PUBLIC NOTICE OF UPCOMING ACCREDITATION REVIEW VISIT BY THE ACEN
Ferrum College Nursing Department wishes to announce that it will host a site visit for initial accreditation of its baccalaureate nursing program by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
You are invited to meet with the site visit team and share your comments about the program in person at a meeting scheduled at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 18th, 2025, in room 110 of the lower level of Vaughn Chapel located at 40 Wiley Drive, Ferrum VA.
Written comments are also welcome and should be submitted to the ACEN via email at publiccomments@acenursing.org or to the ACEN office:
Attn: Accreditation Services Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
3390 Peachtree Rd NE, Suite 1400 Atlanta GA, 30326.
All written comments should be received by the ACEN by February 3rd, 2025.
Why Study Nursing at Ferrum College?
The nursing major at Ferrum College is a prelicensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. A traditional, residential program developed from national standards of baccalaureate nursing education, the BSN incorporates accreditation and regulatory frameworks of quality and safety so graduates seamlessly enter the workforce well prepared to care, serve, and contribute. Nursing at Ferrum College utilizes experiential and innovative teaching practices in a caring, personalized, and “high-touch” atmosphere that prepares graduates to provide nursing care through the application of knowledge, theory, evidence, and clinical reasoning.
Admission as a Freshman
Next Steps
LPN Advanced Placement
Minimum GPA
Accreditation
Nursing Statistics
Outcomes
Ferrum College nursing majors can begin as freshmen! To major in nursing at Ferrum College, complete the Ferrum College Application for Admission. Any transfer credits must have a minimum of a C or better.
Upon admission to Ferrum College, students must declare prelicensure BSN as their major.
Once you have declared the prelicensure BSN as your major, you will receive a Declared Prelicensure BSN Letter with important next steps that must be completed in a timely manner.
Schedule an appointment with the Nursing Division Director to review your plan of study, any transfer credits to be awarded, and potential graduation date. Currently, we have conditional approval from the Virginia Board of Nursing. Therefore, we can only accept Licensed Practical Nursing courses as transfer credits. No other nursing courses can transfer at this time. Contact Dr. Melody Sharp by emailing msharp@ferrum.edu or call 540-365-4382.
During the spring semester, you must participate in the Entrance Exam Workshop scheduled by the Carter Center. This will help prepare you for the Entrance Exam. Within two (2) weeks of completing the Entrance Exam Workshop, you must contact Ms. Tammy Hodges, the Nursing Administrative Assistant at 540-365-5558 for the entrance examination information. The Nursing Entrance Exam cost is $100.00 paid directly to Kaplan online (more information will be discussed during the workshop). The Nursing Entrance Exam is a proctored exam taken on site in the nursing division area.
If your entrance exam score is below 60% rank, you will receive a Mandatory Assessment Plan (MAP). You will be required to: Attend weekly 1-hour tutoring sessions with the Carter Center; Participate in two (2) monthly Carter Center workshops; Continue with weekly/monthly sessions and retake the entrance exam by Spring of your sophomore year; If your retested entrance exam score remains below 60%, you MUST make an appointment to meet with the Nursing Division Director to discuss your academic plan of action and/or may be notified to change majors. NOTE: The entrance exam may only be taken three (3) attempts.
Upon acceptance into the pre-licensure BSN program, students who hold a current unencumbered Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) license number and a minimum of one (1) year direct client care LPN experience will be awarded prior learning proficiency credits for the following nursing foundation courses to include 90 hours clinical.
NUR 300 Foundations of Professional Nursing Practice
NUR 305C Foundations Clinical
NUR 315L Foundations & Pharm Skills Lab
NOTE: Currently, we have conditional approval from the Virginia Board of Nursing, therefore we can only accept Licensed Practical Nursing courses as nursing transfer credits. No other nursing courses can transfer at this time.
The Nursing Division wants you to succeed in the nursing program; we set strict BSN requirements to ensure you have the resources to be successful along the way. We want you to feel part of the nursing program as soon as you enter Ferrum College. Therefore, additional requirements to be maintained in the BSN program include participation in a minimum of one (1) nursing department event per year, maintaining a minimum overall GPA of 2.50, and an overall pre-requisite course GPA of 2.5 or higher.
