Part I: Prelicensure
The direct-entry nursing student enters the accelerated master’s program as a graduate student. The first 16 months (four semesters) of the program consist of intensive, sequential classes and clinical with combined undergraduate- and graduate-level courses. Students are then prepared to take the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX-RN) upon completion of 64 program semester hours to earn an RN license. Students earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) after this part of the program. Financial aid will be granted on an undergraduate basis during the prelicensure phase of the program.
Academic Standards for Nursing Majors
Academic Dismissal from Major
Students in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences will be dismissed from their major effective the following academic semester for any of the reasons noted below:
- Students who do not meet the required minimum grade in two professional courses, including labs and clinical, will be dismissed from the program. Only one professional course can be remediated.
- Remediation of a failed professional course is a requirement for progression in the program.
- Students who do not meet the minimum grade requirement within two attempts of the course will be dismissed from the program.
Academic Appeals
Students who believe that they were erroneously, capriciously, or otherwise unfairly treated in an academic or cooperative education decision may petition to appeal the decision. Refer to the Bouvé College of Health Sciences Academic Affairs Appeals Process and the Northeastern University Academic Appeals Policies and Procedures.
Program Policies and Standards
Students are expected to adhere to the policies and standards of their program major to progress through their curriculum as planned. Students seeking any exceptions to the program policies and standards specified for their program major will present their petitions before the School of Nursing Academic Standing Committee.
Students are required to attend all scheduled nursing classes, clinical experiences, and clinical labs on campus and in clinical agencies. If the student fails to meet attendance requirements, the student will fail the associated class, clinical, and/or lab.
Clinical Requirements
Clinical settings require a criminal background check.
All students must receive a health clearance from University Health and Counseling Services. Health clearance is based on specific documentation of immunity from infectious disease and a physical examination. (This may be done by the student’s own healthcare provider.) In addition, nursing students need a clinical clearance in order to participate in clinical courses. Clinical clearance, managed by the School of Nursing’s Clinical Placement Office, includes verification of certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation; recent negative tuberculosis screening (PPD); positive titers for MMR, varicella, and hepatitis B; vaccines including TDAP and influenza; and additional health screenings as may be required by the program. It is the responsibility of the student to stay current and to provide documentation required for clinical clearance throughout the entire nursing program.
Six weeks prior to the start of a clinical course, students must show the following to be eligible for clinical placement:
- Evidence of immunizations and health clearance by UHCS
- Documentation of CPR certification
- Completion of a Criminal Offender Record Information background check
Students will not be allowed to start the clinical course, and may be dropped from the clinical course, if these processes are not satisfactorily completed.
Students should refer to Requirements for Clinical, Internships, and Practicum Courses in this catalog (applicable to both undergraduate students and graduate students at the college) for additional details.
Clinical Warning
A nursing student may be placed on clinical warning, or fail the clinical course, at any time during the semester for the following reasons:
- Failing to meet the clinical objectives at a satisfactory level.
- Failing to demonstrate safe practice. Students may be removed from the clinical area, before completion of the clinical rotation, if the instructor determines that the student is unsafe. This will result in the student failing the clinical course.
- Failing to meet the attendance requirement.
Conditions
- Students on clinical warning must develop an academic plan with the clinical instructor to address clinical performance.
- Students will be expected to improve clinical performance by adhering to the plan.
- Failure to adhere to the terms of the plan will result in the student failing the course and being placed on academic probation. All conditions of academic probation will then apply.
Notification
- The clinical instructor will issue the student a clinical warning via the Faculty and Advisor Communication Tool identifying the problem.
- The student and the instructor should then develop a plan together to address the deficiency.
- Copies of the warning will be forwarded to the program director and/or the assistant dean for undergraduate programs if needed.
- This is an administrative warning and will not be posted on the transcript.
- Satisfactory completion of the clinical experience component of the course will result in removal of the warning from the student’s file.
Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure and Injury
Any student who sustains any kind of injury and/or exposure related to blood-borne, respiratory, or other pathogens or hazardous materials while on a clinical rotation should seek immediate treatment. They must also immediately follow the procedures listed below:
Procedures
- Students must follow the affiliate site’s protocol for exposure reporting, testing, counseling, and follow-up.
- Students can present their Clinical Accident Insurance identification card to arrange billing at the site or a suitable nearby hospital or urgent care clinic. If students do not know a local provider, they can call the resource number on their identification card for aid in finding a local provider. Students should also present their personal health insurance information.
- Within 24 hours of the accident, students must also inform their program’s director of clinical education (or unit designee responsible for clinical placements) of the accident and submit, in writing, a description of the incident and injury or exposure using the BCHS Accident Report form, linked here. If a student is incapacitated and unable to file their own report within the 24-hour time frame, a Northeastern faculty or staff person familiar with the incident may file on their behalf. The student should file their own report as soon as possible thereafter.
