Department of Nursing

Dr. Mary E. Radford, Chair
136 Gooch Hall
731-881-7131
fax 731-881-7939

Faculty

Diane L. Austin, Nicole Blackburn, Christy A. Blount, Cassie Burks, Gloria A. Browning, Carmen Corder, Peggy A. Davis, Julie P. Floyd, Beth R. Hopper, Dawn Lattus, Linda W. Luther, Alissa R. Parrish, Mary E. Radford, Anita Rogers, Esther C. Sellars, Victoria S. Seng, Samantha Simpson, Christy A. Stubblefield, Nancy A. Warren, Susan Winters.

Mission

The faculty of the Department of Nursing accepts the philosophy of The University of Tennessee at Martin supporting the goal to educate and engage responsible citizens to lead and serve in a diverse world. The Department of Nursing’s mission is to prepare caring, compassionate, professional nurse generalists committed to advancing the profession of nursing through leadership and service in diverse healthcare communities and the world.

End of Program Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, the graduate is expected to:

Demonstrate synthesis of theoretical and empirical knowledge in developing and implement nursing practice reflecting understanding of the arts sciences, humanities and the discipline of nursing.
Provide safe patient-centered care utilizing clinical judgment and best current evidence.
Apply principles of professionalism and leadership to provide patient care across the lifespan in a variety of healthcare settings.
Collaborate with patients, families and nursing/interprofessional teams to enhance positive patient outcomes through quality improvement processes.
Integrate health promotion practices into the care of diverse individuals, families and populations in a global society.
Utilize appropriate use of informatics and technology to provide safe patient-centered care for diverse individuals, families, and populations across the lifespan.

Designation of a Minor

Nursing does not offer or require a minor; however, a nursing student may declare a minor in a non-nursing subject area and have the minor listed on the permanent record under the following conditions:

minors must be officially approved and described in the university catalog.
all requirements for the minor as set forth by the granting department must be met.
courses taken to satisfy the minor may also be used to satisfy nursing requirements even if no minor were declared.
the student is responsible to notify academic records and complete any required paperwork necessary to declare a minor.

Admission, Advanced Standing, Retention, and Readmission

The admission, advanced standing, retention and readmission policies of the Department of Nursing may differ from other programs in the university because limited enrollment is necessary to provide student clinical experiences while assuring safe patient care and adherence to standards required for state licensure of registered professional nurses.

Admission

All students not currently enrolled at UT Martin are required to apply for admission to the university by submitting an application to the Admissions Office.

Admission to the B.S.N. clinical program is separate from admission to the university. Applicants must submit a separate application to the Department of Nursing for admission to clinical nursing. Applications must be received in the Nursing office by February 15 before the fall semester in which admission to B.S.N. clinical nursing courses is desired. Pre-requisite courses for admission to the clinical nursing program are MATH 100 MATH 110 , MATH 140 , MATH 185 , or MATH 251 ; MBIO 251 ; PSYC 101 ; ZOOL 251 and ZOOL 352 or transfer equivalent courses. A grade of D or F in any of these specified required courses may affect admission to the clinical nursing program. The applications are screened for selection on a competitive basis by the Department of Nursing Admissions and Policies Committee.

Students accepted to begin B.S.N. nursing courses are required to:

have met all UT Martin admission requirements.
complete a nursing pre-entrance exam as designated by UT Martin Department of Nursing. The applicant’s score on this exam will be used in the selection process.
be certified in Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (BLS) before beginning NURS 213 clinical experiences.
maintain a grade of C or above in all required courses (otherwise the student will not be allowed to begin the B.S.N. program) and a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or above.
demonstrate evidence of physical and mental health by submitting the appropriate health form to the Department of Nursing on or before the first day of nursing class. Failure to do so cancels eligibility and acceptance to the B.S.N. program. The student is legally and ethically accountable and responsible to provide safe nursing care. Therefore a student may be required to be evaluated by a qualified individual before client contact is permitted if the faculty believes that the student is physically or psychologically impaired for clinical experience.
maintain negative reports on drug screen and felony background checks.
provide documentation of current screenings and immunizations as required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and clinical site guidelines in addition to those required by UT Martin.
provide documentation of current personal health insurance by the first day of semester in which student is enrolled in clinical nursing courses. For students who need personal health insurance, student group health insurance is available through the university. Contact Student Health Services at (731) 881-7750.

Advanced Standing Admission

Students requesting to receive nursing credit for previous nursing education must:

submit an application for Advanced Standing to the Admissions and Policies Committee of the Department of Nursing by February 15 for admission to fall semester clinical nursing courses and by August 1 for admission to Spring semester clinical nursing courses.
be eligible for admission to the university.
meet all admission requirements to the nursing program.
submit documents that verify reasons for leaving the previous nursing program.
submit a letter of good standing from the director of previous nursing program.
successfully pass any written exams and skills evaluations required by the Department of Nursing to demonstrate nursing competencies comparable to the placement level requested.
if licensed practical/vocational nurse, successfully pass NURS 213 - Foundations in Nursing and NURS 250 - Adult Health I by challenge examinations (will include skills evaluation). NURS 222 - Professional Nursing I , NURS 225 - Pharmacology and NURS 242 - Health Assessment will still be required.

