Letter from the Director

May, 2009

Dear Future Nurses,

The Concordia University Nursing Program began in June 2005 with a group of carefully selected students who started summer classes in the junior level nursing program. Since then, we have admitted five more classes. The nursing student body includes those who have completed their sophomore year at Concordia, transfer students, and some college graduates. All have excellent grades in pre-requisite courses. Three classes have graduated. We are fully approved by the Oregon State Board of Nursing.

I want to tell you about the special features of the Concordia nursing program. The program provides a strong groundwork in practice skills so that students at the end of the junior year are competent to perform common nursing procedures and responsibilities. Students study the nursing care of adults with physical illness for that entire junior year, beginning with basic concepts in the summer and then progressing into both semesters of the junior year that emphasize the integration of pathophysiology, pharmacology, and nursing clinical judgment. After the junior year, students study mental health nursing in the summer and pediatric and obstetrical nursing in the fall of the senior year. There are two classes focusing on health promotion in the community and final senior courses that emphasize complex care and leadership.

The nursing program prepares students to promote health as well as care for the sick. The practice of compassion is emphasized throughout the program as students systematically develop interpersonal and cross-cultural understanding and competency. Developing one's own spiritual grounding is strongly emphasized at Concordia. The mission of Concordia University's B.S. in Nursing is to "foster clinical proficiency and reflective compassion to prepare nurses who will promote health, provide expert bedside care, and provide leadership within healthcare organizations and the community."

For those of you in high school who will be admitted into the Freshman BSN Program, or for those of you preparing to transfer to Concordia, please refer to our website for more information regarding priorities for Admission to understand how to succeed in being admitted to the junior level program. Also, please check our website regularly for scheduled updates.

Please check our website regularly for scheduled updates. Thanks again for choosing Concordia University!

Sincerely,

Dr. Joyce Zerwekh
Nursing Program Director