South College - Knoxville (Nursing Program)

The first two years of this program consist of general education courses which provide a liberal arts framework for completion of the nursing component of the program and pre-professional courses.

Upon admission to the upper division nursing courses, the student will complete six quarters of nursing education. This is a rigorous program with in-class time averaging approximately 20 hours/week. Students should be committed to considerable out-of-classroom preparation and study. It is expected that success will depend upon three hours of study per hour of classroom time. Class schedules may change at the discretion of the institution.

Preparation of the professional nurse requires classroom, laboratory, and clinical experience. The clinical component of the nursing program will take place in various settings in the Knoxville area and beyond. Students are responsible for costs associated with these clinical rotations, and for any costs associated with any emergency services needed while participating in off-site activities.

Consistent with South College, the faculty of the Department of Nursing is committed to providing a degree program at the undergraduate level that builds on knowledge gained through general education experiences. This nursing education serves both traditional and nontraditional students and offers opportunities to enhance the community’s health care through participatory learning experiences.

Baccalaureate nursing education builds on the general education foundation and establishes the foundation for the beginner in nursing practice. The Department supports the pursuit of the commitment to lifelong learning in a dynamic and culturally diverse health care environment, promoting client advocacy, achieving and maintaining clinical competency, and providing service for the community and profession.

The nursing program received initial approval from the Tennessee Board of Nursing in December 2003. The program was granted full accreditation in 2006 by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission.

MISSION STATEMENT

The South College Baccalaureate Nursing program builds on a foundation of liberal arts education, establishing the knowledge base and clinical expertise for the generalist in nursing practice. The faculty supports the commitment to lifelong learning in a dynamic and culturally diverse health care environment, promoting client advocacy, achieving and maintaining clinical competency, and providing service for the community and the profession. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program provides the foundation for graduate education.

VISION STATEMENT

The Department of Nursing aspires to become a baccalaureate program of distinction through an integrated and student-focused curriculum. The Department is committed to providing an education that values excellence in ethical patient care and professional growth and integrity.

PHILOSOPHY

The Department of Nursing derives its purpose, mission, vision, philosophy, and objectives from South College. The wellness-illness continuum of care provides the overall organizing framework that serves as the structure for the nursing curriculum, with students introduced to a variety of nursing theoretical frameworks. Related concepts emphasized in the nursing curriculum include ethical decision-making, critical thinking, effective communication, leadership, and management.

Person

The person is a unique, holistic being with basic rights and choices. Each person experiences multiple stressors from continually changing internal and external environments. Clients of nursing care are composed of individuals, families, groups, and communities with diverse backgrounds, sharing common goals and values. Perceptions, attitudes, values, and goals are influenced by culture, race, spirituality, age, gender, and abilities.

Environment

The environment is a complex, open system functioning in a dynamic state of change. Economic, political, environmental, and technological factors also exert their effects on society. A cooperative and influencing relationship exists between the nurse and society as clients adapt to stressors in an effort to promote, maintain or restore health. The nurse promotes an environment in which a person’s needs may be met, while respecting individual differences related to values, customs, and responses to life experiences.

Health

Health is regarded as a dynamic phenomenon experience on the wellness-illness continuum, varying from high level wellness to illness and death. The level of health will vary as influenced by both internal and external factors to the individual’s optimal level of functioning. When the usual adaptive abilities are inadequate, the individual moves on the wellness-illness continuum towards a lower level of functioning. The primary focus of the nursing professional is to assist the client in achieving his or her optimal level of health.

Nursing

Nursing is both an art and a science. Professional nursing provides comprehensive health care services to clients in an effort to enable them to attain their optimal level of independence and wellness through the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health. Nursing education is an interactive process, allowing the adult learner to incorporate previously learned knowledge, building a strong foundation for providing holistic, outcomes-oriented care. The profession works collaboratively with other members of the healthcare team to facilitate optimal client outcomes. The faculty believes that the baccalaureate degree is the professional degree for nursing, providing the groundwork for the graduate degree.

PURPOSES OF THE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING PROGRAM

The purposes of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program are to provide undergraduate students with the:

1. Critical thinking, interpersonal, and technical skills of a nurse generalist;
2. Academic foundation necessary to pursue graduate education.

OUTCOMES OF THE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING PROGRAM

The curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is designed to prepare a professional nurse who will demonstrate the ability to:

1. Provide holistic care by applying the nursing process to manage the health care needs of culturally diverse individuals, families, groups, and communities;
2. Synthesize and apply knowledge from the humanities, the arts and letters, social and natural sciences, and nursing as a basis for decision-making in nursing practice;
3. Collaborate as a member of the interdisciplinary health care team, in partnership with the individual, family, group, or community, to promote health and wellness, and to influence health care delivery;
4. Contribute to the enhancement of nursing practice through the evaluation of health outcomes and the application of research;
5. Actively participate in the role of a professional nurse through leadership and lifelong learning.

