Date of Award

12-2025

Degree Type

Honors College Thesis

Academic Program

Nursing BSN

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Jerry Alliston, Ph.D.

Advisor Department

Interdisciplinary Studies

Abstract

Admission into a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program requires students to meet specific criteria including a non-negotiable set of technical standards. Technical standards encompass physical abilities including twisting, bending, and handling objects of varying weights (Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science, n.d.). While physical capabilities may hold significance in bedside nursing, the American Nurses Association does not establish specific physical qualifications (American Nurses Association, 2010). Due to admission criteria and technical standards, individuals with disabilities are rarely found among career nurses and nursing students (Leslie & Miller, 2020).

This study aims to determine nursing students’ attitudes towards technical standards for entrance into a baccalaureate nursing program at a public southeastern university. A 31-question survey was distributed by email and GroupMe to students of a baccalaureate nursing program. The survey was created to study students’ attitudes towards the standards technical statement required for admission to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. A total of 101 undergraduate students responded to the survey. Responses indicated that nursing students do not recommend that nursing school admission should be based solely on technical standards and that technical standards should be updated on a regular basis. The data indicates there is no correlation between the prior familiarity of nursing students with technical standards and their agreement with the standards after reading them.

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