Nursing

Starting in their fourth semester, nursing majors begin taking nursing courses that expose them to a variety of hospital settings, including a six-week rotation in a mental health unit or facility, a six-week rotation in a medical-surgical unit, a six-week rotation in obstetrics and a three-week rotation in a community health setting. This allows BSN students to interact with a range of patients, get experience providing healthcare in many settings and forms and determine which area they would like to focus their course of study in.

Nursing majors receive extensive hands-on experience through a six-week perceptorship at a local hospital. Working one-on-one with a professional nursing mentor, BSN students have the opportunity to observe a variety of real-world nursing practices and skills in a clinical setting. Mentors also supervise as students apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to treat a variety of patients with differing health care needs.

The College of Nursing and Health Professions, housed in Hardtner Hall at McNeese, has three clinical laboratories that mimic hospital settings. Equipment in these labs includes high-tech hospital beds; low-fidelity mannequins, which students use to practice wound care, catheter placement, head-to-toe assessments, IV placement and more; and high-fidelity mannequins, where students can practice patient interactions, labor and delivery and in-depth physical examinations, including listening to respiratory, pulmonary and abdominal sounds. McNeese also has virtual simulation tools that students can use to practice a number of different nursing procedures.

The faculty in the Department of Undergraduate Nursing is composed of highly qualified nurses and health professionals that bring their knowledge and career experience into the classroom. Several faculty members are Certified Nurse Educators and Certified Healthcare Simulation Educators and are involved in healthcare research. All faculty receive continued training in their fields of expertise to ensure their skills are current and relevant.