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Nursing Program Nursing School Location

Nursing Program Courses

NUTRITION
Nutrition provides students interested in the nursing program with the concepts and skills needed to apply nutrition and medical nutritional therapy to the unique perspective of the nursing profession. Concepts essential for the education of patients and clients about prescribed dietary patterns are addressed. Topics covered include wellness, nutrition and the nursing role, nutrients, foods, health promotion through nutrition, and application of nutrition to nursing practice.

INTRODUCTION TO PROFESSIONAL NURSING
Introduction to Professional Nursing introduces the student to concepts of professional nursing by providing a theoretical foundation for practice. This general survey course assists the student in understanding the scope and practice of nursing while encompassing the concepts of caring, collaboration, communication, competence, clinical skills, cultural sensitivity, community, and environment into nursing practice. The course emphasizes a beginning nursing practice that facilitates the well-being of the individual within the context of illness and begins preparing the student as a provider of care.

FUNDAMENTALS OF NURSING I
This didactic, laboratory, and clinical course provides beginning nursing students with concepts, skills, and techniques needed as a foundation for nursing practice. This course encompasses areas related to the scientific basis for nursing practice, and reinforces the concepts of caring, collaboration, communication, competence, clinical skills, cultural sensitivity, community, and environment in nursing practice. The course focuses on nursing practice that facilitates the well-being of individuals within the context of illness and begins preparing the student as a provider of care. Laboratory experiences provide opportunity for integration of skills and concepts. Clinical experiences allow for development of concepts as applied to clients along the health-illness continuum. Clinical conferences provide an opportunity for the student to share and discuss learning experiences.

PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT
Physical Assessment is a didactic and laboratory course which presents the student with concepts and skills needed for history-taking, physical examination, health promotion, and clinical assessment. The Physical Assessment Lab component of this course provides opportunities for practice of the concepts and skills presented.

PHARMACOLOGY FOR NURSING PRACTICE I
Pharmacology for Nursing Practice I provides an in-depth systems approach to the study of therapeutic drugs and their major classifications. Current pharmacological principles, therapeutic effect, drug interactions, and side effects are emphasized. Performance of accurate calculation of drug dosages and documentation is required. The role of the nurse in administering medication, client education, cultural diversity, and drug abuse prevention is addressed.

FUNDAMENTALS OF NURSING II
This didactic, laboratory, and clinical course continues the basic nursing tenets of Fundamentals of Nursing I and further encompasses the concepts of caring, collaboration, communication, competence, clinical skills, cultural sensitivity, community, and environment into nursing practice. The course focuses on nursing practice that facilitates the well-being of individuals within the context of illness and continues preparing the student as a provider of care. Laboratory experiences provide opportunity for integration of skills and concepts. Clinical experiences allow further development of concepts as applied to clients along the health-illness continuum. Clinical conferences provide an opportunity for the student to share and discuss learning experiences.

PHARMACOLOGY FOR NURSING PRACTICE II
Pharmacology for Nursing Practice II continues principles from Pharmacology for Nursing Practice I, building on the in-depth systems approach to the study of therapeutic drugs and their major classifications. Current pharmacological principles, therapeutic effect, drug interactions, and side effects are emphasized. Performance of accurate calculation of drug dosages and documentation is required with an emphasis on IV drug calculations. The role of the nurse in administering medication, client education, cultural diversity, and drug abuse prevention is addressed.

NURSING RESEARCH
Nursing Research introduces students to the concept, issues, and processes in nursing research and its application to practice. Emphasis is placed on the review, analysis, evaluation, and application of current nursing research. Selected research studies are critiqued. This course fulfills the Writing Across the Curriculum requirements for a Writing in the Discipline course.

ADULT HEALTH NURSING I
Adult Health Nursing I provides nursing students with concepts, skills, and techniques needed to care for clients with complex health problems through classroom, laboratory, and clinical experiences. This course encompasses the concepts of caring, collaboration, communication, competence, clinical skills, cultural sensitivity, community, and environment into nursing practice. The course focuses on nursing practice that facilitates the well-being of individuals within the context of illness and continues in preparing the student as a provider of care. In the clinical setting, students will care for selected patients in various settings, integrating knowledge of pathophysiology and psychosocial dynamics for patients with medical and/or surgical problems. Students will apply the nursing process utilizing critical inquiry and clinical decision making to meet the needs of culturally diverse ill adults.

