The baccalaureate program in nursing is designed to prepare men and women with academic and personal potential to become professional nurses. Established in 1947, this accredited program aims to develop mature, well-informed graduates who will take their places as responsible members of society in meeting the challenges of health care delivery and continues learning. The curriculum is based on the belief that nursing is a creative activity that provides human services for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and care of the ill. It is interdependent with all other disciplines concerned with health. Nursing knowledge is viewed as a unique synthesis drawn from the humanities and the natural, bio-medical, and social sciences.
Students use a systems perspective as a conceptual base to nursing.
This conceptual approach to nursing incorporates the whole person and his or her environment with the nursing process. Recent revisions in the nursing curriculum were made to enhance students' ability to function professionally in community and home care settings, in keeping with the changes in the health care system. Clinical practicums include experience in numerous community agencies, schools, nursing homes, clinics, physicians' offices, and hospitals throughout Rhode Island. Numerous career opportunities in a variety of settings are available for today's registered nurse.