Please visit the NursingCAS website at https://nursingcas.liaisoncas.org/apply/to complete the online NursingCAS application. Search for LSUHSC-NO School of Nursing in New Orleans, LA. If an applicant has any concerns about the on-line application and needs technology support, please contact the NursingCAS support staff by email:nursingcasinfo@nursingcas.org or phone: 617-612-2880.

Official transcripts from all regionally accredited colleges or universities attended must be submitted to NursingCAS. LSUHSC-NO School of Nursing encourages applicants to submit the application and forward official transcripts to NursingCAS at least three weeks prior to the deadline to ensure timely processing. An applicant may check the application status through the NursingCAS system. All transcripts from programs outside of the United States must be evaluated by an accredited credentialing evaluation service. LSUHNO School of Nursing recommends the following resources:

• • World Education Services: www.wes.org
  • Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc: www.ece.org

LSUHSC-NO School of Nursing will allow two (2) weeks after the application deadline for NursingCAS to upload and verify coursework. 

A non-refundable LSUHSC-NO School of Nursing application fee is required at the time of application submittal. The applicant will receive a follow-up email from the LSUHSC-NO School of Nursing Office of Student Affairs with further directions on submitting the application fee.  The fee is $50.00 for undergraduate programs, and $100.00 for graduate programs.  This is a separate fee from those charged by NursingCAS.

A minimum score of 550 (paper-based) or 79-80 (internet-based) for all applicants who have English as a second language or who are not graduates of programs in the United States is required.  Input TOEFL scores within the NursingCAS application.

All applicants must meet the admission criteria of the program for which they are applying.  This may include the submission of additional application items including test scores, references, and other documentation.  To view admission criteria, please visit the webpage for that specific program. 

Academic Programs

Nursing education requires that the accumulation of knowledge be accompanied by the acquisition of skills, professional attitudes, and behavior so that the graduate may assume specific role responsibilities in a safe and competent manner. LSUHNO School of Nursing provides graduates with a broad and basic preparation for professional nursing practice.

The LSUHNO School of Nursing complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and has determined that certain technical standards must be met by prospective candidates and students. Reasonable accommodation will be made for otherwise qualified persons with disabilities.

Any nursing student with a disability must complete and submit the Student Intake Form to the ODS: https://www.lsuhsc.edu/administration/academic/ods/.

Observational Ability
Observation necessitates the student make accurate observations, both nearby and at a distance. The student is expected to be able to observe the patient holistically to accurately assess the presence of any illness or an alteration of health.

To provide quality nursing care, the student is expected to integrate, analyze, and synthesize all data in a consistent and accurate manner. Examples of observational ability are, but are not limited to, the abilities to measure intake and output accurately; work with multiple tubes, drains, and monitoring equipment; assess patients and machines, including color recognition; observe patient conditions and responses to health and illness; make fine discriminations in sound, emergency signals, patient requests, or cries for help; and assess by palpitation, auscultation, and percussion. In addition, the student is expected to possess the ability to perceive pain, pressure, temperature, position, equilibrium, and movement.

Communication
The student is expected to be able to effectively communicate, both verbally, and non-verbally. The student must be able to relate to others regardless of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds. The student must elicit information, describe changes in mood, activity, and posture, and perceive nonverbal communications. The student must be able to communicate effectively, therapeutically, and sensitively with patients, and with all members of the health care team. Examples of communication are, but are not limited to, the ability to explain treatment procedures, initiate health teaching, document and interpret nursing actions and patient responses, and maintain composure when discussing a serious situation(s).

Motor Function and Coordination
The student is expected to have the psychomotor skills necessary to perform or assist with procedures, treatments, administration of medications, and emergency interventions. The student is expected to be able to perform gross and fine motor movements required to provide holistic nursing care, to maintain consciousness and equilibrium, and have the physical strength and stamina to perform satisfactorily in clinical nursing experiences. Examples of motor function and coordination for patient care include, but are not limited to, turning, transferring, transporting, exercising the patients, performing CPR, administering medication, applying pressure to stop bleeding, suctioning of obstructed airways, performing physical examinations, clean and sterile procedures, specimen collection, and venipuncture(s). Assessments may also require the student to bend, squat, reach, kneel, or balance. The student must be able to tolerate physically taxing workloads.

