School of Nursing

E-mail: nursing@uark.edu

• Professors Kippenbrock, Neighbors
• Associate Professors Barta, Lawson
• Assistant Professor Smith-Blair
• Instructors Breckenridge, Buron, Kolb-Selby, McConaughy, Meadows, Miller

The mission of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing is to promote the health of society through education of professional nurses, research, and service. The school, as an established entity within the college and the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, subscribes to the philosophy and stated mission of the University of Arkansas on teaching, research, and service. The School of Nursing provides nursing education to meet expanding health care needs. In recognition of the interrelationship between teaching, research, service, and the practice of nursing, in the changing health care needs of society, the faculty aspires toward excellence in teaching, contributes to research in nursing, and promotes improved health care.

The philosophy and purposes of the education are a synthesis of the personal beliefs of the faculty in relation to the person, society, environment, health, nursing, education, the learning process, and the role of the graduates of the program.

The person is a unique five dimensional being of interrelated and inseparable systems (biological, intellectual, psychological, social, and spiritual) from which needs arise as the person develops throughout the life span. Each person is a member of a larger cultural, racial, and/or ethnic group and is unique in the way in which the dimensions are developed, intersected, and expressed. Environment influences the per-son’s health within each of these dimensions. The person is influenced by and interacts as a whole with the internal and external environment to preserve vital functions, dignity, and a meaningful existence.

Society is a dynamic and multicultural phenomenon functioning within the ever-changing environment. The basic unit in society is the family. It functions to socialize its members to cultural values and norms and is highly influential in shaping the health behaviors of its members. Individual persons and family groups combine and intersect to form and function as larger distinct and indistinct community units. These units also have needs that arise from biological, intellectual, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions. The health of the person, family, or community impinges on and affects the health of the others. Society has given nursing and other health care professionals the latitude and responsibility to assist clients (individuals, families, and communities) in meeting health care needs.

The environment, internal and external, consists of those forces that influence the dimensions of the client. These complex factors act upon the client and ultimately determine its form, survival, and evolution. When the forces affect health, nursing becomes an integral part of the environment to assist the client in maximizing health.

Health is a general condition involving the total client within the environment. Health is dynamic and relative, wherein the person exists at varying points along the wellness–illness continuum. Wellness and illness are relative states of health and may be a matter of one’s perception.

Nursing is a helping relationship that assists the client in achieving wellness. It is both an art and a science. Professional nursing is derived from a specialized body of knowledge. The professional nurse draws from various academic disciplines to diagnose and make treatment decisions. Critical thinking is essential to the diagnoses and treatment decisions in nursing. The professional nurse practices in a variety of settings and collaborates with other health care professionals to assist the client in promoting health, preventing illness, maintaining or restoring wellness, or to cope with death. The therapeutic and significant contribution of nursing is through performance in the roles of caregiver, manager, and teacher using research-based practice in health care. A critical-thinking approach known as the nursing process is used to meet health care needs.

Professional nursing begins with a Bachelor of Science degree. Nursing education offers a research base for nursing practice that promotes the ability of the nurse to effect change needed to improve health. It is a process by which knowledge is continually synthesized and directed toward meeting the health care needs of clients. The learner develops and applies intellectual, interpersonal, and psychomotor skills in assisting clients in a variety of settings. Professional nursing education develops critical thinking, and acceptance of responsibility for nursing interventions and accountability for outcomes. In the study of professional nursing, the student builds on a planned general education from the academic disciplines and acquires theoretical and specific knowledge to meet health care needs. In addition the curriculum provides opportunity for students with technical nursing education to expand their knowledge and scope of practice. The baccalaureate program establishes a foundation for graduate education in nursing and for continued personal and professional development.

Learning takes place within the student and is ultimately the responsibility of the student. Knowledge and skills are enhanced when the student derives satisfaction from the learning environment and has the opportunity to explore and express thoughts and feelings. Acquisition of knowledge and skills promotes development of the student and is manifested by a change in behavior.

