Decker School of Nursing Graduate

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Admission

All students entering the master of science programs in nursing must satisfy the general conditions and procedures for admission to the Graduate School as stated in the Admission section of this publication. Students may enroll on a non-matriculated basis.

Each applicant is considered individually. The general admission requirements for nursing are:

• a minimum of a baccalaureate degree in nursing from a program accredited by a nationally recognized agency for accreditation of nursing programs;
• completion of a descriptive statistics course;
• a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 or a B average for all undergraduate coursework;
• a minimum grade-point average of 3.3 in nursing coursework at the baccalaureate level
• an unencumbered license to practice as a registered professional nurse in the U.S. (teaching assistants must be licensed in New York state);
• a minimum of two satisfactory academic and professional references.

Satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) may also be required.

Students may be admitted provisionally (lacking some part of the application, usually Graduate Record Examination scores) or conditionally (full status dependent on attaining a specific goal, usually a required GPA after a specified number of credits). Students who do not advance from provisional to fully matriculated status (accepted and enrolled) in a specific program leading to a degree in a timely manner (i.e., do not take GREs) will find their registration blocked. Students may take 12 semester credits on a non-matriculated basis.

Students who have already completed a master's degree in nursing from an accredited program, but wish to pursue a different clinical specialty area and/or advanced practice role may be admitted as a post-master's program. (GREs are never required for a post-master's program.)

Graduates of nursing schools outside the United States must hold the baccalaureate degree in nursing or its equivalent. WES transcripts must be submitted as proof of baccalaureate degree. Licensure (or eligibility) to practice in the United States is required.

One year of full-time employment as a professional nurse is strongly recommended, but not required. Students may wish to begin the program on a part-time basis to allow time to garner confidence in their nursing skills while working in a hospital setting.

It is expected that students entering the program will have a level of computer literacy before beginning study, including word processing, e-mailing, web searching, downloading and uploading files, and instant messaging and/or chatting.

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Transfer Credit

For students in the MS program, a maximum of 12 graduate credits, completed with a B grade or better within the previous five years, may be transferred from an accredited college or university. Courses are approved for transfer on an individual basis. This does not apply to courses used to satisfy requirements for another degree. Students requesting transfer credits must provide detailed course descriptions for each course they wish to be transferred. For more information, consult an adviser or the Graduate School Handbook on the Web. All decisions regarding transfer credits are at the discretion of the director of graduate nursing programs.

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Integrative Experience (Thesis or Project)

All masters students write either a thesis or a project as a final integrating experience. Students are encouraged to examine and make decisions regarding this option early in their programs. While all students must complete the project as part of their course requirements, thesis credits may be used to satisfy elective credit requirements. Students planning to pursue a PhD in nursing are encouraged to consider the thesis option.

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Part-Time Study

Part-time study options are available. Students seeking part-time study are encouraged to contact the director of graduate studies for assistance in developing specific plans of study.

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Clinical Practice Requirements

At least three semesters include clinical practice, which ranges from a minimum of four hours per week to a maximum of 12 hours per week. Some elective courses also have clinical practice requirements that may increase the clinical practice time. All clinical practice hours must be coordinated through the office of the clinical site coordinator.

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Additional Requirements

Graduate students in Decker School of Nursing must adhere to the following policies related to professional practice.

Malpractice and Liability Insurance: All students in clinical courses are billed for malpractice and liability insurance each semester. The cost of this insurance is currently $35 per semester, but is subject to change each semester. Students who may have their own malpractice and liability insurance policy are required to purchase malpractice and liability insurance through the University, as it provides coverage for their practice as a student in clinical-nursing courses. Individual policies purchased by the student do not satisfy this requirement.

Health Insurance: All students enrolled in clinical-nursing courses are required to submit proof of personal health insurance. This documentation should be submitted to the clinical site coordinator prior to beginning any clinical experience. Health insurance is available for purchase through the University for those students who do not have coverage.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: Prior to beginning clinical-nursing courses, all students are required to submit evidence of annual cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR certification (including AED training) at the professional rescuer level to the clinical site coordinator. DSON does not accept online CPR certification. CPR must be done annually.

Health Evaluations: The school has formal affiliations with healthcare agencies for student clinical-laboratory experiences. Healthcare agencies must comply with the New York State (NYS) Department of Health Code 405.3, which includes health requirements necessary for all persons engaged in patient contact. Agencies may have additional health requirements over and above those mandated by NYS (i.e. substance abuse screening, removal of artificial/acrylic nails). The school must comply with NYS and agency requirements prior to student placement in the clinical agency.

Prior to enrollment in clinical-nursing courses, all students are required to submit an annual health evaluation to the clinical site coordinator in the Decker School. The health evaluation must include:

• a health history and physical examination documented on the Decker School of Nursing Student Annual Health Evaluation form;
• a Mantoux Tuberculin Test prior to enrollment in clinical-nursing courses and annually thereafter; students with a positive reaction are required to have a chest x-ray and show evidence of follow-up health care. Some agencies require a Mantoux Test or chest x-ray (if indicated) within six months of a students clinical placement and students would be expected to oblige by this requirement;
• documented evidence of current immunization to tetanus-diphtheria;
• documented serologic evidence of immunity (titers) to:
  • o measles
  • o mumps
  • o rubella

(A document prepared by a licensed laboratory, physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner is acceptable.)

