Clinical Experience
During the four-year BSN, students can have a traditional university experience while completing a clinical program that offers diverse clinical experiences and a multifunctional simulation laboratory.
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Experienced Faculty
Students will learn from highly experienced and supportive faculty in a welcoming and student- centered environment.
The nursing faculty is comprised of competent professionals that are experts in their area of practice and represent the major clinical specialties within nursing and they are involved in several areas of research related to education and healthcare. Each faculty member is passionate about nursing education and committed to creating an inclusive, highly personalized, and compassionate space for our students to learn.
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Cohort groups
Here at EIU, each nursing class joins a “cohort,” and is considered a group or unit. Students who start the first semester of the nursing major together typically take all of the same classes together throughout the program. The cohort model has many benefits that lead to the success of the nursing student.
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Individualized Attention
At EIU, we believe that all students are unique and learn in different ways. All nursing classes are taught by experienced nursing faculty dedicated to creating a learning experience that fits the needs of the student. In addition, clinical/practicum experiences have an 8:1 faculty to student ratio that allows for more one-on-one instruction when learning to give care to patients.
Career Outcomes
Employment for RNs is expected to grow 12% from 2018 to 2028. Much faster than other occupations. With more than 90 nursing specialties, nurses have many choices and opportunities. 76% of new graduates in the Midwest had a job at the time of graduation and 97% had a job within in 4-6 months of graduation. Employers are expressing a preference for new nurses from a baccalaureate program and many hospitals and healthcare settings require new nurses to have a bachelor’s degree.
Click here to see more information about a career in nursing.
Simulation Lab
The simulation laboratories at EIU are state-of-the-art with the latest technology that allows students to practice real-life patient scenarios. Innovative faculty provide a safe and engaging learning environment that develops confidence in skills, teamwork, clinical competence, and interprofessional collaboration. Some of the highlights of the simulation laboratories:
- Low, medium, and high fidelity manikins and computer technology to create real-life scenarios.
- A simulated clinical environment with all the features of real healthcare and home settings.
- Pre and post debriefing areas that allow video observation and performance assessment.
- Dedicated and highly skilled simulation staff.
Concept-based Curriculum
The curriculum at EIU was designed to be student-centered. A concept-based curriculum is one that teaches the student concepts rather than teaching facts. Conceptual learning allows the student to link concepts to different situations and have a general understanding of what to do in the clinical even before they may have covered the content in class.
In a concept-based curriculum, nursing faculty create classroom experiences that are much different than the traditional classroom where the instructor stands before the students and lectures. At EIU, Students will explore and learn concepts through mini-lectures, case studies, questioning, technology, and collaborative problem-solving activities in the classroom that are linked to clinical practice. Along with the classroom learning, simulated learning is integrated throughout the entire curriculum and concepts are re-enforced in the simulation laboratory.
Healthcare today is highly complex and requires nurses to have effective thinking skills. The curriculum at EIU prepares new nurses to transfer their conceptual learning to new and various situations to provide quality and safe patient care.