Retention

To continue in the nursing curriculum, each student must maintain a college grade point average of 2.0 or above and a C or above in all nursing courses.
Progression in clinical nursing with grades less than C in non-nursing (general education) courses is permitted provided prerequisite and corequisite requirements are met. Students must remove D and F grades in all required courses in the curriculum before graduation.
1. A prerequisite is a course that must be completed with a C or above prior to taking the desired course
2. A corequisite is a course that must be taken at the same time as the desired course or completed previously with a grade C or above. Withdrawal from one corequisite will also require withdrawal from the other corequisite course(s).
Students must maintain a satisfactory grade in the nursing lab portion of each clinical nursing course and must have a C or above in the theory portion of each required nursing course in order to obtain a final grade of at least a C in the course. The theory portion in clin ical courses includes passage of a medication calculation examination.
If unsatisfactory clinical performance is characterized by dangerous, inappropriate, or irresponsible behavior which actually or potentially places the welfare of the client or family in jeopardy, the student will be removed from clinical client care and will receive a failing grade for that course.
American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (BLS) certification must be kept current while enrolled in nursing courses.
Students enrolled in clinical nursing courses are required to maintain student liability insurance through the university.
Students must take a Dosage Calculation Exam each semester and receive a passing score (80% or above) in order to remain in the program. Two opportunities will be given during the first week of classes to obtain a passing score. If unsuccessful with an 80% on the second attempt, the student will be dismissed from the nursing program with the option to re-apply.
Students enrolled in clinical courses are subject to random drug screens and background checks by the Department of Nursing or clinical agency.
Students enrolled in clinical courses must keep health screens and immunizations current as required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and clinical agency guidelines.
Personal health insurance coverage must be maintained while enrolled in clinical nursing courses.

Readmission

A period of one year may elapse before a student is readmitted to the B.S.N. clinical nursing program since nursing courses are taught in sequence and are offered only once a year.
Application for readmission to clinical nursing courses must be filed with the Department of Nursing by February 15 for readmission to fall semester and August 1 for readmission to spring semester. Before readmission is considered,
1. all grades of less than C in required non-nursing courses must have been removed prior to the readmission date, and
2. the applicant will be required to demonstrate evidence of retention of knowledge and skills acquired from previous nursing courses, and
3. the applicant will be required to retake Kaplan Integrated tests given in corequisite nursing courses and/or the previous level of nursing. For readmission, the applicant must meet designated bench marks on Kaplan Integrated tests, and/or complete Kaplan remediation, and successfully pass skill evaluations.
Readmission is contingent on space availability.
All students will be evaluated on an individual basis with consideration given to each student’s potential for successfully completing the program, which includes both clinical and academic performance. Readmission may be denied even if space is available.
A student may repeat only one time any nursing course in which a grade of D or F has been earned.
A student who receives two grades of D or below in nursing courses will not be eligible for readmission, even if the student has already repeated one of the courses and received a grade of C or above.
Students must comply with admission and retention policies.

Note: Ineligibility for the nursing curriculum does not affect the student’s eligibility for acceptance into another curriculum offered by the university.

Graduation Requirements

To receive a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (B.S.N.) all students must:

satisfy the university’s general education requirements for a bachelor’s degree;
attain a grade of C or above in each of the B.S.N. curriculum requirements;
attain 70% correct on the Kaplan Nursing Assessment Test, a standardized exam, or complete Kaplan remediation if score is less than 70% correct and;
complete the B.S.N. degree program.

Extra Costs

The following costs are approximate and subject to change:

Uniform - $100
Shoes, watch with a sweep second hand, stethoscopes, penlight, scissors and other clinical items - approximately $200.00 (total cost will vary depending on selection).
Liability insurance - $25.00 per year.
Kaplan Integrated Testing Program fees - $100 per semester.
Supply pack - $40.00 per year.
Background check/drug screen per year - $75.00 per year.
Lab fee - $100-150 per semester, based on program level.

This list does not include student costs incurred for travel to/from clinical, personal health insurance coverage, and physical exam, immunizations, screenings and titers required for admission and retention.

Facilities

Nursing classes are held on campus or at off-campus sites. Practical lab experiences are held in the departmental labs with patient care and skill stations containing health-care simulators, equipment and supplies for student instruction and practice.

Off-campus clinical lab experiences are taught by UT Martin nursing faculty in area health-care agencies. Transportation to various agencies for clinical experiences must be provided by the student.

Departmental Scholarships

Scholarships are available through various health-care agencies and organizations in addition to the scholarships and loans available through Financial Aid. Contact the Department of Nursing for additional information on scholarships for nursing majors or check the Nursing Department’s Web page at http://www.utm.edu/departments/nursing.

Student Organizations

Nurses Christian Fellowship. Nurses Christian Fellowship (NCF) is an organization that embraces nursing students regardless of denomination, race, culture, or gender. The NCF is open to all regularly enrolled nursing students who are interested in learning more about God. In response to God’s love, grace and truth: the purpose of Nurses Christian Fellowship, as a ministry of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, is to establish and advance in nursing within education and practice, witnessing communities of nursing students and nurses who follow Jesus as Savior and Lord; growing in love for God, God’s Word, God’s people of every ethnicity and culture and God’s purposes in the world. Meetings for NCF are held each month during the school semester.

Student Nurses Association. The Student Nurses Association at UT Martin is the student branch of the American Nurses Association and is composed of students majoring in nursing or pre-nursing who are interested in various nursing careers and experiences. Monthly meetings usually include speakers, films, or other types of programs. SNA sponsors several money-making projects. Benefits available to SNA members include eligibility for the National Student Nurses Association Scholarships, nursing journals, access to nursing conventions, meetings and a banquet at the end of the year.

Any student majoring in nursing can join SNA by contacting a member for a membership blank and paying annual dues. All interested students are urged to attend meetings and consider joining.

Sigma Theta Tau. Pi Tau is the local chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International. Senior nursing students who meet the criteria are invited to be members of the organization in their last year of the B.S.N. program. Later graduate nurses who are recognized as community leaders may be eligible to join. The Sigma Theta Tau is involved in the advancement of nursing practice and of nursing as a profession.