Info
Apply
Visit

Nursing

Requirements & Courses

The Alma College traditional four-year nursing program leads to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. In addition to the major requirements listed below, each student must fulfill the college’s degree and general education distributive requirements as outlined in the academic catalog. 

Please note that many degree and general education distributive requirements are fulfilled by the coursework listed below.

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Alma College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

Books & Supplies:

Books and supplies for nursing courses will be used throughout the course of the nursing major, and are therefore required. There are also testing fees beginning with the NUR 210 and 211 courses, which are taken during the spring term of a student’s sophomore year. 

Major Requirements:

  • Bachelor of Science in Nursing

    1. Professional Sequence (36 cr): NUR-210, 211, 310, 311, 360; IPH-310 or 311, IPH-430; MTH-116; PSY-120, 331; HCA-131.

    2. Nursing Content/Practice (26 cr): NUR-350, 351, 353, 355, 452, 454, 500

    3. Natural Science Core (32 cr): BIO-121 or IPH-131, BIO-308; CHM-115; IPH-301, 231*, 232*, 328*, 340* (Student must earn a grade of C or higher in courses noted with an *.)

    4. Integrative Core (25 cr): SOC-101; PHL-229; POL-141; NUR-101, 102, 201, 202, 301, 302, 401, 402

    Candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing must earn a total of 136 credits, and must satisfy all general education and other Alma College graduation requirements.

  • Additional Program Requirements and Considerations for Nursing
    1. All nursing students must maintain a cumulative minimum GPA of 2.5 and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in nursing (NUR) courses.
    2. All nursing students must earn a minimum grade of C in the following IPH courses: 227, 328, 340, and 344.
    3. All nursing students must earn a minimum grade of BC in every nursing (NUR) course to progress in the program.
    4. Any nursing student earning a C or below in a nursing course (NUR) must repeat the course to remain in the program and progress. The student may continue to take courses in the same tier while waiting to repeat the course.
    5. A student may repeat only one nursing course (NUR), and may repeat a nursing course only one time. If a student fails to achieve a grade of BC or above in a second NUR course, or a grade of BC or above in a repeated nursing course, the student will not be allowed to remain in the Alma College nursing program.

