SUNY Poly offers a curriculum leading to a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in nursing. The baccalaureate program is designed to serve licensed registered nurses from state-approved associate or diploma nursing programs who are prepared to focus on their professional and career development.

Students may attend the SUNY Poly program on a full-time or part-time basis. Admission to the program occurs in both the fall and spring semesters.

The nursing program is offered in a hybrid format. We use Blackboard as the online Learning Management System to support most courses, regardless of the method of delivery. Classes meet either face-to-face, or online in various combinations. Online course content may be delivered asynchronously or synchronously. Synchronous class sessions meet at a specific day and time. The amount and frequency of synchronous class work varies among courses.  Technological needs to access the course content will minimally include a computer with webcam and microphone ability (the use of a wired headset is recommended.) Information about online learning and technical requirements can be found at SUNY Poly Instructional Technology webpage.

The curriculum includes coursework in the theoretical bases of professional nursing practice, comprehensive health assessment, nursing research and evidence based practice nursing leadership, care management, and public health nursing science. As with all programs at SUNY Poly, the nursing program includes a strong base in the arts and sciences. This provides students with the tools and knowledge to relate their experiences to their work and to the broader context of their lives. It helps create a more diverse, complete education that continues to grow through life long learning.

Computer Requirements
Computer compatible with the current Blackboard platform. Students may go to http://www.sunyit.edu/online/technical_requirements?cms= to check computer capabilities. Students must have a USB headset with microphone. A wired internet connection is preferred.

Articulation
The nursing program, in support of the mission of SUNY Poly, offers direct articulation and joint admission agreements with associate degree and diploma nursing programs. These agreements provide potential students advanced advisement regarding transfer of credits.

General Admission Information for BS Nursing

Transfer of Semester Hours

• Students must submit official transcripts of any college courses they wish to have evaluated for transfer of semester hours to the director of admissions .
• Only those semester hours acceptable toward meeting the curriculum requirements of the nursing program will be accepted for transfer; transfer credits are determined on an individual basis. Up to 76 credits may transfer from the lower division level, typically including 30 credits in nursing and  up to 46 credits in the liberal arts and sciences.
• No “D” grade will be transferred in any program required course.
• Only courses with a minimum grade of “C” are considered for transfer as upper division transfer semester hours.

Academic Requirements
Before being admitted into the baccalaureate nursing courses at SUNY Poly, a potential student must meet the following requirements:

• Applicant must be a graduate of a state-approved associate degree or diploma nursing program.
• Prior to admission, each student is required to have a minimum of 26 lower division semester hours in arts and sciences courses, or equivalent, in English composition, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, introductory psychology, and introductory sociology.
• Applicants who need to validate lower division arts and sciences credits may do so through Excelsior College, DSST or CLEP tests. CLEP tests may be scheduled at SUNY Poly by contacting the Learning Center.
• Students are required to pass an upper division writing course within the first 32 semester hours after matriculation at SUNY Poly. Any student may be exempt from the required course if they successfully complete the established test-out procedure.

Program Policies

• Prerequisites for participation in ANY 400 level nursing course include:
• a. Licensure – A copy of the student’s current New York State R.N. Registration certificate must be on file in the Health & Wellness Office.
  b. Health Clearance – Written evidence of history, physical exam, immunization record and health clearance must be on file in the Health and Wellness Center.
  c. CPR Certification – Written evidence of current satisfactory completion of CPR certification must be on file in the Health & Wellness Office.
  d. Matriculated status – fulfillment of all prerequisite and admission requirements.
• Degree Requirements: the degree applicant must meet the requirements of the B.S. degree with a major in nursing and the general education requirements as determined at the time of admission.
• Grading: The student must maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) to remain in good standing.
  – The student must obtain a minimum grade of “C” in each nursing course.
  – The student must pass both the theoretical and clinical components of a nursing course, or the course must be repeated in its entirety. A student may repeat a nursing course only once.
  – If a minimum grade of “C” is not obtained a second time, the student will be required to withdraw from the nursing program.
• Withdrawal from Program: The Department of Nursing reserves the right to request the withdrawal of any student whose continuance in the program would be detrimental to the health and safety of self or others.
• Add/Drop Courses: A student dropping co-requisites of a nursing course will also be required to drop the applicable nursing course.
• Academic Overload: A full-time student desiring to take more than 16 semester hours in either the fall or spring term must demonstrate the ability to carry an overload by achieving a 3.25 GPA while carrying 16 semester hours in the previous semester. Any overload must be approved in writing by the Chair of the Department of Nursing.
• Readmission: Students seeking readmission to the Department of Nursing will have their coursework evaluated by the Academic Standards Committee of the Department of Nursing. Upper division nursing credits taken more than five years before admission will be evaluated for applicability to the student’s new program of study.

R.N. Licensure
A current New York (NY) Registered Nursing (RN) License is required upon completion of first semester coursework. Students who do not have a current NY State RN License by the end of the first semester may NOT take additional nursing courses until licensure is obtained.

Clinical Experiences
Principles of nursing are explored and examined more fully within a wide variety of diverse community and clinical health care patient settings which include hospitals, schools, health care agencies, community based and public health focused programs. The clinical experiences are designed to allow working registered nurses to continue their education and complete their baccalaureate degree without interruption. Students must meet licensure, CPR and health clearance requirements upon admission. These requirements must be updated prior to taking clinical courses NUR444, NUR474 and Culminating Seminar NUR490. Students must have a clear and unencumbered New York State Nursing license in order to participate in clinical experiences. Failure to report any license sanction or condition will result in automatic failure of the course and removal from the nursing program.

