The philosophy of the nursing program is summarized by the following statement: Nursing is the care of persons, families or populations who are experiencing or can be expected to experience variations in health and the tending of the entire environment in which care occurs.
The nursing program mission flows from the college mission by preparing competent ethical nursing graduates at the baccalaureate and master’s level. The integration of knowledge from the liberal arts and sciences with professional education is designed to provide a student‐centered, high-quality education in nursing, grounded in evidence-based theory, including the educational and clinical opportunities that prepare them to practice as professional nurses. It is expected that graduates will practice in a variety of settings as they serve persons from diverse backgrounds in need of health care and form collaborative partnerships with professionals in other disciplines. In addition to a liberal education, the core components of the program in nursing are grounded in the Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (2008) and the Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing (2011) and include the competencies and knowledge essential to nursing practice, the values of the healing professions and the development of the professional role of the nurse. The program prepares its graduates for lifelong learning and a spirit of inquiry.
Admission for Students Interested in the Nursing Major:
The nursing program at Colby-Sawyer College is extremely selective. To be successful in nursing, students who apply for admission to the college with the intention of pursuing a major in nursing should have a minimum of three years of college-preparatory laboratory science including biology, chemistry and mathematics and achieve a minimum high school grade point average of B+.
Nursing students are eligible to take 1 graduate level course in nursing during the senior year with permission from the director and chair of nursing in the School of Nursing & Health Sciences.
Transfer Students:
The Colby-Sawyer College nursing curriculum is designed for the student seeking a Bachelor of Science with a major in nursing. The ability to accept transfer students seeking entry into the nursing program will be evaluated on an individual basis and will be considered only when space permits. Priority for entrance to the nursing program is given to enrolled Colby-Sawyer College students. Further information is available from the Admissions Office.
Nursing Program Academic Policies:
A minimum grade of B‐ is required in BIO 205, BIO 206, and BIO 121 and all nursing courses. Students may repeat all science courses once if necessary. All required BIO courses must be completed at Colby‐Sawyer College.
For external transfer students only: BIO courses taken at outside institutions may be considered for transfer with a grade of B- or better after approval of equivalency (Eff 11/2020).
All required BIO courses must be completed prior to the start of clinical experiences.
Students may repeat one nursing course one time if necessary.
Nursing courses which have clinical internships have two grade components: a clinical grade expressed as Pass/Fail and a classroom grade. Students must demonstrate competence in both the classroom and clinical/lab components of the nursing courses to progress in the major. Students who fail a nursing course based upon their clinical performance and/or receive a grade less than a B‐ in the classroom must successfully repeat both the classroom and clinical components of the course before they can progress in the major. Permission to repeat a clinical course must be granted by the director and chair of nursing in the School of Nursing & Health Sciences and will be considered only when space permits.
The nursing faculty reserves the right to require withdrawal of any student whose health, conduct or academic standing makes it unsafe for the student to remain in a nursing course or in a clinical setting. Failure to comply with clinical agency policy is also cause for dismissal from the nursing major.
Clinical Education:
Clinical courses are taught by nursing faculty who are responsible for assisting students in the integration of theory and practice in a clinical setting. During the spring of the senior year, students complete a Capstone clinical preceptorship, working one-on-one with a nurse-preceptor in a clinical setting under the guidance of nursing faculty. During the senior year, students also develop and implement a Capstone leadership project, addressing a health care issue they have identified.
Colby-Sawyer College is fortunate to offer its students clinical experiences in a variety of inpatient and community settings. The School of Nursing & Health Sciences has relationships with Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, New London Hospital, Lake Sunapee Region Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice and New Hampshire area schools, in addition to other health and human services organizations.
At the time clinical experiences begin, every nursing student must have on record in the School of Nursing & Health Sciences evidence of current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the health care provider/professional rescuer level, issued by either the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association. In addition, nursing students must comply with all clinical agency health requirements that will be specified during NUR 203 Introduction to Professional Nursing. Students may not attend clinical internships without proper documentation of all health and safety requirements on file in the School of Nursing & Health Sciences. A criminal background check and a urine drug screening test are agency requirements. Random urine drug screening may also be conducted at the discretion of the program. All annual and biannual requirements should be completed during the summer months so that none expire during the school year. Laptop (not “tablet”) computers that have the capability of meeting the operating system requirements of the college and that have sufficient battery capability for a three-hour testing session, are required. Additional fees for the Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) testing package will be required.
Students who are ill are discouraged from participation in the classroom and clinical learning environments. Students who are absent during a clinical day(s) must make up the missed time and may be asked to pay a fee to cover the faculty costs incurred by a make-up day.
Upon completion of degree requirements, students will:
- Incorporate, integrate and apply a broad body of knowledge from the liberal arts and sciences to the acquisition of nursing knowledge as the foundation for safe quality patient care.
- Promote the delivery of compassionate, culturally competent patient centered care in various settings using the core competencies and knowledge that underlie state and national standards of practice.
- Deliver high-quality, cost-effective patient care through the application of organizational and systems leadership, quality improvement concepts and patient safety outcomes.
- Exercise clinical judgment and make ethical decisions using critical thinking to deliver and evaluate safe, evidence‐based nursing care across the lifespan and the continuum of care.
- Communicate effectively in writing, verbally and electronically with all members of the interdisciplinary health care team, including clients, families, communities and their support systems.
- Demonstrate professional attitudes and behaviors that incorporate clients’ rights and professional codes and standards.
- Understand the micro‐systems and macro‐systems that influence health care delivery in order to achieve quality patient outcomes that address health care disparities within economic boundaries.
- Use critical inquiry and information technology to participate in quality improvement processes.
- Assume responsibility for professional development and life‐long learning in an ever‐changing and challenging health care environment.