MATERNAL INFANT NURSING CARE
Maternal Infant Nursing Care provides nursing students with concepts, skills, and techniques needed to care for culturally diverse clients in the childbearing family. This course encompasses the concepts of caring, collaboration, communication, and competence, clinical skills, cultural sensitivity, and community and environ- ment as they relate to the childbearing family. The course focuses on nursing practice that facilitates the well-being of individuals within the contexts of health and illness and continues in preparing the student as a provider of care. The laboratory and clinical components of this course provide nursing students with practice of application of concepts presented in lecture using the Nursing Process.

ADULT HEALTH NURSING II
Adult Health Nursing II is a continuation of Adult Health Nursing I. Through didactic and clinical components, this course provides nursing students with concepts, skills, and techniques needed to care for clients with complex health problems. As in other courses, this course reinforces the concepts of caring, collaboration, communication, competence, clinical skills, cultural sensitivity, community, and environment into nursing practice. The course focuses on nursing practice that facilitates the well-being of individuals within the context of illness and continues in preparing the student as a provider of care. The clinical component of this course provides experiences building on the concepts, skills and techniques presented in Adult Health Nursing II lecture. Students will care for selected patients in various settings, integrating knowledge of pathophysiology and psychosocial dynamics for patients with medical and/or surgical problems. Students will apply the nursing process utilizing critical inquiry and clinical decision making to meet the needs of culturally diverse ill adults.

PEDIATRIC NURSING CARE
Nursing Care of the Child introduces the student to the health care needs of children from birth to adolescence within the culturally diverse family setting. Health promotion, prevention, and restorative health care of the child are studied along the health-illness continuum. Students will care for selected patients in various pediatric settings, integrating knowledge of pathophysiology and psychosocial dynamics for children with medical and/or surgical problems. Students will apply the nursing process utilizing critical inquiry and clinical decision making to meet the needs children from culturally diverse backgrounds.

COMMUNITY NURSING
Community Nursing focuses on the role of the nurse in the community. The principles of professional nursing care are applied to culturally diverse individuals, families, and groups and are integrated throughout the health-illness continuum. The clinical component of this course provides experiences building on the concepts, skills, and techniques presented in lecture. Students will care for selected patients in various settings, integrating knowledge of community and psychosocial dynamics for patients with diverse problems. Students will apply the nursing process utilizing critical inquiry and clinical decision making to meet the needs of culturally diverse well and ill adults in the community.

MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
Mental Health Nursing focuses on the role of the nurse in caring for patients with alterations in mental health. This course encompasses the concepts of caring, collaboration, communication, and competence, clinical skills, cultural sensitivity, and community and environment as they relate to the client with alterations in mental health. The course focuses on nursing practice that facilitates the wellbeing of individuals within the contexts of health and illness and continues in preparing the student as a provider of care. Laboratory experiences will be provided which will allow the student to practice the nursing process and therapeutic communication skills in the context of metal illness. Inpatient and community settings will be utilized to provide experience in mental health nursing.

NURSING MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP
Professional nursing roles and functions including knowing self in the context of nursing leadership, visionary leadership, self-directed work team development, risk taking, principles of action, change theory and implementation of change, models for decision-making, effective communication, mentoring, transitions, and current issues in nursing are addressed in this course. Commitment to personal and professional growth through in-service education, continuing education, and advanced studies is reinforced. The clinical experience for this course will offer the student practice in approved areas of nursing within the health care setting. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking, decision-making, and technical and leadership competencies. A professional nurse preceptor serves as mentor to the student in the clinical setting.

POLICY AND POLITICS I NURSING
This seminar class is designed for the student to examine current issues in nursing, thus enabling the student to determine professional self-direction with inte- gration of theory and concept into a meaningful personal philosophy of nursing practice. This course fulfills the Writing Across the Curriculum requirements for a Writing in the Discipline course.

TRANSITION TO PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Transition to Professional Practice is designed to assist the student in assuming the role of the professional nurse. This course will present highlights from each area of nursing practice, including review of anatomy and physiology, disease processes, knowledge and application of nursing process appropriate to each stage of development, continued development of the formation and use of nursing process, and issues related to the nursing profession.

Other nursing schools in Knoxville

University of Tennessee-Knoxville (College of Nursing) The College of Nursing enrolls approximately 275 undergraduate students in the upper division nursing major (of which 40 are RNs), 135 master's st... Address: 1200 Volunteer Blvd.

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