The Field

Nursing involves the care and counsel of the ill and injured, the maintenance of health, and the prevention of illness. Delhi's Nursing programs prepare graduates to become Licensed Practical Nurses or Registered Nurses.

In New York State, the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) must practice under the supervision of a doctor or a Registered Nurse (RN). Registered Nurses may practice in a greater variety of settings, and with more autonomy. Such care is dependent on knowledge of the liberal arts and biological, physical, and social sciences. Therefore, the Nursing programs require instruction in these disciplines.

The Instructional Program

The Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) is a two-year program. Practical Nursing is a one-year certificate program. Delhi's Nursing program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, 61 Broadway, New York, NY 10006 / 1-800-669-1656. To be eligible to take the NCLEX-RN examination for registered nursing, students must complete the Associate Degree in Nursing. Students completing the one-year certificate program are eligible to take the NCLEX-PN examination for licensed practical nursing.

The curriculum is also designed to provide options for career mobility. Advanced placement is possible for successful graduates of many BOCES and hospital-based practical nursing programs. Students desiring advanced placement are considered on an individual basis after the admissions process to the College is initiated. This process includes a challenge by examination of Nursing courses in the first year of the Nursing program.

Students who do not meet admission requirements for the Nursing program may take courses to meet these requirements in a pre-clinical program. Students in the pre-clinical program take prerequisites for the Nursing program and space the educational process out over one or two additional semesters.

Delhi's Nursing programs provide individual attention to meet the needs of a diverse group of students, including recent high school graduates and adults seeking career changes and advancement. To help students acquire and develop skills, the program provides a skills laboratory, computer laboratory, and video programs.

The Nursing programs consist of a combination of theoretical and clinical courses. Classroom, laboratory, and actual clinical settings are used for educational purposes. The goal is to educate students to deliver optimum total patient care in uncomplicated situations. Students learn to take responsibility for their clients and to make mature decisions with regard to the physical and psycho-social needs of each client. The combination of classroom instruction and clinical experience gives students many opportunities to apply their theoretical knowledge to clinical practice. Clinical rotations are provided at several hospitals, nursing homes, physicians' offices, and mental health facilities.

Full- and part-time study within the Nursing curriculum is available.

The Medical-Surgical Nursing courses are sequential in a fall/spring continuum and must be taken in correct order with a clinical component.

If part-time study is pursued, a student must complete program requirements within a specified number of semesters. To qualify for graduation, all students must earn a grade of 75% or better in each Nursing course, a grade of 70% or better in all other required courses, and a Pass in all clinical courses. Program graduates are eligible to take the appropriate exam for licensure. Nursing is a licensure program and has special requirements for entry and licensure. This information should be utilized when making career choices. Conviction for a felony or misdemeanor may affect an individual's right to be licensed. Applicants with concerns should contact the Albany Licensing Bureau at 1-800-342-3729.

Transportation to clinical sites is the responsibility of the individual student. Because of the clinical component, special uniforms, health requirements, and immunizations are required of Nursing students. Students will receive information about this after they are accepted into the program.

Partnership for Nursing Opportunities

SUNY Delhi, Hartwick College, and Bassett Healthcare in Cooperstown have joined forces to provide attractive and affordable paths to both associate's and baccalaureate degrees in Nursing, as well as employment with a major regional healthcare provider. The program is sequential and begins with entrance in the A.A.S program in Nursing at Delhi. After completing the first year of study, attaining a certificate in Practical Nursing, and passing the LPN exam, a student is eligible for employment at Bassett Healthcare. The student can then work full time and continue on through a specially designed educational program leading first to an associate's degree in Nursing from Delhi and then to a bachelor's degree in Nursing from Hartwick College. Special financial aid is available to program participants. For additional information, contact Delhi's Enrollment Services Office at 1-800-96-DELHI.

Curriculum

SUNY Curriculum Code: 0622

First Semester

Second Semester

Third Semester

Fourth Semester

Degree Requirements: 72 credit hours, a grade of 75% or better in each Nursing course, a grade of 70% or better in all other required courses, and a Pass in all clinical courses.

Admissions Requirements

• High school graduation or equivalent, with an unweighted high school average of at least 75% or GED score of 250 or better.
• Laboratory-based biology and Mathematics Course A with a minimum grade of 70 or better or 70 or better on Regents.
• High school chemistry and Mathematics Course B are strongly recommended.
• An on-campus interview is recommended.
• Each student must submit to the College Health Center a current immunization record (including Hepatitis B vaccine), the results of a physical examination, and the results of required lab testing.
• Professional Rescuer Certification in CPR (American Red Cross or American Heart Association Course C).

Program Objectives

At the completion of the Nursing A.A.S. program, graduates will have assumed the following behaviors:

1. Are prepared as effective providers and managers of nursing care and members of the nursing profession and practice nursing within the parameters of the legal, ethical, and regulatory framework of the NLN educational outcomes of associate degree programs and competencies.
2. Are able to function in acute and long-term care settings in community-based agencies and client homes.
3. Use effective problem solving/critical thinking concepts for client care through the nursing process.
4. Incorporate principles of bio-psychosocial, behavioral science, and human systems in nursing practice.
5. Assume responsibility for their personal and professional growth and continued lifelong learning.
6. Demonstrate accountability for their own actions, demonstrate responsible citizenship, and function as responsible members of the nursing profession.
7. Promote health, wellness, and client advocacy.
8. Function as accurate and safe entry-level professional nurses, and as collaborative members of the healthcare team.
9. Communicate effectively, orally, in writing, nonverbally, and with the use of technology. Establish interpersonal relationships and interact in a facilitative manner, reflective of value, dignity, and the worth of each individual in a culturally diverse society.
10. Assist the client to promote, restore, and maintain a high-level wellness on the health-illness continuum by assessing client's physiological and psychosocial modes. Manipulate the internal and external environments in an effort to effect a positive change to the client's position on the health-illness continuum and provide caring, therapeutic nursing intervention.
11. Provide information, support, and purposeful teaching to clients, significant others, and members of the healthcare team.