Associate Degree in Nursing

Lori Magestro

Director of ADN Program; Clinical Assistant Professor

Carroll University offers an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program at the United Community Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The ADN program is part of Carroll’s Nursing Pipeline Opportunities Program, which has an overarching aim of increasing diversity in the nursing profession. The ADN program is part of  the department of nursing which is approved by the Wisconsin State Board of Nursing and is a member of the National League for Nursing. Carroll University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association.

The Higher Learning Commission                              Department of Regulation and Licensing

North Central Association                                             Wisconsin State Board of Nursing

30 North La Salle St., Suite 2400                                 1400 E. Washington Ave., Room 166

Chicago, IL  60602                                                             Madison, WI 53708

Phone: 800.621.7440

Mission of the Nursing Program

Building on the University mission, the mission of the Associate Degree Nursing Program is to prepare entry-level registered nurses with the knowledge, skills, professionalism, and lifelong learning commitment to a vocation that enhances and restores the well-being of individuals and families across the lifespan, in a diverse and global society. 

Philosophy of the Nursing Program

Our philosophy, in preparing professional nurses at the generalist level, is to provide career preparation. The educational process must allow for diversity, curiosity, and difference of opinion, but must not allow for indifference or neglect of academic rigor. We expect nursing students to focus on and connect nursing to every general education course. However, it is in clinical practice that the student will demonstrate patterns of professional behaviors that follow the legal and ethical codes of nursing and promote the actual or potential well-being of patients. The promotion of health and wellness is a focus of all nursing practice, but nurses, more than any other health care discipline, take care of the sick; therefore, acute care experience is a necessary background for any generalist practice setting and is a focus of generalist education. We believe nursing students are best served when they are educated in a variety of settings to provide care to diverse populations across all environments. The promotion of health and wellness, the prevention of injury and restoration of health are accomplished for a diversity of socio-economic, racial, and ethnic populations in all the settings.  

Nursing faculty at Carroll University believe students are individuals who come with learning preferences, different experiences, varied goals, and therefore, have unique learning needs. Active learning is a teaching/learning partnership. The faculty recognizes that learning is a lifelong process and that undergraduate education is the beginning of the progression from novice to expert nurse. The associate degree program prepares the student to enter professional nursing practice as a beginning provider of nursing care in a variety of settings, cultivates a commitment to professional development, and provides the foundation for further study.

Carroll University Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) Program Admission Criteria

The ADN Program will admit qualified students regardless of race, color, creed, sex, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, or handicap that does not interfere with the performance of professional nursing as provided by law. ADN program admission standards require:

• Two semesters of high school algebra I, biology, and chemistry; one semester of high school social sciences (communications, economics, history, sociology) with grades C or better
• High school or college GPA of 2.5 or higher
• If CHE101, CHE102, ANP130, ANP140, or BIO212 equivalencies are completed within 5 years of application, transfer credit may be awarded provided grades of B- or better are earned
• Preference given to applicants who can speak conversational Spanish as well as English 
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen with a valid social security number
• Two letters of reference (one from a teacher; another from teacher or community leader)
• Admission essay focusing on experience with cultural immersion and addressing motivation for
  • Nursing
  • Desire to work with culturally diverse populations
• Interview with Admissions Committee
• Submission of the technical and progression standards for the nursing program (upon acceptance into the program)

Curriculum

Our philosophy requires that the curriculum be responsive to the community of interest. To accomplish our mission, we consider it necessary to be flexible, to change quickly as society and technology changes. The program has been designed to progress in a cohort manner. The conceptual framework, developed by nursing faculty, organizes the curriculum in a logical progression over the length of the program. The overviews in each course syllabus will illustrate how the essential components of professional nursing education are used in that course to prepare students to take on the characteristics that will allow them to function in the professional nursing role. Course objectives will demonstrate the achievement necessary for the student, at each level of the curriculum, to evidence competency as they progress.

