The USD Department of Nursing provides students with many opportunities to gain hands-on experiences and serve others on a local and global level. 

Clinical Experiences

As a nursing major, you will gain hands-on experience at hospitals in the region. USD partners with large urban hospitals as well as rural hospitals which allows our graduates to care for a variety of patients and populations and to improve healthcare outcomes. You'll experience a different nursing rotation each semester, working alongside hospital staff who will guide you through your clinical.

Service Learning

Service-learning experiences complement the nursing curriculum by providing you with hands-on experience helping others outside traditional health care settings.

USD nursing students have the opportunity to travel to Guatemala to provide health care services to people with limited access to quality healthcare. Working together with students from the physical therapy, physician assistant and occupational therapy programs, students will provide services ranging from health screens to neuro-musculoskeletal exams. You'll also experience and learn about the culture in Guatemala while gaining a unique perspective on providing health care services. 

Additional service-learning experiences, such as assisting a children's program by training staff and families, are also available.

Simulations

Simulation labs are a key part of your education. Simulation sessions allow you to work on unfolding cases in which a patient's condition changes and progresses over time. Each of our sites uses cutting-edge technology to create innovative and realistic patient care scenarios with human simulators that are programmed to demonstrate clinical conditions like asthma, cancer or even traumatic injuries. You will play an active role in determining how to best care for newborn, children and adult models, seeing first-hand how to demonstrate critical thinking when making decisions in response to a patient's needs.

USD is home to more than 170 student organizations, including the Omega Beta Chapter of Sigma International Honor Society of Nursing and the Student Nurses Association (SNA), which are housed in the Department of Nursing. Student members have opportunities for personal and professional development.

Explore Student Organizations

Research Activities

Several faculty members have ongoing research projects that students are invited to participate in. Faculty members are also available to mentor and guide students toward developing and implementing independent projects. If you are interested in independent or group research, speak with your advisor about opportunities available to you. 

Pathway to Innovation

We provide students with unique search experiences through the Pathway to Innovation program.

The program enhances student skills in research and scientific inquiry. Such skills are required for high-impact nursing practice and for entrance and completion of graduate studies in nursing. The Pathway to Innovation is a 240-hour focused program that provides students with a valuable opportunity to confirm a strong interest in research. The student may complete the 240 hours over one summer or spread it out over two to three semesters.

Other Activities

During the program, students will have the opportunity to be involved in several professional development activities. These include but are not limited to:

• Data collection and management
• Data analysis
• Publications
• Presentations
• Journal club
• Seminars
• Workshops
• Research committee

Gain valuable real-world, professional experience while enjoying paid employment and discounted tuition rates as a graduate student at USD. The affordability you gain through graduate assistantships and fellowships will equip you with valuable skills for professional careers or continuing academic work. 

Teaching and research assistantships are awarded by individual departments. If you do not receive an assistantship within your department, you are eligible for an assistantship outside of your academic program or administrative assistantships within support offices are available at USD. Further inquiries should be directed to the graduate chair of the department.

For more information and to apply for a graduate assistantship, visit the Graduate Assistantship webpage.