Associate of Science in Nursing
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The Associate of Science in Nursing program prepares the graduate to enter the health care delivery system at the beginning practitioner level. The graduate is prepared to practice in a structured health care setting. Nursing is a health care profession with a goal of assisting clients to achieve a level of wellness through a holistic approach. Nursing actions are based on a body of knowledge which integrates theory from the arts, sciences, and nursing. Nursing process and basic human needs provide the framework for nursing practice. Graduates from this program will have:
- Professional Behaviors
- demonstrate professional behaviors of nursing practice including assuming responsibility for his/her own actions, practicing nursing within legal and ethical standards, acting as a client advocate, and maintaining professional boundaries in the nurse-client relationship
- assume responsibility for personal and professional growth
- Communication
- establish, maintain, and use therapeutic skills to promote effective communication with individuals and groups
- document client assessment data and nursing actions accurately with minimal assistance
- communicate relevant, accurate, and complete information, written and verbal, in a concise and clear manner
- Assessment
- assess the client's health by completing a health history and performing a physical, cognitive, psycho-social and functional assessment including the impact of developmental, cultural, and spiritual influences
- assess the client's changing health and responses to interventions
- Clinical Decision Making
- make clinical judgments to ensure safe and competent care
- apply all four components of the nursing process, at a beginning practitioner level, to provide care to clients across the life span experiencing common recurring health problems
- formulate an individual plan of care based on assessment data
- evaluate and modify care plan based on ongoing assessment
- evaluate the effectiveness of care in meeting client outcomes
- Caring Interventions
- demonstrate caring behaviors toward the client, significant support persons, peers and other members of the healthcare team
- identify and honor the emotional, cultural, and spiritual influences on the client's health
- Teaching and Learning
- develop, implement and modify teaching plans for clients based on assessment data and identified learning needs
- modify the teaching plan based on evaluation of progress toward identified learning outcomes
- Collaboration
- collaborate with other health care professionals and seek assistance from those with more education and/or experience to achieve optimal client outcomes
- Managing Care
- coordinate the implementation of care plans for clients and significant support personnel
- provide nursing care to multiple clients, prioritizing care effectively
- supervise and evaluate the activities of assistive personnel
- facilitate continuity of care across health care settings
- delegate appropriate aspects of client care to qualified assistive personnel, providing effective feedback, supervision and evaluation
ACCREDITATION:
The nursing program is approved by the Maine State Board of Nursing and is accredited by the National League for Nursing.
ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS:
- high school or college laboratory biology course with a grade of "C" or better
- high school or college laboratory chemistry course with a grade of "C" or better
- demonstrated proficiency in reading, writing, and mathematics
- transfer students must have a 2.50 grade point average in courses applied to UMA's degree
- cumulative grade point average of 2.50 or higher
Applicants who do not meet these requirements may qualify for admission by completing comparable course work at UMA and will be admitted into the Pre-Nursing Program.
TRANSFER:
Courses offered in this program allow the student to transfer into baccalaureate degree programs within the University of Maine System and to other colleges. RN to BSN programs are offered at the University of Maine, the University of Southern Maine, and the University of Maine at Fort Kent.
DEGREE:
A minimum grade of "C" is required in: NUR101, NUR102, NUR201W, NUR204, NUR205, and the following sciences; BIO110, BIO210, BIO321 and MAT100 (or higher excluding MAT101). A "C-" is not acceptable. Students who have been twice dismissed from the Nursing Program for academic reasons with grades of "D," "E," or "W/F" are not considered eligible for readmission to the Nursing Program. Upon successful completion of the program requirements (70 hours at a minimum GPA of 2.0) students will be awarded an associate of science in nursing degree.
ADVANCED STANDING:
Transfer of credit: See "Credit for Prior Learning" for transfer of credit policy. Students who transfer or are readmitted into the nursing program will be given credit for nursing courses completed within the last five years only.
LPN TRANSITION PROCESS:
The Division of Nursing Education offers a process for advanced standing to licensed practical nurses (LPN). The purpose of this process is to provide a mechanism for candidates to receive recognition and credit for prior learning and experience which meets the outcomes of and is congruent with the conceptual framework of the program.
An LPN will receive 16 credit hours of nursing if he or she meets the following requirements:
- graduated from an NLN accredited PN program
- current LPN licensure
- application on file with the UMA Office of Admissions
one of the following:
- graduated from a PN Program within the last three years
- graduated from a PN Program and current experience working in nursing
Additional course work is required prior to entry into the second year of the program and for completion of the associate degree. Successful completion of these requirements does not guarantee placement in the next class offering at UMA. Students will be placed in the appropriate course on a space available basis.
For complete details of policies and procedures for the LPN transition process, please contact the nursing education division.
REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE:
The specific legal qualifications for an applicant are stated in Title 32, Maine Revised Statutes, Chapter 31, section 2201. Restated, these are:
- attendance in the Nursing Program for a minimum of one year;
- completion of an approved four-year high school course of study equivalent thereof, as evidenced by a state education department equivalency diploma; and
- completion of a course of not less than two years in an accredited professional school of nursing, from which school the applicant holds a diploma or degree.
Graduates are then eligible to take the NCLEX for licensure as registered nurses.
PRE-NURSING PROGRAM:
For those students who do not meet admission requirements or for those students who wish to complete the General Education Requirements prior to enrolling in nursing course work, this program is offered. It is an open admission program and allows the student to enroll in a degree program, a requirement to qualify for financial aid, and to be assigned to a faculty advisor from the nursing education division. Enrollment in the Pre-Nursing Program does not guarantee admission to the associate degree nursing program.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS:
- ENGLISH & COMMUNICATIONS: ENG101 and 3 credit hours from COM101, 102, 104, or 106
- HUMANITIES or FINE ARTS: 3 credit hours from ARH105, 106; ART211; DRA101, 265, 280; any literature; any HTY, any humanities; INT129; MUS123, 160, 180, 333, 334; any PHI; POS390; WST101W
- MATHEMATICS: MAT100 or higher-level mathematics (excluding MAT101)
- NATURAL SCIENCE: BIO110, 210, and 321
- SOCIAL SCIENCE: PSY100, 308, and SOC101
- NURSING: NUR101, 102, 201W, 204, and 205
Associate of Science in Nursing Sample Curriculum
FIRST YEAR
| First Semester | Second Semester | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Course | Hours | Course | Hours |
| BIO110 Introduction to Biology | 4 | BIO210 Anatomy & Physiology | 4 |
| ENG101 College Writing | 3 | COM10X COM101, 102, 104, or 106 | 3 |
| PSY100 Introduction to Psychology | 3 | MAT100 Mathematics & Its Applications | 3 |
| NUR101 Fundamentals of Nursing | 9 | NUR102 Nursing Care of the Adult Client I | 9 |
| TOTAL HOURS | 19 | TOTAL HOURS | 19 |
SECOND YEAR
| Third Semester | Fourth Semester | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Course | Hours | Course | Hours |
| BIO321 Microbiology | 4 | NUR204 Nursing Care of the Adult Client II | 5 |
| NUR201W Nursing Care of the Family | 9 | NUR205 Nursing Care of the Adult Client III | 5 |
| PSY308 Human Development | 3 | XXXXXX Humanities or Fine Arts Elective | 3 |
| SOC101 Introduction to Sociology | 3 | ||
| TOTAL HOURS | 19 | TOTAL HOURS | 13 |