Nursing Retention, Continuance, Grading Policies, and Appeals Procedure
To qualify for continued matriculation in the nursing program, all students must meet the academic criteria as specified in the retention and continuance policies for the School of Health and Environment.
All nursing students’ coursework will be reviewed for an overall cumulative average of 2.7 and a science cumulative average of 2.7 before entering the first semester of the sophomore year regardless of the number of credits earned at the University of Massachusetts Lowell at that point.
Students who have been denied continuance in the nursing major for academic reasons or students who have been dismissed from the program for non-academic reasons may appeal for reinstatement. The appeal procedure for reinstatement is outlined in the policies of the School of Health and Environment.
All pre-licensure nursing students will be required to take nationally normed tests throughout the curriculum. The specialty tests, which become part of the course grade, will be given in the following courses: Health Promotion and Risk Reduction of Families I and II, and Pharmacology, and Clients with Acute and Life Threatening Illnesses Across the Life Span. In the final semester of the nursing program, students will be required to take a nationally normed comprehensive examination and this test score becomes part of the course grade
Basic Math Competency Policy
All freshman and transfer students who are entering the nursing program, including those students who are on the waiting list for their junior year, must take and pass a basic math competency exam with a score of 90% or better. Students who do not achieve a successful score of 90% on the basic math competency exam will be required to take and pass a math enrichment course with a grade of 3.3 or higher. Students who do not achieve a score of 3.3 or higher will not be allowed to continue in the nursing program, and have no right to appeal this determination. (Registered Nurse students are exempt).
Medication Calculation Examination Policy
All pre-licensure nursing students must take and pass three medication calculation exams with a score of 90% or higher. An exam will be given in each semester of the junior year and in the fall semester of the senior year. In each of these semesters, students who do not achieve a successful score of 90% or higher on the first examination will be given a second opportunity to take an examination. Those students, who do not pass the retake medication calculation examination at 90% will fail that clinical practicum. All second opportunity medication calculation exams will be given prior to entering the next clinical course. Students who fail this second exam will be unable to continue on the nursing program. (Registered Nurse students are exempt).