Nursing

Interim Department Chairperson: Rupa Potti

Vision

The Department of Nursing at Chicago State University seeks to educate nurses who will be able to demonstrate excellence through practice, scholarship, leadership, and service, while caring for diverse populations.

Mission

The mission of the Department of Nursing is to provide educational experiences that empower learners, promote competence in the area of professional nursing, strengthen the capacity for employment in a variety of clinical practice settings within the healthcare community, and develop a sense of civic responsibility.

Through high quality and creative instruction, the faculty strives to provide an environment that is conducive to learning, stimulates intellectual inquiry, and encourages personal and professional growth. The faculty creates an environment that fosters scholarship and a desire for lifelong learning. The nursing faculty is sensitive to the unique characteristics of learners as these relate to issues of access, retention, and graduation. The faculty strives to prepare graduates who are able to function as compassionate, caring professionals. By providing a high-quality program, the faculty endeavors to prepare nursing leaders to meet the changing and comprehensive health needs of the community. Both faculty and learners attempt to create and strengthen community linkages in order to develop collaborative research and service projects that will enhance the health status of the underserved communities.

Student Learning Outcomes

The graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) will be able to:

Utilize critical thinking skills when applying knowledge from the biophysical and behavioral sciences, humanities, and nursing to the care of individuals and aggregates.
Utilize evidence-based nursing interventions through the nursing process.
Demonstrate leadership skills in collaboration with consumers and other members of the health care team in a variety of settings to effect change in the delivery of quality health care in a multicultural society.
Evaluate research findings in nursing and other fields for their applicability to the improvement of nursing practice.
Assume responsibility for personal and professional growth through lifelong learning.
Assume responsibility for professional practice that reflects the standards of professional and regulatory bodies.
Utilize technology in managing information in meeting the healthcare needs of clients in a variety of health care settings.

The professional nursing program begins in the spring semester of the sophomore year. Graduates of the nursing program qualify for the following:

Admission to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN);
The practice of professional nursing, if licensing examination is passed;
Beginning-level leadership positions in nursing;
Advanced study in nursing; and
Expanded roles in the health care delivery system.

*NOTE: Felony Conviction Policy. If a student has been convicted of a felony, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) will not consider his or her application for licensure in the State of Illinois until a review hearing has been conducted by the Committee of Nurse Examiners. The Committee will not conduct this hearing until the individual has completed the required approved nursing program in an approved school and has completed the necessary application forms for licensure required by the IDFPR. The decision to allow an individual to take the examination for licensure rests with the Committee. All individuals applying for initial licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) must submit verification of fingerprint processing from the Illinois Department of State Police, or its designated agent, for fingerprint processing.

The Department of Nursing is approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) Inc., and is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the National League for Nursing.