OVERVIEW OF THE ASN PROGRAM
Fairmont State University's School of Nursing offers 3 program options for a student to obtain the associate of science degree in nursing: the Traditional ASN (4 full time semesters), the Nontraditional LPN-ASN (3 full-time semesters) and the Weekend Part-time (6 part-time semesters). Upon graduation, the student receives the associate of science degree in nursing and is eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). The associate degree nurse is prepared as a technical nurse to care for clients with common health problems in structured settings. The associate degree nurse's practice is defined by the roles of care provider, client teacher, communicator, manager of client care and member within the profession of nursing.
The mission of the Fairmont State Associate Degree Nursing Program is to provide quality nursing education to students in West Virginia and beyond.
The faculty of Fairmont State’s ASN Program believes that a quality education should be based on current professional standards and sound educational theory. The following documents and standards serve as a guide for the curriculum:
- National League for Nursing (NLN) Competencies for Nursing Education
- Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) Competencies
- ANA (American Nurses Association) Code of Ethics
- WV Board of Examiners of Registered Professional Nurses (WVBOERPN) Standards and Scope of Practice
- Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) Standards
To guide the approach to teaching and learning, the faculty adopted Malcolm Knowles’s Theory of Andragogy for theory application and David Kolb’s Theory of Experiential Learning for clinical application. The faculty believes that adult nursing students should be active in their own learning at all stages of the teaching/learning process, build on personal experiences, focus on solving patient and healthcare problems, and exhibit characteristics of professionalism. Students learn best through experience and reflection. The process of teaching and learning is as important as the content delivered.
GRADUATE OUTCOMES (ASN)
Upon completion of the Associate Degree in Nursing Program, the graduate will be able to:
- Initiate client care using critical thinking skills to make reasoned decisions.
- Practice social and professional accountability and responsibility.
- Synthesize knowledge from nursing and the physical, biological, behavioral, and social sciences to implement the nursing process.
- Establish effective therapeutic communication with clients.
- Demonstrate safe and competent therapeutic nursing interventions.
- Coordinate client care functioning in the multiple roles of care provider, teacher, communicator, manager, and member of the profession.
TRANSITION INTO THE BSN-RN PROGRAM
Students who are currently enrolled in the Associate Degree Nursing Program who plan to continue their education through the BSN-RN track may transition into the Bachelors of Science Nursing (BSN) Program in the second year of their Associate Degree classes. Students are eligible to enroll in Nursing 3320 Health Assessment and in Nursing 3340 Nursing Care of the Older Adult with consent of the instructor. Since it is important for students to progress from the normal to the abnormal, it is strongly recommended that Nursing 3320 , Health Assessment, be the first class taken. ASN students are still held responsible to meet all of the requirements to graduate with the Associate Degree at the end of their second year of nursing. Students must also successfully complete their licensing exam to continue in the Bachelors of Science Nursing Program.
After graduation from the ASN Program, students who wish to pursue the BS in Nursing must change their major in the Registrar’s Office. See a BSN faculty member for current information regarding program requirements.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Graduates of the Associate Degree Nursing program must pass the national licensure exam to be a registered nurse (NCLEX-RN). Employment opportunities are at an all-time high in West Virginia and nationwide.
- Registered nurses constitute the largest healthcare occupation, with 2.4 million jobs.
- More new jobs are expected to be created for registered nurses than for any other occupation.
- Job opportunities are expected to be excellent.
- Almost 3 out of 5 jobs are in hospitals, in inpatient and outpatient departments. Others work in offices of physicians, outpatient clinics, nursing care facilities, home healthcare services, employment services, government agencies, and outpatient care centers.
- Graduates of the Associate Degree Nursing program who are licensed as registered nurses can continue their education in our Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
