 "Admission to South Dakota State University is open to all academically qualified students without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, or nation origin" (SDSU Bulletin, 2000-2002, p. 29). All persons, including applicants for admission and students, who have a certified/documented disability are eligible for, and may request reasonable accommodations** under the provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended and The American with Disabilities Act of 1990. One of the purposes of the SDSU nursing program is to provide graduates with a broad and basic preparation for professional nursing practice. In preparation for the professional nursing roles, nursing faculty expect the student to show a stable personality and demonstrate ability to meet the demands of the profession. To prepare persons to meet these expectations the College of Nursing offers a curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science degree with a major in nursing. An applicant to the program must be able to meet the cognitive, affective and psychomotor requirements of the curriculum. The SDSU College of Nursing provides knowledge and skills necessary to successfully meet licensure requirements. A graduate of the program is eligible to write the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) for licensure as a registered nurse. The purpose of licensure is to protect the consumer. A graduate, after licensure, is qualified for first level positions in hospitals, health agencies and other institutions that employ professional nurses. The registered nurse assumes professional responsibility for the nursing process in relation to promotion, restoration and maintenance of health. The SDSU nursing graduate who is a registered nurse will have the foundation for advanced study in nursing, including specialization, at the graduate level. As a generalist in nursing, a professional nurse is expected by the employer, consumers and other health care providers to assume specific role responsibilities in a safe and competent manner. According to The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice, (1998), "acquisition and use of technical skills are required for the delivery of nursing care" (p. 11). Therefore, all knowledge and skills taught and evaluated in the SDSU nursing program are requisites of successful completion of the program. For admission to the nursing major courses, the student must meet technical standards* for the nursing major and maintain satisfactory demonstration of these standards for progression through the program. A student with a certified/documented disability shall notify the Director of Disability Services at 605-688-4493. The student shall also notify nursing faculty at the beginning of the semester. The nursing student shall notify their semester faculty of any change in ability to meet technical standards*. The Admissions and Scholastic Standards Committee, to determine the students' ability to acquire knowledge and develop clinical skills required by the curriculum, evaluate applicants to the nursing major. The skills and abilities that have been identified as necessary to meet nursing curriculum technical standard requirements include, but are not necessarily limited to the following: General Abilities To provide quality-nursing care, the student is expected to possess functional use of the senses of vision, touch, hearing, taste and smell. All data received by the senses must be integrated, analyzed and synthesized in a consistent and accurate manner. Examples of this include, but are not limited to: The need to accurately measure intake and output; work with multiple tubes, drains, monitoring equipment, etc. Must be able to visually assess patients, including color recognition. Must be able to make fine discriminations in sound; i.e., making fine adjustments on machine parts, using a telephone, taking blood pressures and assess by auscultation. Assistive technology, such as a hearing aid, is acceptable to enable the student to achieve functional use of the senses. In addition, the individual is expected to possess the ability to perceive pain, pressure, temperature, position, equilibrium and movement. Observational Ability The student is expected to be able to observe the patient/client holistically to accurately assess any health/illness alteration. Inherent in this observation process is the functional use of the senses and sufficient motor capability to carry out the necessary assessment activities. Communication The student is expected to be able to effectively communicate verbally and non-verbally. This requires the ability to see, speak, hear, read, write, and effectively utilize the English language. Motor Ability The student is expected to be able to perform gross and fine motor movements required to provide holistic nursing care. Examples of care that the student must be able to perform include lifting, turning, transferring, transporting, exercising the patients/clients and administering CPR. The student is expected to have the psychomotor skills necessary to perform or assist with procedures, treatments, administration of medications, and emergency interventions. On a regular classroom or clinical day, the student may be expected to sit, walk and stand. Assessments may also require the student to bend, squat, reach, kneel or balance. Usual clinical settings require that the student be able to carry and lift loads from the floor, from 12 inches from the floor, to shoulder height and overhead. This would involve occasionally lifting 50 pounds, frequently lifting 25 pounds, and constantly lifting 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 nursing experiences. Intellectual-Conceptual Ability The student is expected to have the ability to develop problem-solving skills and demonstrate the ability to establish care plans and priorities. This includes the ability to measure, calculate, analyze and synthesize objective as well as subjective data and make decisions that reflect consistent and thoughtful deliberation of the appropriate data. Behavioral/Social Attributes The student is expected to have the emotional stability required to exercise sound judgment, complete assessment and intervention activities, and develop sensitive interpersonal relationships with patients/clients, families and others responsible for health care. The individual is expected to have the flexibility to function effectively under stress and deal with patients, families, and others who may be experiencing stress. The baccalaureate graduate exhibits the professional values of altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity and social justice (The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice, 1998, p. 8-9). *"The term technical standard refers to all nonacademic criteria used for admission to and participation in a program or activity." From HOW THE LAW APPLIES- Rehabilitation Act of 1973-Section 504. **Reasonable Accommodations are adjustments or modifications of course/program requirements which are not (1) unduly costly, (2) extensive, (3) disruptive, and (4) do not fundamentally alter the nature of the course/program. Approved by College of Nursing Faculty 10/84, 12/00
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