Program Description
The BSN Honors Program is designed to cultivate the best generic BSN students for graduate studies; including the option of entering the BSN to PhD Program in Nursing. The program has clear admission and curriculum requirements and includes a mentoring program. The goals of the honors program are to:
Goals
- Encourage scholarly achievement in talented and highly motivated students
- Promote a high level of knowledge related to nursing education and evidenced based practice
- Promote degree advancement in nursing through the use of faculty mentors
- Stimulate creative and critical thinking
- Facilitate acquisition of research and leadership skills
Potential honors students will be selected after the spring semester of their junior year and invited to participate in the program at the beginning of their senior year (fall semester).
During the fall semester, they will be assigned to a faculty mentor, who will guide the student in completing the application for admission to the Honors Program.
Students meeting the stated criteria of excellence can apply for admission to this program. If accepted, students will complete required coursework prior to graduation. Mentored by senior faculty throughout this educational experience, students can earn advanced standing when they enter the College’s PhD program. Honors students will be limited to five each year.
Admission Criteria
- Currently enrolled in the BSN program.
- A score of 75% or above on the ATI TEAS pre-admission exam.
- Three letters of support from faculty.
- Résumé including evidence of leadership and community service involvement.
- A written essay on the student’s long-term goals and why he/she wants to participate in the Honors Program.
- A GPA in nursing courses of 3.5 or above.
- Interview with faculty
Selection of participants is based on space and availability of resources. Highest scores will receive first consideration.
Honor’s Project
From the students chosen area of emphasis, an honors project will be completed. Students will work on this honors project throughout the senior year with their mentor’s guidance. The student may either work alongside an established research interest or present their mentor with a new related idea they would like to examine.
Examples of projects are
- a. Assist with IRB submission/reviews
- b. Assist with grant writing or submission of a grant
- c. Data collection and analysis
- d. Literature Reviews
- e. Instrument Development
- f. Patient/subject interactions with interventions
- g. Dissemination of a study’s findings
The student may be assigned additional opportunities by the honors program coordinator and/or mentor based on the needs of the project.
Requirements for Completion
- The student will be required to present their honors project in a poster or podium format at the UAMS research day. The student may also have the opportunity to submit for a poster abstract and/or attend the Southern Nursing Research Society (SNRS) annual meeting if funding resources available.
- The student must complete leadership and interdisciplinary care modules on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement website and provide documented completion.
- The student must complete training on Human Subject Protection (CITI training) for research and present completion to the mentor at the first meeting.
www.citiprogram.org - The student must complete HIPPA training for research.
- The student must complete modules on patient /family centered care as assigned and provide certificate of completion.
- Attend at least one (1) dissertation proposals/defense.
- Attend PhD council and science department meetings as assigned.
- Attend and present project at Honor’s student reception.
Students completing the honors program will have ‘honors graduate’ reflected on both their transcript and at graduation. They will be matched with a mentor based on these interests. Mentors will be matched based on availability. Students who exhibit a pattern of disciplinary action reports (DAR) will be removed from the honors program.