Faculty have the responsibility to ensure the quality of the nursing program. They define levels of expectations for students and maintain standards of nursing practice. They focus on students’ learning needs when they select or manipulate the environment to enhance experiential learning. Faculty guide and direct learning through the development and implementation of the curriculum and through planned periodic evaluations based on program criteria. In clinical agencies, faculty and practicing nurses are role models for students.

Within a climate of mutual respect, students and faculty share in an interdependent enterprise of learning, inquiry, and teaching. With guidance, students develop the ability to use critical thinking to integrate eclectic knowledge with current nursing theory and research-based practice. They learn personal and professional responsibility and accountability. Progress, or lack of, in meeting performance expectations and improvements necessary for success is identified by teacher evaluation and student self-evaluation.

The baccalaureate graduate, as a member of the discipline, uses knowledge from a research base to fulfill the roles of the nurse in contemporary society as a caregiver, manager, and teacher. On entry into practice the graduate performs the following:

1. Uses critical thinking in making clinical judgments to deliverholistic nursing care,
2. Uses theory and research-based knowledge to improve deliveryof nursing care to meet health care needs of individuals, families, and communities,
3. Develops, implements, and evaluates health-related educationbased on assessed needs,
4. Applies information and health care technologies to assess, monitor, and support clients, families, and communities,
5. Designs, manages, and coordinates health care for individuals,families, and communities,
6. Uses ethical principles in nursing practice, conduct, and relationships with clients, and
7. Identifies with the values of the profession and incorporatesthem into practice.

The baccalaureate nurse works singularly or in collaboration with other health care professionals in coordinating and promoting culturally sensitive health care.

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas prepares students to enter the professional practice of nursing and/or pursue graduate-level nursing education. The curriculum provides the student with a theoretical base to practice professional nursing with diverse clients in various settings through the roles of caregiver, manager, and teacher. The program of study has been designed to emphasize one or more of these roles in each nursing course. Graduates of the program are eligible to apply to take the NCLEX examination for licensure as a registered nurse (R.N.). Persons convicted of a crime may not be eligible to take the NCLEX examination. A criminal background check is required before graduation and reported to the Arkansas State Board of Nursing as part of the procedures for application for licensure.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (B.S.N.) is awarded after successful completion of the nursing curriculum.

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing offers a limited number of scholarships specifically for nursing students admitted to the school. These scholarships are awarded by the scholarship committee of the School of Nursing and include the Banks, Beverly, Jerry Wade Davis Jr., Mervin Harold Davis Jr., Mina Marshall, Mann, Richter, and Stars for Nursing Scholarships. Contact the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing about the guidelines and application deadlines.

ADMISSION TO THE B.S.N. PROGRAM

Admission to the B.S.N. program is limited. Final approval for admission will be determined by the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing faculty. Requirements for admission into the professional program of study are as follows:

1. Overall minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 2.75. (Transfer GPA will be factored in if it is to the student’s benefit. If the UA GPA is based on at least 12 hrs of study and is greater than the transfer GPA, the UA GPA will be used. If the student has less than 12 hrs at the University of Arkansas, the transfer GPA will be factored in.)
2. Students will be ranked according to GPA for admission to the program.
3. Applications for admission must be submitted by December 1 for admission consideration. Late applications will be considered on a space-available basis.
4. Selection process will be completed by March 1.
5. All general education courses must be completed at the end of the spring semester prior to beginning the professional program of study.
6. Professional program of study begins in the summer followingthe sophomore year.
7. Students transferring from another nursing program must be eligible to return to that program to be considered for admission.
8. Students must meet the performance standards for the profes-sional program of study.
9. CPR certification (American Heart Association program) is required.
10. The completed Hepatitis B vaccine series must be verified.
11. Negative Tuberculin skin test or x-ray is required.
12. Health and liability insurance is required (check with theSchool of Nursing).
13. A car or reliable transportation is required.
14. A criminal background check with fingerprinting is required and reported to the Arkansas State Board of Nursing.
15. Some clinical agencies require students to complete a negative drug screening and criminal background check before students can be placed in the agency. To complete appropriate clinical experiences, students will have to comply with these requirements.

