Department of Nursing

Department Head: Subasic
Professor: Subasic
Associate Professor: Horton
Assistant Professors: Bukay, Smith
Instructors: Couture, Plitnick, Rutherford

The Swain Department of Nursing is structured to prepare students for the role of a novice nurse in clinical practice. The department focuses on the caring and healing aspects of nursing and promotes the leadership role that nurses play in the care of individuals, families and communities. Courses progress from the care of healthy and/or chronically ill but stable individuals through the care of multiple individuals, those with complex health care needs and the health needs of populations. The critical role of quality and safety in healthcare is threaded throughout the curriculum.

All undergraduate courses taken at The Citadel with a subject prefix of NURS will count towards the major GPA.

Mission

The mission of the Swain Department of Nursing is to educate and develop our students to become principled leaders in the health care environment and profession of nursing by incorporating The Citadel’s core values of honor, duty and respect into their learning experience. The curriculum is focused on holistic and person-centered care across the lifespan and within various healthcare environments. The Citadel nurse understands the impact of the social determinants of health and integrates this knowledge to meet the unique care needs of the communities they serve.
The application of clinical judgment enables the student to apply abstract concepts to concrete situations using methodological skills and current evidence.
The Citadel nurse understands and applies evidence-based practice in accordance with accepted standards of professional practice. He/she provides safe and quality care as a contributing member of the interprofessional team. The vision of the Swain Department of Nursing is to educate nurses who are prepared to be leaders in the healthcare environment.

Swain Department of Nursing Core Values

Honor: The commitment to honor is a life-long obligation to moral and ethical behavior. Citadel nurses will uphold the long-standing tradition of being recognized as the most trusted profession through advocacy for persons and families as well as the health of communities.

Duty: Duty is a call to serve others before self. Citadel nurses will recognize the responsibility of being a leader within the inter-professional healthcare team and promote holistic health, healing and caring practices to individuals, families and communities.

Respect: Respect means to treat other people with dignity and worth. Citadel nurses will provide quality and safe care to all people without regard to rank, position, age, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, or physical attributes. Citadel nurses will assume a leadership role in promoting a positive image of the profession.

Expected Student Learning Outcomes

The purpose of The Citadel nursing program is to prepare nurses who are baccalaureate educated and are able to assume leadership roles within the healthcare team, providing quality and safe practice in a complex healthcare environment. Specifically, students will:

Apply the principles of a liberal education to the practice of nursing by incorporating scientific evidence and using creative and critical thinking skills for the safe and effective care of their clients and families.
Demonstrate intercultural knowledge and competence of individual and family centered care in the practice of nursing by understanding the importance of eliciting individual values, preferences and needs as part of the overall assessment process and creating a plan of care that addresses the unique needs of the individual.
Use inquiry and analysis to provide a complete biopsychosocial assessment of individuals and facilitates their care through a complex health system.
Communicate effectively verbally and in writing with individuals, families and other members of the healthcare team to promote safe care and a safe work environment.
Understand and apply intercultural knowledge and competence in health promotion and disease prevention to individuals, families, communities and the global world throughout the health continuum.
Use interprofessional communication and collaboration to improve patient health outcomes.
Understand the role of the professional nurse relative to health finances and regulatory policies. They will use quantitative literacy to measure the impact on health outcomes.
Use ethical reasoning and action in understanding the professional values of human dignity, social justice, altruism and autonomy within legal and ethical boundaries in order to maximize patient safety and optimize quality care.

Admission Policy

Corps of Cadets
Cadets interested in applying to nursing will be admitted through the Undergraduate Admissions Office according to the requirements and standards described in the Admissions section of the University Catalog. Cadets will declare biology as their major for the freshman year and also indicate their interest in nursing on the registration form. In the spring semester of the freshman year, students may apply to the nursing program. A total of 24 cadets will be accepted into the nursing major. Following a review of application, students will officially be accepted into the nursing program.

Veteran Status Students
If a veteran is accepted into the nursing program, he / she has the option to attend the day or evening nursing program. The following criteria are used for admission into the nursing program:

Overall cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher
A grade of a B or better in all math and science courses
Written essay
Evidence of volunteer work over the past three years
Meet the Core Performance Requirements

Students may repeat only one nursing course once over the course of their tenure in the program, valid reasons for course repetition include: Grade “C” or below, or a withdrawal. If the student fails to meet the minimum grade requirement on the second attempt, they may not take the course again and cannot continue to progress through the program.

Research Opportunities

Students are encouraged to participate with faculty in research and evidence-based practice projects. As a developing science, the opportunities for research in nursing are numerous. Clinical practice partners are increasingly interested in scientific evidence to support the practice of nursing and students have an opportunity to support this need through evidence-based projects.

Progression Policy

To progress in the major, student must:

Successfully complete all nursing prerequisite courses.
Achieve the grade of a B or better in science and nursing courses.
Maintain a GPA of 3.0
Demonstrate honor, duty and respect.
Continue to meet Core Performance Requirements.
Maintain compliance with all health and clinical agency requirements.
Submit all College / Clinical agency requirements on time as directed by staff and / or faculty.

If a student fails to meet the required GPA of 3.0, a one-semester probation will be permitted. The student will be required to meet with the Department Head and to develop a formal remediation and progression plan. The remediation plan will be determined on an individual basis and granted at the discretion of the Department Head. Under unusual circumstances and at the discretion of the Department Head, the probationary period may extend into a subsequent semester. If a student is unable to improve their grades following 2 continuous semesters of being on probation, the student will be dismissed from the program.

If a student fails two different nursing courses or has two failures in the same course, they will be dismissed from the program.

Programs

Majors

Nursing Major

Courses

Nursing