Unsafe clinical performance is care that seriously jeopardizes the patient’s well-being and/or causes potential or actual harm to self or others. A student demonstrating a pattern of unsafe performance will not be allowed to continue in the clinical nursing course.

In addition, students are required to adhere to legal and ethical standards as established by regulatory agencies and nursing professional standards. Failure to comply with the above is cause for immediate dismissal from the program.

Health Requirements
All students must meet the health requirements of the nursing program and health agencies. Each student must be able to perform a full range of clinical activities. Satisfactory health clearance must be complete and on file in the Health and Wellness Center upon admission, and prior to participating in each of the clinical courses (NUR 444, NUR 474) and Culminating Seminar NUR490. Health forms will require students to be free from physical or mental impairments, including habituation or addiction to depressants, stimulants, narcotics, alcohol, or other behavior-altering substances that might interfere with the performance of their duties or would impose a potential risk to patients or personnel. Attendance at clinical activity without prior clinical clearance or while exhibiting unsafe or inappropriate behavior will result in clinical failure.

Nursing Facilities
The nursing program makes use of new and modern facilities, laboratories and equipment giving students the opportunity to learn from current research and developments. Laboratory equipment features audio-visual materials, computer software and complete health assessment laboratories with examination tables, full scale anatomical models, diagnostic instruments and video monitoring. Students also make use of the latest equipment available in health care facilities where they apply classroom theory to practical situations. All students have access to SUNY Poly computer laboratories, assessment labs and other venues throughout campus.

Transportation and Professional Attire
All students must provide their own transportation for field trips, laboratory, and clinical assignments associated with their nursing courses. Professional attire and roles will be specified for each course by the clinical professor in collaboration with agency supervisors.

Sigma Theta Tau International
Sigma Theta Tau International is the Honor Society of Nursing. The Department of Nursing’s Iota Delta Chapter includes in its membership students, alumni, faculty, and community leaders in nursing. The purposes of this society are to recognize superior achievement and the development of leadership qualities to foster high professional standards, to encourage creative work, and to strengthen commitment to the ideals and purposes of the profession. Eligibility is determined by scholastic achievement, evidence of professional potential, and/or marked achievement in the field of nursing.

Faculty
The faculty, with their broad and varied experiences and educational philosophies, are outstanding proponents of baccalaureate education for registered nurses. The faculty are highly qualified to assist the adult learner and guide both the new registered nurse and those with extensive and/or varied experiences through the program. Faculty serve as academic advisors to all students.

Requirements

Students shall satisfy the requirements listed below.

I. SUNY General Education Requirements (30 credits)

All SUNY students must satisfy the following requirements.

No fewer than 30 credits must be attained from the SUNY approved General Education Course List with the following provisions:

• Mathematics (STA 100 required by program)
• Basic Communication  (ENG 101 or equivalent)
• At least five (5) out of the following eight (8) SUNY General Education categories:
  • Natural Science (BIO 215T & BIO 215L w/lab required by program)
  • Social Science (PSY 100)
  • American History
  • Western Civilization
  • Other World Civilization
  • Humanities
  • The Arts
  • Foreign Language

NOTE: You may take more than one course in a given category to complete this 30 credit hour requirement, but you must also satisfy the appropriate number of categories.

II. Liberal Arts/Science Requirements – (30 credits)

The New York State Education Department (SED) requires a student earning a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree to attain no fewer than 60 credits of combined SUNY General Education and Liberal Arts/Sciences courses. There may be overlap between courses meeting the SUNY General Education Requirements, Liberal Arts/Sciences Requirements, and Program Core requirements but a student may receive course credits only once even if multiple requirements are satisfied by a single course.  The total number of combined credit hours must be no fewer than 60 credits.

SUNY Poly degree requirements:

• Natural Sciences One course which shall be a General Education Natural Science course. For Nursing students, the requirement is satisfied by BIO 215 and BIO 216. Both courses are with a lab.
• Upper-Division Writing Course See the Catalog descriptions of COM courses to find specific courses that satisfy  this requirement. Recommended course for nursing students is COM 308

Specific requirement for Nursing majors includes:

• STA 100  Statistical Methods
• BIO 215T & BIO 215L Anatomy and Physiology I
• BIO 216T & BIO 216L Anatomy and Physiology II
• BIO 275  Microbiology
• BIO 350  Advanced Physiology
• BIO 250  Health Care Genetics

Social Science courses required for Nursing majors:

• PSY 100  Principles of Psychology
• PSY 220  Life-Span Developmental Psychology
• SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology
• Cultural Anthropology – ANT 303, ANT 310 or ANT 382, selected ANT 290 courses to be approved by nursing faculty.

III. Nursing Core Coursework (62 credits)

Nursing transfer credit (30 credits)
SUNY Poly coursework (32 credits)

• NUR 300 Transitions: Bridge to Baccalaureate Nursing Education
• NUR 313 Theoretical Bases for Professional Nursing Practice
• NUR 314 Comprehensive Health Assessment
• NUR 325 Epidemiology in Nursing
• NUR 344 Ethical Issues in Nursing
• NUR 390 Nursing Research
• NUR 444 Nursing Leadership
• NUR 455 Public Health Nursing Science I
• NUR 474 Public Health Nursing Science II
• NUR 490 Culminating Seminar

IV. Unrestricted Electives (2 credits)