University of Arkansas - Fort Smith (Carolyn McKelvey Moore School of Nursing)
Welcome to the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Carolyn McKelvey Moore School of Nursing. This is an exciting and interesting time to be in nursing. The critical nursing shortage is leading to multiple options for those interested in the profession. Jobs are available nationwide in a wide range of settings, offering excellent salaries, with opportunities for growth. The Carolyn McKelvey Moore School of Nursing prepares nurses at a variety of levels. A 12 month technical certificate program in Practical Nursing, a 2 year Associate of Applied Science Program, a traditional 4 year Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a RN – BSN Online completion program are offered. Our students receive excellent clinical preparation within health care systems located throughout the Fort Smith and surrounding community.
The Carolyn McKelvey Moore School of Nursing has an atmosphere that is student friendly and future-oriented. Prospective students will join a community of distinguished faculty and student scholars in which students have a major role in shaping their personal futures, the future of the nursing, and the School. Students in the School of Nursing are prepared to meet current and future health care demands in today's challenging and evolving health care system. Curriculum in all programs is designed to ensure that nurses contribute as an equal partner in the interdisciplinary health care arena. You are encouraged to explore the School of Nursing web site, offering information about the many programs in nursing, to find the specific program to meet your academic goal.
HISTORY
The UA Fort Smith School of Nursing is proud to be an integral part of a city with a century-long tradition of organized health care and a part of a university that has served the community over six decades. Sparks Regional Medical Center was founded as St. John‟s Hospital in 1887 and established the first school of nursing in Arkansas in 1898. St. Edward Mercy Medical Center, formerly known as St. Edward Mercy Hospital, opened in 1905, with its nursing school originating in 1906. In 1928, Fort Smith High School began to offer junior college classes; UA Fort Smith has grown from that beginning.
The three institutions came together in the 1960‟s when Westark Community College offered credit courses for the students in the hospital nursing schools. In 1965, the hospitals initiated a dialogue with the college relative to establishing an associate degree nursing program. A steering committee study followed and the hospitals volunteered partial financial support to assist the Westark Community College program for six years. Westark Community College employed an ADN chairperson who began the planning year September 1, 1968, and the hospitals admitted their last classes the same month. The UA Fort Smith ADN program is accredited by the NLNAC. The program received reasonable assurance of accreditation from the NLN in May 1969 and admitted the first ADN class in September. Full NLN accreditation was received in December 1971 and has been maintained to the present day. The last NLNAC visit was October 2004.
In 1969, the practical nursing program was established at Westark College. The practical nursing program received Arkansas State Board of Nursing approval in 1969 and began preparation to admit the first class. In fall of 1970, the first class was admitted beginning each spring and again in the fall semester until 1986. Due to declining enrollments, the program was restructured and classes were admitted on a yearly basis beginning in January.
Westark Community College became known as Westark College in 1997. That same year, the Arkansas legislature granted Westark College the authority to offer a limited number of baccalaureate degrees. In January 2002, Westark College became the University of Arkansas- Fort Smith. In order to meet the ever changing health care needs of the community, the RN-BSN Online Completion Program became a part of the vision for the college in the mid 1990‟s and became a reality with the approval of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education in July 2002. The first nine students were admitted into the RN-BSN Online Completion Program in spring 2003. The RN-BSN Online Completion program received initial accreditation in October 2004. To further advance the profession of nursing, a traditional baccalaureate degree in nursing was approved in the fall of 2005. The first class of traditional BSN students will graduate in spring 2010.
MISSION
The mission of the UA Fort Smith Carolyn McKelvey Moore School of Nursing is consistent with the mission of UA Fort Smith by its design and program outcomes. The nursing education programs challenge students to think critically in an environment that facilitates educational mobility, personal growth, and a pattern of life-long learning. The mission of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program is to prepare graduates to integrate knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes essential for professional nursing practice.
PHILOSOPHY
Consistent with the vision, mission and values of the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, the faculty of the Carolyn McKelvey Moore School of Nursing ascribes to the following beliefs regarding a human being, health, environment, nursing and nursing education.
A client or client system is a unique holistic individual, family or community with worth, rights, and responsibilities. All clients or client systems have needs. Fulfillment of these needs occurs within the context of culture and responses to life experiences.
Health is a dynamic state that encompasses the holistic client or client system. Health results from the response to changes in the internal and external environments, occurs along the wellness/illness continuum and is influenced by personal and cultural values.
Environment is the set of conditions within which the client or client system exists. Stimuli within the internal and external environment are constantly interacting and affecting the individual, family and community’s position on the wellness/illness continuum.
Nursing uses communication, leadership and management skills to assist clients and client systems to meet needs along the wellness/illness continuum. Nursing, as an art and science, is a dynamic profession with an evolving body of knowledge that is supported by research within the profession as well as from principles and theories from other disciplines. Nursing focuses on assisting clients and client systems to meet needs along the wellness/illness continuum. Nurses use the nursing process and critical thinking in the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health in culturally diverse clients throughout the lifespan. Changes in the current healthcare environment reflect an increased complexity in client needs and in delivery systems and, thus, necessitate various levels of nursing educational preparation.
Nursing education is the means by which students learn to practice nursing and is best provided in an institution of higher learning. Learning is a lifelong activity that is purposeful and motivated by individual need. The various levels of nursing education include, but are not limited to, practical nursing, associate degree nursing and baccalaureate degree nursing. Each type of nursing educational program provides a unique and valuable contribution to health care.
Practical nursing education focuses on preparing students to provide basic care specific to client needs. The licensed practical nurse is supervised directly by physicians, registered nurses and dentists in structured settings.
Associate degree nursing education combines general education and nursing courses to produce competencies allowing technical nursing practice. The associate degree nurse’s primary focus is the individual client and consideration is given to the client’s interaction within the family and community.
Baccalaureate Nursing Education expands upon the liberal arts and sciences to provide the foundation for the practice of professional nursing including care of the client, family and the community. Baccalaureate Nursing Education occurs in a facilitated learner-centered environment which considers the student’s unique needs and emphasizes preparation for graduate study.
School name: University of Arkansas - Fort Smith (Carolyn McKelvey Moore School of Nursing)
Address: 5210 Grand Ave, Pendergraft Health Sciences Center 108
Zip & city: AR 72904-7362 Fort Smith
Phone: 479-788-7841
Web: http://www.uafortsmith.edu/Nursing/Index
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