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About the Major
The nursing program prepares students with the necessary skills to practice successfully in diverse healthcare settings. South nursing graduates are prepared to deliver comprehensive care and make an impact on patients and their families.
Jobs in Nursing
- Registered nurse in a hospital or clinic
- Nursing administrator
- Registered nurse in a research setting
- Public health nurse
Related Programs
Nursing Turns Out to Be Her Perfect Career After All
Faith Edgell thought she wanted to be a physician, but planned for a backup career in case medical school didn’t work out. So she began pre-med studies at another university, majoring in biomedical engineering.
The main thing she learned was that engineering was not for her. So she headed back to the Gulf Coast (home is Ocean Springs, Mississippi) to the University of South Alabama College of Nursing.
“This has been just such my niche,” Edgell said. “I’ve excelled at it. Unexpectedly.”
Well, not entirely unexpectedly. Her mother is an EMT. Her stepmother is a nurse, as is her older brother. “I was like, ‘I want to go above and beyond. I want to go to medical school.’ And then I was like, ‘No I don’t.’”
With her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, she’ll apply for the National Council Licensure Examination and become a registered nurse. She hoped to go into pediatric nursing. “I have a hard time imagining myself not working with children.”
“This has been just such my niche. I’ve excelled at it. Unexpectedly.”
Her studies have proved challenging as well as fulfilling. Helping to treat actual suffering patients, especially children, was gut-wrenching at first. “I was leaving the hospital every clinical rotation crying,” Edgell said. “My instructors really pulled me through.”
They taught her coping techniques and reassured her that her reaction was normal. One said, “Faith, if you weren’t this upset I would be more worried, because this just means you really care.”
She also got support as a member of the Student Nurses Association and the Nurses Christian Fellowship. She was selected as president of the fellowship and helped start a program allowing any student, member or not, to request prayers.
“Nursing school is hard,” she said. “We just really want there to be some way to not feel like you’re alone.”
Did You Know?
- Nursing students complete direct clinical hours at USA Health hospitals and clinics, other hospitals in Mobile and Baldwin counties, and other healthcare settings along the Gulf Coast.
- The direct care clinical experiences may include rotations in a Level I trauma center, a regional burn center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit. Hands-on clinical experiences throughout the program ensure that students are confident in their clinical skills.
- The state-of-the-art Simulation Lab provides high-fidelity patient simulators and standardized patients. The College of Nursing values simulation as a high-impact instructional strategy.
Contact:
Dr. Heather Hall
Dean
College of Nursing
(251) 445-9400
Curriculum and Degree Requirements