School of Nursing

Help for your Nursing Undergraduate Academic Advising Experience

Academic Advising takes place in October and March for undergraduate students. This is the opportunity for the student's to meet with their faculty advisor and plan a course schedule for the next semester. During this meeting the following will be accomplished,

• review of the student's academic progress,
• selection of courses for the next semester, and
• completion of necessary paperwork for course registration.

Academic Advising and Registration Dates

• (Undergraduate) Day Student Registration & Advising Dates
• All students accepted into the Nursing major may meet with their academic advisor at any time during the advising period, regardless of their class status.

Faculty Advisors

Faculty advisor assignments are posted on the School of Nursing Bulletin Board, located on the 2nd floor of the Harrington Building on the South Campus.

Making an appointment with your faculty advisor

• Prior to the formal academic advising period, each faculty advisor posts appointment times on their office door.
• Students are expected to locate their advisor's office and sign up for an appointment.
• If you cannot attend any of the available times, you must contact that advisor to arrange alternate meeting times.

NOTE: It is possible that issues related to course work and scheduling may not be resolved during one meeting with your advisor. A student may be asked to return for a second appointment.

Preparation for the meeting with your faculty advisor

1. Obtain a copy of the Master Schedule Course Catalog, which is available in public areas throughout the campus or online
2. Obtain a copy of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing flow sheet [PDF 86KB]
3. Prepare a tentative schedule of courses, making sure that the dates and times do not conflict, and you have adequate time to travel to the next classroom.


Know what courses you need
• The Bachelor of Science in Nursing flow sheet lists the required courses needed to meet the program's degree requirements.
• Advisors guide you to ensure your pre-requisites are fulfilled, and that the sequence of courses selected ensures completion of the program in a timely manner.
• Required courses are identified in the Student Handbook of Academic Policies
Schedule Conflicts
• SON required science courses are offered at times that compliment the schedule of the required liberal arts courses.
• Some students choose to attend courses during the evening or summer in order to fulfill degree requirements.
• Nursing courses which require attendance at a clinical agency during the semester can create scheduling conflicts with liberal arts courses. These concerns should be further discussed with your advisor to work out an acceptable solution
4. Students unprepared for the meeting with their academic advisor may be asked to sign up for another appointment.

Clinical Agency Assignments

• The clinical agencies are unique to each course and are available throughout the North Shore, the Merrimack Valley as well as in Boston.
• Posting of clinical agency assignments is done with as much advanced notice as possible before the start of the clinical education.
• Opportunities will be provided at the end of each semester for students to express their preferences for a specific clinical agency.
• It is not possible for the School of Nursing to guarantee a specific clinical experience to any student at any time during the course of study.

Competency-based Skills Requirements

• Graduation from Salem State College requires demonstration of competency in the areas of reading, math, computer literacy, writing, public speaking, health, and physical education activities as outlined in the General Education Core Requirements section of the Undergraduate Catalog [PDF 2.8MB]
• Descriptions of acceptable proofs of competency in these areas are outlined in this document.
• During the orientation program offered by the college students have the opportunity to demonstrate competency in reading, math, and computer literacy through tests offered. Successful testing exempts the student from attending a formal class specific to the subject tested.
• Students accepted into the nursing major are exempt from completing the health requirement required by the college.
• These courses must be completed within the first 30 credits in the nursing program.
• The student's academic advisor can help with enrollment in these courses.

For More Information

• Prior to your acceptance into the program contact the Center for Academic Advising
• After you have been accepted into the program contact your assigned academic advisor.