GPA/Minimum Requirements

The minimum GPA for admission into the School of Nursing is 2.5. Each nursing student enrolled is expected to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all work attempted. Students who do not maintain this minimum will be declared ineligible to continue in the major unless an individually designed continuation program has been prepared, reviewed and approved by the online RN to BSN coordinator.

From the time of enrollment at Jacksonville University, only courses taken at JU count toward a student's cumulative GPA.

Academic decisions based on GPA issues will be resolved prior to the end of the following session drop period. Please be advised that this means the coordinator can require a student to drop a course.

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Minimum Enrollment Standards

New Students - A new non-degree seeking student may take one Jacksonville University online nursing course upon Jacksonville University's receipt of the student's three-page completed application, $35 application fee, unofficial transcripts from degree-awarding institutions and documentation of a current unencumbered U.S. RN license. All of the aforementioned must be received by Jacksonville University by the predetermined session deadline.

Note: New students should be encouraged to go ahead and request all official transcripts. There will be no progression plans issued from unofficial transcripts. Federal financial aid can only be awarded to fully admitted students.

Re-enrollment - Students must provide all official transcripts to Jacksonville University before registering for their second session. After receipt, students may then register for up to two JU online nursing courses during the second 8-week period.

Prior to enrollment in their second session, students need to be provisionally or fully admitted into the Jacksonville University online RN to BSN degree program. Students deemed provisionally or fully admitted may continue to take JU online nursing courses in the predetermined sequence. Refer to the section Sequence of Courses below.

In order to re-enroll - online nursing students, whether degree-seeking or non-degree seeking, must complete a simple, one-page readmission form when they sit out over one year. However, no additional fees are required.

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Residence Requirement

The Jacksonville University residence requirement is 30 credit hours. The final 30 credits of the degree program must be completed through Jacksonville University.

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Time Commitment

Students should set aside an average of 10-15 hours per week for JU courses. The University recommends that a student study three hours per week for every hour in class.

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Sequence of Courses

The Jacksonville University online RN to BSN program is a tracked program. A tracked program means students must take their nursing courses in the order specified below unless granted exception by their academic advisor.

1. NUR 342SI
   Dimensions of Professional Nursing Practice
2. NUR 343
   Nursing Assessment for the Experienced Nurse
3. NUR 332WI
   Nursing Research for the Experienced Nurse
4. NUR 350
   Health Promotion & Rehabilitation Nursing Theory
5. NUR 412
   Physiological Adaptation to Illness
6. NUR 440
   Critical Care Nursing Theory for the Experienced Nurse
7. NUR 450
   Community Health Nursing Theory for the Experienced Nurse
8. NUR 451
   Community Health Nursing Practice for the Experienced Nurse
9. NUR 462
   Leadership & Management in Professional Practice
10. NUR 461
    Professional Nursing Synthesis for the Experienced Nurse

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Disability Statement

Students expecting to enroll in clinical courses in the School of Nursing must be able to fully perform the essential functions in each of the following five categories: observational, communicative, motor, intellectual and behavioral/social. Degrees of ability vary widely among individuals. The School of Nursing is open to consider candidates with any form of disability, utilizing a case-by-case analysis. Individuals are encouraged to discuss disabilities with the University Disabled Student Services and the Director of the School of Nursing. Jacksonville University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities upon notice through established university policies and procedures. Disabled students are to contact Jacksonville University Student Services prior to admission if they would like consideration for admission.

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Observational

Nursing students must be able to observe demonstrations of physical and psychosocial nursing interventions. They must be able to accurately assess the health status of patients. Observation and assessment of patients requires the functional use of vision and hearing senses, as well as the other sensory modalities.

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Communicative

Nursing students must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written forms with patients, instructors, classmates and members of the healthcare team. Communication for distance-learning students includes all emails, message board postings, telephone conversations and chat room participation. As professional nurses, functioning in a highly technological society demands careful attention to grammar, punctuation, technical content, tone and clarity of all communications.

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Motor

Nursing students must have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients by palpation, percussion, auscultation and other diagnostic means. They must be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatments to patients. Such actions require moderate motor strength, coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium and functional use of vision and touch senses. Students must have sufficient word processing skills to complete all assignments.

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Intellectual

Nursing students must have the ability to measure, calculate, reason and analyze. They must be able synthesize and apply complex information. They must be fully alert and attentive at all times in clinical settings.

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Behavioral/Social

Nursing students must possess a level of emotional health that allows full utilization of intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, prompt completion of all responsibilities, attention to the nursing diagnosis and care of patients and the development of mature, empathetic nurse-patient relationships. Distance learning students must be able to function effectively under stress. Clear and appropriate communication and professional behavior is necessary and expected.

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Disciplinary Policy Release

Each student accepted into the nursing major agrees to:

1. Represent the University in a manner that upholds the integrity and standards of the University and the School of Nursing.
2. Permit the Dean of Students to notify the Director of the School of Nursing and/or a designated representative if the student violates the conduct code.
3. Notify the Director of the School and/or a designated representative of any misconduct on the part of the student.
4. Understand the Director of the School reserves the right to discipline the student beyond actions taken by the Student Disciplinary and University Disciplinary Committees.

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Honor Code

Truth has been identified by the profession as a value essential to nursing. To underscore the importance of truth, honesty and accountability, students, instructors and staff in the School of Nursing adhere to the following honor code:

I do not lie, cheat or steal nor condone those who do.

Students must agree to the honor code, acknowledging that they understand this concept of honor. It is required that every student practice academic and professional honesty.

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Professional and Academic Honesty

It is essential that all individuals associated with the Jacksonville University School of Nursing behave with integrity and in accordance with the code of ethics adopted by professional nursing. Failure to guard patient confidentiality and/ or to accurately report and record patient-related information may result in disciplinary action.

Any information, idea, concept, statistic or other data used to complete an assignment in the school of Nursing must be properly cited (see Written Assignment section). Failure to use proper citation is plagiarism. Plagiarism is academic dishonesty and grounds for dismissal from the University School of Nursing. Written assignments cannot be presented for a grade in more than one course.

For individuals assignments, each student is required to submit a completed paper that is unique to that student and not a compilation of material created by two or more students working together. Unless specified by the instructor, it is permissible for students to discuss with one another the requirements of an assignment and to explore possible ways in which to complete the assignment. When a student uses an idea or concept created by another student, it must be cited, just as any other idea or concept is cited.

For online group projects, collaboration between class members is vital to the successful completion of the assignment. Sources used to fulfill requirements must be included in the bibliography or reference section of the assignment.

If there are any questions regarding professional and/ or academic honesty related to clinical or classroom assignments, students must seek clarification from the instructor in a timely manner. Instructors are to provide guidelines that are precise and unambiguous.

Procedures for breaches of academic and professional honesty are delineated in the catalog, student handbook and instructor handbook.

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Student Conduct

Students, whether online or ground-based, are to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times. Any student who is judged to be discourteous, rude or profane to instructors or fellow students will be reviewed immediately by the student Director of Distance Learning and the Director of the School of Nursing for continuation in the program. The student will be notified by email by the facilitating instructor of the offense and will be given an opportunity to respond in writing. The Director of the Distance Learning program will notify the student of the findings and the instructor's decision.

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The current Jacksonville University Academic Catalog is your complete guide to all policies.