School of Nursing

The University of Louisville’s School of Nursing is an essential partner of a research intensive academic health science center in a nationally recognized University serving a metropolitan community.

The School of Nursing is a community in which faculty, staff and students collaborate to promote excellence in the profession of nursing. This is accomplished through research and scholarship that inform undergraduate and graduate education, support evidence-based practice and foster advances in nursing science. Students are prepared to demonstrate excellence in nursing science, practice and leadership in a variety of settings for the benefit of clients across the lifespan and to meet the evolving health care needs of society. As a citizen of the larger community, the emphasis of the School of Nursing is to address the complex health needs of diverse and dynamic populations through nursing education, research, scholarship and service.

Structure

As you enter our school lobby in the K building on the first floor, you will be welcomed into a renovated three-floor school occupied by very talented and dedicated nursing faculty, staff and students. The second floor includes two renovated classrooms and our Red and Black student lounge. Students can take advantage of wireless capability throughout the building.

The third floor is the administrative suite, undergraduate and practice faculty offices.  It houses five clinical practice suites that use state-of-the-art technology to capture both video and audio student learning on high fidelity patient simulators and electronic health records. It is a site where graduate nurse practitioner students learn to conduct a thorough health assessment to better identify systemic diseases. These students are definitely job ready through digital and inter-professional learning.

The fourth floor houses a well-staffed Research Office through our graduate research assistants, a doctoral student lounge and offices for graduate faculty; those who work in this area are developing the school’s research engine in nursing care of disease management and life transitions.  The top floor of the school includes a 155-seat auditorium created to provide a venue to broadcast throughout the state as well as national and regional nursing leaders’ presentations.

Administration

The complete and up-to-date list of Nursing School leadership is located on the Nursing website.

Faculty

The complete and up-to-date list of faculty is located on the Nursing website.

Advising Services

The Office of Student Services (OSS) is available to assist students in planning their academic program and to provide students with information regarding policies, procedures, and general information. The office is located in Rooms 3063-3066 in the K Wing Building on the Health Science Campus. Office hours are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. The phone number is (502) 852-5825.

Additional advising office hours are available on the Belknap Campus during the fall and spring semesters.  Advising offices are located in the HSC Advising/Studio Arts Bldg.

Appointments are highly recommended to guarantee availability of an advisor.  Visit the School of Nursing webpage for contact information.

Undergraduate Program Information

The following links are to the Nursing BSN catalog pages listing degree requirements and Flight Plan information:

• Nursing BSN (Pre-Licensure Program)
• Nursing BSN (RN-BSN Program) 

About the Programs

Students admitted to the Upper Division of all BSN programs, will be required to meet specific conditions as outlined in their offer of admissions and acceptance. It is the student’s responsibility to read the university undergraduate catalog, nursing student handbooks, and official notices (e.g., School of Nursing web page, Blackboard postings) to be informed about grades, credits, and requirements, and to abide by the regulations of the University of Louisville and the School of Nursing. Catalogs and handbooks are updated annually.

Clinical Requirements

Students are required to meet clinical compliance requirements by the appropriate deadline in order to participate in clinicals. Clinical compliance must be maintained while enrolled in upper division. Detailed information is provided at upper division student orientations, the School of Nursing webpage, and the BSN Student Handbook. Students are required to complete nurse aide training as part of their clinical compliance prior to progressing into Upper Division.  NURS 221 will fulfill the nurse aide training requirement.

Removal from Clinical

Any student participating in a clinical section may be removed from that section at the request of the agency. Every effort will be made to accommodate the student in other clinical sections of the courses. A student who is unsafe in the clinical area may be dismissed from the program.

Returning to Clinicals following an Absence

The SON has an obligation to ensure that patients for whom students care, receive safe and high-quality care and that students receive a high-quality nursing education. The Return to Class and Clinical policy establishes standards that nursing students must possess in order to meet minimum physical and mental expectations to ensure they are fit for duty. This policy also provides guidance to clinical/course faculty members when managing nursing students who have experienced a change in health status. This guidance provides insight regarding when students may return to the clinical setting or classroom after experiencing a change in their health status, which may limit the student from participating in clinicals and/or coursework.

