The School of Nursing

Joanne Masella, Dean

Faculty

Professor

• Phyllis King

Associate Professors

• Christine Brooks
• Lynn Erickson
• Patrick Heyman

Assistant Professors

• Diane Esposito
• Sandra Ojurongbe 

The School of Nursing offers a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing and is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and licensed by the Florida Board of Nursing. Consistent with the mission of Palm Beach Atlantic University, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree is based on a strong liberal arts and science foundation within an integrated Christian faith and worldview. The School of Nursing prepares professional, competent nurses who are reflective, inquiring, able to apply nursing theory, processes and technical nursing skills within the context of the Christian worldview, while recognizing the global, pluralistic nature of society.

Admission to the Upper Division Nursing Major

Admission to the university and successful completion of prerequisite course work do not guarantee admission to the upper-division nursing major. A separate application must be made in accordance with this policy. Prospective students should acquaint themselves with the requirements for admission to the B.S.N. program, curriculum, requirements and sequencing, and requirements for the degree. Students are responsible for meeting all degree requirements. No applicant to upper division nursing will be considered unless they have also been admitted to Palm Beach Atlantic University.

Admission to the baccalaureate nursing major is selective and is based on the student’s ability to compete academically with other applicants. The competitiveness of the applicant pool changes each year/semester according to the applicant pool’s qualifications. Competitiveness is not evaluated by a delineated algorithm, but factors that will be taken into consideration include: GPA, science GPA, essay, extracurricular activities, work experience, multiple attempts at the same class, number of classes failed or withdrawn, and performance on the entrance examination. Meeting minimum criteria does not guarantee admission; exceptions to minimum requirements may be made in extraordinary circumstances on a case by case basis.

The number of students admitted to the major in any given semester/year is limited to those who can be accommodated, given available resources. Availability of space may vary from year to year depending on resources and need.

Submission of Application

In order to be considered for admission to the Upper Division, the applicant must submit application and all supporting materials to the School of Nursing.

Palm Beach Atlantic University students who meet the criteria with timely application receive priority consideration for admission to the upper division nursing major.

Upon acceptance, students must submit all additional required documents two weeks prior to commencement of the fall term in accordance with the School of Nursing Handbook (available online at www.pba.edu/nursing). Required documentation includes American Heart Association Basic Life Support for the Healthcare Provider (CPR), criminal background check, urine drug screen, immunizations and physical examination, proof of insurance, and tuberculosis test.

Applicants must be able to complete, prior to enrollment in the major, all specific prerequisites required for the upper division and have at least sophomore standing at PBA. All requirements must be met before the first clinical course and for entire time of enrollment in the School of Nursing.

Applicants who have previously attended another nursing program must have a letter from the administrator of the program stating that the student could return in good standing to the original program.

Students must formally accept or decline admission. Students who decline admission and later reapply must compete with the applicant pool existing at the time of reapplication. Students who decline an admission invitation two times are ineligible to be considered for future admission.

Acceptance to the program is provisional upon meeting all of the requirements for the upper division program. Failure to meet all requirements results in loss of acceptance and the student must reapply to the nursing program. The School of Nursing will administer diagnostic tests the first week of class. Students who do not meet the minimum criteria may lose their acceptance and will be dropped from nursing courses. Without exception, all diagnostic testing is administered physically at the School of Nursing.

Failure to enroll in nursing classes by December 1 for the Spring semester or April 1 (for the summer semester) will result in loss of acceptance. Students are not considered upper division until they have successfully completed NUR 2003, NUR 2013, and NUR 2023. Failure to successfully complete any of these courses results in loss of acceptance, and the student must reapply the following year for competitive review.

Expectations of Nursing Majors

As prospective healthcare professionals, nursing students are expected to maintain the highest level of integrity. Academic dishonesty, including plagiarism and dishonesty about patient care, results in immediate failure of the course in question and dismissal from the program. This includes academic dishonesty in non-nursing courses.

Florida law prohibits convicted felons from becoming licensed as nurses. Background checks and drug screening are required upon acceptance. Falsifying application information results in immediate dismissal from the program and failure of all enrolled courses.

All upper division nursing majors must continuously register for NUR 4710 until eligible to sit for the nursing licensure examination. A student who does not meet the requirements of NUR 4710 may not progress in the program.