Effective May 3, 2023, this nursing program is a candidate for initial accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. This candidacy status expires on May 3, 2025.
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), 3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30326, (404) 975-5000, http://www.acenursing.com/candidates/candidacy.asp.
Note: Upon granting of initial accreditation by the ACEN Board of Commissioners, the effective date of initial accreditation is the date on which the nursing program was approved by the ACEN as a candidate program that concluded in the Board of Commissioners granting initial accreditation.
Virginia Board of Nursing Conditional Approval.
SACSCOC approval issued February 2020.
Pre-Licensure BSN Program
Academic Year 2021-2022
Academic Year 2022-2023
Academic Year 2023-2024
Enrollment
13
20
17
Retention
100%
75%
88.23%
Graduation
5
6
9
Job Placement
4/5 (80%)
5/6 (83%)
9/9 (100%)
Data past three years
Pre-Licensure BSN Program
Graduates 2022
Graduates 2023
Graduates 2024
NCLEX 1st-time pass rate
2/5 (40%)
4/6 (66.67%)
6/9 (66.67%)
NCLEX 1st-time plus repeaters
4/5 (80%
5/6 (83%)
9/9 (100%)
Data past three years
BSN Program Outcomes
Educate graduates to deliver safe, patient-centered nursing care to a diverse population with health alterations in structured health care settings.
Sixty percent (60%) of students that started in nursing courses will complete the program.
Eighty percent (80%) of most recent graduates pass the NCLEX-RN as a first-time test taker within six months of graduation date. (Pre-Licensure BSN Only)
Eighty-Three percent (83%) of most recent graduates pass the NCLEX-RN as a first-time test taker and repeaters (Ultimate Pass Rates) within nine months of graduation date. (Pre-Licensure BSN Only)
Eighty percent (80%) of most recent graduates will obtain employment as a register nurse in a healthcare field within 12 months of graduation date.
BSN Program End of Program Student Learning Outcomes
Effective with students that are completing classes by Spring 2025
Students who complete the Baccalaureate of Science Degree in Nursing will be expected to:
Use knowledge, theory, evidence and clinical reasoning to provide nursing care for patients across the lifespan and health-illness continuum.
Demonstrate skill in written and oral communication with diverse audiences of patients and peers.
Demonstrate skill in the management and leadership of nursing care within inter professional teams.
Practice within the context of professional, ethical and legal responsibilities.
Evaluate and use current healthcare technology and informatics to support quality and safe care.
Demonstrate a commitment to evidence-based practice to promote quality and patient safety.
Explain how healthcare policy influences the healthcare system and professional nursing practice.
Engage in health promotion and disease prevention interventions at the individual and population level.
Articulate the value of continued education and intellectual engagement utilizing the practice of nursing.
Effective with students starting classes in Fall 2024
Students who complete the Baccalaureate of Science Degree in Nursing will be expected to:
Provide patient-centered, priority-based nursing care to individuals, families and groups through independent and collaborative application of the nursing process supplemented by an intellectual foundation liberal arts and natural sciences.
Implement factors that create a culture of safety and a just culture.
Integrate evidence, clinical judgement, inter-professional perspectives and patient preference in planning, implementing and evaluating outcomes of care across the lifespan and health-illness continuum.
Apply the use of healthcare technology the supports clinical decision-making, patient education, error prevention and care coordination.
Incorporate effective inter- and intra-professional communication and collaborative skills to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered care.
Participate in the use of quality indicators and core measures to evaluate the effect of change in the delivery of care as derived through health policy.
legal requirements
Some state professional standards prohibit the issuing of a nursing license to a convicted felon. In addition, some health care facilities may refuse to allow convicted felons into a clinical setting to obtain clinical experience.
As a result, all students seeking admission into the nursing program MUST BE ABLE to complete the following at least 90 days prior to entering the first nursing courses:
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