Nursing (B.S.)
Nursing is an interdisciplinary program grounded in the liberal arts. Nursing majors are undergraduate students who do not have an RN license. First year students are admitted to the College as Nursing majors and progress to upper level nursing courses in the junior year if all progress criteria are met. The nursing program is designed to ensure that graduates possess the knowledge, skill, and attitude reflecting the standards of the State of New Hampshire Board of Nursing (BON) and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The program of study in nursing, with the identified course learning outcomes, expectations, and cumulative semester competencies is designed to reflect the academic integrity expectations of all Keene State College programs while also achieving the requirements of state and national accreditation for our nursing graduates.
Fees
Additional expenses associated with the Nursing program include payment for immunizations, differential fees for clinical courses, travel expenses to and from off-campus clinical assignments, uniforms, professional memberships, and occasional conferences and workshops.
Admission and Progression Criteria
Nursing Major
Because of the professional nature of nursing and its responsibility to the public, the Nursing program has established the following admissions, progression, and graduation standards for student selection and progression toward earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing.
Admitted Freshmen - Declared Nursing Majors
First-year students/freshmen are conditionally admitted to the College as Nursing majors. Each cohort is limited to 32 students. Students in the Nursing major are advised and assisted with program planning throughout the program of study by nursing faculty. Nursing graduates are eligible to take the National Council Licensing Exam for RNs (NCLEX-RN) upon program completion of the Nursing major and graduation requirements.
Admission Criteria
Entering first-year students must meet minimum entry requirements of the college and have a minimum high school GPA of 3.25. Admission to the Nursing major guarantees progression to clinical nursing course sequence starting in junior level if at the end of the sophomore spring semester year, the student has met the following progress criteria.
Progression Criteria
- Attending a mandatory nursing orientation meeting in the spring of their sophomore year.
- Successful completion of the ISP and Allied Discipline requirements by the end of the sophomore year.
- Successful completion of the nursing Basic Math Competency requirement.
- A minimum overall GPA of 3.4 to progress to junior level nursing courses.
- A minimum course grade of 3.0 (B) and a cumulative GPA of 3.25 in the following required science classes: INCHEM-111 General Chemistry, BIO-230 Human Anat & Phys I, BIO-332 Human Anat & Phys II, and HLSC-240 Microbio for Health Profession
Additional Expectations and Responsibilities for Nursing Students
- Each semester, students must successfully (90%) complete the Nursing Clinical Calculation Competency assessment test as one of the required components for administering medications to clients in clinical.
- Students must earn a 3.0 (B) or higher in each required nursing (NURS) course.
- Students must achieve a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 to earn the bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN)
- Students are responsible for the purchase of nursing apparel, professional memberships, ATI Nursing Education materials and expenses associated with required background checks and drug testing prior to clinical placement.
- Students must submit a satisfactory background check with results indicating no findings that could compromise clinical placement eligibility.
- Students must provide proof of immunization prior to clinical placement. Immunizations include: 2-step Tb, Varicella, MMR, Hepatitis B series (HEPVAC). HEPVAC requires that the series start around the time of application submission to ensure the six-month series is entirely completed before clinical practice begins.
- Students must provide proof of certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation for health care providers at the point of application and must maintain certification until after graduation.
- Travel outside of the Keene area is required for clinical experiences, and students are responsible for their own transportation.
Non-Nursing Majors (Internal or External Transfer Students)
Each cohort of nursing majors is limited to a maximum of 32 students; a limited number of openings for transfer students may occur. Should openings be available, individual non-nursing major students may apply to become Nursing majors.
Application to the Nursing major for Non-Nursing majors (internal transfers) and transfer students from other institutions (external transfers) can occur at the end of the freshman year, but must be started prior to the beginning of spring semester sophomore level.
Admission Criteria
- Students transferring from other institutions must apply to the College and be accepted.
- All interested students must contact the Nursing program director by email at nursing@keene.edu
- Transfer students must successfully complete all the ISP and Allied Discipline requirements by the end of the sophomore year or request special consideration to complete progression requirements during the summer prior to junior year.
