Nursing

Department Chair—Peden
Professors—Macke, Parker, Peden, Stout-Shaffer, Janiszewski-Goodin
Associate Professors—Blakely, Jacko, Lux, Patterson, Shields, Deborah
Assistant Professors—Duane, Dunnington, Hutcheson, Janssen, Shields, David
Instructors—Beggs, Farmer, Gerdeman, Kosik, Satre

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 four 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 (C-NAP) 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 population is the BSN with 3 MSN core courses integrated into the curriculum design. This is a pre-licensure program.

The BSN Completion Program is a post-licensure program designed for RNs whose first credential in nursing was the associate degree or diploma. These students return to complete the BSN in order to advance their professional career.

The School also offers a BSN to MSN fast track option for undergraduates with a 3.5 CPA cumulative or higher. These students apply to this program in the junior year and take selected 500-level courses during their junior and senior year. BSN completion students, with a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher, may apply after completing two of three courses/N315, N316 and or N402. Admission to the MSN program requires a BSN or Associates Degree in Nursing and a Bachelor’s degree in another field.

The School offers the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree with concentrations in administration, legal studies, theological studies, and nursing education and as an Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist. Dual degrees are available in nursing and administration (MSN/MBA), nursing and law (MSN/JD), and nursing and theology (MSN/Master’s Theologic Studies).

Faculty offices, classrooms, assessment rooms, nursing skills and computer laboratories are located in the Battelle Memorial Hall of Science and Nursing. The assessment rooms and laboratory 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.

Exchange study abroad opportunities are offered the first semester of the senior year for traditional students. There are also opportunities to participate in service/learning related health promotion activities off campus for shorter periods of time. These are open to all nursing students in all programs.

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 within diverse communities.

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 goals. Through collaborative experiences, students participate actively in the learning process in a caring culture that values self-care and learning.

The central concern of nursing is the health of people within the context of their culture and social systems. Health is a state of being that is culturally defined, valued, and practiced. Health reflects the ability of individuals, families, and groups to perform daily activities to their optimum potential. Transition describes the process by which individuals’ progress along a continuum of growth. The faculty of the Department of Nursing embrace the core values of holistic nursing as the fundamental tenets within the discipline of nursing. The goal of holistic nursing is whole person healing, and holistic nurses recognized 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 to obtain or maintain implementation, and evaluation as well as collaboration with individuals, families, groups, and health team members. They enter into therapeutic partnerships with individuals, families, communities, and populations and incorporate many nursing roles—clinician, educator, advocate, leader, consultant, role model. The focus is always on the whole person, protecting, promoting and optimizing health, facilitating healing, preventing illness and injury, alleviating suffering, and supporting people in finding balance, harmony, and peace throughout their experience.

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 judgment, and decision making congruent with the level of practice. Nursing education develops students who provide geographically relevant, culturally sensitive, evidence-based, ethical, and spiritually appropriate health care services, opportunities for the development of personal qualities such as creativity, maturity, and the expansion of intellectual and cultural perspectives. Graduate education extends the development of these qualities both in depth and scope.

Nursing knowledge is acquired through empirical, personal, ethical, aesthetic, and social knowing. Education at all levels occurs in an environment of scholarly inquiry and its dedicated to preparing students to care about and for individuals through the lifespan. Preparation for baccalaureate professional nursing practice is based on a program of studies 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 an awareness and ability to provide leadership for 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. 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. In addition to creatively using knowledge from the sciences and humanities in their encounters with people and communities they serve, nurses produce knowledge that, in turn, contributes to these sciences and humanities and to the distinctive knowledge of practice that is the forte of nursing.

The practice of holistic nursing requires nurses to integrate self-care, self-responsibility, spirituality, and reflection in their lives. This may lead the nurse to greater awareness of the interconnectedness with self, others, nature, and spirit. This awareness may further enhance the nurses understanding of all individuals and their relationships to the human and global community. Faculty foster a personal commitment to critical thinking, caring, and communication among each other, students, and clients of nursing. They are committed to providing programs of learning that meet the needs of a diverse student population.

