Department of Nursing

Francis Marion University's Department of Nursing offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program.  The BSN is designed for students whose goal is licensure as a registered nurse (RN).  The department also offers an RN to BSN conversion program.  Both programs are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission.

These programs prepare graduates to function competently as beginning practitioners in a variety of healthcare settings.  The department places high value on knowledge, skills and caring in nursing practice and is modeled on Jean Watson's "Theory of Caring".  Graduates of the program are prepared to enter a number of career paths, as well as graduate study. 

History of the Department of Nursing 

Francis Marion University (FMU) is an outstanding educational institution in the State of South Carolina and in the Nation.  Excellence in teaching and learning is the priority of the institution.  The University is accredited by the Southern Region Association of Colleges and Schools and has received national recognition for the quality of education and diversity of the student population.  FMU has outstanding science programs, an excellent library and academic computer center, and serves to support students academically and socially.

Rogers Library	Academic Computer Center

Beginning in 1982, Francis Marion University played host to a satellite RN-BSN program of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), College of Nursing.  Based on regional need, the South Carolina Board of Nursing and South Carolina Commission on Higher Education approved a generic BSN program and, in the Fall of 1998, the first class was admitted.  Throughout the twenty-two year history of the collaborative relationship, FMU has provided pre-nursing courses, on-campus facilities in the McNair Science Building, such as classrooms, offices, and learning laboratory, library support, and has had occasion to assist in obtaining state appropriations for the program.  The program was administered as a remote campus of the College of Nursing, MUSC.  Faculty and staff were employees of MUSC.

McNair Science Building

There was strong community support for a baccalaureate nursing program at Francis Marion University.  A formal needs assessment was conducted and the Colleagues in Caring project highlighted the fact that the Pee Dee was the only region in South Carolina without a free standing baccalaureate nursing program.  Additionally, this region had the lowest percentage of baccalaureate nursing graduates in the State.  The Office of Research and Statistics published South Carolina nursing workforce data for 2003, which showed that only 22.8% of nurses in South Carolina have the baccalaureate degree.  In the Pee Dee, only 16.2% of practicing nurses had earned a baccalaureate degree.  The Pee Dee also had the lowest number of RN’s per 100,000 citizens in South Carolina coming in at 7.3 per 100,000.  The increasing population in the Pee Dee, the growth in the elderly population and the expansion of healthcare facilities in the region (much of which is taking place in complex health care settings) have made the need for the BSN program at FMU greater than ever.

The FMU Board of Trustees formally established the Department of Nursing on May 28, 2004.  In June 2004, Francis Marion University and the Medical University of South Carolina signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which provided the guidelines and time frames for the transfer of the satellite Bachelor of Science (Generic BSN and RN-BSN) program offered on the FMU campus.  Subsequently, FMU received approval from the South Carolina Board of Nursing (March 17, 2005) and the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (May 5, 2005) to assume administrative direction.

The mission statement of the Department of Nursing is compatible with that of FMU.  Founded as a state college in 1970 FMU adheres to the primary purpose of its establishment: to make available to people of all ages and origins an excellent baccalaureate education in the liberal arts and selected professional programs in business, education, and nursing.  The mission and philosophy of the FMU Department of Nursing have been modified to reflect an emphasis on the preparation of beginning practitioners of nursing consistent with FMU’s teaching mission and primary focus on undergraduate education.