)

Admission to the A-BSN program is selective and based on the following requirements. Evidence of a completed baccalaureate or higher degree from a regionally accredited college or university with 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) is required. The GPA will be weighted if multiple transcripts are presented, but at a minimum one transcript must show a completed baccalaureate or higher degree. In addition, a written essay and three recommendations are required; candidates for admission may be interviewed. For borderline GPA’s, a GPA of 3.0 for pre-requisite courses and/or a GPA of science courses may be taken into consideration for admissions decisions. Minimum prerequisites must be completed prior to acceptance, and include microbiology, human anatomy and physiology, bio / chemistry, and life span development. Science pre-requisites must have been taken within the last five years and a cumulative average minimum of 2.75 is required. In addition, students must possess the capability to complete “Essential Performance Requirements.”

Transfer admission for Traditional Undergraduate Program

Transfer admission is selective and based on prior academic performance and seats available.

Students should apply to the admission office for admission into the Department of Nursing and meet university and Nursing admission standards. All other requirements for traditional undergraduate admission must be met, including TOEFL scores that meet the traditional undergraduate standard for international or ESL students. On-line applications are available.
A weighted grade point average of 3.0* or higher for all college or university work completed is required. Sciences that apply to the major should have been taken within the last five years with a minimum cumulative average of 2.75 for those sciences that have a laboratory component. (* A weighted cumulative GPA considers the cumulative GPA from each college/university attended and weights the GPA by the amount of completed semester hours of course work at each college/university. A weighted average is then calculated.)
It is recommended that the following prerequisite course work be completed prior to transfer into the sophomore year:
- Chemistry courses (General Organic and Biological Chemistry or Biochemistry)
- Introductory biology
- Introduction to general psychology
- Reading and writing
- Speaking and listening
- Statistics
Direct admission into the freshman year will also be considered based on GPA with transfer work and space available.
Students need to submit transcript(s) for all college or university courses. Equivalency of course credits for transfer to the nursing major will be determined jointly by the Department of Nursing Chair or a designee and the university registrar.
A personal interview with the Associate Dean or designated faculty member may be requested if necessary.
Transfers from other nursing programs are handled on an individual basis. Syllabi will be requested from all nursing courses and reviewed by a nursing faculty. A letter of recommendation from the previous nursing director/dean/chair or the nursing academic adviser may be required to transfer nursing credit into the sophomore, junior and senior year.
Students need to be in good standing in the nursing program.
The applicant with advanced standing must be able to meet all criteria for graduation from Capital University.

Transfer admission for Capital Nursing Accelerated Program (A-BSN)

Transfer admission is selective and based on prior academic performance and seats available.

Students should apply for admission to the A-BSN Program and meet University and Department of Nursing A-BSN standards, including but not limited to completion of prerequisite courses prior to the intended start date, grade point average, and completed baccalaureate degree in another field. All other requirements for A-BSN admission must be met, including TOEFL scores that meet the A-BSN standard for international or ESL students.
An official transcript, from an accredited college or university, demonstrating prior admission to an accelerated (second-degree) registered nursing program must be provided.
For advanced standing in the A-BSN program, syllabi for each course for which the applicant requests waiver must be submitted to the designee. Courses for which the applicant is seeking waiver must have been successfully completed by A-BSN standards. Equivalency of course credit for transfer to the accelerated nursing major will be determined jointly by the designee and the University Registrar.
The applicant may have an interview with the Associate Dean and designated faculty members.
The applicant will submit a letter of recommendation from the previous Dean or academic nursing adviser from the nursing program in which the applicant was previously enrolled.
The applicant with advanced standing must be able to meet all criteria for graduation from Capital University.

Change of major to the Traditional Undergraduate Program

Students who wish to change major to nursing from another academic program at CU will apply to the Nursing Department by contacting the Associate Dean for the Pre-Licensure Program. Change of major to nursing is not automatic. It will be based on CU academic performance, match of prerequisite courses, and seats available. Applications for changes of major will be forwarded to students in April. GPA of 3.0 or higher and a minimum grade of “C” for all nursing and science courses is required.

Re-admission to the Traditional Undergraduate Program

The University “Readmit” form will be used. However, the following requirements will be applied:

No more than three years have lapsed since last attendance and no more than one year for a A-BSN student.
If the curriculum has been changed since the last date of attendance, the student shall meet the program’s curriculum requirements for the currently entered students.
As long as the student wishing to be readmitted was in good standing at the time he/she left and seats are available, the Associate Dean of the program may authorize reinstatement into the appropriate rotation.
Students wanting to be readmitted who left without being in good standing must petition the Academic Affairs Committee of the program for approval to readmit. Applications are accepted based on the presence of new and compelling information. The petition is to be addressed to the AAC explaining the reason for leaving, work done to support a readmit decision, and discussion of actions to be taken to be successful returning to the program.
After these requirements are met, readmission is also based on the space availability in the program.

