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Academic Rules and Regulations
| ^ TOP | Policies and Procedures Academic Standing First-year students in the pre-professional component of the program are considered to be in good academic standing if they earn no more than one grade below C-. Students must maintain a semester GPA average of 1.8. Students who do not meet these standards will be placed on academic probation. Additionally, nursing students are required to earn a minimum C- grade in anatomy and physiology. Students who do not earn a C- or higher in either semester of anatomy and physiology are required to retake the course. First year students who do not pass BIOL 2060 in the spring are required to retake the course during the summer and present a passing grade of C- or higher prior to taking BIOL 2070 in the fall of their second year and proceeding into second year nursing courses. Second year transfer students who do not pass BIOL 2070 in the fall semester may not continue in spring semester nursing courses and are required to revise their program of study by one year. All undergraduate nursing students who do not pass anatomy and physiology by the fall semester of the third year will not be allowed to continue in the program. A nursing student is subject to suspension after two semesters on academic probation. A grade of D is included in the student’s GPA and counts toward credits earned. An F grade is included in the student’s GPA but does not count toward credits earned. Students in the professional component of the program are considered to be in good academic standing if they have a semester average of at least 2.000 and no grades below a C- in required nursing courses regardless of the semester average. Grades of D, F, and NC are failing grades for all required nursing courses in the professional component of the program. Students receiving a grade of D, F, or NC in a required course in the professional component will be placed on academic probation and must successfully repeat the course with a grade of C- or above for graded courses, or CR for CR/NC courses. This may alter the planned sequence of courses and may lengthen the time for completion of the program. Students will be placed on academic probation if their semester’s average falls below 2.000. A student in the professional component of the program is subject to suspension if (1) the student receives a total of two Ds or one F at any time in the professional component; or (2) the student’s GPA is below 2.000 for two semesters. Readmission after Suspension Readmission to the School of Nursing is not automatic. A former student must apply for admission to the Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Services of the School of Nursing by December 1 for the spring semester or by April 1 for the fall semester. Students are subject to suspension after two consecutive semesters on warning. Students who fail to earn at least nine grade points in a semester are also subject to suspension. Nursing students who have been suspended must wait one full fall term and one full spring term before being eligible to apply to return. The letter requesting readmission to the School of Nursing should include a description of the situation surrounding the suspension; an explanation of the steps that the student has taken, or will take, to change the situation; and the reasons why readmission to the program is justified. Students will be re-admitted on a space-available basis. A student who has been readmitted following suspension will be permanently dropped from the school if she or he becomes subject to suspension a second time. Readmission after Voluntary Withdrawal Readmission to the School of Nursing is not automatic. A former student must apply for admission to the Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Services of the School of Nursing by December 1 for the spring semester or by April 1 for the fall semester. Nursing students who withdraw from the University mid-semester must wait one full term before being eligible to apply to return. The letter requesting readmission to the School of Nursing should include a description of the situation surrounding the withdrawal; an explanation of the steps that the student has taken, or will take, to change the situation; and the reasons why readmission to the program is justified. Students will be re-admitted on a space-available basis. Leave of Absence Leave of Absence A student in good standing may request a leave of absence from the School of Nursing for up to two semesters. Requests for leaves of absence must be submitted in writing to the Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Services of the School of Nursing. Readmission following a leave of absence will be granted only if space is available. Course Load Special permission from the Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Services is required to register for fewer than 12 credits or more than 17 credits each semester. Transfer of Courses The University of Virginia School of Nursing accepts a maximum of 60 credits of transfer credit from institutions other than the University of Virginia toward the baccalaureate degree. Students who receive advanced standing for a required course transferred into the University of Virginia from another institution will be responsible for replacing the credits not earned in that course with another course at the University. Exception: RN to BSN students. RN to BSN students receive 41 credit hours of advanced standing for their basic nursing programs. Therefore, not all prior credit hours may be transferable for credit. For example, pharmacology, assessment, life span, and nutrition are all part of the 41-credit-hour package of advanced credit hours; therefore, these credits do not transfer in as additional credits. Changes in Class Schedules Students change their class schedules via SIS (www.virginia.edu/sis). If instructor permission is necessary for admission to a course, a form signed by that instructor is submitted to the School of Nursing registrar’s office. Students may add and drop full-semester courses through the deadlines stated in the University Registrar’s Academic Calendar. Grades An undergraduate student’s work in a course is graded on the basis of A+ (97-100), A (94-96), A- (90-93), B+ (87-89), B (84-86), B- (80-83), C+ (77-79), C (74-76), C- (70-73), D+ (67-69), D (64-66), D- (60-63) and F (59-0). Incomplete Grades A grade of incomplete is a non-grade designation given for a course. A grade of IN becomes an F 30 days after the end of the examination period unless a form requesting an extension of time has been signed by the course instructor and approved by the Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Services. The faculty has adopted a policy that, unless authorized by the Dean’s office, students must complete all course work before taking the final examination. Instructors are not authorized to extend the time for completion of course work