School of Nursing

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Purpose and Mission of the School of Nursing

The purpose of the South College School of Nursing is to provide practical and professional nurses with academic and clinical practice opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills that are essential to meet the demands of today’s healthcare environment. The School of Nursing at South College offers graduate, professional, and career-focused curricula designed to cultivate students’ successful learning and the ability to apply knowledge, think critically, and communicate effectively.

In support of the South College mission statement, the mission of the School of Nursing is to provide a high-quality undergraduate and graduate nursing education that challenges students through curricular and collaborative interaction. Because academic programs at South College are professional and career-focused, the School of Nursing responds to local, regional, and national employment needs and supports current workforce trends.

Vision of the School of Nursing

The South College School of Nursing aspires to become a nursing school of distinction through an integrated and student-focused curriculum. The School is committed to providing an education that values excellence in ethical patient care and professional growth and integrity.

Philosophy of the School of Nursing

The wellness-illness continuum of care provides the overall organizing framework that serves as the philosophical structure for the nursing curriculum at the South College School of Nursing, with students introduced to a variety of nursing theoretical frameworks. Related concepts emphasized in the nursing curriculum include ethical decision-making, critical thinking, effective communication, leadership, and management.

1. Person: A person is a unique, holistic, adaptive, open system. Persons, either alone or in groups, families, or communities, have inherent basic rights and choices. Each person is multi-dimensional with variables such as age, gender, culture, race, religion, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle choices.
2. Environment: Environment is a complex, open system functioning in a dynamic state of change. The environment is both internal and external, uniquely perceived by each person, either alone or in groups, families, or communities.
3. Health: Health is a dynamic phenomenon encompassing physical, emotional and spiritual parameters. Health is individually perceived and influenced by internal and external factors.
4. Nursing: Professional nursing is an art and a science with caring as the core concept. The role of the nurse is to facilitate optimal independent functioning of persons, alone or in groups, through the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health. The professional nurse will utilize critical thinking and the nursing process to plan and implement care.
5. Professional Nursing Education: Nursing education is an interactive process. The faculty of the South College School of Nursing embraces the concepts of professional nursing education as described in the Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008) and the Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing (AACN, 2011).

Programs Offered by the School Of Nursing

The School of Nursing offers many opportunities for students to pursue nursing including programs that span the profession and scope of nursing practice.

The South College Bachelor of Science in Nursing program offered at the Parkside Learning Site (Knoxville) received initial approval from the Tennessee Board of Nursing in December 2003, with full approval granted in September 2008. Approval for the addition of the Nashville Learning Site was granted in November 2016. The Master of Science in Nursing program received initial approval in November 2016. The South College Bachelor of Science in Nursing program offered at the Asheville Learning Site received initial approval from the North Carolina Board of Nursing in February 2016, with full approval granted in May 2019. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program offered at the Atlanta Learning Site received initial approval from the Georgia Board of Nursing in September 2018.

The South College Certificate program in Practical Nursing offered at the Parkside Learning Site (Knoxville) received initial approval from the Tennessee Board of Nursing in February 2018. Approval for the addition of the Nashville Learning site was granted in November 2018. The Certificate program in Practical Nursing was approved by the Georgia Board of Nursing for the Atlanta Learning Site in May 2019 to begin the first class in June 2020.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the Master of Science in Nursing programs offered at South College are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791 (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

Computer Requirements

Students admitted to the South College School of Nursing are required to possess a laptop computer that meets the minimum requirements listed below. New students must meet this requirement to continue in their program of study. The South College bookstore offers a laptop bundle for purchase which includes the laptop computer, a laptop bookbag, and a mouse. South College has a partnership with Dell (www.dell.com/southcollege) where students may purchase laptops at a special discounted rate.

Students are required to have a laptop computer that meets the following specifications.

Laptop Computer

Laptop computer, with Windows or Apple/Macintosh operating systems are acceptable. The following is a list of
minimum requirements:

Students are required to have the laptop computer in their possession at the time of the School of Nursing Orientation.

Software is required that enables viewing and editing frequently used file types including Microsoft files (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) and portable document files (PDFs). Even while using the most compatible applications, some software and applications may not be fully compatible with all hardware and across all platforms. For example, Adobe Flash files may not run on some Apple and Android operating systems. In these situations where incompatibility results, it is the student’s responsibility to view any required files utilizing compatible hardware or utilizing the South College computer laboratory. Most of the assessments will be administered via computer software that ensures secure testing. At the beginning of the students first quarter of the program, they may be required to download and register the secure testing software to their laptops. Tablets and mobile devices cannot be used for computer-based testing.

Programs

• Nursing, BS

• Practical Nursing, Certificate

• Nursing, MS

• Nursing Practice (DNP)

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