Goals of the Traditional Undergraduate and Nursing Accelerated Program (C-NAP) Curricula

In addition to the competencies of the General Education Goals of the University, these goals are based on the philosophical concepts of the undergraduate curriculum of the Capital University Department of Nursing. The concepts are designed to prepare entry level generalist and professional practitioners in nursing, who practice from evidence base and provide safe, quality care to individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations. An emphasis in the accelerated program is preparation in the utilization of theory, research and informatics in beginning practice and study at the graduate level.

Graduates will incorporate standards of professional nursing practice while:

Using critical thinking and clinical judgment to apply knowledge from nursing science, the liberal arts, and behavioral sciences.

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

Collect and analyze data necessary to plan and deliver nursing care.
Acknowledge and holistically assess individuals, families and communities.
Analyze the assessment data to determine and prioritize the level of health present.
Explain how the interrelationships among the environment, individuals, families, groups, communities and populations influence health and health care.
Develop and prioritize a plan of care.
Deliver safe, competent and effective nursing care based on cognitive, psychomotor and affective knowledge and skills with individuals, families, communities, and populations.
Analyze and apply levels of evidence in the practice of nursing.
Teach clients principles of health promotion, risk reduction and disease prevention taking into consideration their level of knowledge, literacy, culture, and ability.
Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the care provided and revise the plan if necessary.

Communicating effectively to collaborate with clients and interprofessional and intraprofessional teams.

Competencies demonstrating achievement of effective communication include the ability to:

Use appropriate oral, written and nonverbal communication skills.
Acknowledge and use the contributions of clients and members of health care delivery systems.
Demonstrate behaviors that facilitate and maintain patient safety and quality care.
Delegate tasks to others in accordance with professional, ethical, and legal standards.
Document nursing care according to current professional, ethical, and legal guidelines.
Represent the Department of Nursing and affiliating agencies with respect and dignity.
Advocate for safe, quality, nursing care.

Demonstrating the holistic caring practice of professional nursing.

Competencies demonstrating caring include the ability to:

Incorporate the Patient Bill of Rights and Professional Organization Standards in client care situations.
Use cognitive, psychomotor and/or affective therapeutic interpersonal process to comfort, nurture and motivate individuals, families, and groups, communities, and populations.
Convey unconditional positive regard and respect for client and intraprofessional and interprofessional team members.
Demonstrate personal responsibility and accountability for professional behaviors.
Practice holistic caring behaviors that enhance both patient care and personal health with valuing of self.

Functioning within a variety of systems.

Competencies demonstrating systems knowledge include the ability to:

Provide 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 safety in autonomous and team situations.
Analyze safety and quality concerns in health care systems.
Demonstrate competent skills in clinical information systems and technology.

Facilitating transitions for self and clients.

Competencies demonstrating transition include the ability to:

Develop principles of leadership during transition to the role of the beginning professional nurse.
Integrate change theory while maintaining professional standards in practice.
Move from classroom/lab theory to clinical practice.
Move from knowledge of self-care to the care of individuals, to clients, to clients and their families, to multiple individuals, and to population arenas.
Assist clients through the life span and health continuum.
Demonstrate flexibility while maintaining professional standards in response to changing health care environments.
Apply principles of holistic care from self to individual clients, families, groups, communities, and populations.
Develop lifelong learners.

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 and health care practices of individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Acquire knowledge about a client and/or another culture group and practice skills of cross-cultural communication, cultural assessment, cultural interpretation and intervention when providing care.

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, personal statement, and participation in extracurricular activities are considered. All nursing students must possess the capability to complete, with or without reasonable accommodations, the curriculum. (See Pre-licensure handbook for essential performance requirements.

