Nursing (BSN)

Dominican University of California offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree for students wishing to enter the field of professional nursing. Prerequisite courses must be completed before being admitted into the Nursing program. For a detailed description of the criteria for admission into the Nursing program, see additional nursing requirements criteria in this section. Information about progression during clinical nursing coursework will be found in the Undergraduate Nursing Student Handbook. These policies include: 1) needing a minimum grade of 77% for each course; 2) successful completion of both theory and lab/clinical; and 3) successful completion of passing grade on calculations exams each semester. Students will enter clinical nursing coursework in either Fall or Spring Semester. Clinical experiences in the Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years take place at a variety of affiliated agencies. Throughout the program, theory classes are held on the Dominican campus.

Upon satisfactory completion of the nursing curriculum, students are granted the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN Examination for licensure as a registered nurse (RN), and eligible to obtain a California Public Health Nursing Certificate.

Advanced placement is available for transfer students from other nursing programs and registered nurses who wish to obtain a baccalaureate in nursing. Students must provide a letter of good standing from their prior nursing program. A 30-unit non-degree option is also available for licensed vocational nurses seeking registered nurse licensure only. Students are admitted on a space available basis.

The Nursing program is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing and is accredited by the Commission for Collegiate Nursing Education.

Please refer to Nursing Student Handbook and Nursing Department website for most current requirements.

Philosophy and Mission Statement

In accordance with the core philosophy and values of Dominican University of California, we, the faculty of the Department of Nursing, believe that every human being is unique, and has innate dignity and worth. We view the person as a developing bio-psychosocial and spiritual being whose functioning is highly integrated throughout the life cycle. Human beings are linked to their internal and external environments and live in and are influenced by a society whose values they shape and reflect. Cultural values, biological and psychological factors, and the individual's unique patterns of responding to internal and external stimuli influence behavior in health and illness.

Health exists on a continuum. It is not necessarily the absence of disease, but a balance of physical, psychosocial functioning and spiritual well being. Each person has a particular set of health needs. When an individual is unable or unwilling to take steps to meet those needs, care by others may be required. A society which values care of self and care of others will also value nursing as a profession dedicated to helping people maximize their health.

Nursing is a dynamic, interpersonal process based on the premise of individual worth and human dignity. The goal of nursing is to help individuals, families, and groups. The nursing faculty embrace the American Nurses’ Association (ANA) definition of nursing which is, “Nursing is the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to health and illness.” Nurses value caring, community, excellence, lifelong learning, contemplation, service, social justice, and integrity.

Professional nurses accept responsibility and are accountable for the choice and outcomes of nursing interventions and for their ethical and legal implications. They collaborate as colleagues with other health team members and serve clients in the roles of advocate, teacher, manager, and provider of care. Professional nurses utilize the nursing process as the scientific basis for designing systems of nursing care, and for providing and delegating aspects of that care. They incorporate knowledge from the humanities and the sciences in adapting care to the individual client's cultural orientation, developmental level, and health care needs. Understanding of the research process and utilization of research findings in the investigation and solution of problems are characteristic of professional nursing practice. The professional nurse is committed to continued excellence in practice and lifelong learning, and contributes to the development of nursing as a profession and scientific discipline.

Education for professional nursing takes place within institutions of higher education, preparing graduates to practice as generalists in a variety of institutional and community settings. We educate baccalaureate nurses to practice as generalists and graduate nurses to practice as specialists. Professional nursing education is based upon and integrates study of the humanities and the sciences with clinical practice. We believe that education for professional nurses should take place in a baccalaureate or higher program.

Learning is the assimilation of knowledge leading to a change in behavior. Learning is fostered in an environment where there is reinforcement, as well as opportunities to apply theoretical concepts, humanistic values, and scientific principles. Learners come to the educational environment with diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, learning styles and rates, motives and aspirations. Learning, therefore, is promoted in an atmosphere that acknowledges the learner's unique needs and capabilities and provides a system of student support. We believe that mutual inquiry and respect facilitate the teaching-learning process. Recognizing that motivation and self-direction are essential to learning, the teacher serves as facilitator, role model, and resource person rather than solely as a transmitter of knowledge and skills.

Consistent with the mission of Dominican University of California, the Department of Nursing educates baccalaureate level nurses who are prepared to provide professionally competent, culturally sensitive, and ethically grounded nursing care, who respect the innate dignity of human life, demonstrate leadership through multidisciplinary collaborations, and model good citizenship within a global community.

Baccalaureate Nursing Program Goals

The goals of the baccalaureate Nursing program are:

To develop beginning professional nurses as generalists, capable of providing health care to meet the needs of individuals, families, and groups in diverse settings.
To provide an environment that will foster the student's personal, intellectual, and professional development toward excellence in nursing practice.
To promote caring, integrity, and awareness of social justice in the development of the student.
To provide the community with practitioners of professional nursing who are capable of meeting the health care needs of culturally diverse clients across the lifespan.
To provide educational opportunities for advancement within the nursing profession for registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and health care workers.
To provide an educational foundation for graduate study in nursing and promote lifelong learning.

Program Learning Outcomes

Based on the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accreditation mandate, the following represent the program learning outcomes voted in by the nursing faculty in the Spring of 2009. Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

Integrate knowledge from the arts and sciences as a basis for nursing practice.
Utilize the nursing process in a variety of settings to promote patient well-being.
Apply principles of patient-centered care to maintain therapeutic relationships.
Assess learning needs of patients and implement interventions based on knowledge of teaching-learning principles.
Collaborate with inter-professional and intra-professional colleagues to deliver high quality and safe patient care.
Apply knowledge and skills in leadership, quality improvement, and safety while providing nursing care.
Apply the principles of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention to promote optimal health for patients across the lifespan.
Utlize principles and models of evidence based practice as a basis for the delivery of high quality patient care.
Apply knowledge of health care policy, finance, and regulatory environments to advocate for vulnerable populations.
Demonstrate proficiency in the application of information management and patient-centered technology.
Demonstrate professional conduct according to the ANA Code of Ethics and the AACN Hallmarks of the Professional Nursing Practice Environment.