Nursing Student Services

The College of Nursing is committed to fostering a culture of academic opportunity and an environment in which all qualified students are successful in the classroom and the healthcare workplace.

Under the direction of the Associate Dean of Student Affairs, the Student Services Office offers robust wrap-around student support services to all nursing students. Our student-centered approach drives our retention initiatives, recruitment strategies, and enrollment management efforts.

Advising & Academic Policies

Your assigned academic advisor will help you with course planning, policy information and graduation requirements.

As a student in the College of Nursing, you’ll also want to be familiar with academic and program policies, which are available in the student handbooks.

Access student handbooks

Students must meet with their Nursing Academic Advisor each semester

Students seeking admission to UMSL Nursing with current or previous enrollment in a Nursing or Health Science program in which the program was not successfully completed, must submit a letter of good standing to the College of Nursing in order to be considered for admission to the college. The letter of good standing must be on official letterhead and from the Academic Dean of the previous program.

Scheduling Appointments

Current UMSL nursing students may schedule an academic advising appointment with their advisor via UMSL MyConnect. Please email uac@umsl.edu for Pre-Nursing academic advising.

Stacy Pearson
Senior Academic Advisor
Office: 118 Nursing Administration Building
Email: pearsonsr@umsl.edu
Phone: 314-516-7028

Undergraduate Advising

Quality academic advising is critical to student success at UMSL. Nursing students are encouraged to seek out their academic advisor as a primary resource person. Academic Advisors help pre-nursing students, clinical nursing students, and RN-BSN students with registration and course scheduling, provide academic and clinical policy information and refer students to support services and campus resources to promote academic success.

Students are responsible for becoming familiar with academic and clinical policies and graduation requirements.

Students must meet with their Nursing Academic Advisor each semester, prior to registration. Once registration opens, students register themselves for courses via “MyView” only after meeting with their Nursing Academic Advisor.

Curriculum Check Sheets

Clinical Policies, Sample Plans of Study, and Appeals

Clinical Policies

Students are responsible for securing transportation to and from clinical agencies. Clinical experiences are scheduled throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area, including Jefferson County and parts of Illinois. Students using public transportation should inform their Program Director and the Director of Clinical Operations.

Clinical Policies

Sample Plans of Study

Appeals

Independent Study

An independent study (NURSE 3873: Guided Study in Nursing) is available as an elective to increase a student’s knowledge in a specific content area. Students who wish to pursue an independent study course must follow the below guidelines:
The student identifies and contacts the faculty member whose research and scholarship aligns with their academic interest.
Using the Independent Study Approval Form (Appendix A), the student and faculty member establish mutually agreed upon learning outcomes and course evaluation criteria.
Submit the Independent Study Approval Form to a nursing academic advisor at the advising pre-registration appointment. This form must be submitted PRIOR to registering for the course.
The faculty member provides guidance and feedback, as needed, throughout the course. The degree of independence varies and is based on the courses learning outcomes as described on the Independent Study Approval Form.
Independent Study courses are 1-3 credit hours and are determined by the nature of the learning outcomes and course content requirements. Credit value is calculated as one classroom hour per week = one semester credit. No more than six independent study credits may be used to meet graduation requirements.

Download Independent Study Agreement Form

Graduate Advising

The UMSL College of Nursing utilizes faculty advisors to assist students in their academic and professional development. Undergraduate Academic Advisors in the Student Services Office are available to help with the application and admission process and answer questions about enrollment and college policies. Faculty Advisors work with students to develop plans of study, conduct research, aid in capstone or dissertation development, provide clinical practice guidance, and monitor academic performance and progress toward degree. Graduate students self-register for classes each semester via UMSL MyConnect and should follow the plan of study developed by their Faculty Advisor.

How to Apply to a Nursing Graduate Program

Download Graduation/Conferral Letter Request Form

Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP)

The Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) is a loan forgiveness program that prepares and trains qualified nurse educators to fill faculty vacancies and increase the number of trained nurses entering the workforce. Each year, the UMSL College of Nursing must apply for and receive NFLP funding.

NFLP Information

Handbooks, Sample Plans of Study and Appeals

DNP and Post-Graduate Certificate Handbook

PhD Handbook

Sample Plans of Study

PhD Program

DNP Program:

Appeals

Characteristics of DNP versus PhD in Nursing - Terminal Degree Options in Nursing

Characteristic	Doctor of Nursing Practice	PhD in Nursing
Focus	Nursing practice	Nursing research
Degree Objective	Prepare nurse leaders to improve patient care outcomes Engage in advanced nursing practice Provide leadership in innovations in health care delivery and development of health policy	Prepare nurse scientists who will contribute to development of new knowledge, theory generations, and hypothesis testing to advance the science and theoretical and philosophical foundations of nursing Dissemination of research discoveries by nurse scientists develops the evidence base that improves health care and guides health policy
Curriculum Focus	Promote change in advanced clinical practice Health promotion, health care quality improvement, and evidence-based practice Information systems and technology Organization and system leadership	Communicate research findings to the scientific and social policy communities Steward discipline Integrate the components of scholarship: research, teaching, mentoring, and services to profession Educating the next generation contributing to the formal and informal education of future nurses through discovery, application, and integration
Core Course Work	Scientific writing Epidemiology Evaluating research evidence Applied informatics Advanced clinical practice	Scientific writing Grant writing techniques Interpreting research evidence Theory construction Formal designing and testing interventions and innovations Quantitative and qualitative research methodologies
Employment Opportunities	Advanced Nurse Practitioner Clinical Nurse Faculty Leadership positions in health care organizations, industry, government Policy and change agent	Academic faculty Clinical researcher Principal research investigator Research scientist/policy maker Leadership positions in health care organizations, industry, government Director of Research

