Certificate of General Studies in Nursing, CGS

Program Description: This program provides both classroom instruction and supervised clinical activities to prepare the student to take the National Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) given by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. The program incorporates course work identified as essential to the practice of the registered nurse. Classroom instruction includes the integration of the following material: human anatomy and physiology, microbiology, nutrition, nursing concepts, nursing care, pharmacology and clinical activities in accredited hospitals and health care facilities. The program is approved by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing. Upon graduation, the student is eligible to take the licensure examination administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. The student must pass the national exam to become a Registered Nurse (RN).

Program Accreditation: The Associate of Science in Nursing Program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). 3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, Georgia 30326, 404-975-5000.

Program Coordinator: Olivia Walker, MSN, RN, FNP; Melissa Frentz, MSN, RN, CNE

Program Instructor(s): Allison Adams MSN, RN, CNE; Melissa Frentz, MSN, RN, CNE; Trudy Thompson, MSN, RN; Latoya Turner, MSN, RNC-OB; Olivia Walker, APRN, FNP-C; Betty Leblanc, MSN, RN, CEN; Patricia Scales, MSN, RN; Rachel Neelon, MSN, RN; Sara Stark, MSN, APRN, FNP-C; Courtney Bissonnette, MSN, RN; Lisa Revolta, MSN, RN; Sunshine Martelly, MSN, RN

Special Comments: Students are accepted into the clinical phase of the program each year in the fall. Additional information for the ASN clinical application and selection process is included in the current ASN Admission Guide found on the Fletcher website. All senior nursing students will be expected to pass a comprehensive exit exam to receive approval to sit for the NCLEX State Board Exam. A variety of transfer agreements exist for students to continue to the BSN degree. Please contact the department for specific requirements. If a student is unsuccessful at the first attempt of the exit exam, the student must remediate and successfully retest to be allowed to sit for the NCLEX-RN Exam. If the student is unsuccessful on the second attempt, additional remediation will be required. Students are encouraged to take a computer literacy course prior to entering the clinical portion of the nursing program.

Overall Grade Point Average: 2.0

Course Grade Requirements: Program requirements must be completed with an 80% or better in each course. All nursing courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher on a 7-point grading scale.

1. Provide patient-centered care by recognizing the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient’s preferences, values and needs.
2. Participate in teamwork and collaboration by functioning effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.
3. Provide evidence-based practice by integrating best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal health.
4. Provide quality improvement by using data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems.
5. Provide safety by minimizing risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
6. Use information technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate errors, and support decision making.

Student Learning Outcomes: Students who successfully complete the Nursing program will be able to:

Transfer Agreements: Please contact an advisor for more information regarding transfer agreements.

Fletcher has Transfer Agreements in Nursing and Allied Health with the following schools:

• Nicholls State University
• Louisiana State University
• University of Holy Cross
• Herzing University
• Purdue Global University
• Loyola University
• Aspen University
• Grand Canyon University
• The Chicago School

CIP Code: 513801