Daemen College Nursing Program Review

Daemen College (DC) is a private college near Buffalo, only a two-hour drive from Toronto and near the border with Ontario, Canada. Both undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered at this school. The focus of Daemen College is to prepare students for future careers while helping students become well-rounded individuals who are experienced in liberal arts.

Nursing Programs

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) 1+2+1

Admission requirements for this program include an advanced Regent’s Diploma or equivalent, a minimum 88 percent overall high school average, and an SAT score above 1,000. In order to be admitted to the partner school, students must have completed 32 required credits at Daemen and have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75. After the third year of studies, an Associate Degree is awarded by the partner school, and graduates qualify to take the NCLEX licensure exam.

Daemen College has a 1+2+1 Curriculum that requires nursing students to take one Learning Community or two courses that have a common theme. They are taken at the same time. It is highly recommended that students take the Research and Presentation requirement of the core. Some courses may be taken at Daemen’s partner colleges, which are Erie Community College, Niagara County Community College, or Trocaire College. Required courses are Anatomy & Physiology I & II with Labs, Pathphysiology, Concepts of Professional Nursing Practice, Holistic Perspectives, Professional Nursing Practice I & II and Labs, Professional Issues, Professional Nursing Practice III and Lab.

Required courses that are outside of the major are English Composition, General Chemistry, Sustainable & Critical Relationships, and Survey of Statistics. Daemen students who are also completing courses at Erie Community College may take these courses there: Microbiology and Lab, Health Promotion and Lab, Health Maintenance and Lab, Physical Assessment, Health Restoration: Acute/Simple and Lab, Health Restoration: Acute/Complex and Lab, and Pharmacology for Nurses. These students may also choose to take either Composition & Interpretation of Literature or Composition & Readings in Science and Literature. They may also take Mathematics of Dosage Calculation for Patient Care, and Developmental Psychology. They will then complete Introduction to Psychology, Philosophy, and a Social Science elective plus eight other elective credits at Daemen in any area but nursing. The total credits equal 67 taken at Daemen and 60 taken at Erie Community College. Similar divided curriculum plans are available at the other two partner community colleges.

RN to BSN Program

RNs who have earned an Associate Degree or a Diploma in Nursing at an accredited school may apply to this program. Students must complete at least 60 credit hours of liberal arts and sciences, including lower division nursing credits from the previous studies. They must also have a car available for community experiences. Required courses include Anatomy and Physiology I & II, Microbiology, Pathphysiology, Health Assessment, Concepts of Professional Nursing Practice, Holistic Perspectives, Professional Nursing Practice I, II & III, Professional Issues, English Composition, and Survey of Statistics. The total program requires 120 credits; 60 of these may be from Associate Degree studies.

RN to MS Accelerated Programs

RNs that have a Baccalaureate Degree in a non-nursing field may complete this program. This program also allows RNs with an Associate Degree or Diploma to pursue the Adult Nurse Practitioner MS degree. These students must have a grade point average of 3.25 or higher and meet all admission criteria except for having a Baccalaureate degree. Students are required to complete courses that are built around the five Baccalaureate competencies, including Health Assessment, Community Health/Population-focused Health, Leadership/Management/Professional Development, Research, and Professional Commitment and Engagement.

Master of Science Programs

Daemen College offers several options for RNs who want to pursue their Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. The programs offered are Master of Science in Adult Nurse Practitioner, Master of Science in Nursing Executive Leadership, and Master of Science in Nursing Education. A BSN is required to enter these programs. Students must complete 36 to 38 credits including Theoretical Perspectives in Advanced Practice Nursing, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Thesis Project, Advanced Health Assessment, Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology, Conceptual Basis for Advanced Practice Nursing, Issues in Advanced Practice Nursing, Introductory Topics in Pharmacology for the Advanced Practice Nurse, Selected Topics in Pharmacology for the Advanced Practice Nurse 1 & 2, Adult Primary Health Care I & II.

Certificate Programs

Daemen College also offers a certificate program for RNs who already hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The program is called the Post-Baccalaureate Nursing Executive Leadership program. The program is designed for RNs who are either currently in management positions in nursing or those who want to pursue this career. Students must complete 34 to 36 credits to earn this certificate.

There are also two post-masters programs offered for RNs who have earned their Master of Science in Nursing. These are the Post-Master Adult Nurse Practitioner program and the Post-Master Nursing Education program. The program that leads to a certificate as a Nurse Practitioner requires a total of 36 to 38 credits. The program begins with 10 to 12 graduate nursing research core requirements that focus on research skills and a thesis project. The Nurse Practitioner Specialty Requirements consist of 26 credits in advanced nursing courses that prepare students to treat patients in a variety of medical settings. RNs who have a master’s degree and want to teach student nurses may earn their Nursing Education certificate by completing 30 credits. There is a nursing research core requirement just as there is for the Nurse Practitioner certificate. After this is completed, students focus on education courses that will help them prepare future nurses for their careers.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

RNs that have earned their MSN and want to continue their education may enter this program. The program requires a total of 36 credits plus a Scholarly Project equaling four credits. Another component of the program is a Clinical Internship. Students must complete 500 post-Master’s supervised clinical hours. This internship equals eight credits.

Contact:
Daemen College
4380 Main Street
Amherst, New York 14226
(716) 839-8225