Applicants to the RN to B.S.N. track must meet the following requirements:

1. College admission requirements
2. Eleanor Mann School of Nursing admission requirements
3. Completion of the general education studies. (R.N. studentswho have completed 45 hours of the required general studies may petition for exception to this policy if MATH 1203, PSYC 2013, and NURS 3013 have been completed.)
4. Graduation from an Arkansas State Board of Nursing approved program or an accredited out-of-state program
5. Review of nursing courses for transfer credit by the School ofNursing
6. Proof of, and maintenance of, unencumbered licensure to prac-tice as a Registered Nurse in Arkansas
7. Requirements necessary to receive advanced placement mayvary with length of time since graduation and length of time of (or since) nursing employment.
8. Credit for courses listed below will be held in escrow. The student will receive credit for these courses upon successful completion of the program.

RN students will be considered as a separate group for admission purposes.

Applicants for advanced placement into the LPN/LPTN to B.S.N. track must meet the following requirements:

1. College admission requirements
2. Eleanor Mann School of Nursing admission requirements
3. Completion of an Arkansas State Board approved LPN or LPTN program or an NLNAC accredited out-of-state program
4. Review of nursing courses for transfer credit by the School ofNursing
5. Proof of, and maintenance of, an unencumbered license topractice as an LPN or LPTN in the state of Arkansas
6. Advanced placement may vary based on the length of time since completion of the LPN or LPTN and the length of time of (or since) nursing employment.
7. Students may receive credit for 12 hrs in the nursing programthrough validation procedures. The student may validate NURS 3634/NURS 3643 through the NLN Profile II Book I examination. They may validate NURS 3042L, NURS 3312, NURS 3032, NURS 3422, and NURS 3423 through successful completion of the remaining courses in Level I of the professional program of study. These courses will be held in escrow. The student will receive credit for escrowed courses upon successful completion of the professional program of study.

Professional nurses must have the knowledge and ability to completely assist the biological, psychological, intellectual, social, and spiritual dimensions of the client. After acceptance, but before admission to the B.S.N. program, students must show documentation for current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for healthcare providers (American Heart Association course). This requires the ability to successfully complete both the written and practical tests for certification. In addition, students admitted to the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing must meet the following abilities and expectations during their enrollment in the program:

1.    Critical Thinking. Student nurses must be able to analyze data, explore interpretations, generate hypotheses, select actions, and evaluate outcomes related to nursing care of clients. In addition, applicants must be able to problem solve.

2.    Psychomotor. Student nurses must be able to perform the following:

a.     assess clients through auscultation, percussion, palpation, and other diagnostic maneuvers;
b.    manipulate equipment necessary to assist the client to desired outcomes;
c.     lift and move clients to provide safe care and emergency treatment;
d.    perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR);
e.    perform independently of others;
f.       possess cognitive abilities to measure, calculate dosages, rea-son, analyze, and synthesize.

a.     receive, translate, and import information by oral and written means according to standards of the English language and safe nursing practice;
b.     speak, hear, visually observe clients, and interpret nonverbal behavior;
c.     effectively communicate verbally and in writing with all health care providers.