Behavioral and Social Attributes
The student is expected to have the emotional stability, maturity, and self-discipline to fully utilize intellectual abilities, exercise sound judgment, complete assessment, intervention activities, and develop sensitive interpersonal relationships with patients, families, and others responsible for health care. The student is expected to have the flexibility to function effectively under stress and to competently function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical setting. Compassion, integrity, honesty, accountability, altruism, autonomy, and motivation are necessary personal qualities.

Intellectual-Conceptual Ability
The student must possess critical thinking for sound clinical judgment, develop problem-solving skills, and demonstrate the ability to establish care plans and priorities. The student must possess cognitive skills and learning abilities to acquire, assimilate, integrate, and apply information. Intellectual-Conceptual abilities includes, but is not limited to, the ability to identify cause-effect relationships in clinical situations; apply the nursing process; read and comprehend health care information; learn materials presented in class and apply it to patient care; measure, calculate, analyze, and categorize; apply data based on conclusions arrived through critical thinking; synthesize objective as well as subjective data; and make decisions that reflect consistent and thoughtful deliberation of the appropriate data.

Each student must meet and continue to meet all of the TECHNICAL STANDARDS set forth above. If a student fails to demonstrate all of the required TECHNICAL STANDARDS, the student may be denied permission to continue in the educational programs of the School of Nursing.

E-mail and Computer Literacy
The LSUHSC email is the principle method of communication. All students are issued an LSUHSC email address once the admission process is complete. Students are required to access emails within a 24-hour period for school-related communication and respond to school-related communication within a 24-hour period. All students must use their LSUHSC email for school-related communication. All students are required to create an email signature. The email signature must include student’s first and last names, program enrolled in, level in the program, and emplid#.

Students must have computer literacy and must possess the skills to perform basic computer, software, editing, internet, and browsing skills. Literacy skills are, but not limited to:

Locating, opening, and closing files
Using a word processor to create, edit, and save documents
Cutting, copying, and pasting text from one document to another
Toggling between two applications
Uploading and downloading files
Finding and using the Internet Explorer browser on our computer
Configuring computer browser to send e-mail
Locating web sites when using a www address (URL)
Searching the internet for specific topics
Compliance with American Disabilities Act Standard

The LSUHSC School of Nursing adheres to the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (Public Law #93-112, S504 as amended in 1997). The Office of Disabilities Services (ODS) is the point of contact for initiating, receiving, and monitoring referrals for evaluation, treatment, and accommodation requests. Any student needing special accommodations to complete a course, must submit written documentation outlining the accommodations required. The student is encouraged to submit the accommodation request within five (5) working days of the beginning of each semester while enrolled. Students meet with the Office of Disability Services to process the documentation of disability, as outlined in the recommendations of the Psychoeducational evaluation. The student must send an email with the accomodation letter attached to the course coordinators and carbon copy the Assistant Dean for Student Services.

If the student has a change in accommodation needs during the semester, the student must meet with the Office of Disability Services to submit outlined accommodation needs. Please refer to SS-3 American Disabilities Act Standards.

Faculty and students will adhere to hospital/clinical site policies on service animals.

Compliance with HIPAA
The Administration Simplification Subtitle of the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requires that identifiable patient information is only disclosed on a need-to-know basis. Only minimal amounts of information necessary to accomplish the task is disclosed. Every effort to minimize incidental disclosures must be taken. The minimum disclosure standard does not apply to requests for information by a healthcare provider for treatment purposes. For example, if one must administer a medication, full access to the medical record is allowed and covered by the patient’s consent for treatment.

To protect patient/client privacy, all personal identifiable information must be removed from student papers, care plans, and case studies. The individual’s name, initials, address, phone number, fax number, and social security number, must be removed. Written documents containing private health information must be either carefully stored or shredded to prevent the circulation of confidential patient information (photo copying is not allowed). Confidentiality and privacy also include oral communications beyond the need to know for treatment and/or educational purposes.

HIPAA regulations require students to meet any and all of the clinical agency’s requirements as part of the clinical affiliation. Wrongful disclosure could result in fines and/or imprisonment.

Policy on Student Evaluation of Courses
Students are required to evaluate courses, faculty, and clinical agencies at the end of each semester. Students failing to complete the evaluation process will receive an “Incomplete” grade and will be unable to progress in program until the evaluation is complete.

For Pre-Licensure Nursing Programs

The Louisiana State Board of Nursing (LSBN) completes a criminal background check as part of a clinical application process to approve nursing students to enter the clinical setting.  If offered enrollment, any applicant for a pre-licensure program, must be able to complete this process and be cleared by LSBN