Swain Department of Nursing
843-953-1630
www.citadel.edu/root/eveningundergraduatestudies-2-2-programs/nursing

Dr. Kimberly Subasic
Dept Head and Program Director
Ksubasic@citadel.edu

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.

Program Description

The 2 + 2 transfer program in nursing was created to provide students with an opportunity to receive a four-year degree from The Citadel. The program is a full-time, cohort-based program. Students are expected to complete the program in two years. Students begin as a cohort with classes starting in May. Students transfer in 60 credits of prerequisite coursework, and the remainder of coursework for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing is completed at The Citadel.

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:

1. Apply foundations of nursing practice by incorporating theory and research-based knowledge using clinical judgments and critical thinking.
2. Promote evidence-based nursing care to gain a holistic understanding of the person, family, community, and population to guide nursing practice.
3. Apply a systems-based approach to population health and person-centered care, and its interface with health care in addressing disparities and needs.
4. Apply scholarship for clinical decision making based on disease process, diagnostics, and therapeutic modalities to improve or transform patient outcomes.
5. Develop a professional identity that supports the professionalism of nursing, its characteristics, and values.
6. Practice in an environment of collective learning, respect, and shared values through interprofessional and collaborative engagements.
7. Develop the capacity for principled leadership that incorporates an understanding of ethical, legal, and regulatory standards that guides nursing practice.

Admission Requirements

In addition to The Citadel’s Admissions Requirements, the nursing program considers the following in the competitive admissions process:

1. A cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher.
2. Completion of the required prerequisite courses from an accredited technical college or other accredited college or university. Particular weight is given to the grades earned in the required science, math, and social science courses on the applicant’s transcripts.
3. Completion of the questionnaire and written essay.
4. All science courses must have been completed within 5 years of the date of the admissions application.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program requires 60 credit hours of general education and nursing prerequisite courses. These courses will be taken at another institution for transfer. The student must complete the required courses with a minimum of a “B” grade in each course: two semesters of English; one semester of history; two semesters of general chemistry with accompanying labs; two semesters of anatomy and physiology with accompanying labs; one semester of general biology with accompanying lab; one semester of microbiology with accompanying lab. It is preferred that applicants also have the following social science courses: psychology, developmental psychology, and sociology. 

Program Start Date

The 2 + 2 transfer program in nursing starts a cohort each Summer (May). Admissions is granted on a rolling basis. Applicants are encouraged to apply by December 1st priority application deadline. Meeting this early deadline allows us to work with qualified applicants to ensure that they have the required course prerequisites aligned with our May start date. The final application date is March 1st. Students will be admitted on a space available basis until the cohort is filled. All admission material must be received prior to the final admission date for consideration of admission into the summer cohort.

The Nursing cohort is competitive for limited seats in each cohort.

Research Opportunities

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. Students are encouraged to participate with faculty in research and evidence based practice projects when possible. As a developing science, the opportunities for research in nursing are numerous.

Progression Policy

To progress in the major, a student must:

• Successfully complete all nursing prerequisite courses.
• Must maintain a GPA of 2.7
• Achieve a grade of a B or better in science and nursing courses is highly preferred. At a minimum, the student must achieve a grade of a C in science and nursing courses.
• 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 2.7, they will be dismissed from the program. 

Students may repeat a nursing course one time during the program. When a student fails a nursing course, they are required to meet with the Department Head and to devise a remediation plan for future success.  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.

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

The student must pass both the didactic and associated clinical course that are deemed as co-requisites. If the student fails either the didactic or the clinical component of the course, they will fail both classes, and will need to repeat both courses. The failure of the didactic and clinical course will constitute as one failure in the nursing program.

Term limits for the completion of the program is no longer than six years from the start of the first class. If a student exceeds the six-year time limit, they will be dismissed from the program. The student may reapply to the nursing program.