Northern State University's BSN program encourages you to embrace the human behind the science, with a strong foundation in the liberal arts. We are dedicated to supporting you every step of the way as you strive to become a Registered Nurse. Our program prepares students to become highly competent, compassionate, and innovative nursing professionals, equipping you with the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes necessary to earn your BSN degree, pass the NCLEX-RN licensure exam, and excel in a rapidly evolving healthcare environment. Your BSN degree from NSU also lays the groundwork for graduate studies and advanced career opportunities. Nursing students can expect to find a wide array of scholarship opportunities available to help fund their education. View degree requirements and explore scholarship opportunities to start your journey towards a fulfilling nursing career.

Welcome from the Associate Dean

Mission Statement 

The Department of Nursing educates and inspires future nurse leaders to provide compassionate, evidence-based, and patient-centered care. Building on a foundation of liberal arts education, we foster critical thinking, cultural competence, and ethical decision-making in our students, preparing them to meet the evolving healthcare needs of diverse populations. Through excellence in nursing education, practical experience, and public engagement, we enhance the health and well-being of our local, regional, and global communities. 

Vision Statement 

Our vision is to elevate healthcare through transformative education, practice, and service, fostering empowered nursing professionals poised to enact positive change in communities. We aim to be recognized as a premier nursing program that transforms passionate learners into innovative, competent, and influential nursing professionals who shape the future of healthcare and improve health outcomes in our local and regional communities. 

Goals 

In support of the mission and vision, the Department of Nursing is committed to the following educational goals: 

Educational Excellence: Deliver innovative, evidence-based nursing education integrating technology, active learning, and diverse clinical experiences to develop nurses with strong clinical reasoning, professional competence, and readiness for graduate study. 

Practice Innovation: Prepare nursing graduates who can adapt to evolving healthcare environments through technological competence and innovative approaches while maintaining excellence in fundamental nursing practice. 

Community Impact: Foster meaningful partnerships with healthcare organizations and community stakeholders to enhance clinical education opportunities and address evolving community health needs through service-learning initiatives.

Professional Leadership: Develop nursing professionals who demonstrate leadership capabilities, embrace lifelong learning, and actively contribute to advancing the nursing profession through evidence-based practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, and advocacy for quality healthcare. 
 

Values

Aligned with the core values of Northern State University, the Department of Nursing embraces four key principles: 

Community: We are committed to building a culture of inclusion, belonging, and respect within our program and in the broader healthcare community, recognizing the importance of diverse perspectives in delivering patient-centered care. 

Excellence: We strive for rigor and excellence in nursing education, clinical practice, inquiry, and innovation, aiming to prepare students who will contribute positively to the healthcare field and the well-being of our local and regional communities. 

Integrity: We uphold the highest standards of honesty, fairness, and ethical practice in nursing, ensuring that our students are equipped to make responsible and transparent decisions in their professional roles. 

Compassion: We believe in the power of compassionate care and emphasize the importance of empathy, kindness, and cultural competence in meeting the needs of diverse populations.

Program Outcomes & Success Measures

Based on the AACN Essentials Ten Domains and aligned with the SD Board of Regent¡¯s Cross Curricular Skills (CCS), upon completion of the BSN program, graduates will demonstrate competency in: 

• Knowledge For Nursing Practice: Cultivate reflective nursing practice by integrating knowledge from nursing science, liberal arts, and natural and social sciences to guide inquiry and clinical judgement (CCS: Critical and Creative Thinking)
• Person-Centered Care: Provide holistic, individualized, equitable, compassionate person-centered care that respects human diversity, is developmentally appropriate, and grounded in a scientific knowledge base across contexts and populations (CCS: Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity)
• Population Health: Cultivate collaborative partnerships across healthcare disciplines, communities, public health entities and other stakeholders to analyze population health issues and develop initiatives that promote equitable health outcomes
• Scholarship for Nursing Discipline: Engage in scholarly inquiry processes to generate nursing knowledge, critically appraise evidence, translate research for practice, and disseminate findings that advance the nursing discipline (CCS: Inquiry and Analysis)
• Quality and Safety: Implement principles of quality improvement, safety science, and risk reduction strategies to monitor system effectiveness, individual performance, and continuously improve the quality and safety of nursing practice
• Interprofessional Partnerships: Prioritize interprofessional communication, teamwork and care coordination to optimize patient experiences and outcomes by intentionally collaborating across disciplines and partnering with patients/families (CCS: Teamwork)
• System-Based Practice: Participate in evaluating system effectiveness and developing innovative and evidence-based practices to facilitate strategies to optimize care outcomes
• Informatics and Healthcare Technologies: Evaluate the use of informatics processes and technologies across various settings to manage and improve the delivery of safe, high-quality, and efficient healthcare services by best practice and regulatory standards (CSS: Information Literacy)
• Professionalism: Uphold the professional values, ethical principles, regulatory standards and identity congruent with nursing's core characteristics through accountable personal conduct (CCS: Ethical Reasoning)
• Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development: Engage in reflective practices and leadership development activities that cultivate personal resilience, accountability, lifelong learning and the assertion of nursing's unique role.