Bachelor of Science in Nursing

This Bachelor of Science in Nursing is a demanding, selective, and highly respected program that provides a solid foundation in nursing care in a variety of settings.

We practice in the newest SIM labs in Maine. We mentor as we teach. We train you in the community as well as the classroom. And we offer nursing leadership training at every career stage. Skills, compassion, and confidence - that's why our nursing graduates are known as healthcare heroes wherever they provide care.

This nursing major builds upon the College’s liberal arts foundation, basic and applied sciences, and behavioral and social sciences. The program produces professional nurses who can provide care to individuals, families, and communities, in a wide diversity of environments.

SJC Difference

  • New state of the art center, The Jeanne Donlevy Center for Nursing Innovation, prepares students through cutting-edge SIM technology in ICU, maternal, pediatric, and home care settings
  • Nursing advancement through community health care partnerships

Graduates qualify to sit for the NCLEX-RN examination in the state of their choice after graduation, and each graduate has a firm foundation for continuing education and graduate study.

2021 NCLEX Pass Rate 90.63%

NCLEX is the licensing exams for students in a BSN nursing program in the State of Maine. 

Saint Joseph's BSN and ABSN programs meet the criteria in all states for students to sit for NCLEX.

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, the master's degree program in nursing and the post-graduate APRN certificate program at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington DC 20001, 202-887-6791. The pre-licensure baccalaureate program is approved by the Maine State Board of Nursing.

At a Glance

  • Nursing students start nursing courses immediately in the freshman year.
  • Nursing students start hands-on clinical experience in the sophomore year.
  • Nursing students get close supervision, mentoring, and individual attention from their faculty.
  • Caring in the Mercy tradition is an integral part of the nursing major.
  • Students in clinical internships in other regions or states can take live, virtual classes online.

Curriculum

The professional nurse is accountable to society and uses the processes of teaching-learning, communication, research, and leadership by applying the nursing process to meet needs of clients in all settings. The faculty supports the baccalaureate degree as the minimum educational preparation for the professional nurse and believes learning best occurs in an environment where mutual respect exists between teacher and learner.

The framework of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) curriculum is built around understanding how human beings, health-illness, nursing, and environment interconnect as the four major elements of nursing theory. All nursing courses are organized around these concepts and the assumption that people are shaped by interrelated systems – biological, psychological, and social – and are in constant interaction with a changing environment.

Application of the conceptual framework ensures implementation of the philosophy and objectives of the Department, which are in accord with the philosophy and objectives of Christian humanism as set forth in Saint Joseph's mission statement. Humans are viewed as holistic adaptive beings endowed by God with dignity and free will. Health is viewed as the harmonious interrelationship of body-mind-soul and the environment. Nursing is viewed as an art and a science that facilitates the mobilization of external and internal resources available to individuals, families, and communities, so health is achieved, promoted, and/or maintained.

The nursing program enrolls a limited number of students each year and admission is very selective. To view a full list of courses available and admissions details, click on the Course Catalog button below.

Our Nursing Clinical Sites

During their nursing courses, our students learn through clinical hours at the following hospitals. We also have many agencies including visiting nurse agencies, schools, long-term care agencies, and corporations where they learn community health nursing. For their final capstone internship, many hospital locations throughout Maine and in other states are available to them.

  • Southern Maine Medical Center
  • Maine Medical Center
  • Mercy Hospital
  • Central Maine Medical Center
  • MidCoast Hospital
  • St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center
  • Stephen’s Memorial Hospital
  • Spring Harbor Hospital

Some of our faculty

Kelly Hudock, CRNP, DNP
Kelly Hudock, CRNP, DNPChair, Nursing
DNP, Rush University
MSN-FNP, DeSales University
BSN, Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales
Terry Girouard-Jordan, MSN, BSN
Terry Girouard-Jordan, MSN, BSNUndergraduate Program Director
MSN, Drexel University
MS, University of Southern Maine
BSN, Excelsior College
Amy Bergeron, DNP, MSN, BSN
Amy Bergeron, DNP, MSN, BSNAssistant Professor of Nursing
DNP, Chatham University
MSN, SUNY Stony Brook
BSN, Saint Joseph’s College

Student stories

Kayci Gagnon ’24

Nursing

Kayci Gagnon 2024 nursing
Kayci Gagnon 2024 nursing2

“The SIM lab gives you the opportunity to be hands-on and implement what you’re learning in class in a setting where you know you’re not causing a patient any discomfort and you’re learning in real-time. The debrief with our professor after the lab allows us to look further into the decisions we made and why we made them. We’re able to look back on our experience and grow from it with the guidance of our professor so that when we’re faced with these moments in our careers we’ll be well equipped to handle it effectively.”

