What is Considered an Undergraduate Nursing Program?
An undergraduate nursing program is an academic program that takes place in a college or university setting (AKA higher education) and offers either an associate’s degree (ASN or ADN) or a baccalaureate degree (BSN, BAN, BS) at the completion of the degree program. The degree programs may be offered online, in a traditional classroom setting, or in a hybrid format.
An associate’s degree, typically two years in length, may be offered in a college or school of nursing, a community or junior college, or a vocational or technical school. The baccalaureate degree usually takes four years to complete.
A college is an institution that can stand alone or is part of a larger university system; a college of nursing may also be called a school of nursing in a university setting. And there are for-profit schools and colleges of nursing that are independent entities.
The Undergraduate Nursing Program Curriculum
Whichever undergraduate nursing program you attend the curriculum should be similar from school to school. For example, there will be prerequisite liberal arts and sciences courses you will need to take to get ready for your nursing courses, such as biology, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, nutrition, statistics, growth and development, philosophy, and sociology.
The Undergraduate Nursing Program Curriculum
Whichever undergraduate nursing program you attend the curriculum should be similar from school to school. For example, there will be prerequisite liberal arts and sciences courses you will need to take to get ready for your nursing courses, such as biology, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, nutrition, statistics, growth and development, philosophy, and sociology.
Accredited undergraduate nursing programs will include courses or course content on leadership and management, healthcare systems, scholarship (e.g., theory, research, evidence-based practice), use of technology and information systems for clinical decision-making, health policy, ethics, legal issues, communication and collaboration, health promotion, disease prevention, disease management, global health issues, health behavior change, health disparities, social justice, roles of the nurse, professionalism, patient- and family-centered care, quality, safety, and nursing care across the lifespan (AACN, 2008). You can see the AACN Essentials of Baccalaureate Education document for more specifics if you are interested.
Clinical Rotations
All undergraduate nursing programs will have a clinical component so you can practice and apply what you are learning in class. In your undergraduate program, you will be exposed to caring for patients across the lifespan. You will learn about and care for adult patients, elderly patients, pediatric patients, and neonates. Women’s health and men’s health issues will also be covered. Psych/Mental Health, community or public health, and leadership and management rotations will be required. A short operating room rotation – observation only – is also a requirement. Some programs may have critical care or emergency or another specialty area as a requirement. Specialty courses may also be offered as electives to students in their senior year.
Rotations in all major patient population areas are mandatory – you can’t opt out of an area because you don’t think you want to care for a specific patient population or perform a certain nursing role. You may find that a patient population or specialty area that you thought you would not like becomes your favorite! And don’t be surprised when the reality of caring for patients is different than the media portrayal of nursing care.
By the end of your clinical rotations, you might know which area nursing you’d like to specialize in or patient population you’d like to work with — or not. The cool thing about nursing is the fact that you have a basic knowledge and skills base that you can adapt and grow with each new area of nursing practice.
General Tips for Success in Your Undergraduate Nursing Program
There are many tips I can give you to be successful in your undergraduate nursing program, but I’ll start with these general tips that will help you through your academic and clinical courses. More tips and advice to come!
Tip #1: Hospital Experience Increases Clinical Confidence
In my experience, it is helpful if you have some hospital experience under your belt before starting, or while attending, an undergraduate nursing program. Walking into your patient’s room during your first clinical experience can be a bit scary because you don’t know what to expect. Will the patient welcome me? Will I be able to handle the care I’m assigned to do? Will the family like me? Will the patient let me be his nurse? etc.
Experience as a nurse’s aide or licensed practical or vocational nurse (LPN/LVN) will give you skills and the confidence to care for patients, as well as give you a basic understanding of the mechanics and bureaucracy of working in a hospital. In addition, your experience will allow you to support your classmates who may be anxious or struggling. Experience as a paramedic, emergency medical technician (EMT), or military medic will have the same benefits.
The caveat is, of course, don’t overstep your ability or scope of practice as a student nurse. Don’t think you know it all because you have worked in a hospital or on an ambulance crew. Don’t get cocky. Student nurses are restricted in the types of procedures they can perform without supervision or in the decisions they can make. Know the rules!
Tip #2: Be Prepared to Be Challenged!
Nursing school is hard. There is a lot to learn to be a competent professional nurse. I don’t care if you were a straight-A student in high school and you didn’t have to study much, things come easy to you, yada, yada, yada…. Nursing school isn’t high school. You will be caring for human beings and mistakes could have serious consequences – so you have to have your head in the game.
Nursing faculty will have high expectations of you, regardless of whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student. There is no such thing as a passing grade below a C in most undergraduate nursing programs. In many graduate schools, any grade less than a B is a failing grade! But we admitted you because we believe you will succeed. That means we expect you to do the physical, psychological, and intellectual work it will take to be the best nurse you can be!