- Successful completion of the nursing Basic Math Competency requirement. See Nursing Program Student Handbook at www.keene.edu/nursing.
- A minimum overall GPA of 3.4.
- A minimum course grade of 3.0 (B) and a cumulative GPA of 3.25 in the following required science classes: INCHEM-111 General Chemistry, BIO-230 Human Anat & Phys I, BIO-332 Human Anat & Phys II, HLSC-240 Microbio for Health Profession
- Completion of the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) scoring at the "Proficient" level or above.
- Applicants can take the TEAS two (2) times in a calendar year with a minimum of 90 days between attempts. Applicants choosing to retake the TEAS must retest on all sections of the test. The results from only one test will be considered.
Progress to the junior level Nursing courses will be based on:
- the availability of open seats, and
- the applicant's cumulative GPA.
In the event two or more students have the same cumulative GPA, the tie will be broken based on:
- their cumulative GPAs in Science courses and/or
- the discretion of the Director of Nursing.
Integrative Studies Requirements
40 credits minimum
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements (100 credits) | ||
| Pre-Licensure Option | ||
| Allied Courses (20 Credits) | ||
| MATH-141 | Introductory Statistics | 4 |
| INHLSC-175 | Essentials of Nutrition Sci | 4 |
| ISHLSC-285 | Health in Society | 4 |
| ISPSYC-312 | Lifespan Psychology | 4 |
| Foreign language course | 4 | |
| Science Courses (16 Credits) | ||
| BIO-230 | Human Anat & Phys I | 4 |
| BIO-332 | Human Anat & Phys II | 4 |
| INCHEM-111 | General Chemistry | 4 |
| HLSC-240 | Microbio for Health Profession | 4 |
| Pre-Licensure Courses (60 Credits) | ||
| NURS-101 | Professional Nursing | 2 |
| NURS-302 | Fundamentals of Nursing | 4 |
| NURS-303 | Nursing Pharmacology I | 2 |
| NURS-304 | Clinical: Patient Cntr Care | 4 |
| NURS-306 | Pathophysiology for Nursing | 2 |
| NURS-307 | Evidence Based Clinical I | 4 |
| NURS-308 | Medical Surgical Nursing I | 4 |
| NURS-309 | Nursing Research I | 2 |
| NURS-312 | Health Promo & Assess | 4 |
| NURS-314 | Nursing Pharmacology II | 2 |
| NURS-316 | Psychosocial Nursing | 4 |
| NURS-403 | Evidence Based Practice II | 4 |
| NURS-404 | Nursing Leadership | 4 |
| NURS-405 | Nursing Research II | 2 |
| NURS-406 | Transition to Practice Clin | 4 |
| NURS-407 | Medical Surgical Nursing II | 4 |
| NURS-408 | NCLEX-RN Prep & Review | 2 |
| NURS-409 | Psychosocial Nursing | 4 |
| NURS-410 | Medical Surgical Nursing III | 2 |
| NURS-411 | Parent Child Nursing Care | 4 |
| Total Credits | 100 | |
Electives
Select courses to reach a total of 120 credits for the degree.
Degree Requirements
120 credits
40 credits at the upper-level
Upon completion of the Nursing B.S. degree, student will:
- Demonstrate accountability for practicing nursing within established moral, legal, ethical, regulatory, and humanistic principles.
- Demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care and the ability to effectively call on system resources to provide care that is of optimal quality and value.
- Use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision-making.
- Identify, evaluate, and use the best current evidence coupled with clinical expertise and consideration of patients' preferences, experience, and values to make practice decisions.
- Function effectively within nursing and interdisciplinary teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, shared decision-making, team learning, and development.
- Minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both individual performance and system effectiveness.
- Use data to monitor outcomes and care processes, and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care.
- Influence the behavior of individuals or groups of individuals within their environment in a way that will facilitate the establishment and acquisition/achievement of shared goals.
- Deliver holistic nursing care, advocate for health promotion and disease prevention strategies at the individual, family, community, and global levels.
- Demonstrate effective communication skills with clients that foster mutual respect and shared decision making to enhance patient satisfaction and health outcomes.