Philosophy & Educational Outcomes

Philosophy

The faculty believes that nursing is a professional discipline, an art and science, which applies knowledge from the psychological, biological, physical, and social sciences to meet the needs of patients within an ever-changing health care environment. Nursing practice encompasses the application of nursing process, critical thinking skills, therapeutic communication and cultural sensitivity in the delivery of nursing care in various health care settings. The goal of nursing practice is to use caring behaviors and therapeutic nursing interventions to assist patients to achieve an optimal level of health or to die with dignity within the environment. Nurses respect the patient's right to self-determination as it relates to health care decisions. The unique interaction between the nurse and the patient is the essence of nursing practice.

 

The faculty believes that education for associate degree nurses is built upon a balance of knowledge from general education, sciences and nursing that occurs within institutions of higher learning. Nursing education is a dynamic process that fosters the mutual exchange between faculty and learner in the attainment and application of knowledge for nursing practice. It is a process that fosters critical thinking, independence and a quest for life-long learning. The learner is an active and responsible partner within the learning process. The faculty acts as a facilitator and resource that directs the learner toward self-discovery.

 

Organizing Framework 

The organizing framework reflects the philosophy of the ASN Program and identifies the basic structural components of the curriculum. The organizational framework of the curriculum is based on the concepts of nursing, patient, health, environment, and is guided by theoretical principles including Maslow and Erikson.

 

Nursing practice encompasses the application of nursing process, critical thinking skills, therapeutic communication and cultural sensitivity in the delivery of nursing care in various health care settings. The role of the associate degree nursing graduate includes provider of care, manager of care, and member within the discipline of nursing. Integrated concepts inherent in these three roles focus on the nurse as caregiver, teacher, coordinator, communicator, collaborator, and advocate. Professional nurses are accountable for their practice within the ANA's Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, ANA's Code of Ethics for Nurses, licensing laws, and established policies and procedures. The patient is defined as an individual, family, or group that is unique with intrinsic worth and dignity. Patients come from diverse backgrounds that influence the delivery of nursing care. Health is a dynamic process that reflects the patient's optimal level of functioning which can be enhanced by therapeutic nursing interventions. Health is influenced by biological, developmental and environmental factors, patient values, societal interactions, and health behaviors. The patient is in constant interaction with the environment. The environment consists of biological, cultural, economic, psychosocial, and spiritual factors having the potential to influence the patient's health.

 

Operational Definitions 

• Critical Thinking- "In nursing, critical thinking for decision making is the ability to think in a systematic and logical manner with an openness to question and reflect on reasoning processes used to ensure safe nursing practice and quality patient care" (Heaslip, P.: Critical thinking and intuition in nursing practice Journal of Advanced Nursing 18 (21): 114–119, 1993.)

• Teaching- "Teaching is an interactive process that promotes learning. It consists of a conscious, deliberate set of actions that help individuals gain new knowledge, change attitudes, adopt new behaviors, or perform new skills (Potter, P. & Perry, A. (2001) Fundamentals of nursing (5th ed.). St. Louis: Mosby)

• Therapeutic Communication- "Therapeutic communication is an interpersonal interaction between the nurse and patient during which the nurse focuses on the patient's specific needs to promote an effective exchange of information" (Videback, S. L. (2006). Pyschiatric mental health nursing (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.)

• Cultural Sensitivity- "Cultural sensitivity means being aware that cultural differences and similarities exist and have an effect on values, learning, and behaviors" (Staffod, Bowman, Eking, Hanna, & Lopoes-Defede, 1997).

• Nursing Process- "Nursing process is an organized, systematic approach used by nurses to meet the individualized health care needs of their patients, families, and communities" (Ignatavicius, D. & Workman, M. L. (2006) Medical-surgical nursing: critical thinking for collaborative care (5th ed.). St. Louis: Elsevier Saunders.)... The nursing process includes assessment, nursing diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation.

• Caring- Caring is... "actions and an attitude that conveys physical care and emotional concern for others" (Ignatavicius, D. & Workman, M. L. (2006) Medical-surgical nursing: critical thinking for collaborative care (5th ed.). St. Louis: Elsevier Saunders.)

• Therapeutic Nursing Interventions- Therapeutic nursing interventions are actions based on scientific rationale that are executed to benefit the patient in a predicted way. These interventions include psychomotor and psychosocial skills.

 

Educational Outcomes 

The Graduate:

1. Functions within the ANA Scope and Standards of Practice, Code of Ethics, licensing laws and established policies and procedures.

2. Provides safe, competent care utilizing nursing process, critical thinking skills, therapeutic communication and cultural sensitivity in a variety of settings.

3. Utilizes caring behaviors and therapeutic nursing interventions to assist patients to achieve an optimal level of health or to die with dignity.

4. Uses organizational and priority-setting skills to effectively manage multiple nursing demands.

5. Seeks appropriate resources when encountering situations beyond knowledge and experience.

6. Demonstrates accountability for nursing care given by self and/or delegated to others.

7. Collaborates with other health care providers to coordinate care.

8. Provides the patient with the information to make choices regarding health.