Admission to the C-NAP 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 will be interviewed. Minimum prerequisites must be completed prior to acceptance, and include microbiology, human anatomy and physiology, statistics, human nutrition, life span development, either psychology or sociology, and medical terminology. Science pre-requisites must have been taken within the last five years and includes a laboratory component and a cumulative average of 2.75. In addition, students must possess the capability to complete “Essential Performance Requirements” (see Pre-Licensure Handbook.)

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 which have a laboratory component.
It is recommended that the following prerequisite course work be completed prior to transfer into the sophomore year:
- Chemistry courses (Introduction to organic & biochemistry and inorganic)
- 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 director 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.

Transfer admission for Capital Nursing Accelerated Program C-NAP

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

Students should apply for admission to the C-NAP Program and meet University and Department of Nursing C-NAP 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 C-NAP admission must be met, including TOEFL scores that meet the C-NAP 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.
* 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.
For advanced standing in the C-NAP 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 C-NAP 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 will have an interview with 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 Vice-Chair of the Traditional Undergraduate Program. Change of major to nursing is not automatic. It will be based on CU academic performance, match of prerequisite courses, and seats available.

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.
If the curriculum has been changed since the last date of attendance, the new curricular changes may be required.
As long as the student wishing to be readmitted was in good standing at the time he/she left and seats are available, the Vice-Chair 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 Sub Committee of the program for approval to readmit. 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.
A space availability is required in the program.

Curriculum requirements

For students enrolled in the Traditional Undergraduate Program, the nursing curriculum requires 134 semester hours of credit which may be completed in four academic years and one summer. Two years are required for lower division study followed by a summer and two years of upper-division study. 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” may also be required to take an NCLEX-RN review during their senior year.

For students enrolled in the C-NAP Program, the nursing curriculum requires 63 semester hours of credit which are completed in two academic years and one summer (five consecutive semesters). 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 one graduate course is taken each semester beginning with the second semester. Completion of a graduate level writing competency is required prior to graduation. Clinical experiences begin in the first semester and continue throughout the curriculum, culminating in a capstone experience during the final semester.

General Education Goals are located in the bulletin.

Placement into Reading & Writing and Quantitative Reasoning is based on ACT scores. If you placed in English 100 or Math 110 as prerequisite for the specific general education course, the prerequisite will be counted as general elective credit.

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

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+ 76-81 C 70-75 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 76 percent or higher on exams in all required traditional nursing courses to pass the course.

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 then two total individual nursing courses may be repeated. An individual nursing course may be repeated only one time; however, no more then one of the total nursing courses failed and repeated may be a 300 or 400 level course. In the BSN Completion Program, no more than two nursing courses may be repeated and an individual nursing course or one graduate course may be repeated only one time. In the Accelerated Program (C-NAP), no more than one nursing course or one graduate course may be repeated. 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 and sophomores must have a minimum GPA ≥ 2.7 at the end of their sophomore year. 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 term.
In order to progress into NURS 310, the following required is:
1. 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 term.
2. Completed required biological/physical sciences (BIOL 100 , BIOL 231 , BIOL 232 , BIOL 280 ; CHEM 150 or CHEM 130 , CHEM 131 ). Grades of “C” (2.0) or better in the courses are required: “C-” is not acceptable. If you have transferred in sciences from another institution, a minimum cumulative average of 2.75 for those sciences is needed.
3. 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
  NURS 221
  or NURS 310 .
4. Complete all other 100 and 200 level nursing courses with grades of “C” or better.
5. Satisfactory completion of PSYCH 110 , Reading and Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Cultural Diversity General Education Goals.
Students who have not been successful in NURS 310 and have a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or greater at the end of the fall semester or could not process to NURS 310 after passing NURS 221 , may take NURS 310 the following summer. These students will be required to enroll in an independent study in NURS 221 to demonstrate skill competency prior to repeating NURS 310 .
In order to progress into
NURS 221 - Nursing Therapeutics, Self Care and Health Promotion
, all pre-requisites must be met including a “C” not “C-” in
BIOL 231 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I
and
BIOL 280 - General Microbiology/Immunology
.