Courses

  • NUR
    101
    .
    Integrative Seminar 1
    1 credit
    Provides the theoretical base to further prepare nurses to become competent to care for the health of people. Integrates knowledge, skills and attitudes learned from the concurrent semester courses with that of the nursing process to provide a foundation for the clinical decision-making process. Additionally an introduction to servant leadership with service to the community is introduced in this course.
  • NUR
    102
    .
    Integrative Seminar 2
    1 credit
    Prerequisite: NUR-101
    Provides the theoretical base to further prepare nurses to become competent to care for the health of people. This course further develops the concepts discussed and learned in NUR 101. This course continues to integrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes learned from the concurrent semester courses with that of the nursing process to provide a foundation for the clinical decision-making process. Servant leadership is further developed in this course. This course is taught in the hospital SIM lab
  • NUR
    201
    .
    Integrative Seminar 3
    1 credit
    Prerequisite: NUR-102
    Provides the theoretical base to further prepare nurses to become competent to care for the health of people. This course further develops the concepts discussed and learned in NUR 101 and 102. This course continues to integrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes learned from the concurrent semester courses with that of the nursing process to provide a foundation for the clinical decision-making process. The concept of servant leadership with is further developed in this course.
  • NUR
    202
    .
    Integrative Seminar 4
    1 credit
    Prerequisite: NUR-201
    Provides the theoretical base to further prepare nurses to become competent to care for the health of people. This course further develops the concepts discussed and learned in NUR-101, NUR-102 and NUR-201. This course continues to integrate the knowledge, skills and attitudes learned from the concurrent semester courses with that of the nursing process to provide a foundation for the clinical decision-making process. Servant leadership is further developed in this course.
  • NUR
    210
    .
    Clinical Skills, Medical Math and EMR
    2 credits
    Prerequisite: IPH-227, 344, 328, and 340
    Provides the theoretical base for nursing therapeutics (clinical skills, medical math and EMR) to provide safe-effective patient centered care. Patient centered caring practices are expanded to include issues of privacy, confidentiality, and responses to diversity. Quality and safety standards/competencies for nursing therapeutics are introduced and practiced within a laboratory setting. Students must also enroll in NUR-211. Course fee.
  • NUR
    211
    .
    Physical Assessment
    2 credits
    Prerequisite: IPH-227, 344, 328, and 340
    Provides the theoretical base for a comprehensive health history and physical assessment utilizing the nursing process for a well adult patient. Incorporates spiritual, socio-cultural, psychological and physical dimensions of the patient for the health history and physical assessment. Patient centered caring practices are expanded to include issues of privacy, confidentiality, and responses to diversity. Quality and safety standards/competencies for the physical assessment are introduced and practiced within a laboratory setting. Student must also enroll in NUR 210. Course fee.
  • NUR
    280
    .
    Population Health
    2 credits
    Course Description: This course will explore occurrences and distribution of health events across populations: local, national, and global. The student will examine health outcomes related to morbidity, mortality, quality of life and disparities through the reciprocal determinant factors of health, individual behavior, social and physical environment, culture, and genomics. Epidemiological principles will be identified and used to examine a current health issue. Lastly, students will consider the impact of health policies, and programs, related to current health issues.
  • NUR
    301
    .
    Integrative Seminar 5
    1 credit
    Prerequisite: NUR-211
    Provides the theoretical base to further prepare nurses to become competent to care for the health of people. This course further develops the concepts discussed and learned in NUR 101, 102, 201 and 202. The servant leadership goal is allocated in this course.
  • NUR
    302
    .
    Integrative Seminar 6
    1 credit
    Prerequisite: NUR-301
    Provides the theoretical base to further prepare nurses to become competent to care for the health of people. Additionally an introduction to servant leadership with service to the community is introduced in this course.
  • NUR
    310
    .
    Fundamentals Nursing Practice
    4 credits
    Prerequisite: NUR-211
    Provides the theoretical base for scientific inquiry/nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, planning, interventions and evaluation) to provide patient-centered care. Quality and safety standards/ competencies of nursing practice are employed for the fundamental care of a patient within the framework of health care delivery systems. Nursing Fundamental Practicum Students practice learned assessment, fundamental and nursing skills in community and hospital settings under the supervision of clinical instructors. Leadership and system thinking concepts are expanded and practiced in the clinical setting. Laboratory/practicum. Course fee.
  • NUR
    311
    .
    Nursing Theory and Professional Practice
    2 credits
    Prerequisite: NUR-211
    Provides a theoretical base for the concepts of the meta-paradigm of nursing theory (patient/person, nurse, health, and environment), the core values of Alma College, the BSN essentials and the QSEN initiatives to guide the development of a professional nursing practice. Development of a philosophy of a professional nursing role is approached from a perspective of the Alma College tradition, social justice, reflective thinking and a values-centered professional education.
  • NUR
    350
    .
    Medical Surgical Nursing I W.Practicum
    4 credits
    Provides the theoretical base to prepare professional nurses to administer safe-effective, evidenced based practice care for the medical-surgical adult patient. The interrelationship of the patient, health, nursing and the environment are explored and practiced within a medical-surgical setting. Quality and safety standards/competencies of nursing practice are employed for the adult medical-surgical population within the framework of health care delivery systems. Laboratory/practicum. Course fee.