Curriculum Requirements

For students enrolled in the Traditional Undergraduate Program, the nursing curriculum requires 124 semester hours of credit that may be completed in four academic years. Two years are required for lower division study and two years of upper-division study.

For students enrolled in the A-BSN Program, the nursing curriculum requires 65 semester hours of credit which are completed in two academic years (five consecutive semesters including summer term). The curriculum consisting of upper division undergraduate courses is sequential. Three graduate level courses are included in the curriculum; these courses are non-sequential, and are taken the beginning of the second semester. Clinical experiences begin in the first semester and continue throughout the curriculum, culminating in a practicum experience during the final semester.

Traditional Undergraduate and A-BSN Students are required to pass a standardized test at a required level in their senior year; students who do not achieve the required level will need to document enrollment in an approved NCLEX preparation course in order to be administratively certified to sit for the R.N. licensing exam. Students identified “at risk” will also be required to take an NCLEX-RN review course during their senior year. Additional information concerning standardized testing requirements in the nursing program is published in the Nursing Student Handbook for Pre-Licensure programs.

General Education Goals are located in the bulletin.

Placement into Reading & Writing and Quantitative Reasoning is based on ACT scores. For students who placed in English 100 or Math 110 as prerequisite for the specific general education course, the prerequisite will be counted as general elective credit. If courses are waived with no credit granted, credits are made up with electives to meet the graduation credit requirement. ROTC students will be enrolled in Military Science course work each term. This work will be identified as general elective course work to the Nursing major.

Clinical Facilities

In selecting clinical settings for students in the nursing program, the Nursing department is responsive to dramatic and rapid changes occurring within the health care system. Nursing skills are developed and refined in traditional practice settings such as hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities. Home care settings provide an opportunity to learn and practice skills necessary to deliver comprehensive care to clients and their families. Institutions such as schools and businesses afford students the opportunity to develop competencies in providing care to groups and select populations. Students must comply with all clinical agency guidelines and the Ohio Administrative Codes as set forth by the Ohio Board of Nursing.

Grading Policies for Nursing

All courses in nursing are graded on the following scale:
	94-100 A 92-93 A- 90-91 B+ 86-89 B 84-85 B- 82-83 C+ 78-81 C 70-77 D 69-and below F

A “D” in any form will not be accepted as a passing grade for required nursing courses. Students must achieve an average of 78% percent or higher on exams in all required nursing courses to pass the course. Students taking graduate courses need to refer to the Graduate Nursing Student Handbook for the grading scale used in graduate level nursing courses (eg., NURS 500 , NURS 520 , NURS 530 ).

THE 78% RULE / CLINICAL UNSATISFACTORY IN NURSING COURSES:

Students are required to demonstrate a “C” (78%) or higher in any undergraduate nursing course. Students who receive a grade below “C” (78%) in a nursing course must repeat the course and earn a grade of “C” in order to progress in the nursing program.
Students must achieve an average grade of “C” (78%) or higher on the exam component of each nursing course. The student will receive a “D” or “F” as the course grade if the exam average is below C (78%). The grade will be an “F” if exams fall below 70%. Other components of the course grade will not be averaged in the course grade if a student does not achieve a C (78%) on the exam component as identified in the syllabi.
Clinical practice and/or a laboratory component in a course must be passed with an earned grade of satisfactory. An unsatisfactory in clinical practice or in the laboratory setting will result in a course grade of a “D” or “F”. If a student receives an unsatisfactory in clinical practice or in the laboratory, the course grade will be an “F” if the exams and the other components are below 70%. The student can earn no higher than a “D”.

Academic and Continuation Policies of Nursing Programs.

Continuation in nursing requires demonstration of capable and acceptable performance in nursing. The nursing faculty reserves the right to recommend the withdrawal of a student who appears academically and/or personally unable to fulfill professional responsibilities in nursing.

In the Traditional Undergraduate Program, no more than two total individual nursing courses may be repeated. An individual nursing course may be repeated only one time; however, no more than one of the total nursing courses failed and repeated may be a 300 or 400 level course. In the Accelerated Program (A-BSN), no more than one required nursing course may be repeated. An individual nursing course may be repeated only one time. Courses may be repeated contingent upon space availability. Lapses in enrollment or progression of greater than one academic year require application for readmission to the academic program.