1. Any nursing course in which a letter grade of “D” or lower is received must be repeated before the student progresses. (Repetition of courses depends on clinical space available.)
2. Students who receive a grade of “D” or lower or withdrawfrom any nursing course for any reason must petition the school’s Admission and Advisement Committee for readmission to the nursing program. Final decisions for readmission rests with the nursing faculty.
3. Students must achieve a 70% exam average in every course inthe professional program of study. Failure to do so in a course will result in failure of the course and possible dismissal from the program.
4. Junior Progression Exam Requirement (Students should con-tact their adviser for details.)
5. Senior Progression Exam Requirement (Students should con-tact their adviser for details.)
6. Students are limited to one petition for readmission.Readmission is limited by space availability.
7. Students who are dismissed from any clinical course will besuspended from all clinical courses until the dismissal is reviewed by the faculty of the school. (Suspension means the student will not be permitted to attend any clinical assignment until the school reviews the issue.)

Any student whose enrollment in the professional program of study has been interrupted may seek readmission following the steps below:

1. Seek readmission into the University of Arkansas (if applicable).
2. Complete Readmission Application to the School of Nursing the semester prior to the semester of intended re-entry into the program. (Readmission is limited by space availability.)
3. If the student’s enrollment was interrupted to attend another college, the University’s transfer student admission policies would also apply for readmission.

1. Students must complete the requirements for the degree withinfive years of enrolling in the first upper-division nursing course. If the student does not complete the Professional Program of Study within the five-year limit, nursing credits must be reevaluated.
2. All University of Arkansas and college requirements must be met.

	HOURS
General Studies	63
ENGL 1013 Composition I
ENGL 1023 Composition II
ENGL 2003 Advanced Composition
(exemption by examination or credit in ENGL 2013 or grade of at least “B” in ENGL 1013 and “A” in ENGL 1023 at Fayetteville campus)
COMM 1313 Fundamentals of Communication Literature (3 hrs), World Literature recommended Fine Arts/Humanities Elective (3 hrs) to meet State Core
PHIL 2103 or PHIL 3103 Ethics
HIST 2003 or HIST 2013, or PLSC 2003
PSYC 2003 General Psychology
SOCI 2003 General Sociology, or SOCI 2013 or ANTH 1023
HESC 1403 Lifespan Development
MATH 1203 College Algebra
PSYC 2013 Intro. to Statistics for Psych, or
EDFD 2403 Statistics in Nursing
NURS 3013 Computers in Health Care Systems
CHEM 1074/1071L Fundamentals of Chemistry
BIOL 1543/1541L Principles of Biology
BIOL 2013/2011L General Microbiology
BIOL 2213/2211L Human Physiology
BIOL 2443/2441L Human Anatomy
Professional Nursing Program	65
Level I
NURS 3022 Intro. to Professional Nursing Concepts
NURS 3032 Therapeutic Comm.
NURS 3042L Professional Nursing Skills: Basic
NURS 3212 Teaching and Health Promotion
NURS 3221 Professional Role Implementation I: Teacher
NURS 3312 Pharmacology
NURS 3314 Pathophysiology
NURS 3321 Health Assessment
NURS 3422 Nursing Concepts: Foundations of Professional Practice
NURS 3423 Professional Role Implementation II: Caregiver
Level II
NURS 3634 Nursing Concepts: Adult Health and Illness
NURS 3643 Professional Role Implementation III: Caregiver
NURS 3841L Professional Nursing Skills: Advanced
NURS 3842 Research in Nursing
NURS 3742 Nursing Concepts: Mental Health/Illness
NURS 3752 Professional Role Implementation IV: Caregiver
NURS 4154 Nursing Concepts: Children and Family
NURS 4164 Professional Role Implementation V: Teacher
NURS 4242 Management in Nursing
NURS 4263 Nursing Concepts: Older Adult Health/Illness
NURS 4273 Professional Role Implementation VI: Manager
Level III
NURS 4443 Nursing Concepts: Critical Care
NURS 4453 Professional Role Implementation VII: Role Synthesis
NURS 4603 Nursing Concepts:Communities
NURS 4613 Professional Role Implementation VIII: Role Synthesis
NURS 4712 Seminar in Nursing
Total for Nursing	128

SEE PAGE 313 FOR ELEANOR MANN SCHOOL OF NURSING (NURS) COURSES