Generic Baccalaureate Program - Admission Information Packet
Letter form Dean
Degree Plan
Standards for Completion of the Curriculum
Technical Standards for Nursing School Admission
and Graduation
Technical Standards Questions for Nursing Students
Appendix A
Apply for Admission
( must complete both Texas Common and Nursing Program Application)
Texas
Common Application -- Online Application
Nursing Program Application(BSN) -- Online
Application
Dear Prospective Student:
Thank you for your inquiry about our BSN program preparing nurses to become RNs. We have been admitting an annual class of 50 students. We will be happy to review your credentials (transcripts/references) so as to assess your previous achievement. Each September, (Fall Semester) we admit a new group of nursing scholars to the generic BSN track.
You will need to have all of the pre-nursing courses completed to be admitted to the nursing major. All of your junior and senior year will be dedicated exclusively to nursing studies, i. e., 63 credit hours in four semesters. In these pre-nursing courses, there should be certain essential sciences: (1) anatomy & physiology, (2) microbiology, (3) life chemistry, (4) human growth and development and (5) pathophysiology. Anatomy and physiology is a prerequisite to pathophysiology.
You may complete the pre-nursing undergraduate work on this campus or transfer credits from the freshman and sophomore year from another college or university.
We are enclosing a sequence of courses and an equivalency table. We have also enclosed application materials. We ask that you fill out the application form and request your school(s) to send your official transcript(s). All credentials are to be sent to the Admissions Office by February 1st.
The Admissions Office will then forward duplicate copies of credentials to the School of Nursing. Records will be reviewed on a competitive basis in March. Letters will be mailed in April on the status of your acceptance into the program. A form will be sent from the student to the School responding to the acceptance. A grade point average of 3.0 (4 point scale) is minimum for admission to the School of Nursing.
If you have any questions regarding prerequisite general education courses, the Degree Counselor can be reached at (361) 825-2461. You may wish to visit our website at www.tamucc.edu or call 1-800-293-0965 for additional information. We look forward to meeting and working with you in the near future.
Please review the enclosed list of Technical Standards and Questions to help you determine if you have any limitations that cannot be accommodated in order to provide safe patient care. The Office for Disability Services provides feasible accommodations to students with documented disabilities. For information please call (361) 825-5816, located in the Driftwood room 101.
Sincerely,
Mary Jane Hamilton, Ph.D., RNC
Dean and Professor
College of Nursing and Health Sciences
STANDARDS FOR COMPLETION OF THE CURRICULUM
It is the policy of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences that no person shall be denied admission to the School nor graduation from the School on the basis of any disability, provided that the person demonstrates full ability to achieve the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in preparation for licensure as a practicing Registered Nurse. Additionally, the safety of the patient, on whom the nursing education process largely is focused, must be guarded as a primary consideration.
The School of Nursing recognizes that certain disabilities can be accommodated without compromising the standards required by the School and the integrity of its curriculum. The School is committed to the development of innovative and creative ways of opening its curriculum to competitive and good candidates with disabilities.
Mastery of the essential functions of the curriculum is required of all students. The standards encompass cognitive, physical and behavioral requirements in six areas judged necessary by the faculty for satisfactory completion of the nursing curriculum. These include, but are not necessarily limited to:
Use of motor skills such as palpation, auscultation, percussion
and other diagnostic maneuvers.
Use of visual, auditory, somatic and other sensory skills such
as observing demonstrations, obtaining a medical history directly
from a patient and observing a patient’s medical condition
and/or non-verbal behaviors.
Communication with patients, physicians and others on the medical
team about a patient’s condition in settings where communication
typically is oral or written and in settings where the time
span available for communication is limited.
Intellectual-conceptual, integrative and quantitative abilities
necessary for problem-solving and diagnosis;
Activities that have a behavioral and/or social context including
professional responsibility to patients, typical daily work-loads,
working in an environment that is subject to rapid change without
warning and in unpredictable ways.
Ethical and professional attitudes and conduct.
The standards summarized above refer to the desired ends rather than the means to achieve each standard because a person with a disability may be able to achieve the standards using reasonable accommodation. The use of a trained intermediary and some assisting devices to observe or interpret information compromises the essential function of the nurse.
Questions regarding standards for curricular completion are dealt with on an individual basis so that reasonable accommodation can be assessed appropriately and arranged when feasible. A copy of the detailed essential standards for curricular completion will be furnished with each application packet and may be obtained from the School of Nursing and Health Sciences.
When a letter of acceptance to the School of Nursing is mailed to an applicant, a second copy of the standards will be included with that letter. At that time, the applicant will be asked to respond in writing whether he/she can meet the standards with or without accommodation. In the event that accommodation is requested, the student must submit documentation of disability with proposed accommodation from a certified specialist to the Office for Special Populations. The school may require verification by a specialist whom it has approved. If a reasonable accommodation cannot be achieved, the letter of acceptance will be withdrawn and academic assessment and counseling offered to help the student find a related field of study.
A detailed copy of the essential standards may be obtained from:
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
College of Nursing and Health Sciences
6300 Ocean Drive - Faculty Center 151
Corpus Christi, TX 78412-5599
TECHNICAL STANDARDS FOR NURSING SCHOOL
ADMISSION AND GRADUATION
Nursing education requires not only the accumulation of scientific knowledge, but also the simultaneous acquisition of technical skills and professional attitudes and behavior. Nursing school faculties have the responsibility to society to matriculate and graduate the best possible nurses, and thus admission to nursing school has been offered to those who qualified for the study and practice of nursing. Technical standards presented in this document are prerequisite for admission and graduation from the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi School of Nursing. All courses in the curriculum are required in order to develop the essential skills necessary to become a competent nurse.