In the Traditional Undergraduate Program, the student must meet the following standards to progress in the curriculum:

Freshmen must have a minimum GPA Accum ≥ 2.5 at the end of the first year to retain their seat in the nursing program. Sophomores must have a minimum CUM GPA ≥ 2.7 to progress to NURS 300. Clinical requirements are also required prior to progression to NURS 300. In addition, sophomores must have a minimum CUM GPA ≥ 2.7 and CUM Science ≥2.5 GPA at the end of their sophomore year to progress to the junior year of the nursing program. Those whose GPA falls below this standard will be given the opportunity to change majors out of nursing or be dismissed from the nursing program prior to enrolling for the next academic term.

In order to progress into the junior year nursing courses, the following is required:

Earned GPA Cumulative ≥2.7. Those whose GPA falls below this standard will be given the opportunity to change majors out of Nursing or be dismissed prior to enrolling for the next academic year.
An earned grade of “C” or better is required for all required biological/physical sciences (BIOL 100, BIOL231, BIOL232, BIOL280 and CHEM150). A grade of “C-” in science courses is not acceptable. Additionally, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 or above for the combined required science courses is required for progression to the 300-level nursing courses (NURS 300, NURS 301, 317, NURS 318, NURS 319, NURS 320, NURS 326, NURS 365 and NURS 366).
If a fall semester grade in a science is below a “C,” the student may progress to the second semester course in the sequence but must repeat the science course to raise the grade to a “C” or higher before progression to the upper division nursing courses.
Completion of NURS 110, HSPTS 230, NURS 201, NURS 300 and NURS 301 with grades of “C” or better.
Students who have not been successful in NURS 300 or NURS 301 may not continue to progress to higher level nursing courses. Only one 300 or 400 level nursing course may be repeated in the nursing program.
All sciences transferred in must include a laboratory component and may not be online unless pre-approved. Students need to show proof of completion and course grade for any science or other required course taken off campus by the first day of NURS 300.
Students must successfully complete all required sciences and lower division nursing courses with a minimum of grade of “C” and have a minimum science GPA of 2.5 or greater prior to progression into upper division nursing courses. An overall minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7 is also required for progression to upper division (300 and 400) nursing courses. Students that were unsuccessful in achieving a minimum GPA of 2.7 required to progress to the upper division may change majors and will be dismissed from the nursing program.

Required Nursing Courses

Students must achieve an average grade of “C” (78%) or higher in all nursing courses in order to pass each course.
Clinical experience may be granted either a pass/fail grade at the prerogative of the course faculty and in accordance with the clinical objectives listed in the syllabus for the course.
Clinical practice in a required clinical course must be satisfactory or the grade for the course will be no higher than a “D”.
Students must achieve a ≥ 78% on the exam component in each required nursing course, or the grade for the course will be no higher than a “D”.

Progression through the Accelerated Nursing Curriculum (A-BSN)

300 and 400 level nursing courses in each semester must be completed satisfactorily prior to enrollment in the subsequent semester courses. A student, with adviser support, may petition the Academic Affairs Committee for exception to the policy based on rationale and significant merit; however, placement in a different level is based on space availability.
Nursing courses designated as prerequisite courses must be satisfactorily completed prior to registration in the fall of the admission year.
A cumulative grade point average of 2.25 or higher must be achieved to continue to progress to subsequent semesters.
Graduate level (500 level) courses, which include NURS 500, NURS 520, and NURS 530, may be taken in any order in the curriculum. Registration for 500 level courses will be facilitated by the student’s adviser and the Associate Dean of the Graduate Nursing Program, due to space considerations.
All 500 level core courses must be completed with a C+ or better. If a student receives less than a C+ in a 500 level course, the student may progress in the 300 and 400 level A-BSN courses and repeat the 500 level course in which he/she earned less than a C+ grade prior to graduation.
Students must achieve a > 78% on the exam component in each nursing course in order to pass the nursing course. Students must also achieve a minimum of 78% in the overall course grade to pass the nursing course. If the exam component of the overall course grade is less than 78%, the course grade will be a “D” and if the exam or overall course grade is <70% the grade shall be an “F.”

Graduation requirements for the Traditional Undergraduate Program

For the Traditional Undergraduate Program, completion of 124 semester hours and all required nursing and science courses completed with a minimum grade of “C” or better.
A cumulative grade point average of 2.25 or higher in all courses taken at Capital University is required.
Students in the pre-licensure programs (the traditional undergraduate program and A-BSN) must pass the standardized exit-RN exam before certification for graduation will be made. See “Standardized Testing” below. See also the Nursing Student Handbook for the policy on required minimum score for the exit-RN exam. Students that are unsuccessful in achieving the minimum criterion on the exit-RN exam will be required to take an additional NCLEX Review/ Preparation Course prior to certification for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam will be made.