Students who are not enrolled in nursing clinical courses for two or more consecutive semesters will need to have an Administrative Program Review to determine their currency of content and skills prior to returning to the clinical setting.  The program review will be conducted by the Dean’s designee. 

Health Professional Health Fee

On April 26, 1999, the University of Louisville’s Board of Trustees approved a Health Services Fee. Every HSC student will be assessed the Health Services Fee each semester. Service provided by the fee:

• All pathogen exposure (TB and needle stick) to include outside labs, x-ray, and medications
• All visits to the Student Health Services
• Services included on the Campus Health Services website: https://louisville.edu/campushealth/information/fees/health-professional-health-fee

This mandatory health fee is not health insurance. All remaining balances are the student's responsibility, as outlined on the Campus Health website: https://louisville.edu/campushealth/information/fees/health-professional-health-fee

Clinical Laboratory Fee

The UofL Board of Trustees approved instructional and clinical fees for nursing courses numbered 300 and all upper division courses effective Fall 2012. The purpose of the fees is to support the maintenance and operational expenses associated with providing clinical instruction.

Transportation

Students are individually responsible for arranging their own transportation to the clinical sites or other outside clinical experiences. Absence from class or scheduled clinical experiences due to transportation problems is not acceptable.  Carpool arrangements will not be part of the decision making process when clinical assignments are made.

Student Paper and Assignments

Student papers/assignments may be displayed as student examples for course files and accreditation purposes.  Identifying student information will be removed in the event of such usage.  Student work used for any other purposes will require permission from the student(s) prior to faculty use.

Technical Standards for Performance

Technical standards, distinguished from academic standards, consists of the minimum physical, cognitive, and emotional requirements for the full participation in the nursing educational programs. The nature of professional nursing education is to prepare practitioners to interact with clients and provide safe, competent nursing care. Upon admission to the School of Nursing, students acknowledge that they meet, with or without reasonable accommodations, these minimum skills and abilities:

1. Strength- lift, carry, push or pull objects up to 75 pounds.
2. Movement- Use fine motor skills and dexterity for activities such as keyboard data entry, setting monitors and measuring medication dosages in syringes, and use gross body movements such as bending, stooping, reaching, balancing, crawling, crouching, kneeling, climbing, standing, sitting, running, walking and repetitive movements.
3. Vision- Seeing far, seeing near, depth perception, ability to distinguish color.
4. Hearing- Distinguish sounds during auscultation and during communication with others.
5. Tactile- Feel and distinguish differences or changes in body tissue temperature, consistency, etc.
6. Written & Verbal Communication- Communicate effectively demonstrating both verbal and written skills
7. Cognitive & Mental Health Function- Students must possess the cognitive and mental health wellness in order to critically think, and to assimilate and analyze information to effectuate a timely and appropriate decision in the midst of multiple distractions. Must be able to memorize, analyze, synthesize and transmit information throughout 8-12 hour periods.

If a student requires a reasonable accommodation, he or she must utilize the University’s process for requesting a reasonable accommodation via the Disability Resource Center, who in consultation with the SON, will review the request. After receiving a request for reasonable accommodations, the program director, in concert with appropriate SON personnel and the University’s Disability Resource Center, will review the information to determine whether the SON can provide the requested accommodation or a reasonable alternative. 

Minimum Grade Requirements

Students enrolled in the Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing program must earn a grade of "C" or above in the courses (or their equivalents) listed below.  These courses may be repeated one time.  Students who do not pass any lower division course listed below on a second attempt will be dismissed from the nursing program.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
ENGL 101	Introduction to College Writing - WC	3
ENGL 102	Intermediate College Writing - WC	3
BIOL 257	Introduction to Microbiology - S	3
BIOL 258	Introduction to Microbiology Laboratory - SL	1
BIOL 260	Human Anatomy & Physiology I	3
BIOL 261	Human Anatomy & Physiology II	3
BIOL 262	Human Anatomy & Physiology Lab	1
BIOL 264	Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory	1
BIOL 265	Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory	1
CHEM 105	Chemistry for Health Professionals - S	4
MATH 111	College Algebra - QR	3

Anatomy and Physiology Completion Requirement

The School of Nursing highly recommends that students complete the two semesters of anatomy and physiology with a lab at the same institution prior to admission into the upper division curriculum (BIOL 260, BIOL 261, BIOL 264, BIOL 265). Transfer courses must be officially evaluated and determined equivalent to the University of Louisville’s anatomy and physiology courses.  

