Goals and Objectives

  • To offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) based in the liberal arts.
  • To prepare a generalist nurse who demonstrates competent clinical skills and leadership qualities through the use of transfer of learning, critical thinking and decision-making.
  • To provide opportunities for individuals with degrees and/or nursing licensure to further their educational preparation.
  • To graduate professional nurses who are responsive to the changing health care needs of society.

NOTE: The Cumberland University Rudy School of Nursing offers a B.S.N. degree, not an associates degree (A.D.).

Program Outcomes

At the conclusion of the B.S.N. program of study, the graduate will be prepared to Use critical thinking skills to plan and provide care for individuals, families, communities, and populations at risk based on the application of knowledge, evidence based practice (EBP), research from nursing science, behavioral science, and natural sciences as well as the humanities.

  • Integrate clinical reasoning and critical thinking methods to make effective nursing judgments and help patients make relevant decisions to improve their health and quality of life.

    Meaning: Use of clinical reasoning and critical thinking (nursing process) to make nursing judgments.

  • Administer excellent evidence-based care, utilizing various biopsychosocial frameworks, to individuals, families, groups, and the community with diverse demographic, spiritual, and cultural characteristics in a variety of settings.

    Meaning: Provide evidence-based nursing care, incorporating biopsychosocial frameworks, to all people in all settings.

  • Integrate teaching strategies that are appropriate to assist patient, family, and community to achieve their highest level of health and wellness possible.

    Meaning: Incorporate appropriate teaching, including developmental stage, age, culture, spirituality, patient preferences, and health literacy, in clinical/practicum settings.

  • Collaborate in partnership with other healthcare team members to promote, protect, and improve health of patients at any point on the illness/wellness continuum.

    Meaning:  Function as part of the healthcare team.

  • Communicate effectively with the patient, family, and all members of the healthcare team using oral, written, and electronic methods, to transmit the analysis and integration of data required to provide excellent evidenced-based nursing care.

    Meaning: Ability to communicate with patients, family, and healthcare team orally, written, and electronically.

  • Implement interventions that integrate ethical and legal behaviors in all professional nursing activities leading to quality outcomes in order to advocate for the health, well-being, and the best interest of nurses, patients, families, and communities.

    Meaning: Treating each person as a unique individual and providing interventions using ethical and legal behaviors that lead to quality outcomes.

  • Engage in leadership and management activities in a multidisciplinary healthcare environment to plan, implement, delegate, evaluate, and promote safe nursing care.

    Meaning: Being the leader/manager in a variety of settings.

Graduation Timeline

If you are admitted for the fall semester, you will take nursing classes in the fall, spring (year 1); fall, spring (year 2) and graduate after the fall semester (year 3). If you are admitted in the spring semester, you will take nursing classes in the spring (year 1), fall, spring (year 2) and fall, spring (year 3) and graduate in the spring. Students may choose to attend full-time or part-time. Part-time attendance will extend the graduation timeline.