To be successful, you will have to do a fair amount of reading and preparation on your own. You will be expected to take the knowledge you are accumulating and apply that knowledge to practice. This is key, so I’m going to repeat it: You will have to APPLY your knowledge every day as a student and a nurse!
Throughout nursing school, your critical thinking skills will be developed and refined so that you will have the confidence to make decisions about patient care. That’s the point of all of those discussion board assignments, case study scenarios, learning activities, and written papers you will be assigned. It’s to get you to think, to apply, and then to evaluate your learning. It’s all a process, so be ready to commit to the reading time, study time, and homework time you’ll need to excel.
Tip #3: Schedule and Commit Your Time!
To be successful in undergraduate nursing programs you HAVE TO make a commitment to set aside the time you’ll need to do your best. Nursing school is psychologically intense and physically intense because you have to juggle school, work, play, sleep, and life!
You should expect to spend approximately 9 to 12 hours each week involving learning activities for each 3-credit course that you take. I know that this sounds like a lot – and it is – but is a conventional estimate of the time that most colleges expect of students who want to excel in their courses. Although the actual time of prep and study time may vary depending on your background, experience, and reading ability, the estimated time is based on a 3:1 ratio for a traditional 3-credit academic course. For a 3-credit course, that works out to 3 hours of in-class time and 3 (to 4) hours of work outside the classroom for each hour of class in a regular semester, per week. If you are taking multiple courses, that time can really add up. And for working adults, how can you possibly fit that in? But that’s the formula for how faculty figure out what’s “reasonable” for you to do each week.
Be aware that the majority of undergraduate students are working at the same time they’re going to school. In addition, they have similar obligations as far as family and other responsibilities, as you do; so the fact that you have to work is NOT seen as an excuse for not being prepared or not handing in an assignment on time.
So the key is to be smart about how you budget your time for reading, doing homework assignments, and studying for exams. Other than deadlines for assignments, YOU will choose when to study, how to study, where to study, and, if to study!
Schedule Reading Time, Homework Time, and Study Time! Photo by Eric Rothermel on Unsplash
Choose a day and set a 1-2 hour time frame to read your assigned readings. Again, take notes and read so that you understand the concepts presented (see Tip #4). Then block about 3-5 hours on another day to complete homework activities. Break up the homework tasks into smaller chunks, as needed so that you can see progress as you cross completed steps off your list – outline √, lit search √, etc. Finally, schedule one to two hours a few times a week to review your notes and study for the next exam.
Tip #4: Read for Understanding
First, Do the Required Reading! Faculty assign textbook readings for background or foundational knowledge about a topic. Journal articles may be chosen to supplement the text readings because the article communicates a concept in a different (or better) way than the textbook. In my classes, I assign readings that include text chapters, as well as journal articles for required reading. Readings that are optional, but recommended are also listed. I make a suggestion that students print the reading list citations so that they have an index of relevant topical readings that they can go back to in the future if needed.
You have to read in order to understand the concepts being taught and their relationships to the practice of nursing. You have to understand the concepts to make thoughtful contributions in class or via an online discussion board assignment. You may also be in a group that’s depending on you for your contributions.
Don’t think you can just attend class and get all you’ll need. First, many faculty are using active learning strategies to teach and not relying on the lecture method as much. That means that you have to have done the reading and/or homework to be able to participate in the planned activities. And second, being engaged in class discussions helps build neural connections to help you remember pertinent information.
Take notes when you’re reading. There is literature to show that when you actually handwrite things down that you’re reading, you tend to remember and integrate the concepts more readily. I write key words and notes in the margins so that I can find important information later when I review my notes.
Additionally, underlining important points seems to be more effective at keeping you focused on what you are reading than highlighting your notes. Though these methods are not particularly effective for learning, they are used a lot (Paul, 2013). Being selective in what you underline or highlight is key. See my post on taking notes for additional info.
Tip #5: Be Focused and Develop Good Work Habits
When you register for a course, you’ve made a commitment to help make that class great with your experience and insights and you’ve made a commitment to be successful. To do that you will need to plan and you’ll need to balance your life responsibilities. To that end, the biggest tip I can give you is to manage your time wisely. Use a digital or paper planner (like Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus Planner) or desk calendar, prioritize your work, and schedule your time to get work done before the deadline! If you can develop good work habits now, they will serve you well in school and in life!
I spent a whole month writing posts about how to be more productive, so I’m not going to repeat all of that advice here. What I will say though is how important it is to develop good work habits now! I wish I had the routine I have today when I was in school and as new faculty! I would have been less stressed and would have created more margin in my life for family and the fun things!
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