Caylor School of Nursing

Nursing Program History

In response to the University’s mission, Nursing was established as a major in 1974 with the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) Degree. Because of the growing health care needs of the region, Nursing expanded the ASN program to off-campus sites and initiated the Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program in 1987. In Fall 2010, the BSN generic option commenced in response to state and community needs. The Caylor School of Nursing’s mission “seeks to respond to the needs of nursing education and health care in the surrounding communities by preparing nurses at multiple levels.” Therefore, the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree was established in 2006 and the online post-master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree was established in 2015. Both the MSN and the DNP degrees offer professional nurses extended educational options and provide surrounding and distant communities with advanced practice nurses to meet the dynamic health care needs within the specific area. Presently, the Caylor School of Nursing (CSON) offers MSN concentrations as a Family Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Anesthetist (last class admitted Fall 2021), Family Psychiatric & Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, and Nursing Administration. For further information on the school’s MSN or DNP programs, please email nursing@lmunet.edu.

Nursing Program Accreditation/Approvals

TENNESSEE/ Programs:
The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program is continuing accreditation.

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is continuing accreditation.

ACEN is officially recognized as a national accrediting agency for nursing education by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and by the U.S. Department of Education. ACEN, may be contacted at 3390 Peachtree Rd NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30326 or call 404- 975-5000 or visit www.acenursing.org.

Additionally the Nurse Anesthesia Concentration has been accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs. Contact the COA at (224) 275-9130, email accreditation@coacrna.org, 10275 W Higgins Rd Suite 906 Rosemont, IL 60018-5603, or visit their website http://coacrna.org.

Academic Information

The Caylor School of Nursing at LMU offers the advanced practice nurse (APN) master’s concentrations of Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Nurse Anesthesia (NA) [last class admitted Fall 2021],Family Psychiatric & Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (FPMHNP), and Nursing Administration (ADMN).

Students who successfully complete the graduate nursing program will receive the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. Family Nurse Practitioner students will meet the eligibility criteria for both the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) certification examinations.

The Family Psychiatric & Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (FPMHNP) students will meet the eligibility criteria for the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Nurse Anesthesia students will meet the eligibility criteria for the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) Certification Exam.
Nursing Administration (ADMN) students will meet eligibility criteria for American Nurse Credentialing Center(ANCC) Nurse Executive Certification Exam and the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) Nurse Management and Leader and/or the Executive Nursing Practice Certification Examinations provided students have met the practice requirements for the examinations.
The DNP at LMU is a terminal degree with two entry points.

1. Post- master’s program for those which have a Master’s Degree in Nursing from a nationally accredited Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or Accreditation Commission on Education in Nursing, Inc (ACEN) program. The student must have national certification as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse or an earned MSN with an Administration concentration and/or at least one year of experience in a nursing administration role or an earned MSN in a different specialty than the above will be considered on an individual basis.
2. Post-bachelor’s DNP in nurse anesthesia. Begins Spring 2022.

Upon admission to the graduate program, a faculty advisor is assigned to the student to help advise the student. However, the ultimate responsibility for meeting deadlines and knowing graduate program and individual state/agency requirements, rests with the student.

Applicable Catalog
The student must meet the requirements of the LMU Caylor School of Nursing section of the Graduate and Professional Catalog in effect at the time of entry into the program and any applicable Lincoln Memorial University Catalog requirements in place at the time of entry into the program. In no case will a student be permitted to meet the requirements of a catalog in effect prior to initial graduate program enrollment.
Graduate Degree Time Restriction/Limitations
All requirements for graduate degrees must be completed in no less than one (1) year and within seven (7) years of initial graduate enrollment. Exceptions to graduate requirements require approval of the Dean of the Caylor School of Nursing.
Transfer of Credit:

MSN Students: No credit may be transferred into the Nurse Anesthesia concentration. Six (6) credit hours may be transferred into the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Family Psychiatric & Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (FPMHNP), and Nursing Administration (ADMN) concentrations from accredited institutions offering the graduate nursing degree. Transfer of additional course work will be at the discretion of the Program/Concentration Director.