A-BSN Graduation requirements

Academic graduation requirements include the following:

Completion of 65 semester hours and all the required A-BSN courses, including the three graduate level courses, NURS 500, NURS 520, and NURS 530.
A grade of C or better in all undergraduate nursing courses (C- or D are not acceptable), and a cumulative grade point average of 2.25 or higher for all courses taken at Capital. A grade of C+ or better is required in graduate courses.
Note: While a 2.25 cumulative grade point average is sufficient for graduation from the program, students wishing to apply to the Master of Science in Nursing program should note that the admission requirement for that program is set at a 3.0 or higher cumulative grade point average.
Students in the pre-licensure programs (the traditional undergraduate program and A-BSN) must pass the standardized exit-RN exam with the required minimum score before certification for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam will be made. See “Standardized Testing” below. See also the Nursing Student Handbook for the policy on required minimum score for the exit-RN exam. Students who are unsuccessful in achieving the minimum criterion on the exit-RN exam will be required to take an additional NCLEX Review/Preparation Course prior to certification for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam.

Standardized Testing for the Traditional Undergraduate Program and the A-BSNProgram

Standardized testing is used throughout the nursing curriculum to help ensure that students are prepared for the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination-RN.) Students will take Specialty Exams in designated nursing courses to assess learning outcomes during their progression throughout the curriculum. Students will also complete required case studies and practices exams to enhance their learning prior to taking the assessment exams in nursing courses. Students will be required to participate in a Supplemental Learning Program (SLP) if their scores on the Specialty Assessment Exams do not reach the minimum criterion defined in the Nursing Student Handbook. In addition, two exit examinations are administered during the last year of the program. Students who do not receive a 900 on the first Exit-RN will be required to enroll in the approved NCLEX-RN review course prior to taking the required second Exit-RN in the next semester. Students who do not achieve a minimum of 900 on the second EXIT-RN exam are required to take an extra NCLEX review course at their own expense. A certificate of completion of the review will be required prior to certification for the NCLEX-RN exam. Proof of attendance and completion of the review course must be provided to the Department of Nursing prior to the submission of the certification of eligibility to take the licensing examination. The policy regarding Standardized Testing requirements is located in the Nursing Pre-Licensure Student Handbook.

Financial Information

See Section II for information about the cost of the program, the policies and procedures for payment, and scholarship and loan programs available. Scholarship and loan programs of the university are administered through the Office of Financial Aid (Financial Information). Nursing students are afforded the same opportunities for assistance as other students in the university. Tuition for the C-NAP program is set annually and is consistent with tuition costs for the graduate nursing program.

Immunizations/Health Assessment

Prior to enrollment in NURS 300 (traditional students and A-BSN students), students must file evidence of up-to-date immunizations and the results of a health assessment. The completion of Hepatitis B immunizations, DTAP, rubella and varicella titers, as well as annual Influenza vaccine(s) and annual TB screening are required of all students before enrollment in clinical courses. Students must comply with all clinical guidelines and the Ohio Administrative Codes set forth by the Ohio Board of Nursing to attend clinicals. Students will be required to purchase a management tool as directed by the Department of Nursing to upload proof of these requirements.

CPR

Prior to enrollment in NURS 300 (traditional and A-BSN students) students must file evidence of current CPR certification. Acceptable certification for health care providers is from the American Heart Association. The card must specify certification for health care providers and AED instruction.

Uniforms and Nursing Equipment

Traditional students and A-BSN students are responsible for purchasing uniforms as prescribed in the Student Uniform Policy in the Pre-Licensure Student Handbook. Uniforms are not required until the first clinical nursing course.

Drug Testing Policy for Students in Nursing

Chemical dependency in the general public is a serious problem. It is even a greater problem in nursing. As a profession, nursing has an obligation to protect the public from impaired practice by professionals who are addicted or misuse prescribed or non-prescribed medications. Chemical dependency for a health care professional is more prevalent than for the general public because of the access to drugs and the health care professionals’ knowledge of drugs. The nursing faculty believe that we must be sure that students are delivering safe, competent care to patients and are behaving in an ethical manner by putting measures in place to deal with potential substance abuse.

Hospitals where we place students for clinical experience require, by contract, that Capital University has a drug testing policy for nursing students in place. Capital University must validate for the affiliating agencies that we have a policy and are following the policy. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JACAHO) has mandated this requirement.

