Dr. Kim Hanna, Dean; Dr Barbara Jared, Director
The Bachelors of Science Nursing degree provides a high quality professional nursing education with emphasis on meeting health needs of rural and semi-rural communities. Specifically, the program provides opportunities for students to develop knowledge, attitudes, and skills that form the basis for professional nursing practice. The program emphasizes the utilization of the nursing process, which includes critical thinking and decision-making in planning, implementing, and evaluating health care services.
The curriculum is designed to prepare the generalist professional nurse to function in and contribute to the delivery of health care services to individuals, families, and groups in homes, clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, schools and community health care settings. The first two years provide a basic foundation in the physical and social sciences, humanities, nutrition, as well as an introduction to nursing.
The five semesters of upper division comprise the professional nursing major with its focus on the understanding and the application of the nursing theory, nursing process, scientific principles, and the research process to health promotion, disease prevention, and care of the sick. The clinical practica utilize major hospitals, mental health facilities, primary care centers, community and state health departments, private health care offices, and other agencies in the Upper Cumberland region and occasionally in urban settings. Students must meet academic requirements as well as requirements for performance in clinical practice. These requirements are found in the TTU School of Nursing Student Handbook and course syllabi.
Freshmen entering the nursing program (Lower Division Nursing) follow a three to four-semester directed plan of study that prepares them to apply for acceptance into Upper Division Nursing. These students must declare an Interdisciplinary Studies major, and can transfer to the Nursing major after acceptance into Upper Division Nursing. Students entering the Lower Division Nursing program are placed into the lower-division nursing Career Track . The lower-division nursing Career Track provides guidance and support to these students. Students may also apply to the Upper Division Nursing after completing the pre-requisite courses at a liberal arts or junior college.
When two candidates for admission are equally qualified, preference for admission to Upper Division will be given to students at TTU, to transfer students from TBR colleges, and to those who are Tennessee residents.
Candidates apply to the School of Nursing by February 1 for admission to the following Fall NURS clinical program or August 1 for acceptance to the following NURS clinical program. The School of Nursing Admissions and Credits Committee implement the admission process. While candidates are required to have a minimum of 3.0 quality point average (QPA) in all university course work to compete for admission to Upper Division Nursing, it is recommended students maintain at least a 3.2 to be competitive. Also, candidates must complete all required courses in Lower Division prior to entering into Upper Division, fulfill health records documentation requirements and have a cleared background check. Conditional acceptance may be given to candidates completing required Lower Division course work prior to Upper Division entry. Admission to Upper Division Nursing is limited to space available. Students must have a valid Basic Life Support CPR Certification for Health Care Providers prior to or upon entry into Upper Division Nursing.
Students must attain a grade of “C” or better in each required social, physical science, and nursing course.
A comprehensive overview of admission, progression, and retention policies for the program are in the School of Nursing Handbook. The Student Handbook can be accessed on the TTU School of Nursing web page http://www.tntech.edu/nursing
The baccalaureate degree in nursing at Tennessee Technological University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org), and approved by the Tennessee Board of Nursing. Graduates may be admitted to the examination for license to practice as registered nurses (R.N.) following successful completion of the BSN.
Registered nurses who have a diploma or associate degree and are currently licensed or eligible for licensure in Tennessee; or are concurrently enrolled in an associate degree program, may also enter the School of Nursing for a BSN. A flexible program of study is designed for RN’s that offers opportunity for part-time study or online study in a time frame that allows for continued employment. After successful completion of 12 hours of Upper Division nursing course work (NURS 3281 OR NURS 3260 & 3261, NURS 3380, NURS 3430, NURS 3465) RN to BSN (designated as NURN) students will be awarded 32 semester hours of credit (NURS 3250, NURS 3270, NURS 3271, NURS 3280, NURS 3350, NURS 3361, NURS 3370, NURS 3371, NURS 4000, NURS 4001, NURS 4100, NURS 4101).
All Upper Division Nursing students are required to complete and submit the Student Health Form that shows proof of certain immunizations required for clinical practice. Because the School of Nursing seeks to provide a reasonably safe environment for its nursing students and their patients, a student may be required during the course of the program to demonstrate physical and/or emotional fitness to meet the essential requirements of the program. Such essential requirements may include freedom from communicable diseases, the ability to perform certain physical tasks, and suitable emotional fitness. Any appraisal measures used to determine such physical and/or emotional fitness would be in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Upper Division Nursing students are required to purchase liability insurance and will be assessed fees for achievement tests. The School of Nursing supports and enforces the TTU drug free campus/work place policy. Criminal background checks are a requirement for training at most affiliated clinical nursing sites. Additional screening, such as drug screening, may be a requirement for training at some affiliated clinical nursing sites. Based on the results of these checks, an affiliated clinical site may determine not to allow a student’s presence at their facility. This could result in the students’ inability to complete the program. The THA.com website has links available for requesting this check, a list of available vendors can be provided on request or the student may choose or be required to use the vendor designated by a clinical site to be allowed to train at that site.