DNP Immersive Learning Experience

Course	Term	Program Year	Term Week	Date	Course Correlation
Intensive I	Spring	Year 2	15th week of term	April 29-May 1, 2025 April 28-April 29, 2026	Health Assessment for Advanced Nursing Practice
Intensive II	Fall	Year 3	9th week of term	October 20-22, 2025 October 19-21, 2026	Introduction to Diagnostic Reasoning
Intensive III	Summer	Year 3	1st week of term	May 20-22, 2025 May 19-21, 2026	Practicum I
Intensive IV	Fall	Year 4	10th week of term	October 28-30, 2025 October 27-29, 2026	Practicum II
Intensive V	Spring	Year 4	8th week of term	March 10-11, 2026	Practicum III

Advanced Health Assessment (N6524) associated Intensive (15th Week):

Comprehensive Assessment
- Script(s) and Rubric(s)  
  1. Simulated Patient Actor Information
  2. NP Faculty Information
  3. NP Student Information

Complete Genitourinary Teaching Assistant (GTA) and Male Urogenital Teaching Assistant (MUTA) Immersive experience

Diagnostic Reasoning (N6530) associated Intensive (9th Week):   

Faculty principal discussions for knowledge base enhancement.  
- Population-specific  
- Some shared content discussions
Complete Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) (1) and Oral Diagnostic Readiness Test (DRT) (1)
Track Coordinators to submit Focused (5) and Comprehensive (5) diagnoses for tests for the Competency Workbook. 
- Each diagnosis will need an H&P developed by the track lead.  
- One (1) Focused and One (1) Comprehensive script for each Intensive Experience.

OSCEs (Focused)

Students complete a OSCE (Focused) 
1. Students receive HPI and Demographics  
2. Students ask appropriate ROS questions based on HPI.  
3. Student Completes a Focused Assessment
4. Students organize differentials (5) with rationale. With Faculty Assistance   
5. Recommends appropriate diagnostics.  
6. Issues Prescribed Treatment and Management Plan 
Students complete Oral DRTs (Comprehensive)  
1. Students receive HPI and Demographics 
2. Students ask appropriate ROS questions based on HPI.  
3. Student completes an appropriate Comprehensive Assessment
4. Students organize differentials (5) with rationale.  
5. Students recommend appropriate diagnostics with rationale.  
  1. Challenged by Faculty on Utility and Rationale for EACH diagnostic. 
6. Student issues Prescribed Treatment and Management Plan  
  1. Challenged by Faculty on EACH element of Prescribed treatment plan.  
7. Faculty issue Final/Actual Diagnosis  
8. Faculty notes rationale supporting final Dx. 
9. Student issued opportunity to change or alter Prescribed Treatment Plan

Practicums I, II, & III associated Intensives

Population-Specific Skill Attainment | Directed-Practice Model (from NONPF)  
1. OSCEs as outlined above.  
2. Oral DRTs as outlined above.

Complaint of Inappropriate Faculty Conduct

Inappropriate Faculty Conduct Policies

Everyone must do their part to help us maintain our high standards for ethics and integrity. If you believe that a violation of law, our Code, or policies has occurred, you have an obligation to speak up. The definitions of and processes governing faculty misconduct are outlined in CRR 330.110 Standards of Faculty Conduct. CRR 330.110 and this form apply to allegations of inappropriate conduct on the part of a faculty member employed by the University of Missouri System. Please submit the completed form to the Dean, cc the Office of Academic Affairs (accadaff@umsl.edu), to be delivered to the appropriate party.

The following are additional avenues to report various kinds of faculty misconduct, should these be appropriate:

Hotline: You can anonymously report faculty misconduct through the UM System Integrity and Accountability Hotline. Please note that reporting through the hotline should not replace other kinds of reporting.
Title IX: If you experience discrimination or retaliation, or if you are aware of any form of discrimination or retaliation, please make a report to the UMSL Title IX & Equity Office so that they can work to address the situation in an appropriate manner.

Nursing Student Resources

Office of Student Services

The Office of Student Services is located on the 1^st floor of the Nursing Administration Building on South Campus.

You may schedule an appointment Monday-Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm by calling the front desk at 314-516-6066, by emailing nursing@umsl.edu, or by logging into your student MyGateway portal.

Students should contact the Student Services Office at nursing@umsl.edu or 314-516-5000, with questions about the curriculum, course prerequisites, course sequencing, and grade requirements.

Academic support services, such as tutoring, academic and career coaching, study groups, workshops, etc. are coordinated by the college’s Student Success & Retention Coordinator. Academic Advisement and registration is coordinated by the college’s Academic Advisors. Prospective students should contact the college’s Recruitment and Enrollment Manager.

Office of Student Services, Nursing Administration Building, Suite 101.

Meet the College of Nursing Student Services Staff

Cara Doerr, Ph.D
Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Office: 111 Nursing Administration Building
Email: ccdhdv@umsl.edu
Phone: 314-516-7781

Valonda Roberts
Student Success and Retention Coordinator
Office: 119 Nursing Administration Building
Email: vr7h5@umsl.edu
Phone: 314-516-7076

Stacy Pearson
Senior Academic Advisor
Office: 118 Nursing Administration Building
Email: pearsonsr@umsl.edu
Phone: 314-516-7028

Hanna Lenz
Senior Student Support Specialist
Office: 110 Nursing Administration Building
Email: hml6m4@umsl.edu
Phone: 314-516-7081

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at the University of Missouri-St. Louis are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, (202) 887-6791. The baccalaureate degree program is approved by the Missouri Board of Nursing; all programs are approved by the Higher Learning commission.