Nov 22, 2008
7:48:48 AM ET

Philosophy of the Nursing Program

"As a nurse, I find total self-satisfaction. Patty

Nursing

Each individual is a unique being, innately worthy of respect and dignity, who has the ability to contribute creatively to the environment. The individual, as a member of a family and community, interacts with the environment and utilizes intellect and free will to make decisions and thereby establish individuality. Viewed as multifaceted with physiological, psychological, sociocultural, and spiritual components, the individual responds as an organized whole to internal or external stressors. These stressors elicit adaptation responses that may result in movement along the health continuum.

Health is a dynamic state that reflects adaptation responses to internal and external stressors in order to maintain physiological, psychological, sociocultural, and spiritual well-being. Health reflects the individual's ability to maintain essential life functions, including protective, sensory-perceptual, comfort/rest, activity/mobility, nutrition/metabolism, fluid and gas transport, elimination, psychosocial-cultural, and growth and development  (including reproduction) functions. Alteration in any function potentially affects health. Wellness requires the integration of health practices by individuals throughout life in order to reach their optimum potential. Illness exists when adaptation responses are ineffective and/or incomplete.

Nursing is a caring profession that provides health care to diverse individuals across the life span in diverse care settings. With a broad knowledge base, nursing is both an art and a science, combining the art of caring with the science of nursing. Utilizing critical thinking in a clinical decision-making process as the basis for care, nursing focuses on the response of the individual to actual and potential health alterations. As a therapeutic process, nursing assists in the promotion and maintenance of health, management of illness, restoration of function, education of individuals, and preservation of dignity. As an interpersonal process, nursing communicates and collaborates with individuals, significant support persons and health care providers to foster optimum health.

The Practice of the Associate Degree Graduate

Upon graduation from an associate degree nursing program, an individual is prepared for entry level practice as a registered nurse. Associate degree nursing graduates contribute necessary and skilled competencies to individuals with actual or potential health alterations.

The associate degree nurse is prepared to:

• provide quality direct client care in diverse settings
• manage the care of client(s) and groups of clients
• become a member of the discipline of nursing

As a provider of care, the associate degree nurse, in conjunction with the client, uses a clinical decision-making process to assess the client's state of adaptation through collection and validation of data; analyze data to identify a problem statement and outcomes; develop a plan of care that includes priorities of care and client-centered outcomes; organize and coordinate the plan of care and implement caring interventions; and evaluate the client's progress toward meeting the established outcomes.

As a manager of care, the associate degree nurse uses communication, collaboration and coordination to facilitate the care of individual clients or groups of clients with health care needs. The associate degree nurse is a client advocate and is accountable for care delegated to others and the efficient use of resources that support positive client and organizational outcomes.

As a member of the discipline of nursing, the associate degree nurse assumes responsibility for personal and professional growth, continued learning, and self-development. The associate degree nurse is responsible for practicing within the ethical and legal framework of nursing practice and in accord with the standards of nursing care.

Nursing Education

Nursing education is a continuous, lifelong process that results in observable and measurable changes in knowledge, skills and attitudes. Learning occurs best when the learner is self-directed, an active participant in the learning process, and accountable for personal behavior and performances. Learning is enhanced when there are opportunities for practice, self-discipline, critical thinking, and clinical decision-making.

Learners bring a variety of life experiences, learning styles and personal goals to the educational setting. Learners share responsibility with the educator for identification of learning needs, selection of learning activities and evaluation of educational outcomes.

Educators are responsible for facilitating an environment to meet the individual needs of the learner, giving guidance to the educational process and evaluating the educational outcomes.

Nursing education is best accomplished in an institution of higher learning where knowledge from the areas of natural sciences, social and behavioral sciences, written and oral communication, humanities, mathematics and technology is integrated with nursing theory. This provides learners with a foundation on which to develop the competencies needed to assist individuals with actual or potential health alterations. Nursing education is enhanced by the identification of educational outcomes, learning objectives and diverse learning activities.

Nursing Program Competencies

In order to achieve the goals of the nursing program, graduates must perform central competencies basic to the practice of Associate Degree nursing. Each course in the nursing program contributes to the development of these competencies. The central competencies include the ability to:

1. KNOWLEDGE: Integrate knowledge and skills acquired from general education foundation and nursing discipline to assist diverse individuals across the life span to promote, maintain, and restore optimum health.
2. ASSESSMENT: Collect, analyze and synthesize subjective and objective data of diverse individuals across the life span.
3. CLINICAL DECISION-MAKING: Use the a clinical decision-making process in caring for diverse individuals across the life span with actual and potential alterations in health.
4. CARING BEHAVIORS: Implement caring interventions for clients across the life span in diverse settings that incorporate principles of dignity, diversity, safety and knowledge.
5. COMMUNICATION: Communicate effectively with the client, significant support persons and health care providers.
6. TEACHING/LEARNING: Develop, implement, evaluate and modify an individualized teaching plan based on client needs.
7. COLLABORATION: Collaborate effectively with the client, significant support persons and health care providers.
8. COORDINATION: Coordinate nursing care of individual client(s) and groups of clients using management principles.
9. PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIORS: Practice within the legal, ethical and regulatory frameworks of nursing and the standards of professional nursing practice.

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