Home > 01-03 > Academic Departments > Nursing

Nursing

Department Chair: Kathleen Twohy

Faculty: Mary Kay Becker, Carie Braun, Ellen Ellickson, Barbara Hansmeier, Ronald Hemmesch, Judith Knutson, Kathleen Lehn, Denise Meijer, Carmen Mulcahy OSB, Janet Neuwirth, Kathleen Ohman, Rachelle Parsons, LuAnn Reif, Laura Rodgers, Joyce Simones, Renotta Stanbrook, Kathleen Twohy, Joan Wilcox

The department of nursing offers a four-year program which leads to a bachelor of science degree with a major in nursing. The program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission (NLNAC) and approved by the Minnesota Board of Nursing.

The goal of the nursing program is to prepare liberally educated women and men who can function as professional nurses in a variety of roles and health care settings and to prepare students for graduate study in nursing. Graduates, upon application and payment of fees, become eligible to take the National Council Licensing Examination for registered nurses. Students who have been convicted of a felony or gross misdemeanor may be ineligible to be licensed by the Board of Nursing and early in their course of study should seek clarification of their status.

Students must meet the functional abilities for safe nursing practice including: fine and gross motor coordination, physical endurance and strength, mobility, intact senses, reading and arithmetic competence, emotional stability, critical and analytical thinking and interpersonal/communication skills. For representative examples of each, contact the nursing department office.

The international honor society of nursing, Sigma Theta Tau, has a chapter at the College of Saint Benedict. Students from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University are eligible for membership. Faculty nominate nursing students for membership in the Kappa Phi chapter based on superior academic achievement. An active student nursing club encourages student involvement in professional and social activities.