Department of Nursing

School of Nursing and Health Sciences Mission Statement

The School of Nursing and Health Sciences (SONHS) exists to glorify God by providing a transformative education that cultivates leaders who value integrity and professionalism that results in ethical, compassionate, and client-centered care.

School of Nursing Mission Statement

To provide quality nursing education within a Christian liberal arts university that prepares the professional nurse to contribute service and leadership to diverse communities.

School of Nursing Goals

The overall goal of the School of Nursing is to graduate students who use their faith to interpret and excel in professional skills, critical reasoning, ability to apply theory, to practice from an evidence base and contribute service and leadership in diverse communities. The specific goals of all programs are

integrate faith and learning in the classroom and nursing practice;
advance professional skills and develop the ability to create new roles in nursing practice based on advanced education and supervised experience;
critical reasoning skills as demonstrated by intellectually disciplined conceptualization, application, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluation by informed reflection, observation and communication;
integrate relevant theories into outcome-based practice applications, and;
evidence-based practice skills, designed to improve health and well-being.

School of Nursing Admission Expectations

All graduate applicants should possess:

graduate-level communication skills;
computer competency;
strong academic skills;
strong motivation for learning;
awareness of the time and effort required to successfully complete program requirements;
a willingness to be part of a group learning process, and;
potential for growth and development in the student’s chosen field.

NOTE: A conference call interview may be required at the discretion of the admissions committee.

School of Nursing Student Expectations

Graduate nursing students are expected to

adhere to all Spring Arbor University lifestyle distinctives while engaged in academic or clinical activities;
demonstrate professional nursing behavior as prescribed by the American Nurses Association (ANA) Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice; and ANA Code of Ethics;
promote a learning environment for self and others that is conducive to accomplishment of the Essentials of Doctoral or Master’s Education for Advanced Practice Nursing (AACN) and the nursing program outcomes;
actively engage in promoting a positive online community learning environment;
demonstrate accountability and responsibility in the academic and practice arenas,
value and respect the contributions of others;
take responsibility for being an autonomous, self-directed learner;
communicate with colleagues and faculty in an effective, professional manner that supports positive learning outcomes, and;
display a caring, compassionate approach to all within the learning and practice environment.

School of Nursing Education Model

This model serves as a guide for program goals and outcomes.

School of Nursing Program Policies

In addition to the policies listed in the General Information and Academic Policies sections of this catalog, School of Nursing programs have the following policies.

Progression of Studies

In addition to institutional requirements provided in the Graduate Catalog, all students must meet the following criteria to complete any School of Nursing program:

The School of Nursing has identified prerequisite courses that must be passed satisfactorily or with a passing grade of at least “B-” to continue in the program.
Any student who temporarily leaves a School of Nursing program must meet requirements of the catalog in effect at the time of readmission.
Due to the academic and professional behaviors required of advanced professional nurses, the expectation is for all students to comply with American Nurses Association (ANA) Scope of Practice and Code of Ethics. A student may be dismissed from the program for a serious violation of these standards. An appeals process is outlined in the university catalog.

Program Format

Students matriculate through the nursing programs in a cohort, which promotes interaction with professionals from diverse backgrounds and offers a sense of community as students grow to know each other. Seven-week didactic courses are typically taken one at a time while concurrently completing required clinical/project courses.

Practicum or Clinical Experience

Prior to the start of any practicum or clinical practice or as required by an institutional setting, there must be proof of compliance with all agency or institutional requirements. It is the responsibility of the registered nurse graduate student to maintain currency of records. Requirements may include but are not limited to the following:

Current unrestricted, unencumbered RN license in the state or country of practice;
Proof of professional nursing liability insurance coverage throughout the enrollment period (minimum of $1 million - $3 million);
Criminal Background Check at the Federal or International level*;
CPR/BCLS certification as required, proof of TB testing, any required immunizations, vaccinations, HIPPA training, others as required.

*The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) institutes regulations in order for hospitals, home health agencies, clinics, etc. to gain or maintain accreditation status. One of these regulations requires that “all persons who are involved in patient care activities, i.e., employees, volunteers, and students must have criminal background checks as well as other health care related checks.” Criminal background checks and drug tests must be initiated by the student and completed prior to beginning any clinically-related practicums, followed by annual checks until completion of program.

The student is responsible for all financial obligations and transportation related to the associated agency or institutional requirements and must maintain current records in the nursing department. Noncompliance with any agency requirements may result in program delay or academic withdrawal.

Approval for commencing with practicum or clinical experience is based on a comprehensive review of academic performance, successful completion of all prerequisite and foundation course requirements, and program approval by the academic advisor in conjunction with the nursing department.

Grade Requirements

In addition to institutional requirements, School of Nursing students must meet the following criteria to complete any nursing program.

A minimum letter grade of “B-” is required as a passing grade for all NUR courses. A grade of “C+” or below is considered unsatisfactory for NUR courses and does not count toward the degree.
Clinical or practicum courses are graded as Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U). The clinical /practicum may also be repeated once if a student receives an unsatisfactory grade and has no other unsatisfactory grades in previous courses within the program.
If a student receives a grade of “C+” or lower in a nursing course, it may be repeated one time. Students may only repeat one course and remain in the program.
Though a student’s GPA will be improved with a subsequent passing grade of a repeated course, the original grade below the minimum passing requirement stands with regard to program progression should the student earn another unsatisfactory grade in the program. A second unsatisfactory grade, whether in a clinical or didactic course, will result in dismissal from the program.
Students in the MSN/MBA program should consult the MBA portion of this catalog regarding graduation requirements. Regarding grade requirements, students in the MSN/MBA concentration are accepted to and are students of the MSN program; therefore, in addition to institutional requirements, MSN/MBA students must follow the MSN grade requirements for all MSN and MBA courses to meet the requirements for completing the MSN program.