Program Admissions

The Duke University School of Nursing has a responsibility to educate competent nurses to care for their patients/clients (persons, families, and/or communities) with critical judgment, broad-based knowledge, and well-honed technical skills. The Duke University School of Nursing has academic and technical standards that must be achieved by students to successfully progress in and graduate from their programs.

Technical Standards

The Duke University School of Nursing provides the following description/examples of technical standards to inform prospective and enrolled students of a sampling of technical standards required in completing their nursing science curriculum. These technical standards reflect a sample of the performance abilities and characteristics that are necessary to successfully complete the requirements of the Duke University School of Nursing. The standards are not requirements of admission into the programs and the examples are not all-inclusive. Individuals interested in applying for admission to the programs should review these standards to develop a better understanding of the skills, abilities, and behavioral characteristics required to successfully complete the programs. Key areas for technical standards in nursing include having abilities and skills in the areas of (1) acquiring fundamental knowledge; (2) developing communication skills; (3) interpreting data; (4) integrating knowledge to establish clinical judgment; (5) implementing and evaluating nursing interventions; and, (6) incorporating appropriate professional attitudes and behaviors into nursing practice (See Table 1 on the School of Nursing website for more detailed information about technical standards).