About the Clarkson College School of Nursing 

The Clarkson College School of Nursing offers a variety of nursing programs including Practical Nursing, Baccalaureate Nursing (BSN), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Post-Master's certificates. 

Completion of the Practical Nursing program will lead to a diploma in practical nursing and eligibility to write the practical nursing licensure exam (NCLEX-PN). The Practical Nursing program is scheduled on a part-time basis only, which supports the needs of individuals who are actively em­ployed. 

The Baccalaureate Nursing program can be completed as a: traditional student (four-year traditional college schedule), fast track student (for transfer students who have all non-nursing courses completed except pathophysiology prior to entry into the nursing program), LPN to BSN student (for individuals who are currently licensed as a Licensed Practical Nurse), or as a RN to BSN student (for individuals who are currently licensed as a Registered Nurse and have either an Associate De­gree in Nursing or a three-year nursing diploma). 

The Master of Science in Nursing program provides four options for graduate students including: Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Education or Nursing Health Care Leadership. For those nursing professionals who already have earned a Master of Science degree in Nursing, each of these graduate options can be completed as a Post-Master's certificate. The RN to MSN program is designed for individuals who are currently licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN) and have either an Associate de­gree in Nursing or a three-year nursing diploma. 

Mission 

The mission of the Clarkson College School of Nursing is to prepare nurses to provide high-quality, ethical and compassionate health care to patients, their families and their communities. This is accomplished by operationalizing the College values of: Learning, Caring, Commitment, Integrity and Excellence, within a nursing division organizing framework based on nurse caring. 

Philosophy 

We, the nursing faculty of Clarkson College, believe we possess the knowledge, skill and attitude to educate individuals for the professional practice of nursing. We are committed to scholarship through lifelong learning and the pursuit of nursing knowledge. We value trust, integrity, excellence, and caring in our professional relationships. We are dedicated to the dignity and health of people. We are committed professional nurses and educators who foster the learning of nursing in a caring environment. 

We profess that education is a formal process of organizing concepts and elements, planning appropriate activities, facilitating individualized experiences, and evaluating subsequent outcomes. We ground nursing education in the totality of the human experience through the study of the humanities and sciences and in accordance with the professional and governmental standards. 

We believe students are partners in the educational process and encourage learning by discovery, curiosity, critical thinking, experience, reflection, modeling, collaboration, and interactive participation. We model service to the College and community and celebrate the diversity of human beings. We actualize all of these beliefs through the effective education of individuals as nurses. 

We believe there are various educational levels within nursing. The practical, baccalaureate and master's nursing programs within the School of Nursing at Clarkson College represent these levels. Practical nursing education provides for entry-level technical practice, while the baccalaureate in nursing is the entry level for professional practice. Graduate nursing education prepares the professional baccalaureate nurse for advanced practice and expanded roles within the discipline. Our programs allow for articulation from one level of nursing education to the next.  

We believe the study of nursing is consistent with and fosters the mission of Clarkson College. Nursing is the extension and science of human interactions related to the health needs of people and society. We believe that nursing is the human science of caring whereby caring is the nurturing energy present in empowering relationships. Health encompasses the human processes of readiness, receptivity, resiliency, and resourcefulness in dynamic interaction with the environment. Nurses contribute to the health of people and society through the artful and competent application of the science of caring. 

We, the nursing faculty of Clarkson College, believe that nurse CARING is achieved through Connecting, Awareness, Rhythm, Intention, Nursing Science, and Glue of Excellence. Connecting involves the processes of relating to another; it incorporates the physical senses with the esoteric. Awareness is the acute consciousness of self, other people, and the universe. Rhythm is the patterned movements and fluctuations of humans with varying degrees of intensity, repetition, and reciprocity. Intention is the process of designing and doing nursing. Nursing science is the incorporation of science with evidence-based nursing practice to understand people and their health care. "Glue of Excellence" conveys the complex integration of knowledge, art, science, and spirit, fundamental to the development of nurses who are responsible citizens.