Richard and Lucille DeWitt School of Nursing

Tamara Harris, director
DeWitt School of Nursing Complex
Phone: (936) 468-7700
Fax: (936) 468-7701 or (936) 468-7752
5707 North Street
Nacogdoches, TX 75965
P.O. Box 6156, SFA Station
Nacogdoches, TX 75962
Email: tamara.harris@sfasu.edu
Web: nursing.sfasu.edu/nursing

Faculty

Associate Professors
Erin Bailey, Della Connor, Tamara Harris, Angela Jones, Christopher Ryan

Mission/Philosophy

Our mission is to provide students a foundation for success as nurses who are ethical, competent critical thinkers by providing an educational environment that promotes holistic health care in an educational community dedicated to teaching, research, creativity and service.

Core Values for the School of Nursing

• Intellectual and Creative Engagement: The School of Nursing’s faculty members encourage the student to investigate the health needs of a changing society and to think in creative ways to provide holistic healthcare to culturally diverse populations and engage the nursing profession.
• A Diverse Student Body: The unique individual student is engaged and valued as a partner in the diverse learning community and in the nursing profession.
• Teaching and Learning: The facilitation of transformative learning experiences will inspire innovation and excellence and foster life-long learning in the nursing profession.
•  Faculty Excellence: Faculty members will seek new ways to provide a collaborative, respectful, inclusive learning experience and serve as positive examples of nursing professionals.
• Partnerships:  The School of Nursing will demonstrate integrity and facilitate trust with community partners in the nursing profession in meeting the needs of culturally diverse populations.

The Nursing Metaparadigm

The school strives to equip all nursing students to embody the metaparadigm of nursing, person, health and environment in all aspects of health care delivery.

• Nursing: Nursing graduates at every level are expected to meet the academic and ethical standards of the profession. Nursing is a profession of arts and science dedicated to facilitating holistic care to all persons.
• Person: The individual, family, group or community that engages with the nurse in the health care delivery system. 
• Health: “A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” (World Health Organization, 2019)
• Environment: The setting in which the student learns and practices nursing.

Program Learning Outcomes

The student will:

1. apply knowledge of the physical, social and behavioral sciences in the provision of nursing care based on theory, research and evidence-based practice
2. deliver nursing care within established legal and ethical parameters in collaboration with clients and members of the interdisciplinary health care team
3. provide holistic nursing care to individuals, families, communities and society as a whole while respecting individual and cultural diversity
4. demonstrate effective leadership that fosters independent thinking, use of informatics and collaborative communication in the management of nursing care
5. assume responsibility and accountability for quality improvement and delivery of safe and effective nursing care
6. serve as an advocate for clients and for the profession of nursing
7. and value continuing competence, growth and development in the profession of nursing.

Student Scholarships

Many scholarships are available to students entering the nursing program at SFA. These scholarships have been established through the generosity of individuals, family members and organizations that recognize and support the role of education in the advancement of the nursing profession. Further information regarding nursing scholarships may be obtained by contacting the SFA Alumni Association or the Office of Development. 

Army ROTC also provides two-, three- and four-year scholarships to nursing students with an opportunity to attend specialized training while still in school. Contact the Department of Military Science  for further details.

Student Organizations

• Association of Black Student Nurses
• Student Nurses Association
• Nurses Christian Fellowship

Honor Society

Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Omicron Eta Chapter

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Admission Requirements

A student requesting admission to the baccalaureate program in nursing must meet the following criteria:

Full Admission Requirements

1. Acceptance to SFA
2. Overall GPA of 2.5 in prerequisite courses, including transfer courses
3. Science GPA of 2.75 in science prerequisites, including transfer courses. Courses calculated for science GPA are BIOL 2301 , BIOL 2402 ; CHEM 1305 ; NURS 3304 ; BIOL 3420 . Students are encouraged to take the science classes at SFA.
4. Successful completion of the entrance testing. Scores to be submitted to School of Nursing in NursingCAS. Tests may be scheduled through the SFA Counseling and Career Services office.
5. Grades for repeated courses will be averaged
6. Completion of the following Core Curriculum Requirements
   1. Communication (6 hours)
   2. Mathematics (3 hours)
   3. Life and Physical Sciences (6 hours)
   4. Language, Philosophy and Culture (3 hours)
   5. Creative Arts (3 hours)
   6. American History (6 hours)*
   7. Government/Political Science (6 hours)*
   8. Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 hours)
   9. Component Area Option (6 hours)**
   • *Not needed for admission to School of Nursing, required for degree
   • **ENGL 1302  required for admission to School of Nursing, remainder three hours required for degree.
7. Applicant must submit official transcripts from all colleges to SFA admissions office and to NursingCAS.
8. Applications are submitted to NursingCAS.