Graduates of nursing school must have the knowledge and skills to function in a broad variety of clinical situations and to render a wide spectrum of patient care services. The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi School of Nursing acknowledges Section 504 of the 1973 Vocational Rehabilitation Act and 42 U.S.C.a? 2101 et seq., the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but ascertains that certain minimum technical standards must be met by those accepted to enroll.
A candidate for the B.S.N. degree must have aptitude, abilities, and skills in five areas: observation; communication; motor; conceptual, integrative and quantitative; and behavioral and social. Technological compensation can be made for some handicaps in these areas, but a nursing student should be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner. The use of a trained intermediary would mean that a nursing student’s judgment must be mediated by someone else’s power of selection and observation. Therefore, third parties cannot be used to assist students in accomplishing curricular requirements in the five skill areas specified above.
OBSERVATION
The nursing student must be able to observe demonstrations and participate in simulated clinical and exercises. A nursing student must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand. Observation necessitates the functional use of the sense of vision and other sensory modalities. It is enhanced by the functional use of the sense of smell.
COMMUNICATION
A nursing student should be able to speak, to hear and to observe patients in order to elicit information, describe changes in mood, activity and posture, and perceive nonverbal communications. A nursing student must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients. Communication includes not only speech, but also reading and writing. The nursing student must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written form with all members of the health care team.
MOTOR COORDINATION OR FUNCTION
Nursing students should have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic maneuvers. Nursing students should be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatment to patients. Examples of emergency treatment reasonably required of nurses are cardiopulmonary resuscitation, administration of intravenous medication, application of pressure to stop bleeding, and opening of obstructed airways. Such actions require coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium and functional use of the senses of touch and vision.
INTELLECTUAL-CONCEPTUAL, INTEGRATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE ABILITIES
These abilities include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, and synthesis. Problem solving, the critical skill demanded of nurses requires all of these intellectual abilities. In addition, the nursing student should be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships of structures.
BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL ATTRIBUTES
Nursing students must possess the emotional health required for full use of their intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients. Nursing students must be able to tolerate physically taxing workloads and to function effectively when stressed. They must be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility and to learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients. Empathy, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest and motivation are all personal qualities that should be assessed during the admission and educational processes.
Nursing students for the B.S.N. degree must have somatic sensation and the functional use of the senses of vision and hearing. Nursing students’ diagnosis skills will also be lessened without the functional use of the senses of equilibrium, smell and taste. Additionally, they must have sufficient exteroceptive sense (touch, pain and temperature), sufficient proprioceptive sense (position, pressure, movement, stereognosis and vibratory) and sufficient motor function to permit them to carry out the activities described in the section above. They must be able to consistently, quickly, and accurately integrate all information received by senses employed, and they must have the intellectual ability to learn, integrate, analyze and synthesize data.
The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi School of Nursing will consider for admission to nursing school any applicant who demonstrates the ability to perform or to learn to perform the skills listed in this document. Students will be judged not only on their scholastic accomplishment, but also on their school’s curriculum, and the ability to graduate as skilled and effective practitioners of nursing.
TECHNICAL STANDARDS QUESTIONS FOR NURSING STUDENTS
Is the nursing student able to observe demonstrations and participate
in simulated clinical lab exercises?
Is the nursing student able to analyze, synthesize, extrapolate,
solve problems and reach diagnostic and nursing intervention
judgments?
Does the nursing student have sufficient use of the senses
of vision and hearing and the somatic sensation necessary to
perform a physical examination? Can the nursing student perform
palpation, auscultation and percussion?
Can the nursing student reasonably be expected to relate to
patients and establish sensitive, professional relationships
with patients?
Can the nursing student reasonably be expected to communicate
the nursing plan of care and goals to the patient and to his/her
significant others with accuracy, clarity and efficiency?
Can the nursing student reasonably be expected to perform with
precise, quick and appropriate actions in emergency situations?
Can the nursing student reasonably be expected to display good
judgment in the assessment and provision of nursing care to
patients?
Can the nursing student reasonably be expected to possess the
perseverance, diligence and consistency to complete the nursing
school curriculum and enter the practice of nursing?
Can the nursing student reasonably be expected to accept criticism
and respond by appropriate modification of behavior?
REFERENCES
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, (Public Law.
No. 93-112)
TTUHSC SCHOOL OF Medicine Technical Standard Policy
TAMU-CS College of Medicine
Strax, T.E. (1992, spring). Recommended guidelines for admission
to medical school of candidates with disabilities. Association
of Academic Physiatrist. 9-11.
APPENDIX A
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended:
No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States, as defined in Section 7(6), shall, solely by reason of his handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
Following are definitions from the regulation implementing Section 504. The complete regulation and an analysis prepared by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare appeared in the May 4, 1977, Federal Register (Vol. 42, No. 86, pages 22676-22701).
Handicapped Person: Any person who (i) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, (ii) has a record of such an impairment, or (iii) is regarded as having such an impairment.
Physical Or Mental Impairment: (A) any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological; musculoskeletal; special sense organs; respiratory, including speech organs; cardiovascular; reproductive; digestive; genito-urinary; hemic and lymphatic; skin; and endocrine; or (B) any mental or psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities.*
Qualified Handicapped Person: With respect to post-secondary and vocational education services, a handicapped person who meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in the recipient’s education program or activity.
Technical Standards: Not defined in the regulation. The accompanying analysis states: The term "technical standards" refers to all nonacademic admissions criteria that are essential to participation in the program in question.
* A ruling by the Attorney General has included addiction to alcohol and narcotics as a handicap for the purpose of this statute.
