Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence in Nursing Education 1962 - 2012

Contact Information

Location: Thompson Hall, Room 324
Chairperson: Linda J. McKay, M.S., R.N. 978-665-3222
Admin. Assistant: Rhonda M. Burgess, 978-665-3221
Secretary: Marci Horgan, 978-665-3023
Clinical Skills Lab Coord.: Carol McKew, 978-665-3249
Admissions Office: 978-665-3144 or admissions@fitchburgstate.edu

accreditation - approval status

The Department of Nursing has received a full ten-year reaccreditation from the CCNE:

      Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
      One Dupont Circle, NW
      Suite 530
      Washington, DC  20036-1120
      Tel: (202) 463-6930

The Department of Nursing has full approval status from the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing:

      Commonwealth of Massachusetts
      Board of Registration in Nursing      
      239 Causeway Street, Suite 500, 5th floor
      Boston, MA  02114
      Tel: (617) 973-0900

In addition, the Department of Nursing is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), and the Massachusetts Association of Colleges of Nursing (MACN).

The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accredits Fitchburg State University.

vision

As a center of excellence in baccalaureate nursing education, the Fitchburg State University Department of Nursing graduates students who are prepared to assume healthcare leadership roles in the global society of the 21st century.  The Department uses continuous programmatic evaluation and innovation to maintain an educational culture that fosters social responsibility, service commitment, client advocacy and lifelong learning.  Graduates are nurse generalists who are system sensitive problem solvers and critical thinkers.  The graduate is committed to evidence-based practice and to recognize financial and regulatory mandates which govern health care practices.  Graduates are capable of meshing technological innovations with holistic nursing measures to provide integrative care that meets the diverse needs of changing healthcare populations and environments. 

Terminal Outcomes

Upon completion of the nursing program, the graduate will:

1. Synthesize knowledge from the liberal arts, sciences, and nursing as a foundation for safe, client-centered care.
2. Incorporate basic organizational and systems leadership to provide quality care and patient safety.
3. Integrate evidence-based practice including current research and critical thinking in the management of client care.
4. Analyze information using information technology to improve patient outcomes.
5. Examine the impact of health care policy, finance, and regulatory environments on nursing practice.
6. Integrate principles of communication in professional practice.
7. Synthesize knowledge of health promotion and disease/injury prevention in designing population focused care.
8. Integrate professional standards of moral, ethical and legal conduct into nursing practice.

FACULTY

Faculty members of the Department of Nursing get to know every student on a personal level, acting as both teachers and advisors throughout the student's career. In the Department of Nursing, each of the 17 faculty members has at least five years of clinical experience, and an average tenure in the department of twelve years. Students receive personal attention from experienced practitioners; an invaluable edge when beginning a career.

FACILITIES

The students in the Department of Nursing have access to some of the most extensive facilities in Massachusetts. In addition to off-campus healthcare facilities where students gain hands-on experience, the department offers: 

• A fully equipped health assessment lab with nine exam tables
• A state of the art clinical skills/simulation lab with ten beds
• SimMan, SimBaby, SimNewB, and SimMan 3G technologically advanced manikins which challenge and test students’ clinical and decision making skills during realistic patient care scenarios

technical standards for admission, progression and graduation

The faculty of the Department of Nursing has identified a set of technical standards that we deem essential to a student's success in meeting the outcomes of the nursing program:

1. Communication Skills: The student admitted to the nursing major must be able to communicate with accuracy, clarity and efficiency with patients, families, members of the health care team, as well as with instructors and peers. This includes both verbal and nonverbal communication. Each student must have the ability to speak, read, comprehend and write the English language.
2. Cognitive Abilities: The nursing student is expected to demonstrate cognitive abilities which include intellectual, conceptual, integrative, quantitative, critical thinking and comprehension skills that allow the student to carry out the nursing process in the care of patients.
3. Visual, Auditory, and Tactile Abilities: The nursing student must have sufficient capacity to make and interpret visual, auditory, and tactile observations.
4. Motor Abilities, Strength and Physical Endurance: The student must be able to perform gross and fine motor movements with sufficient coordination needed to provide comprehensive nursing care.
5. Behavioral and Social Attributes/Abilities: The nursing student must possess the emotional and mental health required for full use of their intellectual, communication /observation, motor and sensory abilities in order to exercise sound, stable judgment in the care of patients in a variety of settings.

PLEASE NOTE:
As students progress through the nursing program, it is essential that nursing students meet the above Technical Standards 

good moral character

The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing requires that
an applicant must be “of good moral character” for the Board to find the
individual to be safe and competent to practice nursing. The GMC
standard is created by statute and it assists the Board in determining
whether an individual’s character poses a risk to the public health, safety
or welfare and/or to the likely provision by the individual of safe, competent
nursing care. Good Moral Character Requirements for Licensure

RELEVANT LINKS

• University Catalog
• Four Year Plan of Study
• American Association of Colleges of Nursing/CCNE 
• The American Nurses Association, Inc.
• Anderson NCLEX Review
• Epsilon Beta Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau Int'l
• Massachusetts Association of Colleges of Nursing (MACN)
• MA Board of Registration in Nursing 
• Student Nursing Association ( SNA ) Chapter

HANDBOOKS

• 12-13 Graduate Nursing Student Handbook (PDF)
• 12-13 Nursing Pre Major Student Handbook (PDF)
• 12-13 Nursing Student Handbook (PDF)
• 12-13 Nursing RN to BSN Handbook (PDF)