Guaranteed Admission

Applicants who enroll at PBA as freshmen or directly from high school are eligible for Guaranteed Admission. Eligible students who maintain the Guaranteed Admission criteria (see table below: Guaranteed Admission Eligibility Criteria) are guaranteed admission to the upper division. Students who do not meet Guaranteed Admission criteria will compete under normal admission process and criteria. Students who are eligible and meet the Guaranteed Admission requirements must complete an application to the upper division in keeping with the policy below. (See Application to the Upper Division below.)

Required Courses

• Lower-division course requirements are outlined in the Lower Division Nursing Degree Requirements. Unless otherwise noted, these should be completed before enrollment in clinical courses.
• Upper-division course requirements are detailed in the Nursing Core.

Articulation

Students with an A.A. degree from an accredited college or university may matriculate into the nursing program. In addition to all nursing courses, these students must also complete or transfer with a grade of “C” or higher: Chemistry (4 credit hours), Human Anatomy and Physiology (8 credit hours), Microbiology (4 credit hours), Nutrition (3 credit hours), Statistics (3 credit hours), Life Span Development (3 credit hours), Exploring the Bible (3 credit hours), Freedom in American Society (3 credit hours), and General Psychology (3 credit hours). (Christian Values and Biblical Faith will be included in the senior year curriculum.)

Natural Science and Technology Transfer Credits

Natural Science and Technology courses completed more than 5 years prior to enrolling at PBA will not be accepted for transfer credit toward a major or minor. Natural Science and Technology courses may be counted toward General Education credits up to 7 years after completion.

Admission to the Lower Division Nursing Major

Any PBA student may declare nursing as their major either upon admission to the university or after admission to the university. (Students who require remedial English or Math should be prepared to take summer courses or plan on a five year degree plan.) This declaration will mark their admission to the Lower Division nursing major. Upon declaring their intent to the School of Nursing, students must schedule an appointment with a nursing faculty advisor. Declaring the nursing major does not constitute acceptance or guarantee of acceptance to the Upper Division Major.

Timeline for Admission to the Upper Division Nursing Major

To be guaranteed admission to the upper division, students who are eligible MUST complete their applications by the deadline for general admission. Students who complete their application after the deadline will be considered with the general applicant pool and are not guaranteed admission. Any student who has failed a required course will not be considered until the course has been successfully completed.

Students must confirm their acceptance by the deadline below and are expected to enroll in NUR 2003 - Introduction to Professional Nursing, NUR 2013 - Pathophysiology & Pharmacology I, and NUR 2023 - Health Assessment with Lab. Failure to confirm acceptance or failure to enroll in the nursing courses will be construed as declining the admission.

* Upon provisional acceptance, students must enroll in NUR 2003, NUR 2013, and NUR 2023. Students are NOT fully accepted to the Upper Division until successful completion of these courses and all other requirements. These three courses must be completed at PBA.

Applications of students who have unsuccessfully attempted a required course will not be considered until the student successfully completes the course.

Late Applications and Transfer Students

Students who submit their application late will be considered on a space available basis. Students admitted during the spring semester must take the spring nursing courses over the summer or defer their acceptance to the next year. If no space is available, late qualified applicants will be added to the waitlist.

Application to the Upper Division

An application packet may be requested from the School of Nursing or printed from the School of Nursing’s website: www.pba.edu/nursing/application-process.cfm

Applications will not be considered until they are complete. The application consists of:

• Application form and fee
• Handwritten essay
• Completion of the Entrance Examination: ATI TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills). The cost of the TEAS test is paid directly to the testing company and is not included in the application fee. All entrance exams must be completed at the School of Nursing unless authorized by the Dean of Nursing. No applicant may repeat the entrance exam more than three times.
• Copy of Unofficial Transcripts

Guaranteed Admission Eligibility Criteria:

All Years: Student cannot previously have been placed on probation for any reason including Chapel and Workship.

Regular Admissions Eligibility Criteria:

*GPA is the GPA in required courses, not the overall GPA. This is designed to encourage students to take additional difficult science classes without fearing that they will hurt their chances of acceptance.

**Students who do not meet the minimum requirement must wait three months before retesting. No more than three attempts will be accepted.

Exceptions to GPA and TEAS requirements may be made in extraordinary circumstances on a case by case basis.

