School of Nursing

Program Description and General Department Information

The School of Nursing prepares future nursing leaders who reflect the fundamental values of SIUE. The school offers a bachelor’s degree with a major in nursing for non-nurses with or without a previous college degree, and for registered nurses with associate degrees or diplomas in nursing. The program prepares a generalist in professional nursing, and prelicensure graduates are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN examination for licensure as a registered nurse. The school of nursing does not guarantee international students will be able to license or work in the US or home country after completion of the program. Licensure is regulated by each of the US states and its territories. More information is available from the National Council State Board of Nursing https://www.ncsbn.org/licensure.htm

Nursing is defined as the protection, promotion and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities and populations and occurs whereever there is a need for patient care and whenever there is a need for nursing knowledge, compassion, and expertise (ANA, 2002, Social Policy Statement.)

Nursing courses build on a foundation in the liberal arts and sciences and are concentrated in the last six semesters of study. The undergraduate nursing curriculum is built on the curricular themes of knowledge of nursing practice, person-centered care, population health, the scholarship of practice, quality and safety, interprofessional partnerships, systems-based practice, information and healthcare technology, professionalism and personal/professional leadership.  Learning is viewed as an active search by the learner in constructing and reconstructing knowledge. Learning involves social interaction that promotes a process of becoming a member of a sustained community of practice. The goal of learning is to develop a response based practice and the capability to recognize the nature of a whole situation with the ability to prioritize concerns. To achieve this, experiential and situated learning are hallmarks of nursing education. Clinical and laboratory experiences are an integral part of the nursing major. Health care agencies in Central, Southern, and Southwestern Illinois and in the greater St. Louis area cooperate with the School of Nursing in providing opportunities to practice clinical skills and apply theoretical knowledge.

Faculty are nationally recognized experts in nursing care and their expertise represents a wide range of specialties. All faculty have advanced preparation in nursing and maintain an active role in clinical practice, research, scholarly inquiry and professional service.

Mission Statement

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) School of Nursing faculty and staff educate, empower, and support diverse learners to achieve excellence in nursing.

Characteristics of the Graduates

• appraises all aspects of health care situations and consequences of chosen actions.
• chooses effective communication approaches using strategies and theories integral to the practice of nursing.
• designs effective responses to identified health care concerns.
• initiates investigation of professional issues.
• integrates knowledge of human diversity and the effects of health and social policies on populations.
• integrates personal and professional ethical code into professional practice.
• incorporates understanding of moral judgments into determining ethical issues.