Contents
Catalog Links

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Aim

The aim of the baccalaureate program is to prepare students for beginning professional nursing practice. The program provides the general and professional education essential for understanding human beings, their culture, and their environment; for acquiring and utilizing nursing theory upon which nursing practice is based; and for promoting self-understanding, personal fulfillment, and motivation for continued learning. The graduates of this program are prepared to maintain and promote client adaptation in a variety of health care settings, through theory, evidence-based practice, and utilization of the nursing process.

Program Outcomes

The graduate of the baccalaureate program in nursing will:

  1. Demonstrate a systematic approach (integration, translation, and application) to critical thinking and clinical reasoning, inclusive of knowledge from nursing, other disciplines, theology, philosophy, and the liberal arts and natural and social sciences to make judgments and create innovations in nursing practice for the common good.
  2. Provides holistic, individualized, just, compassionate, coordinated, evidence-based, developmentally appropriate, and inclusive care that is respectful of the dignity of the human person, promotes human flourishing, and is consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
  3. Engage in collaborative activities and evidence-based practice to promote health, prevent disease, and manage risks, considering social determinants of health, across the continuum of care and levels of prevention with both traditional and non-traditional partnerships from diverse communities, public health, industry, academia, healthcare, local government entities, and others.
  4. Synthesize, interpret, and apply nursing knowledge to improve health and transform health care.
  5. Use principles of safety, including improvement science, to provide quality care that minimizes the risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
  6. Demonstrates interprofessional teamwork and intentional collaboration with colleagues, patients, families, and communities that value engagement with the city, nation, Church, and world through participatory decision-making related to healthcare needs to optimize, enhance, and improve health outcomes.
  7. Incorporate strategies of coordinated cost-effective, proactive, and efficient care within complex healthcare systems based on Catholic values to provide safe, quality, and equitable care to diverse populations.
  8. Use information and communication technologies to gather data, drive decision making, and provide care respecting the dignity of the human person that aligns with best practice and professional and regulatory standards.
  9. Demonstrates the formation of a sustainable professional identity grounded in Catholic social teaching, inclusive of honesty, integrity, accountability, a collaborative disposition, and ethical behavior reflective of the Catholic identity and nursing’s unique characteristics and values.
  10. Engage in activities that demonstrate a commitment to lifelong whole person well-being, intellectual curiosity, professional growth and development, resilience, and healthcare leadership.

Traditional Program of Study

The traditional program, or curriculum plan, is designed for the beginning nursing student: high school graduates or students with limited college transfer credit (12 credits maximum). The Conway School of Nursing website (nursing.catholic.edu) contains the newest and most complete information on plans of study and nursing coursework.