Program Outcomes

1. Advocate holistically for diverse patients and families in ways that promote health, self-determination, integrity, and ongoing growth as human beings.
2. Using the nursing process, integrate clinical reasoning and make judgments in practice, substantiated with evidence, that synthesize nursing science and knowledge from other disciplines in the provision of safe, quality care and promote the health of patients, families, and communities.
3. Communicate respectfully and effectively with diverse populations and the multidisciplinary health care team through collaborative decision making to produce optimal patient outcomes.
4. Manage patient care effectively in relation to time, personnel, informatics, and cost to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems.
5. Internalize one’s professional identity in ways that reflect integrity, responsibility, legal and ethical practices, and professional growth and development as a nurse.
6. Examine the evidence that underlies clinical nursing practice to challenge the status quo, question underlying assumptions, and offer new insights to improve the quality of care for patients, families, and communities.

Associate Degree in Nursing Academic Progression Standards

1. Grades of BC or better are required in all nursing, chemistry, biology, and health science courses. A satisfactory (S) is required in all completed clinicals (practica). If a grade is lower than a BC or a grade of unsatisfactory (U) is earned, the student will be placed on probation in the nursing program. In order to have the nursing probationary status removed, the student must repeat the coursework and earn a grade of BC or higher and /or a grade of (S). In all concurrent nursing and practica courses, a student is required to earn a BC or better in the didactic course and a (S) grade in the practica. Unsuccessful achievement in either course necessitates repeating the didactic and practica course. If courses are repeated, the university repeat/replace policy applies to all courses.
2. A student must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.75. For first semester students, GPA progression standards will be evaluated after the students attempt a minimum of 12 credits. A student whose cumulative GPA is below 2.75 will be placed on academic probation for the following semester. To have the probationary status removed, a student must attain a 2.75 GPA in the subsequent semesters.
3. A student will be dismissed from the program if:s/he fails to attain a 2.75 cumulative GPA in the subsequent semester.
   1. If a cumulative GPA is less than a 2.75 due to a course grade and that same course is not offered in the subsequent semester, probation is continued until the semester when the same course is offered.
   2. They are placed on academic probation a second time during his or her tenure in the program.
   3. They fail to meet the criteria for the removal from academic probation.
4. If a grade below a BC is achieved or an S is not achieved, the student may not progress to subsequent courses in the program if the course is a prerequisite of another. When repeating a nursing, biology, chemistry, or health science course, a student may be required to successfully complete ancillary learning experiences of clinical competencies/practica that validate theoretical knowledge.
5. A course may be repeated only one time. A student receiving a C, D, F, or U twice in one nursing, chemistry, biology, or health science course or in two nursing, chemistry, biology, and health science courses is dismissed from the program.
6. A transfer student who takes ANRS 100 and ANRS 230 concurrently and earns lower than a C in ANRS 100 must retake ANRS 100 in the subsequent semester. In this case, the student may register for ANRS 236 in the subsequent semester but may not register for ANRS 233 or 234.
7. A student who withdraws from any nursing, chemistry, biology, or health science course twice will be dismissed from the program. A student will be dismissed from the nursing program if they withdraw for academic reasons from a nursing, chemistry, biology, or health science course that is being repeated because of a previously earned grade of C, D, F, or U.
8. If a student withdraws from a course for reasons other than a director-approved request for medical or personal leave, the student must successfully complete the course in the next available semester or academic term.
9. Once a clinical course commences, students cannot withdraw from the clinical course.
10. If at any time the student is deemed unsatisfactory in a clinical course, the student cannot continue to attend.

Technical Standards for Admission to and Progression in the Carroll University Associate Degree in Nursing Program

Successful participation in the Carroll University Associate Degree in Nursing Program requires that a candidate possess the ability to meet the requirements of the program. Though the program may modify certain course requirements in order to provide a disabled1 person with an equivalent opportunity to achieve results equal to those of a non-disabled person, there are no substitutes for the following essential skills. The applicant/candidate must initially meet these requirements to gain admission to the program and must also continue to meet them throughout participation in the program.

General Ability: The student is expected to possess functional use of the senses of vision, touch, hearing, and smell so that data received by the senses is integrated, analyzed and synthesized in a consistent and accurate manner. The student is expected to possess the ability to perceive pain, pressure, temperature, position, vibration and movement in order to effectively evaluate patients. A student must be able to respond promptly to urgent situations.

Observational Ability: The student must have the ability to make accurate visual observations and interpret them in the context of clinical/laboratory activities and patient care experiences. The student must be able to document these observations accurately.