Darcy Wright 2024 nursing

Darcy Wright ’24

Nursing

“The small class sizes have given me the opportunity to ask questions openly, and the professors are so supportive. Here you can run into your professor off campus and they’ll know who you are in an instant. Saint Joe’s has opened a lot of doors for me. Through my connections here I’ve been able to get internships where my skills have been complimented due to the well-rounded, hands-on education I’ve received here. I know I’ve been set up with a really great foundation and with that experience I’m excited for my future as a nurse.”

NursingSim 015

Rachel Gardella ’24

Nursing

Rachel Gardella 2024 nursing
Rachel Gardella 2024 nursing2

“Getting through such a rigorous program has been a challenge, but because Saint Joe’s is such a small school, I have an amazing network of friends and fellow nursing majors who have supported me every step of the way. The students and professors all get along as though we’re family. Saint Joe’s has allowed me to thrive academically and I’m excited to implement what I’ve learned in school to my future practice.”

Shannon Bethel 1

Shannon Bethel '22

Nursing

"I did a fellowship last summer at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston that I loved. I worked for six weeks on a bone marrow transplant and leukemia floor, and then another six weeks on a medical oncology floor. I was able to get a ton of experience with chemo, transplants, and central lines on the bone marrow transplant and leukemia floor. I hope to be the nurse that all of my patients know they can come to with whatever it is they need. I don’t want to be anything other than that."

Shannon Bethel 2

Haley Frohlich '22

Nursing

Haley Frohlich 1
Haley Frohlich 2

"I currently work on a cardiovascular ICU. I love the ICU specialty because you learn so much, and that critical care experience is extremely valuable to me because I hope to go to grad school for my doctorate in nursing anesthesia and eventually become a CRNA."

Kayci Gagnon ’24

Nursing

Kayci Gagnon 2024 nursing

“The SIM lab gives you the opportunity to be hands-on and implement what you’re learning in class in a setting where you know you’re not causing a patient any discomfort and you’re learning in real-time. The debrief with our professor after the lab allows us to look further into the decisions we made and why we made them. We’re able to look back on our experience and grow from it with the guidance of our professor so that when we’re faced with these moments in our careers we’ll be well equipped to handle it effectively.”

Kayci Gagnon 2024 nursing2

Darcy Wright ’24

Nursing

Darcy Wright 2024 nursing

“The small class sizes have given me the opportunity to ask questions openly, and the professors are so supportive. Here you can run into your professor off campus and they’ll know who you are in an instant. Saint Joe’s has opened a lot of doors for me. Through my connections here I’ve been able to get internships where my skills have been complimented due to the well-rounded, hands-on education I’ve received here. I know I’ve been set up with a really great foundation and with that experience I’m excited for my future as a nurse.”

NursingSim 015

Rachel Gardella ’24

Nursing

Rachel Gardella 2024 nursing

“Getting through such a rigorous program has been a challenge, but because Saint Joe’s is such a small school, I have an amazing network of friends and fellow nursing majors who have supported me every step of the way. The students and professors all get along as though we’re family. Saint Joe’s has allowed me to thrive academically and I’m excited to implement what I’ve learned in school to my future practice.”

Rachel Gardella 2024 nursing2

Shannon Bethel '22

Nursing

Shannon Bethel 1

"I did a fellowship last summer at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston that I loved. I worked for six weeks on a bone marrow transplant and leukemia floor, and then another six weeks on a medical oncology floor. I was able to get a ton of experience with chemo, transplants, and central lines on the bone marrow transplant and leukemia floor. I hope to be the nurse that all of my patients know they can come to with whatever it is they need. I don’t want to be anything other than that."

Shannon Bethel 2

Haley Frohlich '22

Nursing

Haley Frohlich 1

"I currently work on a cardiovascular ICU. I love the ICU specialty because you learn so much, and that critical care experience is extremely valuable to me because I hope to go to grad school for my doctorate in nursing anesthesia and eventually become a CRNA."

Haley Frohlich 2

Career moves

Registered nurses (RNs) constitute the largest healthcare occupation, with 2.6 million jobs. About 60 percent of RN jobs are in hospitals.

Employment of RNs is expected to grow much faster than the average and, because the occupation is very large, 581,500 new jobs will result, among the largest number of new jobs for any occupation. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of job openings will result from the need to replace experienced nurses who leave the occupation. Employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 6 percent from 2022 to 2032, faster than the average for all occupations.

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791, and the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) require a Master of Science in Nursing degree for teaching in RN preparation programs.

http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ccne-accreditation
http://www.acenursing.org/?refreshed

Related programs