Faculty: Marilyn Anfenson, Richard Beastrom, Mary Kay Becker, Adella Espelien, Barbara Hansmeier, Judith Knutson, Kathleen Lehn, Janet Neuwirth, Kathleen Ohman, LuAnn Reif, Laura Rodgers, Joyce Simones, Kathleen Twohy, Joan Wilcox

The department of nursing offers a four-year program which leads to a bachelor of science degree with a major in nursing. The program is accredited by the National League for Nursing and approved by the Minnesota Board of Nursing.

The goal of the nursing program is to prepare liberally educated women and men who can function as professional nurses in a variety of roles and health care settings and to prepare students for graduate study in nursing. Graduates, upon application and payment of fees, become eligible to take the National Council Licensing Examination for registered nurses. Students who have been convicted of a felony or gross misdemeanor may be ineligible to be licensed by the Board of Nursing and early in their course of study should seek clarification of their status.

The international honor society of nursing, Sigma Theta Tau, has a chapter at the College of Saint Benedict. Students from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University are eligible for membership. Faculty nominate nursing students for membership in the Kappa Phi chapter based on superior academic achievement. An active student nursing club encourages student involvement in professional and social activities.

Prerequisites: BIOL 212, 235, 236; CHEM 111, 112; EDUC 110; PHIL 145; PSYC 111.

Nursing Courses: NRSG 330, 332, 333, 335, 336, 337, 338, 340, 346, 347, 361, 365, 366, 373, 374.

Supporting Course: SOCI 329 OR SWRK 346.

There will be several areas of the nursing major changing over the next two years. Students are strongly encouraged to contact the department of nursing at least annually to find out about the changes.

Pre-nursing students seeking admission to the major should contact their nursing adviser early in the fall semester of the sophomore year. Students apply for admission to the major in the fall semester of the sophomore year. Application materials will be mailed to all students seeking admission to the major during the fall semester sophomore year.

(l) Completion of all prerequisite courses with at least a grade of C in each course prior to final acceptance into the nursing major.

(2) A minimum of 58 semester credits.

(3) Prerequisite course grade point average of at least 2.5.

(4) Completion of Application for Admission to the Major.

(5) An essay on professional goals.

(6) Current physical examination including up to date immunizations.

(7) Three references, one of which must be written by a faculty member.

(8) An interview with a nursing department faculty member.

Applicants are considered primarily on the basis of academic achievement as evidenced by prerequisite course GPA through fall term of the year they apply. Students with a minimum 2.5 prerequisite course grade point average are eligible to apply but are not guaranteed admission. Entry into the nursing major is competitive and class size is limited. Final acceptance to the major will be made following successful completion of all prerequisite courses.

(1) Retention in the major is contingent upon compliance with academic policies stated in the Academic Catalog, Every Woman’s Guide/J-Book and Department of Nursing Student Handbook.

(2) The nursing department retains in the major only those students who demonstrate personal and behavioral characteristics needed to assume the role of the professional nurse.

Nursing majors may receive special credit toward some core requirements. For information, contact the department of nursing.

All junior and senior nursing students are required to have personal liability insurance and provide their own transportation for clinical experiences. In most cases this stipulation means that the student must have individual access to a vehicle. First Aid certification and CPR for the Healthcare Provider are required for all nursing students before entry into the junior year. A physical examination, a tuberculin test and/or chest x-ray, current immunizations (including Hepatitis B) and CPR for the healthcare provider recertification are required annually.

Minnesota law requires that any person who provides services that involve direct contact with patients and residents at a health care facility licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health have a criminal background study conducted by the state. An individual who is disqualified from having direct patient contact as a result of the background study, and whose disqualification is not set aside by the Commissioner of Health, will not be permitted to participate in a clinical placement in a Minnesota licensed health care facility. Failure to participate in a clinical placement required by the academic program could result in ineligibility to qualify for a degree in this program.

The department of nursing offers opportunities for Minnesota licensed registered nurse students to complete a baccalaureate degree in nursing. These students are considered for advanced standing status after acceptance into the upper-division nursing major. They may validate up to 27 credits in nursing courses. Contact the department of nursing for the current plan of study for registered nurses. Other opportunities for advanced standing status are available on an individualized basis.

Study at the introductory level of a special topic not ordinarily offered during the semesters. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

177 January Term Core Topics. (0-4)

Study at the introductory level of a special topic not ordinarily offered during the semesters. Designed to fulfill core disciplinary requirement. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

271 Individual Learning Project. (1-4)  [Top]

Supervised reading or research at the lower-division level. Permission of department chair required. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. Not available to first-year students.