Communication Ability: The student must communicate effectively verbally and non-verbally to obtain information and explain that information to others. Each student must have the ability to read, write, comprehend and speak the English language to facilitate communication with patients, family members and other members of the health care team. The student must be able to document and maintain accurate records, present information in a professional manner and provide patient instruction to effectively care for patients and their families.

Motor Ability: The student must be able to perform gross and fine motor movements with sufficient coordination needed to provide complete physical assessments and provide safe effective care for patients. The student is expected to have psychomotor skills necessary to perform or assist with procedures, treatments, administration of medication and emergency interventions including CPR if necessary. The student must have sufficient levels of neuromuscular control and eye-to-hand coordination as well as possess the physical and mental stamina to meet the demands associated with extended periods of sitting, standing, moving and physical exertion required for safe patient care. Students must be able to bend, squat, reach, kneel or balance. Clinical settings may require that students have the ability to carry and lift loads from the floor, from 12 inches from the floor, to shoulder height and overhead. The student must be able to occasionally lift 50 pounds, frequently lift 25 pounds and constantly lift 10 pounds. The student is expected to be able to maintain consciousness and equilibrium and have the physical strength and stamina to perform satisfactorily in clinical settings.

Intellectual:  Conceptual Ability: The student must have the ability to develop problem- solving skills essential to professional nursing practice. Problem solving skills include the ability to measure, calculate reason, analyze, synthesize objective and subjective data, and to make decisions in a timely manner that reflects thoughtful deliberation and sound clinical judgment. The student must demonstrate application of these skills and possess the ability to incorporate new information from peers, instructors and the nursing/ healthcare literature to formulate sound judgment to establish care plans and priorities in patient care activities.

Behavioral and Social Attributes: The student is expected to have the emotional stability required to exercise sound judgment, complete assessment and intervention activities. Compassion, integrity, motivation and concern for others are personal attributes required of those in the nursing program. The student must fully utilize intellectual capacities that facilitate prompt completion of all responsibilities in the classroom and clinical settings; the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationship with patients and other members of the healthcare team. The ability to establish rapport and maintain interpersonal relationships with individuals, families and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural and intellectual backgrounds is critical for practice as a nurse. Each student must be able to adapt to changing environments; display flexibility; accept and integrate constructive criticism given in the classroom and clinical settings; and effectively collaborate in the clinical setting with other members of the healthcare team.

Ability to Manage Stressful Situations: The student must be able to adapt to and function effectively in relation to stressful situations encountered in both the classroom and clinical settings, including emergency situations. Students will encounter multiple stressors while in the nursing program. These stressors may be (but are not limited to) personal, patient care/family, faculty/peer and/or program related.

Background Check: Clinical facilities require that Carroll University perform background checks on all students before they are allowed to participate in clinical experiences. Therefore, students will be required to have a background check performed before being allowed into clinical practice.

The applicant/candidate/student must complete a Background Information Disclosure Form prior to clinical placement in the program. The university intends to fully comply with the requirements of the Wisconsin Caregiver Background Check Law, which requires hospitals and other health care and treatment entities to perform background checks on all persons who have direct, regular contact with clients. Certain convictions may prevent or significantly limit the ability of the university to place a student in a clinical program resulting in the student being unable to meet the university’s graduation requirements. The university reserves the right to reject the application of a student or remove a student from the program if the university determines that the results of the caregiver background check demonstrate that the applicant/student does not exhibit behavior and social attributes consistent with the program’s Technical Standards.

Evaluation: Carroll University may require that the applicant/student undergo a physical examination and/or an occupational skills evaluation. The University will endeavor to select and administer evaluations which accurately reflect the applicant’s/candidate’s aptitude or achievement level rather than the applicant’s/candidate’s disability.  A disabled applicant/candidate shall not, on the basis of his or her disability (except those which would preclude the essential skills outlined above), be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, nor be subjected to discrimination in the program. 

Disabled as defined by the federal government Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008.

Caregiver Background Check

The applicant/candidate/student must complete a Background Information Disclosure Form prior to clinical placement in the program. The university intends to fully comply with the requirements of the Wisconsin Caregiver Background Check Law which requires hospitals and other health care and treatment entities to perform background checks on all persons who have direct, regular contact with clients. Certain convictions may prevent or significantly limit the ability of the university to place a student in a clinical program resulting in the student being unable to meet the university’s graduation requirements. The university reserves the right to reject the application of a candidate or remove a student from the program if the university determines that the results of the caregiver background check demonstrate that the applicant/student does not exhibit behavior and social attributes consistent with the program’s Technical Standards.