Progression Policies

Courses that are designated Theory and Clinical—e.g., Fundamentals of Nursing: Theory and Fundamentals of Nursing: Clinical—are co-requisites and must be taken together. The School of Nursing requires that theory and clinical courses must be successfully completed together.

• If a student withdraws from a Theory course, the student must also withdraw from the Clinical course.
• If a student withdraws from a Clinical course, the student must also withdraw from the Theory course.
• If a student is unsuccessful in a Theory course but is passing the Clinical course, the student will receive a W in the Clinical course.
• If a student is unsuccessful in a Clinical course but is passing the Theory course, the student will receive a W in the Theory course.

Dismissal

A student will be dismissed from the School of Nursing baccalaureate program when there is a lack of progress toward the degree. Evidence of lack of progress consists of one or more of the following:

• Failure to attain a 2.0 GPA in any semester.
• Failure to attain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 at the completion of any semester.
• Failure to obtain a minimum grade of C (2.0) upon repeating one upper division nursing course (i.e. unsatisfactory grades in the same course).
• Failure to obtain a minimum grade of C (2.0) in two upper division nursing courses. (A grade of W received due to requirement of successfully completing Theory and Clinical courses at the same time is exempted from this policy.)
• Failure to meet Palm Beach Atlantic University School of Nursing’s Health Requirements and Limitations (pg. 35) without specified accommodations.
• Inability to conduct oneself in a professional fashion consistent with the American Nurses’ Association Standards and Code of Ethics for Nurses or the Palm Beach Atlantic University Code of Student Ethics as listed in the Navigator. In particular, falsification of records and reports, plagiarism, or cheating on an examination, quiz, or any other assignment is cause for dismissal.
• Faculty reserve the right to dismiss any student whose personal integrity or conduct demonstrates unfitness to continue preparation for the profession of nursing.

A student may be dismissed without prior probationary status when any of the above conditions exist.

Unsuccessful Completion of a Nursing Course

To be successful in a nursing course, the student must achieve a grade of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, or C. Any grade less than C (2.0) is considered as an unsuccessful completion of a course. In addition, if a student earns a C in a course, but the average test score in the course is below a C, the course will not be considered as passing. Nursing courses will be weighted to reflect this policy.

Reinstatement Following Dismissal

A student who has been dismissed from the School of Nursing may request reinstatement by petitioning the School of Nursing’s Admission, Progression, and Graduation Committee the semester prior to readmission according to the following procedure:

• Petitions must use a business letter format.
• Petitions must include:
  1. Reflections of why the petitioner was unsuccessful
  2. Any preparations or remediation taken during the time off
  3. Plan for successful completion of the nursing program (this should specifically address the points identified in section a above).
• Petition must be received by April 15th for those wishing to reinstate for the fall semester or December 1st for those wishing to reinstate for the spring semester.

Reinstatement is not guaranteed, and no student may be reinstated more than once. A reinstated student will be dismissed upon failure (grade of C or lower) of one additional nursing course. Students who are reinstated must adhere to the policies and curriculum of the School of Nursing in effect at the time of reinstatement. Reinstated students must abide by the provisions set forth in the Interruption of Nursing Program/Reentry policy and may have additional requirements according to a reinstatement contract.

Additional progression and clinical policies may be found in the School of Nursing Student Handbook at www.pba.edu.nursing.

Degree Requirements for the BSN

Students assume responsibility for meeting degree requirements and for filing an official Application for Graduation according to Palm Beach Atlantic University policy. All candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Nursing must fulfill the following requirements:

• Satisfactory completion of at least 120 credit hours. Credits earned in remedial learning skill courses and courses that are repeated do not apply toward the degree.
• Achievement of a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
• Achievement of a grade of C (2.0) or higher in each required course or equivalent.
• Completion of all course work within four years after enrolling in nursing courses in the upper division nursing major.

Glossary

Nursing Major – encompasses the entire course of study in the baccalaureate nursing program.

Lower Division Nursing Major – the portion of the major that includes general education courses and the broad liberal base for baccalaureate nursing education. Typically, these courses will be taken by students in their freshman and sophomore years.

Upper Division Nursing Major – the portion of the major that is comprised of nursing-specific courses and completes the broad liberal base of education. These courses are denoted by course codes NUR 3000 or above.

Clinical – the application of nursing knowledge — guided by theory and research — in a practical setting such as hospitals, clinics, and the community.

Programs

• Nursing, B.S.N.