Bachelor of Science in Nursing

The baccalaureate in nursing degree program at Baptist Health Sciences University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (655 K Street NW Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791).

The baccalaureate in nursing degree program is also approved by the Tennessee Board of Nursing (Health Related Boards 665 Mainstream Drive, Nashville, TN 37243, 1-615-532-5166; tn.gov/health).

The goals of baccalaureate nursing education at Baptist University are to:

1. Prepare professional nurses as generalists who:
   • Provide comprehensive direct and indirect person-centered care for diverse populations along the health-illness continuum, in a variety of health care settings.
   • Promote equity, inclusion, quality, and safety as well as stewardship of health care resources.
   • Use research to guide evidence-based practice.
2. Prepare graduates to successfully pass the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).
3. Provide an avenue for graduates of Associate Degree in Nursing and Diploma programs to attain the knowledge and competencies of the professional nurse at the baccalaureate level.

Using previously learned concepts (i.e., from the liberal arts, sciences and nursing) the graduate will:​
 

1. Interpret, integrate, and apply knowledge from nursing and other healthcare disciplines to distinguish professional nursing and form a basis for clinical judgment.
2. Provide and coordinate person-centered care built upon a evidence-based body of knowledge to guide nursing practice.
3. Promote and implement population health focused activities across the healthcare delivery continuum for the improvement of equitable population health outcomes.
4. Apply and evaluate nursing knowledge to improve health outcomes.
5. Use principles of safety and quality improvement sciences to minimize risk of harm to clients and others, and enhance health outcomes.
6. Collaborate with clients and care team members to optimize equity in care delivery, enhance the healthcare experience, and strengthen health outcomes.
7. Effectively and proactively coordinate resources across healthcare systems to provide safe, quality, and equitable care to diverse populations.
8. Use informatics processes and technologies to manage and improve the delivery of safe, quality, and efficient healthcare services in accordance with best practice and professional and regulatory standards.
9. Form and cultivate a professional identity that reflects nursing's characteristics and values.
10. Participate in activities and self-reflection that fosters the personal, professional, and leadership development of the nurse.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from Baptist Health Sciences University indicates the graduate is prepared to enter into supervised practice after obtaining registered nursing licensure. Therefore, all applicants and matriculated students must possess certain essential abilities and characteristics required for completion of the BSN degree that consist of certain minimum physical and cognitive abilities and emotional characteristics. This is to ensure that candidates for admission, matriculation, and graduation are able to complete the entire course of study and participate fully in all aspects of baccalaureate nursing training, with or without reasonable accommodations. 

To be qualified for the BSN degree and subsequent licensure, the student must demonstrate competency in five requisite areas: observation and sensory; communication; motor; intellectual-conceptual; and behavioral and social attributes. Students are required to demonstrate said competencies to provide safe and effective nursing care in a wide variety of clinical environments.

Baptist Health Sciences University  is committed to the admission and matriculation of qualified students and does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, sex, gender, marital status, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, creed, or religion. Students with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations if needed to meet these technical standards by following the University’s policies and procedures and contacting the Office for Disability Services as outlined at the end of this document. A student must be able to perform these outlined technical standards in an independent manner. 

Students who accept an offer of admission from Baptist Health Sciences University to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing major will be required to sign an affirmation regarding compliance with the technical standards. Should a student's ability to meet the technical standards change at any point in the academic program, it is his/her responsibility to report this to the Undergraduate Nursing Program Chair and/or the Office of Disability Services.

Requisite Competency Areas 

I. Observation and Sensory
Students must be able to acquire a defined level of information in the nursing theoretical, clinical, and health sciences domains. Students must be able to obtain information from demonstrations and experiments in the health sciences. Students must be able to assess a patient and evaluate findings accurately. The observation and information acquisition noted above will require students to have functional use of visual, auditory and touch sensations or the functional equivalent. 

II. Communication
A student must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently, and to observe patients in order to elicit information, detect and describe changes in mood, activity, and posture; perceive nonverbal communications; and establish a therapeutic relationship. A student must be able to respectfully communicate effectively, efficiently and sensitively with patients, their families, faculty, peers and all other members of the health care team. Communication includes speech, reading and writing or the functional equivalent.

III. Motor
Students must, after a reasonable period of training, possess the capacity to perform physical assessments. They must be able to respond to clinical situations in a timely manner and provide general and emergency nursing care. These activities require some physical mobility, coordination of both gross and fine motor neuromuscular function and balance and equilibrium. Such actions require coordination of gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium, and functional use of the senses of touch and vision or the functional equivalent.

IV. Intellectual - Conceptual
Students must possess proficient measurement, calculation, reasoning, and analysis skills. Clinical judgment, the critical skill demanded of registered nurses, requires all of these intellectual abilities. In addition, students must be able to comprehend three dimensional relationships and to understand and be able to work within the spatial relationships of structures. They must have the intellectual capability to increase their fund of information and knowledge base through various media as well as from course materials, scheduled conferences, lectures, rounds, current literature and journals; and to make appropriate evaluations of clinical circumstances. Analytical problem-solving skills are critical in nursing and students must be able to perform in a timely manner, tasks utilizing such skills. The practice of nursing implies the protection and safety of patients, not just the ability to pass licensure examinations. Registered nurses are responsible for those who place themselves into their care and must demonstrate the ability to rapidly process information, make decisions, and perform the appropriate interventions. Certain personal characteristics are expected of a nurse. These include integrity, compassion, interpersonal skills, and motivation.

V. Behavioral and Social Attributes
Students must exercise good judgment and act professionally, complete all responsibilities promptly and effectively, attend to the nursing diagnosis, medical treatment and care of patients while maintaining mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients. Students must be able to function effectively under stressful conditions, adapt to changing environments, and function in the face of the uncertainties inherent in the clinical care of patients. Compassion, integrity, empathy, interpersonal skills, interest, and motivation are all personal qualities that will be assessed during the educational process. Students must display flexibility and a spirit of cooperation with faculty, classmates, and colleagues. Students must be able serve (in an appropriate manner) all persons in need of assistance, regardless of the person's age, class, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation (or lack thereof), gender identification, ability, sexual orientation, and value system.

Reasonable Accommodations for Students with Disabilities 
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and other applicable laws, Baptist Health Sciences University provides reasonable accommodations for otherwise qualified students with verified disabilities. An accommodation will not be provided if it would result in the fundamental alteration of the university’s programs, services or activities, or if it would impose undue financial or administrative burdens on the University. 
Additional information about Baptist Health Sciences University’s Office of Disability Services may be found at https://www.baptistu.edu. If student circumstances should change related to these technical standards, the student will promptly notify the Undergraduate Nursing Program Chair and/or the Office of Disability Services if reasonable accommodations are required at any point. 
 

To obtain a bachelor of science in nursing degree, students are required to successfully complete a total of 122 semester hours of course work. The program is designed to accommodate high school graduates and transfer students. 

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