Prelicensure Program

Unlicensed first year and transfer students are identified as Prelicensure Students as opposed to the RN students who are licensed nurses without a BSN.  Prelicensure students require four years of college course work.  The nursing program at SAU is unique in that students complete more theory prior to their patient care experiences and they have extended time to acquire the required nursing skills.  This learning approach assists students to gain a high level of clinical competence and confidence.  Faculty encourage basic nursing students to be employed in a nursing setting while studying nursing.  Early exposure in the clinical environment assists students to develop communication skills, to become familiar with the clinical environment and to improve organizational skills.

Nursing students take two courses during the first year.  The first course is a one-credit theory course, which introduces them to nursing and lays the foundation for future nursing courses.  The second nursing course provides a sound introduction to the theory and practice of basic nursing skills.  Completion of this course allows students to take the state certified nurse aide exam and to compete for a position in a hospital.

At the sophomore level students complete nine credits of nursing.  These courses assist with the attainment of assessment knowledge and additional nursing intervention expertise.  The sophomore nursing credits are repeated in the summer session to allow transfer students to remain on a four-year plan of study if the majority of science prerequisites are completed upon admission to the program.

The remaining 41 nursing credits are distributed between the junior and senior levels.  Nursing students gain nursing skills in the university's nursing learning laboratory and at selected clinical sites during their third year of study and practice.  During the senior year, students have the opportunity to further develop and refine their nursing practice as members of the health care team.  Students spend approximately 38% of their learning time in clinical nursing experiences at the senior level under direct SAU nursing faculty supervision.  Students receive an introduction to nursing informatics skills throughout the program.   Advancement to the spring junior clinical experience is qualified by whether the student has attained 80 hours of work experience (beyond the employer's orientation) in a nursing environment.  If the student cannot demonstrate completion of clinical work experience by November 1st of the junior fall semester the student will not advance to the junior level.  Work experience should include repeated application of nursing skills learned in nursing 160.  Work experience will be verified by a member of the nursing faculty.

According to the State of Iowa Board of Nursing, a nursing course with a clinical component may not be taken by a person:

• Who has been denied licensure by the State Board of Nursing

• Whose license is currently suspended, surrendered or revoked in any U.S. jurisdiction.

• Whose license/registration is currently suspended, surrendered or revoked in another country due to disciplinary action.

Students can apply to the Board of Nursing and the licensure testing company after graduation.  The Board of Nursing notifies the testing company after student's  final transcript has been received.

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