Health Services
(Limited-Entry Program)
Intended Program Outcomes:
This two-year AAS degree in nursing will prepare the student for eligibility for the national licensing examination and licensure as a registered nurse and to be effective in the workplace in the following areas:
- Base personal and professional actions on a set of shared core nursing values, including social justice, caring, advocacy, protection from harm, respect for self and others, collegiality, and ethical behavior; notice, interpret, respond and reflect on ethical dilemmas using ethical principles and frameworks as a guideline.
- Develop insight through reflection, self-analysis, and self-care.
- Engage in intentional learning, developing self-awareness of learning and effects on client care, seeking new, relevant knowledge and skills.
- Demonstrate leadership in nursing and health care to meet client needs, improve the health care system, and facilitate community problem solving.
- Collaborate as part of a health care team, receiving, using and giving constructive feedback.
- Practice within, utilize, and contribute to the broader health care system.
- Practice relationship-centered care, based on empathy and caring, deep understanding of the care experience, and mutual trust and respect for the autonomy of the client.
- Communicate effectively and therapeutically, with attention to elements of cultural influences, and using appropriate modalities and technologies.
- Make sound clinical judgments through noticing, interpreting and responding, using best available evidence, frameworks and systems to organize data and knowledge; accurately perform skills while maintaining patient and personal safety.
- Locate, evaluate, and use the best available evidence.
Registered nurses (RNs) use their knowledge, skills, and problem-solving abilities to help individuals, families, and groups with health needs. RNs care for and work with people to help them become healthier or to regain health after illness or surgery. Nurses teach health practices to clients and other health care providers and frequently supervise the work of nursing assistants and practical nurses. RNs also administer medications and perform treatments for patients. Nurses work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, long-term care, schools, industry, clinics, and patients’ homes.
About the Program
BMCC is a member of the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education (OCNE) and offers a competency-based curriculum jointly developed by nursing faculties from the OCNE member community colleges and Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) consortium partners. The core competencies address the need for nurses to be skilled in clinical judgment and critical thinking; evidence-based practice; relationship-centered care; interdisciplinary collaboration; assisting individuals and families in self-care practices for promotion of health and management of chronic and acute illness; end-of-life care; and teaching, delegation, leadership and supervision of caregivers.
Acceptance to the program allows for co-admission to BMCC and OHSU nursing programs. The program may be completed with four years of full-time study, with the first year devoted to prerequisite/preparatory courses (48 credit minimum) required for admission to the limited entry nursing program. The completion of the prerequisite and preparatory courses may take longer than one academic year. Successful completion of the second and third years leads to an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Nursing degree offered by BMCC. The OCNE curriculum continues for at least 3 additional terms leading to a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Nursing (BSN) offered by OHSU. See the BMCC Nursing Sample Program of Study at http://www.bluecc.edu/academics/departments/nursing.
Students who complete the AAS degree at BMCC have the option to complete the upper division nursing courses for the bachelor’s degree from OHSU through the following pathway: virtually (online), or at the Portland OHSU Campus with three options: Veteran Affairs Nursing Academic Partnership; Interprofessional Care Access Network; or the general track. Options available for baccalaureate completion can be found at http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/schools/school-of-nursing/programs/undergraduate/cc-transition/index.cfm.
The nursing program is fully approved by the Oregon State Board of Nursing.
Entry Requirements
As part of their training, students must begin with the courses within their skill levels as determined by placement test scores. In addition, students may also be required to enroll in classes that would increase their success.
Program admission occurs once per year. The deadline for fall term 2016 admission and submission of program application materials is February 15, 2016, or the first business day thereafter. (See program website and/or application packet for more information). Transcripts showing satisfactory completion of the math and Anatomy and Physiology I prerequisites and at least 22 other credits of the prerequisite/preparatory courses (minimum 30 credits) must be in the Registrar’s office by the application deadline to be considered eligible. All prerequisite/preparatory courses must have been taken with a letter grade and completed with a “C” or better. Consortium partner schools use a shared point system and a set of core criteria for evaluation and selection of candidates to the consortium curriculum, but selection processes, acceptance decisions, and admissions will occur at individual schools. Application to the nursing program requires a minimum GPA of 3.0 for all completed prerequisite/ preparatory courses. Contact the Registrar or see BMCC’s nursing program website for information regarding the application and selection process.
If an applicant has taken an equivalent course elsewhere which has a course number, title, or credit hour different from the BMCC course, the applicant must contact BMCC’s Registrar’s office for a transcript evaluation as far in advance of the application deadline as possible. To be admitted into nursing courses, students must complete all required prerequisite and preparatory courses (minimum 48 credits) and be accepted into the nursing program.
Accepted students must comply with Chapter 409, Oregon Health Authority, Office for Oregon Health Policy and Research, Division 30: Administrative Requirements for Health Profession Student Clinical Training (OAR 409-030-0100 to 409-030-0250) prior to clinical placement. BMCC contracts with American DataBank to manage required documentation. Information is available on the nursing program’s website and is provided to students before fall nursing classes begin.
Students should understand that although co-admitted to the OHSU School of Nursing, those who choose to transition from the BMCC Nursing Program to OHSU will have to undergo a criminal background check for OHSU at the time of transition and ability to enroll in OHSU courses may be negatively impacted by any criminal history in their background.
Internet and email access is an integral part of all nursing courses and access to a computer will be required on a daily basis. Nursing students attend classes at the BMCC campus in Pendleton and clinical practica in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington and need reliable transportation.
Graduation Requirements
These requirements apply only to nursing students admitted to the program during the 2015-2016 academic year. The program of study, graduation requirements, and courses are under constant review and are subject to revision. Students contemplating admission in a later year may have different requirements and must obtain the advising guide or catalog for that year. If required courses are graded only on a pass/no pass basis, a grade of “P” for these courses indicates a student earned a “C” or better grade.
Students must complete all courses on this advising guide with a grade of “C” or better to continue in and complete the program, receive their degrees, and meet the educational requirements to apply to take the national licensure exam for registered nurses (NCLEX-RN). The OSBN screens all applicants for licensure and may deny licensure to or place on probation applicants with convictions for certain crimes.
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