- Submission of the Accident Report form linked above will automatically notify:
- The program’s director of clinical education or Clinical Placement Office (or unit designee responsible for clinical placements)
- The program director (if applicable)
- Assistant dean of clinical education in the BCHS Dean's Office
- Risk Services (risk@northeastern.edu)
- If exposure involved, Office of Environmental Health and Safety—Biosafety
- If for any reason a student is not able to receive immediate medical treatment, there is the resource of postexposure counseling through the university's partner, OEHN (Occupational & Environmental Health Network). They can be reached at 1-866-360-8100. OEHN is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. OEHN will collect appropriate information and engage the doctor on call who can help to direct appropriate care depending on exposure and circumstances.
Technical Standards for Admission, Academic Progression, and Graduation
The primary mission of the School of Nursing is to educate our students to provide evidence-based, culturally and linguistically competent, ethical healthcare that is high quality, safe, and accessible to diverse local, national, and global communities. Our programs are designed to prepare students to become leaders as nurse clinicians, educators, scholars, and researchers. The School of Nursing is also committed to achieving the goals of the university to become an outstanding national research, practice-oriented, student-centered, urban institution.
The goal of the School of Nursing is to prepare students to think critically and to practice nursing competently and compassionately in rapidly changing practice environments. All efforts are designed to build nursing knowledge; enhance nursing practice and patient safety; foster professional integrity; and ultimately improve the health outcomes of patients, families, and communities across the continuum of care.
In addition to classroom learning, students’ clinical education experiences occur in settings, like hospitals, in which patient safety is the priority. For this reason, students who, upon enrollment in any of the nursing programs, seek accommodations from the Disability Resource Center at Northeastern must also request an assessment of accommodations that would be needed for clinical education.
Certain functional abilities are essential for the delivery of safe, effective nursing care during clinical education activities. Therefore, the School of Nursing has determined that certain technical standards are requisite for admission, progression, and graduation from the nursing programs. An individual must be able to independently, with or without reasonable accommodation, meet the following technical standards:
- General abilities
- Observational ability
- Communication ability
- Motor ability
- Intellectual, conceptual, and quantitative abilities
- Essential behavioral and social attributes
- Ability to manage stressful situations
Individuals unable to meet these technical standards, with or without reasonable accommodation, will not be able to complete the program.
General Abilities
The student is expected to possess functional use of the senses of vision, touch, hearing, and smell so that data received by the senses may be integrated, analyzed, and synthesized in a consistent and accurate manner. A student must be able to respond promptly to urgent situations that may occur during clinical training activities and must not hinder the ability of other members of the healthcare team to provide prompt treatment and care to patients.
Observational Ability
The student must have sufficient capacity to make accurate visual observations and interpret them in the context of laboratory studies, medication administration, and patient care activities. In addition, the student must be able to document these observations and maintain accurate records.
Communication Ability
The student must communicate both verbally and nonverbally in order to elicit information and to convey that information to others. Each student must have the ability to read and write accurately and comprehensively in English. The student must be able to thoroughly comprehend and fluently speak the English language so as to facilitate communication with patients, families, professionals in healthcare settings, instructors, and other students. The student must also be able to present information in a professional, logical manner and to provide counseling and instruction in order to effectively care for patients and their families.
Motor Ability
The student must be able to perform gross and fine motor movements with sufficient coordination needed to perform complete physical examinations utilizing the techniques of inspection, palpation, percussion, auscultation, and other diagnostic maneuvers. A student must develop the skills needed to perform or assist with procedures, treatments, administration of medication, and the management and operation of diagnostic and therapeutic medical equipment. The student must possess the physical and mental stamina to meet the demands associated with extended periods of sitting, standing, moving, and physical exertion required for satisfactory and safe performance in the clinical and classroom settings.
Intellectual, Conceptual, and Quantitative Abilities
The student must be able to develop and refine critical thinking skills that are essential to nursing practice. Critical thinking involves the abilities to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, and synthesize objective and subjective data and to make decisions, often in a time-urgent environment, that reflect consistent and thoughtful deliberation and sound clinical judgment.
Essential Behavioral and Social Attributes
Compassion, integrity, motivation, effective interpersonal skills, and concern for others are personal attributes required of those in the nursing programs. The student must be able to work under supervision of a clinical instructor or preceptor; this is essential to ensure patient safety. The student must exercise good judgment and promptly complete all responsibilities in the classroom and clinical settings. The ability to establish culturally competent relationships with individuals, families, and groups and to respond effectively to patients who have different intellectual capacities is critical to nursing practice.
