Healthcare Traveler - January 2009 - (Page 60)

Going the Distance University of Saint Mary Karin Marcus ON LI N E DIS TA NCE LE A R N I NG PROGR A MS For More Info University of Saint Mary Nursing Department 4100 South 4th Street Leavenworth, KS 66048 877-327-6276 http://nursing.stmary.edu grade of “C” in each nursing course and have successfully completed the mentoring experience. Students may, with USM approval, be able to meet some general education requirements by transferring credits from other institutions. Advisors work with applicants individually to assess transfer credits. No on-campus visits are required; however, distance learning students are invited to attend graduation ceremonies on-campus to meet peers and faculty. Applications for admission are accepted continuously all through the year. Both diploma and associate degree nurses are considered for the RN-BSN online degree program. In order to receive conditional acceptance, applicants must complete the online admission application; have possession of a valid United States RN license; and complete the supplemental application form. To receive a formal acceptance, applicants must include two letters of recommendation, demonstrate a minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, submit official transcripts, and present a personal statement of goals. RN applicants with 75 credit hours of grade “C” level or higher college work from an accredited school can enroll in junior-level nursing courses. HT For further information about the online RN-BSN program offered through the University of Saint Mary’s Department of Nursing, e-mail nursing@stmary.edu, call (877) 3276276 or visit www.//nursing.stmary.edu/. Karin Marcus is a freelance writer living in North Woodmere, New York. www.healthcaretraveler.com I n 1858, the Sisters of Charity settled in Leavenworth, Kansas, with a mission to educate frontier settlers. By 1859, the sisters were so successful, they opened St. Mary’s Female Academy. The school thrived and in 1923 became Saint Mary College, a junior college. By 1932, the college became a 4-year institution. It became residentially co-ed in 1988, and in 2003, it was established as the University of Saint Mary (USM). Today, this fully accredited university offers 26 undergraduate degrees and six graduate degrees at its four locations in the Kansas City Metropolitan area. Offering distance learning courses since 1997, USM currently offers three online programs each semester to students looking for the flexibility and convenience of a web-based education. Technology requirements Students participating in the University of Saint Mary online courses are required to have an e-mail address and an Internet Service Provider preferably with a high-speed broadband connection but not required. USM provides technical support and a fulltime program manager to assist students throughout the program. Plus, new enrollees receive an extensive orientation prior to starting online classes. and confidence); improving written and oral communication skills; and utilizing decision-making and critical thinking skills to provide and direct safe nursing care through physical and mental health assessment, development of care plans, intervention, implementation, and outcome evaluation. Depending upon a nursing student’s previous diploma/associate coursework, most students accepted into the RN to BSN program can graduate in as little as 18 months with 128 credit hours of liberal studies and general education requirements toward the bachelor’s degree. The typical 29-credit nursing curriculum includes “Mission in Health Care: A Theological Perspective” (3 credits); “Nursing as a Profession” (3 credits); “Research in Nursing” (3 credits); “Health Assessment” (3 credits); “Pathophysiology” (3 credits); “End of Life Care” (3 credits); “Community Health Nursing” (4 credits); “Leadership in Nursing” (4 credits); and “Senior Integrative Seminar” (3 credits). RN-BSN This program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Students are trained to become baccalaureate-prepared nurses who value excellence, provide leadership, and foster community through caring. Through the program, they learn to provide outcomefocused, client-centered, and evidencebased care to diverse patient populations. Objectives include integrating professional role responsibilities; demonstrating Roach’s five C’s of caring (commitment, conscience, competence, compassion, 60 Healthcare Traveler January 2009 Students learn to provide outcome-focused, clientcentered, and evidencebased care to diverse patient populations. While textbooks are a required part of instruction for each course, all classwork is completed and submitted online, according to the weekly syllabus available to each participant. Clinicals are not mandated, but two courses—“Community Health Nursing” and “Leadership in Nursing”—require mentoring experiences, which can be performed at the place of employment. In order to graduate, students must have a minimum of http://nursing.stmary.edu http://nursing.stmary.edu/ http://www.healthcaretraveler.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Traveler - January 2009

Healthcare Traveler - January 2009 Editor’s Desk Contents By the Numbers Paws for Thought Field Notes In a Flash Med Ec-cerpts Dream Destinations Nursing from the Heart Drug Update Professional Update Clinical Tips On Assignment Cityscape Name It Advertiser’s Index Contest Rules When In… It’s in the Bag Dot.com Tax Facts Big Deals Starter’s Kit Going the Distance Allied Corner Classifieds Tales from the Road

Healthcare Traveler - January 2009

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