In light of these concerns, Capital University has implemented a policy on drug testing of students. The policy can be found in the Nursing Pre-licensure Student Handbook. All students will be drug tested prior to their first clinical course and may be tested for cause or randomly at any time throughout the program.

Liability Insurance

Prior to enrollment in NURS 300 (traditional students and A-BSN students), students must arrange for professional and personal liability insurance coverage. Forms are available in the Nursing department. This liability insurance needs to be renewed yearly. Students may not participate in clinical practice unless their liability insurance is up to date.

Eligibility for Licensure and Employment

Sections 173.41, 3701.881, 3712.09, 3721.121 and 3722.151 of the Ohio Administrative Code prohibit the employment of individuals with select criminal records in certain settings: direct care to older adults through passport agencies; care to children and older adults through home health agencies; direct care to older adults in hospice programs; direct care to older adults in adult daycare programs; and direct care to older adults in adult care facilities (nursing homes). Fingerprinting is a required component of a criminal records check. Evidence of a satisfactory criminal records check is required prior to enrollment in Nursing 300 for traditional undergraduate and A-BSN students, and again as a part of the application for licensure to practice as a registered nurse in Ohio. There is a fee for the criminal records check. An applicant for licensure as a registered nurse in the state of Ohio must divulge any information related to previous licensure or denial of licensure, and any convictions, findings of guilt, guilty plea, no contest plea, Alford plea, treatment in lieu of conviction, or diversion for a number of crimes. The Ohio Board of Nursing may propose to deny an application for any felony, a crime involving gross immorality or moral turpitude, a misdemeanor drug law violation, and a misdemeanor committed in the course of practice. The Ohio Board of Nursing will divert any application for licensure accompanied by a positive criminal record check or positive response to any question on the “compliance” section of the application for licensure by examination for investigation. The Ohio Board of Nursing may deny permission to sit for the licensing exam based upon findings of the investigation, and in accordance with applicable due process laws. Certain crimes are automatic bars to licensure as a registered nurse in Ohio; these crimes include aggravated murder, murder, voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault, kidnapping, rape, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, sexual battery, gross sexual imposition, and aggravated arson.

In addition, the Ohio Board of Nursing requires applicants for licensure to disclose certain mental health diagnoses; that section of the application also includes a requirement for disclosure of designation as a sexual predator. The Board of Nursing requires individuals with these diagnoses to provide information about treatment, present condition and prognosis, and contact information identifying the treating health care professional and/or treatment facility as a part of the application process.

The application for licensure by examination in Ohio may be viewed in its entirety by accessing the Ohio Board of Nursing website at www.nursing.ohio.gov. The Dean of the School of Nursing can discuss, in confidence, any individual situation and can make more referrals for information.

Clinical affiliates (e.g., hospitals and other clinical facilities) contractually require students to submit to drug testing. Drug testing will be done by a certified laboratory, and will be completed, on a random basis, “for cause,” and prior to beginning the first clinical experiences. A complete policy on drug testing for students in Nursing can be found in the Prelicensure Nursing Handbook on the Capital University website.

Students with a diagnosed learning disability who wish to request testing accommodations at the time they take the licensure exam must apply six months in advance to the Board of Nursing in the state to be licensed. Applicants must meet the Board of Nursing’s requirements for the request. Please talk to the Dean of the School of Nursing one year prior to the desired date to make sure you have met the requirements for alternate testing.

Transportation

Students are responsible for their own transportation to agencies for specified experiences. Students may use public transportation, private autos or car pools.

Nursing Student Handbooks

The Nursing Pre-licensure and Graduate Student Handbooks http://www.capital.edu/Nursing/ that govern the specific program the student is enrolled in, are available on-line through the Nursing website. These handbooks provide guidelines and policies specifically related to study in nursing. Students will be held accountable to all the academic and professional policies in these handbooks.

Essential Performance Requirements

The nursing students must possess the capability to complete, with or without reasonable accommodations, the entire nursing curriculum. The nursing curriculum requires all students to perform at a high level of competency in all phases of classroom, clinic, and laboratory activities as they will ultimately use the knowledge and competencies attained in professional nursing practice. These will enable them to perform in a manner that will not jeopardize the safety and well-being of patients or themselves. The entire policy and essential performance qualifications required of the student in the nursing curriculum related to sensory/observation, communication, motor, intellectual-conceptual, integrative, behavioral, social and ethical attributes as well as disability services can be found in the Nursing Student Handbook for Pre-Licensure Programs. Upon readmission or leave of absence, students must also attest to performance requirements.