The School of Nursing provides exceptional, innovative, and student-centered educational programs at the pre-licensure and post-licensure baccalaureate levels.
In a welcoming and supportive community of scholars, students build on existing knowledge and experience to develop and/or expand nursing knowledge, values, theory, and research. Communication skills and reflective, conceptual thinking serve as a foundation for safe, holistic, evidence-based and collaborative, nursing practice in multiple settings across the lifespan.
Students accepted into the Traditional Prelicensure BSN program will complete six clinical courses that require the student to travel outside the university to clinical sites. These clinically-based courses are offered over the span of four semesters and within a 50 mile radius of Charleston.
Clinical experiences will be one to three days per week at various outside organizations such as hospitals, health departments, clinics, and schools. Students are responsible for personal transportation to clinical experiences and any costs incurred. Many students carpool to clinicals to decrease costs.
Assigning clinical assignments is a complex process and individual clinical placement preferences will not be accommodated.
Downloadable plan of study and catalog copy attached.
Simulation education is the bridge between classroom learning and real-life healthcare experiences and allows for training that does not put patients at risk. Simulations can be created with virtual scenarios, mechanical manikins that perform human functions, or standardized patients that are trained actors that simulate real patient encounters. The school of nursing laboratories house the latest in technology that enhance the clinical learning experience. The multifunctional simulation lab has high, medium, and low fidelity manikins and a learning system that allows faculty to record and review experiences with students.
There is more than one educational pathway to becoming a nurse that lead to the eligibility to take the National Standardized Licensure Exam (NCLEX) and become a registered nurse (RN).