without the Dean’s approval. Forms for securing extensions are available from the School of Nursing website. Prior to the end of the course, students must initiate the request for an IN and secure the instructor’s approval. Students with two or more outstanding incomplete designations (in the same semester or cumulatively) may not enroll in courses in subsequent terms. An IN grade remaining at the time of graduation is converted to an F. Grade Changes No grade may be changed without the approval of the School of Nursing after it has been submitted to the University Registrar (UREG). The School of Nursing is not authorized by the faculty to change a grade submitted to UREG except when an instructor certifies that, because of errors in calculation or transcription, an incorrect grade has been submitted. Extra work to raise a grade, once submitted, is not permitted. Credit/No Credit Grades Students have the option of receiving the grades CR (credit) or NC (no credit) in place of the regular grades, A through F, for a given course except for courses in the major or those that fulfill basic area requirements. School of Nursing students may take a maximum of twelve credits of CR/NC courses, including nursing electives, and general education electives. (Courses used to fulfill area requirements must be taken on a graded basis.) This option is selected when students register for courses. The last day to change the CR/NC option is the same as the last day to add a course. Instructors may deny students permission to take courses on a CR/NC basis. If this occurs, students may either change back to the regular grading option or drop the course entirely. Students may not use a CR/NC course to repeat a course in which a grade has already been given. Overall Time Limit Traditional BSN students have a maximum of 8 semesters from the date of matriculation in which to complete all graduation requirements, while students who transferred into the BSN program have 6. A student in the RN-BSN degree program must complete the graduation requirements in a maximum of 2 academic years from the date of matriculation. Exceptions must be approved by the advisor, department chair, and the Associate Dean for Academic Programs, and are granted only under extenuating circumstances. Degree Requirements The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is conferred by the general faculty upon candidates recommended by the School of Nursing faculty as having completed a prescribed course of study of no less than 120 credits with a cumulative grade point average of 2.000 (C). The Residence Requirement for a degree in nursing is two academic years. Students transferring from other schools of nursing and students with advanced standing credit may with permission of the Associate Dean for Academic Programs meet residence requirements in one academic year. The residence requirement for RN to BSN students is 30 credit hours. Professional Status upon Graduation Prior to Final Exercises, students are expected to apply to the state board of nursing in the state in which they choose to be licensed. Graduates of the School of Nursing are eligible for membership in the University of Virginia Alumni Association and the University of Virginia School of Nursing Alumni Association. Graduates are eligible for membership in the Virginia Nurses Association, the American Nurses Association, the Virginia League for Nursing, and the National League for Nursing. Criminal Background Check All nursing students are required to undergo a regular criminal background check after admission to the program. Some clinical agencies will require such a check to be performed annually and may require additional testing/screening of nursing students. Information can be obtained from the Office of Admissions and Student Services.
B.S. in Nursing (BSN) The University of Virginia offers a program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The degree is awarded after satisfactory completion of a prescribed program of study. All students at the School of Nursing take courses in anatomy and physiology, growth and development, pharmacology, pathophysiology, leadership, and nursing practice. Graduates of the program are eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination.
Required Additional Expenses | ^ TOP | Uniforms Prospective students receive information about uniforms with their welcome letters and registration materials.
Hospital Insurance The Student Health Service does not provide for the expense of hospital care. The University requires that all students carry hospitalization insurance for year-round coverage. A preferred-risk group insurance program sponsored by the University is available. For an additional premium, the dependents of married students are included. Students or parents may substitute a plan comparable to that offered by the University.
CPR Certification Students are required to obtain certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation for adults, children, and infants prior to entering clinical courses. Certification must be maintained throughout the program, and validation must be presented each year. Students must complete the American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers course.
Immunization Titer Requirements The School of Nursing requires documentation of the dates of a series of three vaccinations (Twinrix or Hepatitis B) or the date of a positive Hepatitis B surface antibody titer. No student will be permitted to enroll in clinical courses without providing this documentation. Information regarding the vaccine and antibody titers can be obtained from the student’s local health care provider, district health department, or from Student Health.
MMR, TD, and PPD Documentation of current measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) immunization and tetanus booster (TD) is required for all students in clinical courses. Tuberculosis testing (PPD) is required on an annual basis for all students enrolled in clinical courses.
Clinical Agency Requirements Students must meet the required competencies of the clinical agency to which they are assigned as outlined in the clinical agency contract. This may include requirements such as infection control training, criminal background investigations, and mandatory drug screening.
Diagnostic Readiness Test Students are required to complete a standardized diagnostic test that evaluates their readiness to take the licensure examination. The test is administered in the spring of the fourth year.
Community Learning Experiences Students are responsible for transportation to and from clinical learning sites. Agencies in Charlottesville and neighboring counties are used for clinical experiences, and students must have a car available for individual use while studying in those agencies. Community learning experiences begin in the second year of the program. Students who do not have access to a vehicle can participate in the University’s Zip Car loan service. |
