2015 FRESHMAN NURSING PROGRAM
We are entering an unprecedented era in health care in the United States, and nurses are at the front lines as part of the team implementing change. Intelligent, caring and educated nurses are needed to lead and coordinate the delivery of health care services in today s complex health systems. At Shenandoah, you ll enjoy close relationships with your classmates and faculty in and out of the classroom. We ll prepare you for a dynamic career of service and lifelong learning. After more than 50 distinguished years, Shenandoah University s Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing continues its strong legacy of preparing and challenging students to reach for professional excellence. As a practicing nurse with more than 40 years of experience, I m proud of our graduates, and I will enjoy watching you become a leader in the profession. Kathryn Ganske, Ph.D., RN Dean, Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing
Interested in a Career with Unlimited Possibilities? Nursing is an essential profession in the delivery of health care, with unlimited possibilities and options for career growth in the 21st century. Registered nurses comprise the largest portion of the health care profession. If you re good at recognizing problems and remembering details, and you have a strong academic background in math and the health sciences, you will find nursing a worthy and satisfying career for a lifetime.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING TRADITIONAL FOUR-YEAR BSN As a freshman, you ll find yourself launching head-first into a rigorous nursing curriculum. With the support of an experienced nursing faculty adviser, you ll receive academic and professional guidance throughout your four years in the program. You will also have direct access to a full range of student-life activities on and off campus. After you ve completed your studies, you ll sit for the National Council Liscensure Examination (NCLEX), prepared with the skills and knowledge to apply for entry-level professional nurse positions. CAREERS Ambulatory Care Nurse Clinical Nurse Specialist Forensic Nurse Long-term Care Nurse Neuroscience Nurse Nurse-Midwife Nurse Practitioner Orthopedic Nurse Pediatric/Neonatal Nurse Psychiatric Nurse Research Nurse School Nurse Trauma Nurse and more
REPUTATION FOR NURSING EXCELLENCE Shenandoah University enjoys a strong reputation locally, statewide and nationally. Our nursing graduates are recognized within the health care community as knowledgeable, capable and able to excel in the workplace. In addition, many return after graduation to pursue master s degrees, post-master s certificates and doctoral degrees.
The mission of the Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing is to prepare graduates who deliver, manage and lead nursing care in a variety of health care settings, and who participate in personal and professional development. We use a curriculum design that includes knowledge, skills, values, meanings and experiences. This unique approach is based on the latest standards guiding the profession of nursing, a integral part of the 21 st century health care system. Kathryn Ganske, Ph.D., RN Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing Accreditation Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education Approved by the Virginia Board of Nursing
FACULTY MAKE THE DIFFERENCE There s a special bond between Shenandoah University students and their professors. You ll enjoy close relationships with faculty members who will mentor you in and out of the classroom. This remains a hallmark of our nursing education. Shenandoah s experienced and practicing faculty take every opportunity to provide you with the academic foundation you ll need to meet the standards and rising expectations for practice in the nursing profession. They provide an environment where you can be inquisitive, grow and excel.
ENGAGING FACULTY Professor of Nursing Ginger Breedlove, Ph.D., CNM, ARNP, FACNM, and nursing faculty members Verna Raynor, M.S.N, CNM, and Catherine Salam, M.S.N, CNM, traveled to Managua, Nicaragua, to teach maternal child health topics to more than 40 rural-based community health promoters. Dr. Breedlove serves as president of the American Council of Nurse Midwives (ACNM). Professor of Nursing Jennifer Matthews, Ph.D., APRN, RN, is active in scholarly publication and national health care legislation. Her expertise is published in the American Nurses Association s publication The Essential Guide to Nursing Practice: Applying ANA s Scope and Standards of Practice and Education. Associate Professor of Nursing and Associate Dean for Student Affairs Janice Smith, Ph.D., RN 74, is a fellow of the National League for Nursing s Academy of Nursing Education. Dr. Smith received this honor for her innovative teaching, nursing education research, academic leadership and collaborative community partnerships. She is one of 144 fellows representing nursing schools and programs throughout the United States.