• proof of varicella (chicken pox) immunity as documented by a varicella titer report or documented varicella immunization series, prepared by a healthcare practitioner;
• documented evidence of immunization and/or immunity to Hepatitis B, prepared by a healthcare provider. A Hepatitis B Surface Antibody Titer drawn following completion of the initial series is required. Those electing not to receive the Hepatitis B series must sign a Statement of Declination, which will be kept on file in the Decker School.

Agencies have the right to request this information from the DSON and students are required to sign a waiver authorizing the release of this information by the DSON. Failure to sign a release may lead to a delay/denial of clinical placement.

Professional Licensure: Evidence of license to practice professional nursing in the United States must be kept on file in the Decker School. Agencies have the right to request this information and students are asked to release this information as requested.

Training in Infection Control and Blood-borne Pathogens; HIPAA: Clinical agencies require that students have annual training in infection control and blood-borne pathogens and HIPAA. Graduate students who are employed in healthcare agencies, who have received the above training through their places of employment and can provide documentation of such, may satisfy this requirement. Some agencies have very specific training that they require the student to participate in prior to the beginning of a clinical experience and students are expected to oblige by such requests. Students who are not currently employed may receive this training through the DSON.

Professional Ethics and Academic Honesty: Students are expected to comply with the Universitys Rules for Student Conduct and the policies related to professional ethics, professional practice and academic honesty as stated in the Decker School of Nursing Graduate Programs Student Handbook.

Release of Personal Information: Some agencies, in order to protect clients, require information related to students past employment and documentation as to whether or not they have ever been convicted of a criminal offense, including misdemeanors and felonies, other than vehicular violations. Students may be asked to respond to such questions.

Criminal Background Checks: Clinical agencies are beginning to require criminal background checks for everyone working in the facility, including students. All DSON students participating in a clinical experience are required by clinical agencies used by the DSON to undergo a criminal background screening and/or drug screen. In addition, some agencies may require more stringent screening than indicated below, including fingerprinting. The student will be required to submit to DSON results of a criminal background screening by Certified Background.com or another approved agency as determined by the DSON (such as federal military clearance) done within the past calendar year. This documentation will be due prior to the start of the semester in accordance with the due dates for all other clinical requirements (health forms, proof of CPR, etc). The student is responsible for all costs associated with these requirements. The Criminal Background Screening will be required annually while attending DSON. For more information about this process and its costs, please see http://www.certifiedbackground.com.

Results will be disclosed to the agency/clinical site to determine if the student can attend clinical within the facility. Any student that delays, fails or refuses to provide a Criminal Background Screening to the DSON by its due date will be unable to attend clinical, which may result in a failure for the course. Positive Criminal Background Screening results may hinder a student's opportunity for state licensure. DSON recommends a student contact his/her state board of licensure to clarify any concerns regarding licensure. Should a student be convicted of a criminal offense between the first and second background screening, he/she must immediately disclose this to the DSON for review with the clinical site. The clinical site will determine whether the student will be permitted to continue to participate in clinical. Any such incident may jeopardize the student's enrollment at the University and licensure.

Reports from Criminal Background Screening will be stored with the student's health file in the Clinical Site Coordinator's locked filing cabinet. After the student signs a release each year, the DSON will assume responsibility for releasing written verification of a clear criminal background check to the clinical agency. Again, failure, delay or refusal to sign the release, allowing the DSON to provide the results to the agencies, will prevent the student from attending clinical, which may result in a failure for the course. All documentation from the Criminal Background Screening reports will be destroyed upon graduation or dismissal from the program.

Disclaimer: The Criminal Background Screening procedure does not ensure the security of students, patients, faculty or staff.

The DSON will not provide opportunities for clinical experiences for students who fail to meet the requirements/responsibilities as outlined above.

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Programs of Study

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Admission

For students who intend to pursue the PhD program and who are entering at the post-masters level, the following are required and evaluated for admission:

• a bachelors and/or masters degree in nursing from a program that is nationally accredited by a nursing accreditation organization;
• Graduate Record Examination scores (75th percentile or higher is desirable);
• two scholarly papers; one must be theoretical (masters thesis or equivalent); published papers are acceptable;
• three recommendations for doctoral study;
• a statement of purpose and professional goals;
• licensure to practice as a registered professional nurse in the United States;
• completion of a statistics course (within the past five years);
• curriculum vita, including employment and education history;
• a personal interview;
• official TOEFL, IELTS or MELAB scores (for international students whose native language is not English).

Doctoral students in Decker School of Nursing adhere to all policies of the school pertinent to professional practice, grading policies, professional ethics and academic honesty.

Students seeking admission to the doctoral program at the post-baccalaureate level should contact the Graduate Nursing Office for information regarding admission and requirements.

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Financial Assistance

Prospective students are encouraged to contact the Graduate Nursing Office (607-777-4624) for information regarding financial aid.