  • NUR
    351
    .
    Mental Health Nursing With Practicum
    4 credits
    Provides the theoretical base to prepare professional nurses to become competent to care for the mental health needs of the patient. The interrelationship of the patient, health, nursing and the environment are explored and practiced within the mental health setting. Quality and safety standards/competencies of nursing practice for the adult mental health population are explored and practiced within the framework of health care delivery systems. Course is taught at hospital Room 1177. Laboratory/practicum. Course fee.
  • NUR
    353
    .
    Pediatric Nursing
    3 credits
    Prerequisite: NUR-211
    Provides the theoretical base to prepare professional nurses to become competent to care for children and their families. The interrelationship of the patient, health, nursing and the environment are explored and practiced within the critical care setting. Quality and safety competencies of nursing practice for the pediatric population are explored and practiced within the framework of health care delivery systems. Course is taught at hospital Room 1177. Laboratory/practicum. Course fee.
  • NUR
    355
    .
    Maternal Health Nursing
    3 credits
    Prerequisite: NUR-211
    Provides the theoretical base to prepare nursing students to become competent to care for childbearing women. The interrelationship of the patient, health, nursing and environment are explored within the maternal health setting. Quality and safety competencies of nursing practice for the maternal health population are explored within the framework of health care delivery systems. Laboratory/practicum. Course fee.
  • NUR
    355M
    .
    Maternal Health Nursing
    3 credits
    Prerequisite: NUR-211
    Provides the theoretical base to prepare nursing students to become competent to care for childbearing women. The interrelationship of the patient, health, nursing and environment are explored within the maternal health setting. Quality and safety competencies of nursing practice for the maternal health population are explored within the framework of health care delivery systems. Laboratory/practicum. Course fee.
  • NUR
    360M
    .
    Community/Global Nursing Experience
    4 credits
    Provides the theoretical base to prepare professional nurses to become competent to care for the needs of patients from a designated community. The interrelationship of the patient, health, nursing and the environment are explored and practiced within a designated community setting. This course explores the health outcomes of a group of individuals, including the distribution of such outcomes within the group. The outcomes of mortality, quality of life and disparities will be examined through the reciprocal determinant factors of health care, individual behavior, social environment, physical environment, and genomics. The student will examine how policies and programs impact outcomes and determinants within current urban and global health care settings. Laboratory/practicum.
  • NUR
    380
    .
    Nursing Seminar
    1 credit
    Topics in Nursing decided by instructor
  • NUR
    401
    .
    Integrative Seminar 4
    1 credit
    Prerequisite: NUR-201
    Provides the theoretical base to further prepare nurses to become competent to care for the health of people. This course further develops the concepts discussed and learned in NUR 302.
  • NUR
    402
    .
    Capstone Seminar
    2 credits
    Provides a theoretical base for implementing learned nursing interventions through theory into professional practice. Theories derived from multiple disciplinary perspectives (arts and sciences) and research methods are employed to assist populations at risk. Social justice, women’s issues, abuse and violence, substance abuse, social and health policies, disparities, access problems, and integrity of basic units of society are explored with the Alma Core Values embedded in the process of the project.
  • NUR
    452
    .
    Medical Surgical Nursing II W Practicum
    4 credits
    Provides the theoretical base to prepare professional nurses to become competent to care for critical care needs of the adult and geriatric population. The interrelationship of the patient, health, nursing and the environment are explored and practiced within the critical care setting. Quality and safety standards/competencies of nursing practice for the adult critical care population are explored and practiced within the framework of health care delivery systems. Laboratory/practicum. Course fee.
  • NUR
    454
    .
    Community Health Nursing W Practicum
    4 credits
    Provides the theoretical base to prepare professional nurses to become competent to care for patients in the community. The interrelationship of the patient, health, nursing and the environment are explored within the community setting. Quality and safety standards/competencies of nursing practice are explored for care of the patient in the community within the framework of health care delivery systems. Laboratory/practicum. Course fee.
  • NUR
    480
    .
    Nursing Seminar
    1 credit
    Topics in Nursing decided by instructor
  • NUR
    500
    .
    Clinical Immersion Practicum
    4 credits
    Provides for the transition of the student nurse to a professional baccalaureate nurse within an interdisciplinary, population-based model of care. The practicum is an immersion experience in which the student has the opportunity to practice the role of an entry-level baccalaureate nurse under the guidance of faculty and the direct supervision of an experienced clinician. Seminars are held to examine issues facing entry-level practitioners, such as ethical challenges, role transition, team building, conflict management, delegation, population-based care and community outreach, along with cost and quality outcomes in health care. Course fee.
  • NUR
    500M
    .
    Clinical Immersion Practicum
    4 credits
    Prerequisite: Permission
    Provides for the transition of the student nurse to a professional baccalaureate nurse within an interdisciplinary, population-based model of care. The practicum is an immersion experience in which the student has the opportunity to practice the role of an entry-level baccalaureate nurse under the guidance of faculty and the direct supervision of an experienced clinician. Seminars are held to examine issues facing entry-level practitioners, such as ethical challenges, role transition, team building, conflict management, delegation, population-based care and community outreach, along with cost and quality outcomes in health care. Course fee. Laboratory.