Student Grievance Policies

Representatives from administration and faculty serve on the School of Nursing’s BSN Academic Affairs Committee.  This committee reviews academic policies related to undergraduate nursing students.  Student representatives have full voting rights except on confidential matters involving other students; in these cases the student representatives are excused. Students wishing to petition a School of Nursing policy should contact an Academic Advisor concerning procedure, students’ rights and responsibilities, and appropriate steps to take for resolution within the unit.  University of Louisville also has a Student Academic Grievance Policy designed to provide fair means of dealing with student complaints regarding a specific action or decision made by the faculty as a whole, a faculty member, or the unit. Students who believe they have been treated unfairly, discriminated against, or have had their rights abridged may initiate a grievance which shall be processed in accordance with the Student Academic Grievance Procedure pursuant to The Redbook. (See University of Louisville Student Handbook for more information.)

Student Petitions

Any student wanting to be exempted from a School of Nursing policy should make an appointment with an academic advisor and, if necessary, file a petition. The academic advisor will submit the request to the Dean or dean’s designee who will make the decision or determine if an appropriate undergraduate faculty committee should hear the petition.  After hearing the petition, the committee makes a recommendation to the dean or the dean's designee, who makes the final decision.

A student may not petition to a committee for a change of grade in a course. However, the student may petition to the Committee regarding the fairness in which a grade was calculated. The Committee does not have the authority to recommend grade changes.

Academic Dishonesty Policy

The term “academic dishonesty” means obtaining or seeking to obtain an unfair academic advantage for oneself or for any other student; it includes lying, cheating, stealing, or engaging in otherwise dishonest conduct in the course of or related to any academic exercise (Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, University of Louisville). According to the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities at the University of Louisville, academic dishonesty is prohibited at the University. Academic dishonesty is a serious offense because it diminishes the quality of scholarship, makes accurate evaluation of student progress impossible, and defrauds those in society who must ultimately depend upon the knowledge and integrity of the institution and its students and faculty. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, multiple submission, and complicity in academic dishonesty (Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities).

After identifying suspected academic dishonesty occurring in any academic program at the University of Louisville School of Nursing, the following steps will be taken:

1. A meeting to discuss the suspected academic dishonesty will occur with the faculty member, the course coordinator/leader, and the student(s). This meeting should take place, if possible, within 10 working days after identification of the suspected academic dishonesty.
2. The faculty member in collaboration with the course coordinator/leader will provide a letter to the Dean or his/her designee, if possible, within five working days of completion of investigation of the academic dishonesty. The faculty member’s letter shall include
   1. A detailed description of the academic dishonesty;
   2. Copies of supportive material; and
   3. A recommendation commensurate with the seriousness and circumstances of the academic dishonesty.
3. The Dean or his/her designee will schedule a meeting with the involved parties prior to making a decision.
4. The Dean or his/her designee will respond in writing to the faculty member by accepting or modifying the recommendation, if possible, within five working days of receipt of the recommendation.
5. The Dean or his/her designee will send a letter to the student(s) regarding the outcomes of the investigation and/or consequences, if possible, within five working days of notifying the faculty member of his/her written recommendation. Copies of this letter will be sent to the student’s Office of Student Services advisor and the Dean of the School of Nursing. The letter to the student(s) shall include a copy of this procedure.

All records and documents obtained, prepared or related to the investigation and disposition of a charge of academic dishonesty will be maintained in the student’s Office of Student Services file.   

Disability Statement

Students with disabilities, who need reasonable modifications to successfully complete assignments and otherwise satisfy course criteria, are encouraged to meet with the instructor as early as possible to identify and plan specific accommodations. If determined necessary, students will be directed to the Disability Resource Center. Any identified modification(s) deemed necessary must be documented in writing by the Disability Resource Center and provided to the School of Nursing. The Disability Resource Center must re-evaluate and provide documentation each semester.