Degree Requirements

1. Core Curriculum Requirements (42 hours)
2. Foundation of Knowledge (22 hours)
3. Pre-Nursing Requirement (3 hours)
4. A nursing major of at least 53 hours, including three hours of nursing electives
5. Enough additional hours to make a total of at least 120 semester hours of acceptable credit
6. A minimum of 42 hours of residence work on SFA campus, of which 36 semester hours must be 300- to 400-level courses
7. A maximum of 67 hours may be transferred from a junior college.
8. A grade of at least C in each freshman English course, a C average in coursework completed at SFA, a minimum of C in each course in the major field and specified cognates. These required averages are based upon those courses in each category included in the student’s official degree plan.

Admission Process

Approximately 80-90 students may be admitted each fall and spring semester and approximately 20 students in the summer semester for a fast-track option based on completion of prerequisites and attainment of admission criteria. Admission is competitive based upon the applicant’s prerequisite and science GPAs, as well as the nursing entrance exam. To be considered for admission review, the student must be admitted to the university and complete the following application steps:

• Complete application to NursingCAS
• Complete application to SFA (if not already a student) at ApplyTexas.org
• Submit, official copies of transcripts from all previous colleges and SFA transcript to be submitted to NursingCAS
• Submit copies of accepted petitions in NursingCAS
• Submit a copy of nursing entrance test (Test of Essential Academic Skills, scheduled through the testing office) to NursingCAS
• All science courses must be taken within the past seven years prior to admission to the nursing school.

Application Deadlines - The deadline for application for admission  will be posted on the School of Nursing website.  Applications received after these deadlines may be considered only if vacancies still exist in the incoming class. The School of Nursing recommends that applications be completed and submitted four to six weeks prior to the deadline. It is the responsibility of the student to make sure that all application materials are received by NursingCAS system and SFA prior to the stated deadline. Student applying for spring admission must have all prerequisites complete by the end of the preceding fall semester. Students applying for summer admission must have all prerequisites complete by the end of the preceding spring semester. Students applying for all admission must have all science perquisites complete by the preceding summer I semester and all other prerequisites complete by the preceding summer II semester. Applications are not retained from semester to semester. For a student to re-apply, the student must request that NursingCAS roll over the application to the next period.

Eligibility - Any applicant who is not in good standing at another nursing program and is not eligible to continue or return to that program will be ineligible for admission into the SFA School of Nursing program. If a student from another program has failed two or more nursing courses, that student will not be considered in good standing for admission. Criminal background checks will be conducted on all nursing students upon being accepted into the program. A positive background check shows the student was arrested, charged and/or convicted of a crime. A positive background check may result in a student’s inability to start in the nursing program. A declaratory order from the Texas Board of Nursing will be required for admission consideration. If a student knows of a possible problem, the student should contact the Board of Nursing prior to or concurrent with application to the program.

Other Expenses

Uniforms, shoes, and a stethoscope are all purchased prior to the first nursing course. A student must submit documentation for proof of immunization requirements, drug testing, and CPR certification before beginning the program. Students are responsible for the cost of ensuring they are in compliance to attend clinical by having these requirements updated. If necessary, random drug screen costs will be incurred by the student. Traveling accommodations and expenses to clinical sites are the student’s responsibility.

The DeWitt School of Nursing is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.
3390 Peachtree Road, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 975-5000

All School of Nursing information is available online at sfasu.edu/nursing

Programs

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing, BSN
• Nursing, BSN

• Nursing (Post RN), BSN
• Nursing, Major