The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at The Ohio State University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.
The baccalaureate program in nursing prepares students for entry-level professional practice positions in a variety of settings and is the prerequisite for advanced graduate study. Undergraduate professional education in nursing is both a liberal and a professional education designed to prepare students to provide nursing care based on scientific and humanistic principles.
Course requirements are designed to allow students to obtain knowledge needed for care of people of all ages and cultures. The study of professional nursing includes classroom and laboratory instruction in the art and science of nursing and supervised clinical instruction in a variety of hospital and community settings.
Each year of the curriculum builds upon content from the previous one as students are prepared to care for individuals, families, groups and communities with increasingly complex health care needs and problems. In addition, with increasing complexity, students are given opportunities to collaborate and cooperate within a multidisciplinary team approach to health care.
Although the emphasis may be different in each course, each course in the curriculum will include concepts of risk assessment and health promotion; primary, acute and chronic care; psychological and social aspects of care; broad-based cultural aspects of care; ethical issues; and informatics.
Outcomes for Graduates of the Baccalaureate Program
At graduation, BSN graduates are prepared to enter professional nursing practice as a generalist and have the foundation for graduate studies in nursing. They will be prepared to:
1. Integrate knowledge from a liberal education, the sciences, and nursing to address the health care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations across the life span in diverse and global health care systems and environments.
2. Apply a systematic process for application and evaluation of scientific evidence related to the principles of health promotion, risk reduction, disease prevention, and illness management across the continuum of dynamic healthcare environments.
3. Apply the knowledge and skills of information management and patient care technologies to deliver high quality nursing care that addresses legal, ethical, historical, and emerging issues.
4. Communicate effectively and work collaboratively with individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations within nursing and with other health disciplines to design, manage, and deliver high quality and safe patient-centered care.
5. Demonstrate a commitment to leadership and professionalism through the delivery of socially, ethically, and fiscally responsible care while embracing the concept of life-long learning.
TECHNICAL STANDARDS FOR NURSING STUDENTS: POLICY GUIDELINES
The College of Nursing is committed to equal access for all qualified program applicants and thus has identified technical standards essential to the delivery of safe, effective nursing care while enrolled as a student in the program. These standards determine the students’ ability to acquire knowledge and develop the clinical skills required by the curriculum. The student must continually meet these standards throughout their course of study in nursing for successful program completion. Failure to maintain these standards may result in removal from the clinical course.
General Abilities: Must be able to utilize the data typically received by the senses so it can be integrated into care in an accurate manner. Examples include: interpreting patient’s verbal and non-verbal expression of pain; identifying baseline physical assessment findings and changes in temperature, vibration, color and movement; identifying and interpreting heart, lung, abdominal sounds and blood pressure; having the ability to respond to equipment and monitor alarms; interpreting charts and computer data accurately.
Communication: Must be able to communicate effectively with both spoken and written communication in real time with a primarily English speaking population. Examples include: performing patient teaching, communicating patient status changes, and maintaining accurate patient records.
Patient Care: Must possess the ability to independently perform nursing skills within a safe time frame and engage in activities over an extended period of time (i.e., 6-12 hour clinical practicum). Examples of activities include: the ability to support and transfer patients; position and manipulate medical equipment using both fine and gross motor skills; prepare and administer medications; use the techniques of palpation and percussion; perform CPR.
Professional Behavior and Conduct: Must be responsible and accountable for behavior and actions, demonstrating sound judgment consistent with the professions’ (ANA) Scope & Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics for Nurses. Examples include: handling stressful situations in a calm manner, interacting with patients, families and other healthcare team members with compassion, concern and sensitivity; acting with honesty, integrity and confidentiality; dressing appropriately; acting professionally.
Clinical Judgment: Must have the ability to think critically and abstractly, assess, analyze, problem-solve and make clinical judgments and decisions for safe patient care. Examples include: measuring, calculating, prioritizing, reasoning, recognizing urgent or emergent situations, responding appropriately and using both short and long term memory functions.
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