Study of a special topic not ordinarily offered during the semesters. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

Study of a special topic not ordinarily offered during the semesters. Designed to fulfill core disciplinary requirement. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

Core Concepts in Nursing introduces the student to the discipline of nursing. The concepts of self-care deficit theory, health-illness, communication, teaching/learning principles, socialization to the professional role, nursing process and critical thinking are explored.

Students begin developing nursing agency, particularly in the use of critical thinking, therapeutic relationships, and simple therapeutic nursing interventions, to assist low-risk childbearing women and newborn infants to meet health-related action demands. Prerequisite: admitted to nursing major.

Students will study pathophysiologic changes at the cellular level and the concomitant alterations in organ and system functions resulting in disease. Prerequisite: BIOL 235, 236 or permission of instructor.

Theoretical principles of selected technologies in nursing. Demonstration and practice of these technologies will occur in the laboratory with performance in a clinical setting. The clinical component is the care of older adults in a long-term care facility. Prerequisite: admitted to nursing major.

Application of the self-care deficit theory with acutely ill persons (including children and adults 18 years through the aged). One or more of the methods of assisting are learned. Prerequisites: 330, 332, 333, 335.

Clinical component includes care of the acutely ill child and adult surgical client. Prerequisites: 330, 332, 333, 335.

Theoretical principles of selected complex technologies in nursing. Demonstration and practice will occur in the classroom and laboratory setting. The clinical component will occur in NRSG 337. Prerequisite: 335.

A study of the general principles of pharmacology as applied by health-care professionals. Content includes general orientation to drugs and the effect of selected drugs on the body systems. Application will be made through clinical practice in NRSG 336/NRSG 337 and subsequent nursing courses. Prerequisite: 333.

Students integrate the concepts and traditions of community health and psychiatric/mental health into nursing practice. The course will provide the student with the foundation for making nursing judgements and designing culturally congruent nursing systems for individuals, families and communities. Emphasis is placed on social and interpersonal technologies. Prerequisite: 336, 337, 338, 340, SOCI 329/SWRK 346.

Clinical component of 346. The focus is on delivery of nursing care to individuals, families and populations at risk in community health and psychiatric settings. Assigned clients are in various age groups and different stages of the health/illness continuum. Prerequisites: 336, 337, 338, 340.

Continues the process of student socialization to the role of professional nurse. The main areas of exploration are historical aspects of the status of nursing as a practice discipline, examination of the nurse’s role in health-care policy and health-care delivery as well as an understanding of public and private laws which affect nursing. Societal forces including gender issues which affect nursing economics will be considered. Career planning and employment options are included. Prerequisite: Senior standing in the major or approval of the instructor.

Emphasizes the collaborative role of the nurse in providing holistic nursing care to individuals and families experiencing critical, chronic and/or terminal illness. Students will develop the ability to provide psychological support to clients and/or families coping with issues of loss, death, grief and chronic pain. Quality of life issues, and the meaning of suffering are examined. Prerequisites: 336, 337, 338, 340.

This clinical component includes care of clients experiencing a chronic medical illness and/or critical illness in a variety of settings. A chronic pediatric experience in a home setting is also included. Prerequisites: 336, 337, 338, 340.

Supervised reading or research at the upper-division level. Permission of department chair and completion and/or concurrent registration of 12 credits within the department required. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. Not available to first-year students.

Development of the coordinator of care role. Students will acquire knowledge and skill needed to promote quality nursing care and the discipline of nursing in a changing health care environment. Content areas include: leadership, management, change theory, ethics in health care, political activism and nursing research. Prerequisite: senior standing in the major.

This clinical course focuses on the application of knowledge and skills needed to promote quality nursing care and the discipline of nursing in a changing health care environment. Experiences include: legislative involvement, ethical decision making, staff development using Orem’s Self-Care Deficit theory, projects in quality improvement, delegation and supervision and research posters. Prerequisites: senior standing in the major.

Full-time learning experience during the January Term done under the direction of a faculty moderator, often in conjunction with an off-campus supervisor. Requires permission of instructor. Not available to first-year students.

Study at the upper-division level of a special topic not ordinarily offered during the semesters. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

Study at the upper-division level of a special topic not ordinarily offered during the semesters. Designed to fulfill core disciplinary requirement. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

Required for graduation with "All-College Honors" and "Departmental Distinction in Nursing." Prerequisite: HONR 396 and approval of the department chair and director of the honors program. For further information see HONR 398.