HANDS-ON LEARNING SIMULATION TECHNOLOGY Shenandoah University uses high-fidelity simulation equipment in laboratories that enhance student learning. Simulation technology, in the form of human models/mannequins, allows faculty members to design specific events or scenarios that simulate actual clinical situations and events. This technology provides an interactive educational approach to teaching theory, assessment, technology skills, pharmacology and decision making in a safe environment that allows you to apply and integrate knowledge, skills and critical thinking. OUTSTANDING CLINICAL PRECEPTORS Shenandoah University enjoys collaborative relationships with many regional hospitals, including the Inova Health System in Northern Virginia and Valley Health in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. In addition to our full-time faculty, our clinical preceptors are some of the finest practitioners in the region. All preceptors are BSN-prepared clinicians with extensive experience in their specialty, said Assistant Professor of Nursing Sherry Rawls-Bryce, M.S.N., RN. Under the preceptor s guidance, students learn to apply their knowledge to complex patient care in a variety of settings.
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Several organizations support the academic and professional development of nursing students as well as facilitate volunteer activities. Student Nurses Association (SNA) and National Student Nurses Association (NSNA) are pre-professional organizations open to all nursing students. Rho Pi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) is Shenandoah University s chapter of the distinguished national honor society. Membership encourages excellence in nursing and provides opportunities for you to do research and make contributions to the nursing profession and to worldwide public health.
WHAT OUR STUDENTS TELL US Shenandoah s nursing program is great. I learned so much and experienced some amazing opportunities. Getting involved with the Student Nurses Association and different organizations on campus helped me to learn the leadership and people skills that benefit me tremendously in my work. Mark Sipe, B.S.N. ( 12), RN Traveling to Brazil with Shenandoah s nursing program allowed me to put my practical skills and my knowledge to use while providing health care in a remote country. Leslie Purcell, B.S.N. ( 13), RN traveled with a medical mission team to Manaus, Brazil My education at Shenandoah provided me with a great foundation, and my professors gave me the support and encouragement that reflects in the way I practice nursing today. They shared their passion for nursing, and their support didn t end when I graduated. I still keep in touch with them. Christen Helfrich Morrison, B.S.N. ( 08), RN, NICU, Northside Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia
ENTRANCE REQUIRMENTS Applicants must meet all general Shenandoah University admission requirements and specific requirements for the Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing. A strong background in the sciences, mathematics and humanities is recommended. Students are selected by a variety of methods, including an evaluation of high school and college-university transcripts, test scores and other indicators of ability to complete the program. Once admitted to the program, all students are required to undergo a criminal background check, fingerprinting and random urine drug screen.
ADVANTAGES OF EARNING A BSN AT SHENANDOAH UNIVERSITY Today s health care environment requires well-educated, capable and caring nurses. As the profession raises expectations for the level of education required for highly skilled nurses, the Shenandoah BSN degree is the entry-level degree for many health care organizations. As a result, our graduates enjoy flexible, rewarding and satisfying career opportunities.
WHY SHENANDOAH? Earn a degree from a top-rated program with a reputation for nursing excellence. Study with outstanding faculty and expert clinical practitioners. Enjoy personalized attention from faculty. Learn from outstanding clinical preceptors at a variety of health care facilities. Practice your skills in state-of-the-art simulation laboratories. Learn in small, interactive classes. Experience your clinical education at behavior health and acute care facilities, public health and private practice clinics, school and occupational health facilities, the Red Cross and regional health systems. Join a close-knit, collaborative community of nursing students, faculty and clinical preceptors. Launch a career that leads to personal and professional fulfillment. HEALTH & LIFE SCIENCES BUILDING Come study in our new, 62,000 square-foot facility located on the south corner of main campus. It offers premier academic classrooms, specialized nursing labs, meeting spaces and a 16-bed cadaver lab.
SHENANDOAH FACTS Established 1875 Located in Winchester, Virginia Residential campus in the beautiful Northern Shenandoah Valley 1791 undergraduate students Student-to-faculty ratio: 10 to 1 NURSING FACTS Since 2007, Shenandoah University has been awarded more than $7 million in federal grants to benefit nursing education, rural health care, interprofessional education and veteran training in nursing. Undergraduate nursing students study with clinical preceptors at Valley Health, Inova Health System and the Martinsburg V.A. Medical Center, as well as at 250 affiliated clinical locations. Contact Admissions Apply Now Visit Shenandoah 800-432-2266 admit@su.edu www.su.edu/admit SUadmissions @Doah_Admissions suadmissions 1460 University Dr. Winchester VA, 22601 Shenandoah University does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation.