Department of Nursing
| www.ndsu.edu/nursing |
Nursing Major
The NDSU BSN Nursing program is offered at two locations: The NDSU Fargo campus and NDSU Nursing at Sanford Health in Bismarck. On the NDSU Fargo campus, department and faculty offices are located in Sudro Hall. On the Bismarck campus, department offices, faculty offices, and classrooms are located in a building north of Sanford Health.
The Nursing program is a four-year course of study leading to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Upon successful completion of the program, the graduate is eligible to apply for licensure as a registered nurse (RN). The Nursing program is approved by the North Dakota Board of Nursing and is nationally accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Mission
The mission of the Nursing Department is to provide professional nursing education, to advance knowledge of the discipline, and to serve as a resource for the health care needs of society.
Core ValuesThe faculty, students, and graduates of the Department of Nursing believe in the inherent worth and dignity of individuals and the value of professional nursing as an integral part of the health of society. We believe the core values of autonomy, caring, integrity, justice, professionalism, and respect guide the scholarship of education, service, practice and research.
The role of faculty is to encourage, facilitate, and provide opportunities which support self-directed learning and critical thinking, enhance personal growth and socialize students as members of the profession. The role of students is to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential to professional nursing practice and graduate study in nursing. The role of the graduates is to promote the health of society, advance the discipline, and function as responsible citizens of the nation and the world.
Nursing is an art and science. It is a practice profession and an academic discipline. The domain of nursing is the human response to actual or potential variations in human functioning and life processes. Nursing involves interactions among the nurse, the person and the environment in the prevention of disease, the promotion and restoration of health, and the comfort of the dying.
Professional nursing practice is the creative application of therapeutic nursing interventions based on a synthesis of scientific knowledge, research, professional values and standards. Professional nurses work with individuals, families, communities and other aggregates to meet primary, secondary, and tertiary health care needs. Nurses practice independently, interdependently, and collaboratively in a variety of settings. Nurses balance career advancement, personal well-being, and fidelity to nursing’s social contract.
Core values provide a framework that supports education for and practice of professional nursing as envisioned by the Department of Nursing.
Caring is the central concept of nursing. The competence, sensitivity, and compassion that characterize professional caring guide our behavior in faculty/student and nurse/client interactions. Respect is reflected by nurses’ regard for human dignity and in our acceptance of the diversity of humankind. In our practice we demonstrate our respect for other disciplines through collegiality and collaboration.
Autonomy reflects a patient’s right to make decisions about his/her health care and nurses’ rights to make decisions about their professional practice. Integrity is manifested in our honesty with patients and the public, by adherence to standards of academic honesty, through our accountability for our actions, and through our provision of care based on practice standards.
The professional obligation to assure equal treatment and equal access to care is a facet of justice. Nurses have a professional responsibility to encourage legislation and policy development that advances nursing care and quality health care for all people. Nursing faculty has an obligation to ensure that students have the opportunity to participate in and contribute to an excellent learning environment. Professionalism encompasses a commitment to lifelong learning and professional development, participation in professional organizations and the political process, and adherence to professional values and regulations.
Curriculum
The curriculum is organized according to a conceptual model that flows from the mission and values of the nursing program. The “Essentials of Baccalaureate Education” (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2009) and “The Standards of Nursing Practice” (American Nurses Association, 2004) served as guidelines for development of the curriculum. The content of the program increases in scope and complexity as the student progresses through the major.
BSN Graduate Outcomes
The BSN graduate of the North Dakota State University baccalaureate nursing program will:
- Utilize the nursing process to provide nursing care for healthy, unhealthy, or potentially unhealthy human responses of individuals, families, groups or communities.
- Evaluate and utilize research findings, theories, and clinical practice guidelines in the performance of evidence-based practice.
- Synthesize theoretical and empirical knowledge from the nursing, behavioral, social and natural sciences, and the arts and humanities to provide professional nursing care at an entry level of practice.
- Employ critical thinking for decision-making in clinical practice.
- Collaborate with the healthcare team as well as individuals, families, groups, and communities to provide patient centered care that promotes wellness, accelerates healing, and prevents disease in all stages of life.
- Model effective, interactive communication on the interprofessional team.
- Use information and healthcare technologies to plan and provide patient centered care.
- Demonstrates responsibility and accountability for ongoing professional development.
- Provide culturally competent and sensitive patient care.
- Advocate for patients rights through incorporation of professional values, ethical principles, and legal principles.
- Manage nursing activities, utilize leadership skills in the delivery of comprehensive, evidence-based, patient centered care with respect for humanity and uniqueness of others.
- Participate in the quality improvement of care to enhance safe, quality, and cost effective healthcare.
- Demonstrate knowledge of nurse's role in shaping healthcare policy.
