Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN)
Individual State Boards of Nursing uses the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX®) prepared by National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) to measure competence for entry-level practice for graduates of pre-licensure nursing education programs. Professional nurses are prohibited in all states from practicing nursing until the NCLEX® examination is successfully completed and licensure has been granted.
Upon completion of degree requirements, each student enrolled in the traditional BSN option must make application to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). Professional nurses are prohibited in all states from practicing nursing until the examination is successfully completed and licensure has been granted. Specific information regarding licensure will be provided to the student during the last quarter of the nursing program.
State Boards of Nursing have the responsibility and right to deny licensure to persons who have been convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic violation. Persons having a criminal record should consult the Rules and Regulations of the Tennessee Board of Nursing available on line at https://www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/health-professional-boards/nursing-board/nursing-board/applications.html or other applicable state nursing board. For North Carolina, it is available online at: https://www.ncbon.com/laws-rules-overview
The “SAVE Act” requires Tennessee Department of Health (including all Boards, Commissions, and contractors), along with every local health department in the State, to verify that every adult applicant for a professional license is either a U.S. citizen, a “qualified alien,” or a nonimmigrant who meets the requirements set out at 8 U.S.C. 1621. For more information please visit https://www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/health-professional-boards/nursing-board/nursing-board/applications.html.
For more detailed information about the NCLEX, please visit the website of National Council of State Boards of Nursing at http://www.ncsbn.org.
Last updated 9/23/2020
Philosophy of the School of Nursing
The wellness-illness continuum of care provides the overall organizing framework that serves as the philosophical structure for the nursing curriculum at the South College School of Nursing, with students introduced to a variety of nursing theoretical frameworks. Related concepts emphasized in the nursing curriculum include ethical decision-making, critical thinking, effective communication, leadership, and management.
- Person: A person is a unique, holistic, adaptive, open system. Persons, either alone or in groups, families, or communities, have inherent basic rights and choices. Each person is multi-dimensional with variables such as age, gender, culture, race, religion, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle choices.
- Environment: Environment is a complex, open system functioning in a dynamic state of change. The environment is both internal and external, uniquely perceived by each person, either alone or in groups, families, or communities.
- Health: Health is a dynamic phenomenon encompassing physical, emotional and spiritual parameters. Health is individually perceived and influenced by internal and external factors.
- Nursing: Professional nursing is an art and a science with caring as the core concept. The role of the nurse is to facilitate optimal independent functioning of persons, alone or in groups, through the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health. The professional nurse will utilize critical thinking and the nursing process to plan and implement care.
- Professional Nursing Education: Nursing education is an interactive process. The faculty of the South College School of Nursing embraces the concepts of professional nursing education as described in the Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008) and the Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing (AACN, 2011).