Upon admission, students are assigned a faculty advisor who assists them in planning their course of study. Most of the nursing courses are concentrated in the second half of the program. College laboratories facilitate the transfer of knowledge from theory to actual practice. The multimedia laboratory offers the student the opportunity to view a variety of videotapes dealing with theoretical knowledge, as well as technical skills and procedures.
In the simulated laboratory students learn and practice physical assessment skills. In the last four semesters students have their clinical experiences in a variety of settings. The School of Nursing is affiliated with approximately 60 to 70 health care agencies within a 50-mile radius of the Storrs campus. These include hospitals such as the UConn Health Center, schools, day care centers, housing for the elderly, extended care facilities, community health agencies, ambulatory centers, and clinics. In addition to being with patients in the clinical setting, time is devoted to conferences with instructors and peers to discuss patient care experiences.
In the clinical areas, students are placed in small groups which are guided by expert nurse faculty. Upon successful completion of the curriculum, students receive a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from the University of Connecticut and are eligible to take the licensure examination. Educated to be generalists, new graduates of this program work as beginning level practitioners in the broad spectrum of health care agencies. Each graduate has the necessary background for admission to graduate school.