Ability to Manage Stressful Situations
The student must be able to adapt to and function effectively in stressful situations in both the classroom and clinical settings, including emergency situations. These stressors include personal, patient care/family, faculty/peer, and/or program-related issues.
Disability and Special Needs
Students with special needs are encouraged to contact the DRC to register and request services. Students must notify the instructor at the beginning of the semester if they plan to use DRC services throughout the course. The staff in that office is available for assistance.
State Board Nursing Examination
In Massachusetts, and several other states, the registering board requires that graduates taking the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX-RN) meet standards of “good moral character.” Students may review the GMC requirement specified at Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 112, sections 74, 74A, and 76; Licensure Policy No. 00-01 under “Rules & Regulations” on the Massachusetts BORN website.
RN Work Experience
Once a student graduates with a BSN, they are required to participate in an online professional seminar for two semesters prior to progressing into their master's coursework. In addition, students seek full-time RN experience, which is also required for progression into the master's clinical practicums in their concentration. One to two years of RN work experience is required, depending on the concentration. Students may begin the master's core courses during the required one to two years of RN experience, with approval from the specialty concentration director. Finding RN employment is the responsibility of the student, as it is professional nursing experience. Northeastern will help support the student in preparation for the job search. The student may take no more than 12 months' leave of absence between the prelicensure and MS phases of the Direct Entry program. Please see MS Nursing for more information about the master's phase of the Direct Entry program.
Part II: Return to Master’s Specialty Tracks
In the master’s program, students are required to take professional, research, and clinical core courses, as well as clinical courses specific to their concentration. Full- or part-time academic study is available to students. Most students return to the master’s segment of the program taking coursework as a part-time student while continuing to work and increasing the amount of professional RN experience accrued. Completion of the master’s degree can take four to six semesters, depending on the student’s program plan and concentration. Upon completion of the requirements for their concentration, the student receives a Master of Science degree and is eligible to take the national certification exam in their area of advanced nursing practice. Financial aid is awarded on a graduate basis during this portion of the program.
Please visit Bouvé College of Health Sciences Program Learning Outcomes for the specific student learning outcomes for this program.
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Core Requirements
A grade of B or better in the BSN clinical courses is highly recommended for progression into the MSN portion of the program. Progression is at the graduate specialty director’s discretion.
Students must successfully complete all courses with a grade of C or better except where otherwise indicated.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | ||
| NRSG 2220 and NRSG 2221 | Health Assessment and Fundamental Nursing Skills and Lab for NRSG 2220 | 4 |
| NRSG 3302 and NRSG 3303 | Nursing with Women and Families and Clinical for NRSG 3302 | 5 |
| A grade of B or higher is required in NRSG 5117. | ||
| NRSG 5117 | Advanced Pharmacology | 2 |
| A grade of B or higher is required in NRSG 5126. | ||
| NRSG 5126 | Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice | 3 |
| Semester 2 | ||
| NRSG 2210 | Influences on Health and Illness: A Nursing Perspective | 3 |
| NRSG 3323 and NRSG 3324 | Advanced Assessment and Interventions and Lab for NRSG 3323 | 2 |
| NRSG 3320 and NRSG 3321 | Nursing Care of Adults 1 and Clinical for NRSG 3320 | 6 |
| NRSG 3400 and NRSG 3401 | Nursing and the Promotion of Mental Health and Clinical for NRSG 3400 | 5 |
| Semester 3 | ||
| NRSG 3420 and NRSG 3421 | Nursing Care of Adults 2 and Clinical for NRSG 3420 | 6 |
| NRSG 4502 and NRSG 4503 | Nursing Care of the Child and Clinical for NRSG 4502 | 6 |
| NRSG 5220 | Introduction to Research Methods and Application for Healthcare | 4 |
| Semester 4 | ||
| NRSG 2150 | Ethical Healthcare: Genetics and Genomics | 4 |
| NRSG 4604 and NRSG 4605 | Public Health Community Nursing and Clinical for NRSG 4604 | 5 |
| NRSG 4610 | Managing and Leading in Healthcare | 4 |
| NRSG 4995 and NRSG 4996 | Comprehensive Nursing Practicum and Clinical for NRSG 4995 | 5 |
Academic Progression Standards for Nursing Majors
- Students who either fail or withdraw from a professional course will need to successfully remediate that course before continuing in their approved curriculum plan.
- Students who incur an incomplete grade in a prerequisite course must obtain approval from their academic advisor, upon consultation with the department faculty and, when appropriate, the School of Nursing Academic Standing Committee, prior to progression into the subsequent course(s).
- Students may not change their graduation date more than twice.
Program Credit / GPA Requirements
64 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA required