Mar 29, 2024  
2022-2023 Nursing Student Handbook 
    
2022-2023 Nursing Student Handbook [FINAL EDITION]

Preface


Preface

This Handbook will provide you with information about the programs of study and the policies and procedures specific to our School of Nursing. It should be used as a supplement to the Widener University Bulletin, Widener University Student Handbook, the School of Nursing Fact Books, and other University Publications. As such, the policies, procedures, regulations, requirements, standard of conduct and other information contained in such other publications are not reprinted herein, but are incorporated by reference herein as if all of the foregoing were set forth at length. All students are obliged to be familiar with and to comply with all of the policies, procedures, regulations, requirements, standards of conduct and other information set forth in such other publications. 

The contents of this Handbook provide for the continuing integrity of the programs of study in the School of Nursing, thereby preparing you, the student, for professional roles. The University and the School of Nursing reserve the right and authority at any time to alter any of all of the statements contained herein, to modify the requirements for admission and graduation, to change or discontinue programs of study, to amend any regulation or policy affecting the student body, to increase tuition and fees, to deny admission, to revoke an offer of admissions, and to dismiss from the University any student at any time, if it is deemed by the University or the School of Nursing to be in the best interest of the University, the School of Nursing, the university community, or the student to do so. The provisions of this publication are subject to change without notice, and nothing in this publication may be considered as setting forth terms of a contract between a student or prospective student and Widener University.

Professional Nursing Law 

The following statement is taken from the “The Professional Nursing Law” as enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Professional Nursing Law can be found at PA Code for Registered Nurse.  

 “The ‘Practice of Professional Nursing’ means diagnosing and treating human responses to actual or potential health problems through such services as case finding, health teaching, health counseling, and provision of care supportive to or restorative of life and well-being, and executing medical regimens as prescribed by a licensed physician or dentist. The foregoing shall not be deemed to include acts of medical diagnosis or prescription of medical therapeutic or corrective measures, except as performed by a certified registered nurse practitioner acting in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the Board”. For additional information, click on the PA Professional Code for Nurses.  12/02

The Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements (ANA 2015) was developed as a guide for carrying out nursing responsibilities in a manner consistent with quality in nursing care and the ethical obligations of the profession. Students at Widener University are responsible for understanding and adhering to the Code of Ethics.  Additional information on the Code can be found at Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. 

Diversity Statement

Widener University School of Nursing is committed to fostering a culture of inclusivity and equity throughout our programs, our nursing practice, and in our workplace. The School of Nursing’s unique, powerhouse programs serve the needs of diverse students at all stages of their careers. We’re All Widener. That’s not just a saying here; it’s a way of life. It represents the culture of our university - a powerful call for respect, mutual understanding, and unity. Here you’ll be embraced and supported by a welcoming and inclusive community regardless of your race, ethnicity, national origin, gender and sexual identity, socioeconomic status, ability, religion, political affiliation, among other things. You’ll join a community of students and scholars who hail from across the country and around the world. Our community is woven together by diverse backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives, and our classrooms, residence halls, and social spaces are enriched by this variety. You’ll interact with people and engage in the kinds of transformational moments that broaden your own worldview and prepare you for the world and workforce you’re about to enter. For more information about Diversity and Inclusivity, please click here.

Undergraduate Outcomes

  • Synthesize theoretical concepts and constructs from the humanities, social sciences, mathematical, natural, and physical sciences into nursing practice.
  • Use individual, organizational, and systems leadership and management theories to interact constructively and ethically to influence and assure effective, evidence-based, safe, quality outcomes in the delivery of nursing care to human beings in an ever-changing world and global society.
  • Apply methods of scholarly inquiry and interpretation to translate best current evidence into nursing practice. 
  • Implement evidence-based and theoretically sound nursing care by collaborating with other health care team professionals to promote optimal health for individuals and populations. 
  • Use technology to facilitate care to provide safe, ethical, and effective clinical decision making for individuals, populations, and health care workers. 
  • Integrate into practice a basic knowledge of health care policy, finance, and regulatory environments, including local, national, and global trends with system cost factors and the impact on individuals and populations.
  • Integrate into practice a basic knowledge of the impact of socio-cultural, economic, legal, and political factors influencing health care delivery and practice.
  • Use effective communication techniques to produce positive interprofessional and intraprofessional working relationships.
  • Demonstrate appropriate team building strategies when working with interprofessional and intraprofessional teams.
  • Use health promotion along with disease and injury prevention strategies to maximize the health of individuals and populations across the lifespan.
  • Advocate for social justice with a commitment to the health of vulnerable populations and the elimination of health disparities.
  • Assume accountability for professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct through self-reflection of attitudes, beliefs, and values as they relate to decision making, advocacy, collaboration, and social responsibility.
  • Foster personal and professional growth and development through self-care and lifelong learning.
  • Perform developmentally and culturally-focused patient and family assessments that include a comprehensive appraisal of physical, behavioral, socioeconomic, and environmental parameters.
  • Deliver patient-centered education that reflects consideration for patient developmental level, cultural background, literacy, and family system.
  • Recognize the relationships of genetics and genomics to health, prevention, screening, diagnostics, prognostics, selection of treatment, and monitoring of treatment effectiveness.
  • Apply effective communication in interactions with patient and patient’s support network.
  • Demonstrate in clinical practice the application of sound principles of psychomotor skills that reflect efficient, safe, and compassionate patient care.