Health Policy for Nursing Students

Prior to the first clinical placement, each student must show evidence that they are able to meet the clinical requirements of the nursing program. These requirements include current health history, immunization, and physical examination data. In addition, all students must have on file current CPR certification and a caregiver background check. The nursing student handbook lists all health and immunization clinical requirements. If an exception to the immunization requirements is approved, the University cannot guarantee that its affiliated hospitals and clinics will allow the student to participate in patient care, which is a fundamental requirement of the clinical education component of the Nursing Program. Students manage clinical requirements through CastleBranch, a certified, confidential profile system that students will use well into their nursing careers.

Procedure:

Evidence of the completed history, exam, and immunization record must be on file before the onset of the first clinical experience. The University Health History and Physical Examination form meets the history and exam clinical experience requirement.

Clinical partners require the history and physical exam be completed and signed by a physician or nurse practitioner. The physical exam can be completed at the Carroll University Health Center.

It is not necessary to repeat the physical exam each year if there is no change in the student’s health status.

Before your first clinical placement, one of the following is required:  Two-step TB skin test (1-3 weeks apart) or QuantiFERON Gold blood test, or if you have a history of a positive TB skin test, provide a negative Chest X-ray report. An annual tuberculosis screening questionnaire is used when a student has a positive TB screening and a negative CXR on file.

Some clinical partners require a urine drug screen. The urine drug screen can be completed at the Carroll University Health Center.

Cost of the physical exam, immunizations, and drug screen is the responsibility of the student.

Students who have not complied with the health policy will not be allowed in any clinical site.

Time Commitment

The Nursing Program is rigorous, labor intensive, and requires more time commitment than many other areas of study.  Clinical nursing courses require a minimum of 3 hours of direct clinical experience per semester credit hour. This does not include time that is required for travel, clinical preparation at the assigned clinical agency, or study prior to or after the clinical experience. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that students in the Nursing Program limit their employment and/or involvement in non-student related activities. Students are expected to be available Monday through Friday throughout the academic year. Students will be expected to participate in clinical experiences that occur on weekends and shifts other than day shifts (0700-1530). Students in the capstone experience must understand that their clinical experience may be evening or night shifts and/or weekend shifts.

Clinical Nursing Core Requirements

All applicants must be in good health and free from communicable diseases and be able to carry out the functions of a professional nurse as specified in the Technical Standards. Students must maintain current immunizations and CPR certification. Additional tests may be required by specific agencies in which the student has clinical experiences. The program will notify students when such tests are required. Students who fail to comply will not be allowed in clinical. All costs associated with clinical requirements are the responsibility of the student.

Nursing courses begin during the first semester, allowing early participation in clinical learning activities. Students will have diverse learning experiences in a variety of clinical settings.

The number of hours spent in laboratory (including clinical) experience varies from semester to semester and is based on one (1) semester credit being equal to three (3) hours of clinical per week.

Policy Statement on Student Attendance

The university reserves the right to require a student to repeat all or any part of a clinical course when, in the student evaluation by the course instructor, the time that the student has been absent from clinical/practicum makes it impossible to evaluate the student’s level of achieving the course objectives. Make up time is not guaranteed and is dependent upon faculty and clinical availability. The student is responsible for any costs involved in repeating the course and/or making up time lost.

Learning and Study Resources

Learning resource centers for student learning and testing are available. The nursing laboratory provides space and resources for students to practice and test their mastery of psychomotor skills used in patient care. The Carroll University Library Learning Commons has a range of resources to support the nursing curriculum.  Resources through the Learning Commons are available to ADN students in person and through remote access.

Fees

Undergraduate tuition and other fees apply to nursing students. A program fee per year is also assessed for proficiency testing, disposable supplies, and equipment maintenance. 

Licensure Examination

Upon completion of all program requirements, the graduate is eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). A graduate must pass this examination to be licensed and practice as a registered nurse (RN). Although no nursing program can guarantee success on the NCLEX-RN examination, the Carroll nursing curriculum integrates preparation for the licensure exam throughout the nursing program.