Transferred courses must have been taken for graduate credit and must not have been applied towards a previous degree. All transferred course work must carry a grade of “B” or higher. No credit will be given for advanced pharmacology and advanced health assessment taken at another institution. No credit for other graduate nursing courses earned more than five (5) years ago can be transferred.

If the student proposes to replace a required nursing course with transferred credit, the student must submit a course syllabus and provide transcript evidence of having attained a grade of “B” or higher in the course. Course equivalency will be evaluated by the faculty currently teaching the LMU version of the course. The designated faculty will make a recommendation to the appropriate program director regarding substitution. All transfer credit into the MSN program must be approved by the appropriate director or the Dean of the Caylor School of Nursing.

DNP Students: Students entering the DNP program may transfer up to six (6) credit hours from accredited institutions offering the graduate degree. Transferred courses must have been taken for graduate credit and must not have been applied toward a previous degree. All transferred course work must carry a grade of “B” or higher. No credit for other graduate nursing courses earnedmore than five (5) years previously may be transferred. If the student proposes to replace a required nursing course with transferred credit, the student must submit a course syllabus and provide transcript evidence of attainment of a grade of “B” or higher in the course. Course equivalency will be evaluated by faculty currently teaching the LMU equivalent of the course. Designated faculty will make recommendations to the DNP Program Director regarding course substitutions. All transfer credit into the DNP program must be approved by both the DNP Program Director and/or the Dean of the Caylor School of Nursing.

For the DNP in Nurse Anesthesia program, no transfer credit is accepted.

A minimum of 1000 practice hours are required for the DNP program. Practice hours from previous practice courses may be considered for transfer credit. A maximum of 500 practice hours may be transferred into the DNP program. Practice hours considered for transfer will be reviewed and approved by the DNP Program Director.

Request for MSN Concentration Transfer:
Students requesting to transfer to another concentration from their current program of study in the MSN program must submit an admission application to the Graduate Nursing Office. Transfer to another concentration is not guaranteed and will be reviewed by the admissions committee. The student must be in good standing in his/her current program of study and a formal letter should also be included with the admission application on why the student is requesting to transfer to another concentration.

Evaluation Methods

Mastery of didactic content will be evaluated by a combination of in-class exams, on-line exams, application of content in graded case studies, oral and web-based presentations, as well as written papers and protocols. The combination of evaluative methods will vary from course to course and will be clearly explicated in course syllabi. The evaluative strategies of individual courses are designed to measure students’ attainment of course objectives. Criteria for evaluation of written assignments appear in the syllabus for each course.

Assignments will be returned to students in a timely fashion. Students will receive individualized feedback to facilitate improvement and progress. Each student's progress is reviewed periodically during, and at the end of, each semester. Evaluation is based on the student's performance on examinations, other assignments, and in the practice or laboratory setting. If a student's performance is judged to be borderline or failing during a course, the faculty member will discuss this with the student and advise the student regarding how to remediate.

Attendance Requirement

Attendance is mandatory for any lecture, lab, practice, and online activities. Refer to the individual course syllabus for additional information.

Grading Scale:

The LMU grading system is based on a four-point scale. The grading scale for the Graduate MSN and DNP Programs is as follows:

Incompletes: A grade of Incomplete (“I”) may be given in circumstances where the student has successfully completed the majority of the coursework and the instructor determines that exceptional circumstances warrant extending the time for the student to complete the required work. In order to receive an “I”, the student and course instructor must negotiate a contract containing a timeline specifying the date(s) by which remaining coursework will be completed (including deficit practice hours) and specifying the written assignments or examinations to be completed. The form for documenting a contract for an “I” is found in the MSN Student Handbook Section III: Forms and the DNP Student Handbook Section IV: Forms. It is the responsibility of the student to monitor progress towards completion of the contract to remove the Incomplete and to arrange for make- up assignments, exams, labs, or practice hours.

If a grade change request has not been submitted by the instructor by the required date, the “I” grade automatically becomes an “F” on the student’s transcript.

In general, an “I” grade in any sequential nursing course must be removed by the end of the first six weeks of the next semester in order for the student to continue enrollment in the next nursing course in the sequence.

Refer to MSN Student Handbook or DNP Student Handbook for additional information.

