Clinical experiences take place at the Summit Medical Center and in many other clinical agencies located throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Depending upon the number of prerequisites and other courses completed by transfer students, admission is generally at the first-semester sophomore level. In addition to nursing courses, transfer students complete degree requirements through Saint Mary's liberal arts courses, collegiate seminars and religious studies. Registered Nurse students enter the Intercollegiate program through its partnership with the School of Extended Education to complete upper division level nursing courses and round out their college experience by meeting degree requirements in the liberal arts. Faculty of the Intercollegiate Nursing program believe the graduates of the program are uniquely qualified for today's health care system.
Graduates have a strong clinical background.
Each semester of nursing courses requires at least one day of clinical experience in a variety of health care settings. In addition to the strong theoretical and clinical nursing experiences, graduates have an especially strong liberal arts foundation that provides them with a basis for creating ethical decisions, analytical clinical diagnoses, and interventions. Nursing Saint Mary's students who have not chosen a major or career option while enrolled at Saint Mary's may receive a bachelor's degree from Saint Mary's and enter the Entry Level Master of Science in Nursing program at Samuel Merritt College. This program is designed for students with a baccalaureate or higher degree who wish to enter the nursing profession. The graduate Entry Level Program offers pre-licensure nursing courses similar to those in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program as well as graduate level courses in case management or as family nurse practitioners.