Nursing
Faculty:
- Chair & Program Director: Lee-Ann Kenny
- Vice Chair & Assistant Program Director: Emily Nishiyama
- Clinical Learning Coordinator: Margaret Hunter
- Professor: Elizabeth Elkind
- Assistant Professors: Suzanne Campoli, Christa Cowen, Alaina Duncan, Lourdes James, Lee-Ann Kenny, Melissa Horstman, Margaret Hunter, Lauren Mault, Kristin Monza, Emily Nishiyama, Alex Sellers, Angel Whitlow
- Nursing Academic Advisor: Megan Wilson
- Nursing Programs Coordinator: Traci Horne
Belmont Abbey College does not accept transfer credit for upper-division nursing major coursework. Students must complete all upper-division nursing courses required for the nursing major at Belmont Abbey College. Transfer credit may be considered only for prerequisite or general education coursework in accordance with College transfer credit policies.
The baccalaureate degree program in Nursing at Belmont Abbey College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Mission
Belmont Abbey College's Department of Nursing offers excellence in ethical healthcare through professional nursing education, service, and practice. In this work, we are guided by the college's Benedictine spirit and Catholic intellectual tradition as expressed in the Benedictine Hallmarks and the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.
Vision
To be a leader of academic excellence and values in professional nursing.
Core Values
The Department of Nursing’s core values at Belmont Abbey College represent vital concepts to guide students, faculty, staff, and leaders. As Department of Nursing representatives, we adhere to these tenets while in our community, on-campus, and within our interactions with each other. Our Core Values entail the acronym CARES and include the following:
| Acronym |
Core Value |
Core Value Defined |
C
|
Compassion, Caring, and Commitment |
- We will perpetuate an atmosphere of empathy, kindness, and duty through our commitment to learning, practice, and service.
|
A
|
Accountable |
- We will hold ourselves and others responsible for competence and professionalism.
|
| R |
Respectful and Resilience
|
- We will recognize the innate worth of other and ourselves.
|
| E |
Excellence
|
- We will persistently contribute to and seek quality in academics, service, practice, and nursing science.
|
| S |
Sincerity and Service
|
- We will pursue opportunities to serve and uphold honesty, promote trust, and engage in ethical practice.
|
Philosophy
Nursing academics at Belmont Abbey reflects a scientific and liberal arts foundation, encompassed within a faith-based setting. Concurrent with professional nursing standards and the mission, vision, and philosophy of Belmont Abbey College, nursing faculty believe that professional nursing practice is grounded in knowledge, theory, research, and evidence. Nursing education is an integrated process through which students attain knowledge, understanding, and competencies necessary for quality and evidenced-based nursing practice. Nurses are in the privileged position of witnessing life's most intimate events when patients, families, and communities are at their most vulnerable. Therefore, Belmont Abbey’s nursing faculty teach the practice of nursing’s art and science to create an atmosphere of mutual respect, trust, and holistic views. Fundamental beliefs concerning teaching and learning, critical thinking, diversity, nursing science, and the Rule of Saint Benedict guide the faculty’s endeavors.
The Rule of St. Benedict Inspires and Informs Us
St. Benedict mandated, “Care of the sick must rank above and before all else.” (RB 35:1). St. Benedict’s Rule and Catholic healthcare directives encompass tenets critical in ethical decision-making, integrity, and the nursing profession. These principles permeate Belmont Abbey’s nursing curricula, emphasizing the Department of Nursing’s core values in conjunction with the Benedictine values of hospitality, respect for the person, prayer, service, moderation, and community. These values guide students to integrate spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual characteristics into their personal and professional lives.
Code of Ethics
The BAC Department of Nursing has adopted the following codes of ethics: the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) Code of Ethics, the North Carolina Nursing Practice Act for Registered Nurses, and the 2015 American Nurses Association Code of Ethics. These codes and standards provide a foundation and guidance for RN students at all degree levels to agree that they will uphold their academic, clinical, lab, and practice environments within all stages of their nursing career. Furthermore, the development and growth of the holistic self or persons are supported throughout these codes and standards.
Professional Standards
The following professional standards guide the curricula content for the BSN program at Belmont Abbey College:
- The ANA Code of Ethics (ANA, 2025)
- The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (AACN, 2021)
- The Quality and Safety Education for Nursing (QSEN) Quality and Safety in Nursing: A Competency Approach to Improving Outcomes. (QSEN, 2020)