Nursing

Requirements

Admission to Newberry College and successful completion of prerequisite course work does not guarantee admission to the upper division Nursing major. Admission to the Nursing major as a junior student is a separate process that occurs in the spring of the sophomore year and is based on the student’s ability to compete academically with other applicants. The number of students admitted to the Nursing major in any given year is limited to those who can be accommodated, given available resources and within the regulations set forth by the State Board of Nursing for South Carolina.

Any Newberry College student may declare Prenursing as their initial program of study either upon admission to the College or after admission to the College. This declaration will mark their admission to the Prenursing (Lower Division) curriculum. Upon declaring their intent to the College, students must schedule an appointment with a nursing faculty advisor.

Admission to the Major

Prenursing students at Newberry College seeking admission to the upper division Nursing major must:

1. Have completed or be enrolled in a minimum of 64 credit hours of coursework applicable to the degree.
2. Have a minimum C grade in each of the 11 required Prenursing required courses listed below.
3. Have a minimum Prenursing GPA of 3.0 (calculated using the 11 Prenursing required courses, regardless of where they were taken) AND a minimum Science GPA of 3.0 (caclulated on the grades for BIO 212, BIO 215, BIO 216 and CHE 105) at the time of application to the Nursing program and at the point when the student begins the Nursing program. 
4. Have an overall score of “Proficient” or higher on the ATI-TEAS exam, with a minimum science sub-socre of 50.
5. In the event that seats are available after all qualified, currently enrolled Newberry College students have been seated, direct transfer students from other institutions will be considered for admission to the remaining seats in the Nursing major. To be considered, prospective direct transfer students must contact the Department of Nursing by May 1 for the for the following fall semester or by October 15 for the following spring semester.
   Direct transfer student will not be admitted to the Nursing major for the semester until all qualified Newberry College students have been admitted. 

Prenursing Required Courses -- 11 Courses

Requirements for Progression in the Major

All students admitted to the prelicensure Nursing major must complete all “Professional Screening” requirements by the July 31 or January 5 deadline, regardless of date of admission to the Nursing major.

Once admitted to the Nursing major, students must meet the followoing requirements for progression in the Prelicensure Nursing track: 

1. Maintain a Newberry College cumulative GPA of 2.0 (not rounded) assessed each semester including summers.
2. Complete all required Nursing (NUR) courses in sequence with a grade of “C” or above.
3. Repeat no more than one required Nursing (NUR) course in which a grade below “C” was earned for a maximum of one time only. (NUR 420 is exempt from the repeat policy). Students who exceed the repeat policy will be reclassified as an “Undecided” major until they select a new major
4. Complete and return all required “Professional Screening” documentation covering the complete academic year. For students with a fall program start (August 1 to April 30) return documentation by July 31; for students with a spring program start (January 6 to December 5) return documentation by January 5 each year. 
5. Successfully complete the appropriate Medication Calculation Test before the end of the Drop/Add period each semester (or by the last day of classes for the initial NUR semester.)
6. Complete required remediation based on standardized achievement tests included with selected Nursing (NUR) courses.
7. Maintain enrollment at Newberry College during both semesters of the academic year.

Course Sequence (127 hours)

Prenursing track students must take the NUR courses on a full-time basis. All NUR courses are taught only once a year in the following sequence:

Junior -- Semester 1

NUR 301: History and Trends of Nursing (2 credits)
NUR 303: Pathophysiological Bases of Nursing Practice (3 credits)
NUR 311: Health Assessment for Nursing Practice (3 credits, lab course)
NUR 313: Fundamentals of Generalist Nursing Practice. (5 credits, lab & clinical course)

Junior -- Semester 2

NUR 320: Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice. (3 credits)
NUR 324: Pharmacological Bases of Nursing Practice 1 (2 credits)
NUR 330: Adult Health Nursing Practice I (5 credits, clinical course)
NUR 332: Mental Health Nursing Practice (4 credits, clinical course)

Senior -- Semester 1

NUR 401: Selected Topics in Nursing Practice. (2 credits)
NUR 411: Adult Health Nursing Practice II (5 credits, clinical course)
NUR 413: Nursing the Childbearing Family (4 credits, clinical course)
NUR 415: Nursing of Children & Families (4 credits, clinical course)
NUR 425: Pharmacological Bases of Nursing Practice 2 (1 credit)

Senior -- Semester 2

NUR 420: Professional Development as a Nursing Generalist. (2 credits)
NUR 430: Critical Care Nursing Practice (4 credits, clinical course)
NUR 432: Nursing Practice with Diverse Populations & Settings (4 credits, clinical course)
NUR 434: Leadership, Management & Change in Nursing Practice (4 credits, clinical course)

Any student who fails to meet the progression requirements listed above other than the repeat policy will be listed internally as “Out-of-Sequence” and can join an upcoming Nursing class on a space available basis once eligibility for progression is reestablished. Students already progressing in a particular class have priority for space in that class and must be registered before an out-of-sequence student is allowed a seat in the upcoming Nursing class. In the event there is insufficient space available in an upcoming class, the student who is out-of-sequence is obliged to make alternate academic decisions.

Graduation Requirements

To be eligible for graduation in the Prelicensure major, students must:

1. Complete all current Core, Graduation and GPA requirements as detailed in the Newberry College Course Catalog.
2. Complete all required Prenursing and Nursing (NUR) courses with a minimum grade of “C” in each course.
3. Complete all required Nursing (NUR) courses within three (3) years prior to graduation.
4. Repeat no more than one (1) required Nursing (NUR) course in which a grade below “C” was earned for a maximum of one (1) time only. (NUR 420 is exempt from the repeat policy.)
5. Complete a comprehensive standardized nursing content examination at a level predictive of NCLEX-RN success as part of NUR 420.

The prelicensure nursing curriculum currently consists of 127 total credit hours, including 57 credit hours of required NUR courses all taken in the junior and senior years at Newberry College, 3-4 hours in Human Genetics, 38-39 credit hours of required prenursing coursework (some courses fulfill Newberry College Core requirements), plus courses that fulfill the Newberry College Core requirement. 

Technology Requirements for the Department of Nursing

To meet Program Learning Outcomes and to provide access to technology, students taking Nursing (NUR) courses are required to equip themselves with a laptop computer (not a MAC nor a tablet) with wireless network capability meeting or exceeding the recommended requirements specified under the Technology Tab in Wolf Den. Laptops must have the basic software functionality of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. This functionality is provided free of charge in Windows 365, which all students can access through the Technology Tab in Wolf Den. Please note that Apple products are not alwasy compatible in all instances. 

Additional laptop requirements include for Prenursing and Nursing majors include:

1. Firefox 14 browser or higher, or Chrome as recommended by the ATI testing program (must allow status bar updates via script)
2. Adobe Acrobat Reader X or higher
3. Adobe Flash Player 11 or higher
4. Power cord or power supply to accommodate 3-4 hour testing sessions