Practice Evaluation Methods

Students and faculty maintain ongoing dialog regarding practice experiences and individual performance. Dialog may occur in class, via practice logs or journals, via web- based communications, or in individual meetings as appropriate. Formal evaluations will occur in each practice course. Practice evaluation tools (student version, faculty version, and preceptor/facilitator version) are used to structure the formal evaluations. Some written assignments will be based on current practice data or cases (with all identifying data removed). Feedback regarding the development of diagnostic reasoning and practice management skills will be provided. Practice performance is graded individually, and should a student fail a practice course, the student will be dismissed from the program.

Practice Failure: The instructor will seek input on practice performance from the preceptor/ facilitator; however, final responsibility for the student’s grade is retained by the LMU- CSON faculty.

Repeating NURS Courses

Graduate nursing students must maintain a “B” (3.0) cumulative grade point average (GPA) to remain in good academic standing. Each course syllabus clearly outlines the criteria for successful course completion.

MSN Program – FNP, FPMHNP and Admin FNP, FPMHNP, and Admin students may repeat only one of the following nursing courses: NURS 500, NURS 510, NURS 520, NURS 530, NURS 580, NURS 590. A “C” or “C+” for the course requires an advisement session and a revised plan of study for the student by the academic advisor and approval of the change from the Concentration Director. The student must present a plan for success as part of the advisement session. The student will not continue with other nursing coursework until the course is repeated successfully. The student must repeat the course for which a “C” or “C+” was earned and earn at least a “B” for the second attempt. The student must complete courses at the campus for which they were accepted and enrolled. Only the most recent grade will be used in computing the cumulative GPA. All attempts will remain part of the student’s permanent academic record. The following courses require a “B” or higher and cannot be repeated: NURS 561, NURS 561A, NURS 562, NURS 562A, NURS564, NURS 564A, NURS 563, NURS 563A, NURS 566, NURS 567, NURS 535, NURS 541, NURS 541A, NURS 542, NURS 542A, NURS 543, and NURS 543A.

Nurse Anesthesia students - No MSN NURS course maybe repeated.

DNP Program - Students may repeat a maximum of one DNP nursing core course if a “C” or “C+” was earned for the course. If a DNP student desires to repeat a course that they have not achieved a grade of “B” or higher, he/she is required to submit a DNP readmission form. Readmission is not guaranteed. The student will not be permitted to progress in the program until the course is repeated successfully. If the DNP student does not complete the course which they were unsuccessful within 18 months, the student will be released from the program. If an individual desires to be admitted to the DNP program at a later date they must reapply. If two grades below a “B” are earned in any DNP course, whether in the same or different semesters, the student becomes ineligible for admission, readmission, and/or progression in the DNP program and will be dismissed from the program.

DNP Nurse Anesthesia students - No DNP NURS course may be repeated. 

Academic Advisement

Each student is assigned an academic advisor according to his/her chosen concentration of study. The academic advisor assists the student in selecting appropriate courses for each academic semester. The student bears ultimate responsibility for effective planning, progression, and completion of all requirements for the chosen degree, but the academic advisor can give valuable direction and encouragement. The MSN student and the academic advisor are responsible for making sure that the student has completed all the nursing coursework to sit for the MSN Comprehensive Exam for the concentrations of Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Nurse Anesthesia (NA), and Family Psychiatric & Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (FPMHNP). The DNP student should meet with the academic advisor a minimum of once each semester to update and review the plan of progression through the established curriculum.

Graduate Tuition Information for Nursing

Tuition and Fees

The tuition cost to attend Lincoln Memorial University is substantially below the national average. The amounts included in the cost of each semester’s registration are placed on the student’s account in the Finance Office.

Interest charges are added to unpaid balances at the end of each month. All charges are subject to audit and verification. The University reserves the right to correct any error by appropriate additional charges or credits.

Tuition and fees are adjusted annually. The following are effective Fall Semester 2021 for the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Nurse Anesthetist (NA), Family Psychiatric & Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (FPMHNP), Nursing Administration (ADMN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP).

Student Health Insurance: Graduate students are responsible for maintaining health insurance throughout the program.

There is no out-of-state tuition differential. Failure to pay tuition and fees may lead to professional collection agency efforts to enforce payment. In such cases the student is responsible for all collection costs and expenses incurred by the University, including reasonable attorney fees.