Department of Nursing
Overview
Good Moral Character
Clinical Laboratory Placements
Required Uniforms
Accrediting Agency
The nursing program prepares a professional nurse who is a competent, beginning practitioner and has a foundation for graduate study. The goal of the undergraduate program in nursing at the University of Massachusetts Lowell is to prepare professional nurses who have the abilities to apply professional standards in a variety of settings serving diverse populations; to demonstrate knowledge of health promotion, advocacy, and health policy; and to participate as members of the nursing profession.
Graduates of the nursing program are prepared to function in a variety of health care settings such as hospitals, long term care facilities and nursing homes, schools and day care centers, visiting nurse associations, clients’ homes, community and mental health agencies, and work environments. Graduates are eligible to sit for the Board of Registration in Nursing’s NCLEX examination for licensure as a registered nurse.
The nursing program is approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing and is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036-1120.
The Department of Nursing’s mission is to educate students, advance knowledge, and provide public service according to professional nursing standards. Health promotion needs are addressed and the potential of the region is advanced through excellence in the discovery, application, integration, and dissemination of nursing knowledge and creative insights.
Upon successful completion of the University of Massachusetts Lowell undergraduate program in nursing, graduates are prepared as a generalist for beginning professional nursing roles. Specifically, the graduates are prepared to:
1. develop therapeutic relationships with individuals, families, and groups;
2. utilize critical thinking and ethical principles in the implementation of standards of practice;
3. collaborate with clients and professionals in the delivery of care;
4. utilize research findings in practice;
5. demonstrate practice of health promotion activities;
6. participate in efforts to influence health care policy;
7. assume responsibility for life-long learning and professional career development.
The University of Massachusetts Lowell Department of Nursing encourages all prospective Nursing students to familiarize themselves with the statutory requirements of licensure in the Commonwealth prior to applying for admission to the Nursing program. The Board of Registration in Nursing publishes an information sheet on “good moral character.” Copies are available in the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Department of Nursing office or from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing, 239 Causeway Street, Boston, MA 02114. Prospective applicants to the Nursing program who intend to apply for licensure in states other than Massachusetts are encouraged to contact the appropriate authority in those states to ensure that they will meet the requirements for licensure application in those state.
Required Uniforms
To participate in the practicum portion of the curriculum, students are required to purchase an official uniform with insignia, appropriate shoes, a student name pin, stethoscope, and a watch with a second hand. Students not meeting the uniform policies as stated at the beginning of the clinical experience will be asked to leave the clinical agency and will have to make up lost time. Student uniform does not include extra jewelry, ankle socks, bright colored sweaters, sneakers or clogs. The official uniform and extra school insignias are obtained from McGill’s, Inc., Manchester, NH. A company representative comes to campus and orders are taken during the spring semester of the sophomore year for availability for clinical experiences in the fall of the junior year. Registered nurse students may wear their own uniforms but must attach a University of Massachusetts Lowell insignia to this uniform and wear a student name pin while in the clinical area for student experiences. Students must present themselves in a professional manner in any clinical setting and in accordance with the agency policies where they are assigned.
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 530
Washington, DC 20036-1120
Additional Information:
Technical Standards
Expected Abilities
Retention, Continuance and Grading Procedures
Transfer Policies for Registered Nurses
Withdrawal