Nursing Department

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The Bachelor of Science degree program with a major in Nursing is designed to provide pathways for nursing students to further their nursing education and career. This upper-division nursing program is designed to prepare students as baccalaureate generalists in nursing practice within the context of a liberal arts education. Using a caring science curriculum, this unique program focuses on educating students to work with individuals, families, groups and communities from a health promotion perspective and an ethic of caring. This program also recognizes the knowledge and education that students bring from past experiences and provides an opportunity to integrate these professional experiences into their academic program. The program supports lifelong learning to promote excellence in academic and professional practice for both baccalaureate nursing students and faculty.

Siena’s Nursing Department offers two tracks towards a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nursing:

RN to BS Nursing Program (RN-BS)
The RN to BS Nursing program (established 2016), students will earn a Bachelor of Science degree within two years of full-time study or three years of part-time study. Sixty-one semester hours of credit beyond the associate degree are required. (The program length will vary for individuals as the conditions of transfer credits accepted and courses taken at the upper-division level create definite causes for variation.) This program is for licensed registered nurses with associate degrees in nursing who are seeking to further their education for professional nursing practice.

Dual Degree Nursing Program (DDNP)
The Dual Degree Nursing Program (established 2017) is a unique educational collaboration with a Belanger School of Nursing (local associate degree nursing program). Students enter as freshmen and complete both an associates and bachelor’s degree over the four-year college experience.

Both tracks of the bachelor’s of science degree in nursing have been approved by the New York State Office of the Professions and accredited by the New York State Board of Regents. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Siena College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The program is also a member of American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

Baccalaureate Nursing Program Learning Outcomes

At the end of this program the Siena College Nursing graduate will:

Synthesize theoretical and empirical knowledge from liberal arts, nursing, scientific and humanistic disciplines to apply to professional nursing practice.
Provide human patient-centered caring for individuals, families, groups and communities in culturally diverse health-care settings across the lifespan.
Emerge as a leader in the evolving healthcare environment who influence healthcare policy and social justice efforts.
Effectively utilize informatics and technology to communicate with interdisciplinary teams and support strong clinical decision-making.
Partner with culturally diverse individuals, families and communities to deliver health promotion and disease prevention instruction.
Engage in effective communication with clients, communities, health care providers and inter-professional teams with mutual respect to improve health outcomes.
Critically evaluate and integrate evidence-based nursing practice (EBNP) in the delivery of optimal patient care.
Improve the quality and safety of healthcare systems through the knowledge and application of evidence-based nursing practice.
Demonstrate civic responsibility by engaging in professional and community service activities.
Explore and incorporate the moral, legal and ethical dimensions of nursing into the nursing profession based upon the NYS Nurse Practice Act and American Nurses’ Association Standards of Care and Code of Ethics.

Admissions Process and Criteria for Admission:

RN to BS Nursing Program Admission Criteria
Siena College will admit registered nurses who graduated from an Associate Degree nursing program who wish to pursue a baccalaureate degree. The RN student must meet all the general Siena College Transfer Admission requirements for admittance into the Baldwin Nursing Program. The requirements for admission of a transfer nursing student also include:

Official transcript(s) from an approved nursing program as well as official transcripts from all other colleges or universities attended.
Letter of recommendation from nursing faculty member or a nurse leader.
A cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher and a minimum of a “C” in all Nursing courses (this will award the student 28 credits in nursing from their lower-division associate degree nursing coursework).
A cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher and a minimum of a “C” in all other non-nursing courses will be accepted for prerequisite and elective transfer credits.
Candidates who have earned their Associate’s Degree in Nursing must present their current registration of the professional nursing license in order for their application to be considered complete. The license and registration must be maintained throughout the program. Candidates who anticipate earning their Associate Degree in Nursing in the term prior to matriculation at Siena College must present current registration of their professional nursing license prior to matriculation at Siena College.(Offers of admission for this group of students will be conditional pending documentation of current registration prior to matriculation. Siena College reserves the right to permit initial registration pending receipt of current registration of the professional nursing license, however students who fail to present current documentation by census day (the third week of the semester) will be unable to register for subsequent terms and unable to participate in clinical work during any term of enrollment at Siena College. The license and registration must be maintained throughout the program. All admission offers are conditional until the Registrar receives the official final transcript(s) and the current registration of the professional nursing license.)

Dual Degree Nursing Program Admission Criteria

A completed application including official high school transcript and counselor recommendation.
GPA of 86 or above.
Test scores and a solid four-year curriculum. Four years of high school mathematics and four years of natural/physical sciences (including biology, chemistry and physics) OR successful completion of 19 academic units during high school and four years of mathematics (including pre-calculus) and four years of lab science (including biology, chemistry, and physics).
Essay (500 words) to one of the following statements:
1. Discuss activities, interests and/or volunteer experiences you have had in school or community organizations that will enhance your experience as a nurse.

*Note: Admission into the Nursing Program does not guarantee completion of the program.

Dual Degree Nursing Program Progression Criteria

Year One:
1. Students will enter the program and take Siena College’s core coursework along with nursing prerequisites of Anatomy and Physiology one and two, Statistics for Social Science, General Psychology and Sociology elective.
2. Per Siena College policy, the minimum of a “D” is required for the College core coursework. However, nursing students must maintain a CGPA of 2.75 and have earned a grade of “C” or better for all of the nursing prerequisites to continue in the program.
Years Two and Three:
1. To be academically qualified to progress to Belanger School of Nursing, for year two of the curriculum, the student must have earned a grade of “C” or better for all of the nursing prerequisites and have achieved a minimum CGPA of 2.75 or higher. Representatives from both Belanger School of Nursing and the Baldwin Nursing Program will meet to approve all students entering the second year of the program.
2. Students will be expected to take Microbiology for Health Studies, and Developmental Psychology at Siena College during year two. Students will also take three upper-division nursing courses. A minimum of a grade of “C” or better will be required of these courses.
3. During years two and three at Belanger School of Nursing, students are required to earn a minimum of a “C” in all nursing courses and obtain an overall CGPA of 2.0 or higher to graduate with an associate’s degree in Nursing. Upon graduation from the Belanger School of Nursing, students are eligible for the NCLEX RN.
Year Four:
1. To progress to year four at Siena College, students will have earned an associate degree in nursing from Belanger School of Nursing and have successfully passed the NCLEX RN licensure to move into the fall semester in year four. To graduate from Siena College with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, students are required to have a minimum of “C” in all nursing courses and a CGPA of 2.0 or higher.

Criteria for Retention in the Nursing Program:

In order to remain in the Nursing Program, students in both tracks must meet the following academic, behavioral, and ethical expectations:

Academic Expectations: Nursing majors must attain a “C” or higher in all prerequisite and nursing courses to continue in the progression of the nursing sequence. Students will have one opportunity to repeat a nursing course to meet this requirement with the permission of the Nursing Director. Students who fail to meet this criterion will not be able to continue in the nursing sequence. Students will be removed from the program prior to the start of the next term and be notified in writing of any such changes. Only one course in the nursing sequence may be repeated. The appeal process for non-attainment of these expectations is per Siena College Siena Life Handbook, and is further outlined in the Nursing Handbooks.
Writing Proficiency: Demonstrated through written assignments in NURS courses.
Behavioral Expectations: As outlined in the Nursing Student Professional Conduct Statement and the Nursing Program Handbooks.
Ethical Expectations: As outlined in the Nursing Program Handbooks and the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses.

Programs

Bachelor of Science

Courses

Baldwin Nursing Program

Belanger School of Nursing

Maria College Nursing