Nursing

The Department of Nursing seeks to create and maintain an optimum learning environment that encourages shared governance and to foster leadership, scholarship, continuous discovery and service that enable graduate professional nurses to deliver culturally competent care and meet the needs for quality healthcare in a global society.

We collaborate with healthcare facilities throughout the state to provide clinical experiences, including hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and health departments in Durham, Wake, Orange, Chatham, Person, Vance-Granville and Franklin counties.

Over the past three years, the program has graduated 60–75 nursing students each year, and our retention rate averages 85%–90%. Our graduates, including both accelerated and traditional nurses, are employed in various clinical and educational sites, are leaders in the community and actively participate in local and national professional organizations.

Greetings and welcome to North Carolina Central University (NCCU), Department of Nursing. My name is Dr. Yolanda M. VanRiel, and I am the department chair of Nursing. I am happy that you want to learn more about the NCCU Department of Nursing. Since 1948, nursing has been on the campus of NCCU.

The Nursing department is dedicated to providing a compassionate and caring student-centered environment. We will stay true to and amplify the mission of NCCU to “prepare students to become global leaders and practitioners who transform communities.” This aligns with my mission for the Department of Nursing to “prepare compassionate and caring nurse leaders in health care who transform communities.” We offer highly qualified faculty and a state-of-the-art learning simulation center — the Eagle General Hospital. The Eagle General Hospital opened in 2011, providing nursing students, faculty and the community with exceptional possibilities for complex simulation experiences.

The Department of Nursing offers three options leading to the Bachelor of Science of Nursing (B.S.N.): the Traditional B.S.N., the Accelerated B.S.N. and the R.N.-B.S.N. The Nursing department is veteran friendly and admits veterans to options based on their education and work experience. For additional information, please contact Nursing Student Services.

The "University Strategic Plan 2019–2024: Charting a New Landscape for Student-Centered Success" says it all. The Department of Nursing is committed to this plan. The vision for the Department of Nursing is to be recognized as a regional nursing education program highly regarded for preparing culturally sensitive healthcare leaders. The foundation on which we stand is our passionate and driven faculty, staff, students and alumni. Your success is our priority. You are our future. You will exemplify “the Eagle Promise.” Join us as we rise and soar!

Sincerely,

Yolanda M. VanRiel, Ph.D., R.N.-B.C., O.C.N., C.N.E., A.N.E.F.

Department Chair of Nursing

The Department of Nursing was established in 1948. Initially, the Department offered a certificate in public health nursing. The R.N.-B.S.N. program started in 1961. By starting the R.N.-B.S.N. program, NCCU became one of the first universities in the United States to offer a baccalaureate in nursing to associate-degree and diploma nurses. In response to the expressed need for a generic baccalaureate program, the Department of Nursing admitted its first class of generic or traditional students in Fall 1969. The program received full accreditation in 1970, a status that has been maintained since that time, with it currently accredited with the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.

Mission

The Mission of the Department of Nursing is to prepare compassionate and caring nurse leaders in health care who transform communities.

Vision

Our vision is to be recognized as a regional nursing education program highly regarded for preparing culturally sensitive health care leaders.

Core Values

The core values of the Department of Nursing are as follows:

• Collaboration: Partnerships between various healthcare professionals, patients and their families in shared decision-making and coordination of care across the continuum of healthcare settings.
• Inclusivity: A culture of respect for all forms of diversity and shared governance throughout the Department of Nursing.
• Integrity: Model professional behavior with adherence to moral and ethical principles.
• Efficiency: The effective use of resources to improve the quality of nursing education.
• Diversity: Inclusion without regard to racial, ethnic or cultural origin, age or gender.
• Caring: An abiding concern and compassion for the protection and progress of self and others.
• Cultural sensitivity: Maintaining the knowledge, attitude and skills that support caring for people across various cultures.

At the end of their program, students should be able to do the following:

1. Synthesize theoretical and empirical knowledge from the liberal arts and nursing sciences to promote accurate decision-making
2. Utilize the nursing process within the context of therapeutic interventions to promote adaptation to changing client environments
3. Integrate principles of culturally competent care for individuals, groups and communities within diverse populations
4. Integrate leadership and communication skills into the management of patient care
5. Collaborate in inter-professional health teams to improve health care delivery to diverse population groups
6. Integrate the research process and its findings to implement evidence-based practice

The Baccalaureate nursing program at North Carolina Central University, located in Durham, North Carolina, is accredited by the following organization:

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE
Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326
404-975-5000

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the Baccalaureate nursing program is continuing accreditation.

The Department of Nursing is approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing:

4516 Lake Boone Trail
Raleigh, NC 27607
919-782-3211
www.ncbon.com

Student Achievement Outcome Data

NCLEX-RN Passage Rate

Graduates consistently exceed the state and national average on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), which licenses professional nurses to practice.

• 2021: 79.45%
• 2020: 89%
• 2019: 88%

Completion Rate

• July 2021 to June 2022: 84%
• July 2020 to June 2021: 80%
• July 2019 to June 2020: 61%

Institutional and Professional Licensure Disclosures for Enrolled and Prospective Students

Institutional and professional licensure disclosures for enrolled and prospective students in one of NCCU’s nursing programs satisfy the professional and certification requirements in North Carolina and prepare students to sit for these exams. However, requirements in other states may be different. If you are considering a bachelor of science (B.S.N.) in a nursing program that may, would or could potentially lead to a B.S.N. professional license or certification, please note that at this time, NCCU may or may not be able to advise whether a program meets requirements outside of North Carolina.

This disclosure is strictly limited to the University’s determination of whether its educational programs if successfully completed, would be sufficient to meet the educational licensure or certification requirements. The University cannot provide verification of any individual’s ability to meet licensure or certification requirements unrelated to its educational programming, as individual states may change their requirements for licensure and certification.

Prior to enrolling in a B.S.N. program, please make an advising appointment at Nursing Student Services to discuss this important topic with your program of interest.

A variety of health care facilities are used throughout the state to provide clinical experiences, including hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and health departments in Durham, Wake, Orange, Chatham, Person, Vance-Granville and Franklin counties.

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