Required Nursing Courses

Students must achieve an average grade of “C (76%)’ or higher in all nursing courses in order to pass each course.
Clinical experience may be granted either a pass/fail grade, or a letter grade, at the prerogative of the course faculty and in accordance with the syllabus for the course.
Clinical practice in a required clinical course must be satisfactory (a pass or greater than 76% grade) or the grade for the course will be no higher than a D.
Students must achieve a ≥ 76% on the exam component in each required nursing course.

Progression through the Accelerated Nursing Curriculum

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 subsequent courses.
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 Director 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 C-NAP courses and repeat the 500 level course in which he/she earned a failing grade prior to graduation.

Graduation requirements for the Traditional Undergraduate and BSN-completion Programs

For the Traditional Undergraduate Program, completion of 134 semester hours and all required courses; for all nursing courses grades of C or better.
For the BSN-Completion Program, 124 hours are required to graduate. Registered Nurses must successfully complete both the general education and required nursing courses. Elective hours make up the remaining hours needed to graduate.
Effective for the class of 2002, a cumulative grade point average of 2.25 or higher in all courses taken at Capital University.
Students in the pre-licensure programs (the traditional undergraduate program and C-NAP) must pass the standardized exit-RN exam before certification for graduation will be made. See “Standardized Testing” below.

C-NAP Graduation requirements

Academic graduation requirements include the following:

Completion of 63 semester hours and all the required C-NAP courses, including the three graduate level courses, NURS 500 , NURS 520 , and NURS 530 .
A grade of C or better in all 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.

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.

Standardized Testing for the Traditional Undergraduate Program and the C-NAP Program

Standardized testing is used at several points in the curriculum. Case studies, practice exams and specialty exams are used to measure progress in specific content areas, identify areas for further remediation, and prepare students for the licensing examination (NCLEX-RN) upon graduation. Two EXIT-RN examinations are administered during the last year of the program and a mandatory NCLEX-RN review course is offered at no additional cost to students. A passing score on the EXIT-RN examination is 850 or higher. Students who do not achieve an 850 on version one or two of the EXIT-RN exams are required to attend another NCLEX-RN review course at their own expense prior to certification of eligibility to take the licensing examination after graduation. In addition at risk students may be required to take the NCLEX-RN review course during their senior year if Exit-RN Version One is below 720.

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. Nursing students are afforded the same opportunities for assistance as other students in the university. Tuition for the summer courses, NURS 310 , is set annually. 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 310 (traditional students), NURS 363 (C-NAP students) or Nursing 415 and Nursing 425 (BSN-Completion students), students must file with the Nursing department evidence of up-to-date immunizations and the results of a health assessment. The completion of Hepatitis B immunization and rubella and varicella titers as well as Influenza vaccine(s) are required of all students before enrollment in clinical courses. Forms are available in the Nursing department or in the Pre-Licensure and Post-Licensure Handbook. Students must comply with all clinical guidelines and the Ohio Administrative Codes set forth by the Ohio Board of Nursing.

CPR

Prior to enrollment in NURS 310 (traditional students), NURS 363 (C-NAP students) or prior to enrollment in Nursing 415 and Nursing 425 (BSN completion 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 C-NAP students are responsible for purchasing uniforms as prescribed in the Student Uniform Policy. 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 healthcare professional is more prevalent than for the general public because of the access to drugs and the healthcare 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 Traditional Undergraduate Student Handbook.

Liability Insurance

Prior to enrollment in NURS 310 (traditional students), prior to enrollment in NURS 363 (C-NAP students) or prior to enrollment in Nursing 415 and Nursing 425 (BSN-Completion 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.

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 310 for traditional undergraduate students, or nursing 363 for C-NAP 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 Chair of the Department 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 Vice-Chair of the Program 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 Post-Licensure Student Handbooks, 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. Students will be notified of any policy changes in these handbooks. Students are responsible for policies in the Nursing 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,m 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.