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The Walters State Community College Department of Nursing shares the Vision and Mission
of the College and supports the Campus Compact. The philosophy of the nursing program
provides the foundation for the curriculum, reflects the beliefs of the faculty, and
supports achievement of division student learning outcomes.
Mission/Purpose
The purpose of the Program is to provide an affordable, high quality nursing educational
opportunity for the residents of East Tennessee. The program will prepare individuals
to:
- Complete the requirements for an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Nursing
- Complete successfully the National Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).
- Provide safe and effective care for diverse populations.
- Promote improvement in the quality of life for East Tennessee residents.
- Maintain a spirit of inquiry through lifelong learning.
- Access other educational institutions for higher education in nursing
The Practice of Associate Degree Nursing
The Associate Degree Nurse is prepared for entry level practice as a registered nurse.
To achieve the outcomes of the program, graduates will demonstrate relationship-centered
care based on national standards set forth by the National League for Nursing (NLN,
2010) and the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses initiative (QSEN, 2011).
End of Program Student Learning Outcomes:
- Practice within the ethical, legal and regulatory frameworks of nursing & the standards of professional nursing practice.
- Communicate effectively using verbal, nonverbal, and written techniques including
information and technology.
- Analyze subjective and objective data to identify actual or potential health alterations.
- Evaluate outcomes of clinical decisions implemented to provide safe and effective evidenced-based nursing care.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of caring interventions that incorporate principles of dignity, safety, & knowledge.
- Incorporate principles of teaching and learning to meet the educational needs of patients, families, and /or groups.
- Collaborate when planning, implementing, and evaluating care.
- Manage care through effective use of prioritization, delegation, informatics, and resources.
Inherent in the program and graduate outcomes are the core components and competencies
basic to the practice of nursing as identified by the National League for Nursing
(2000) and the quality and safety competencies identified by QSEN.
Core Components and Competencies
- Professional Behaviors
- Communication
- Assessment
- Clinical Decision Making
- Caring Interventions
- Teaching/Learning
- Collaboration
- Managing Care
Quality and Safety Competencies
- Patient-Centered Care
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Evidence Based Practice
- Quality Improvement
- Safety
- Informatics
Education
The Walters State Community College nursing program promotes excellence in the teaching
and preparation of students for life-long learning. Each student is valued as a unique
person and is guided toward development of individual potential as a contributing
member of the nursing profession and as a citizen in a democratic society.
The faculty believe that learning takes place within the learner; therefore, self
awareness and self evaluation are emphasized. Faculty acknowledge that learners bring
a variety of life experiences, learning styles, and personal goals to the education
setting. Further, faculty believe learning is:
- Meaningful, when there are goals and objectives.
- Enhanced, when the climate is non-judgmental.
- Meaningful and lasting, when there is opportunity for application.
- Enhanced, when the learner is motivated by an awareness of his or her own needs.
- Progressive from the familiar to the new and from the simple to the complex.
- Enhanced, when the learner is involved in the learning process.
To prepare an adaptable generalist, nursing education is best accomplished in an institution
of higher learning through a curriculum which incorporates knowledge from a variety
of disciplines. These disciplines include the natural sciences, social and behavioral
sciences, humanities and mathematics as well as the incorporation of oral, written,
and technological communication.
The combination of general and nursing education courses provides learning experiences
that prepare the student to function with intellectual and technical competence, utilizing
critical thinking skills in the application of the nursing process.
The nursing faculty endeavors to provide the guidance that will enable each individual
to apply his or her potential in the field of nursing. The nursing faculty facilitates
learning for the students while functioning as nursing experts, teachers, mentors,
and nurturers.
Philosophy
The philosophy of the Nursing Program is a belief system held by the faculty regarding
person, environment, health, and nursing. These defining concepts are interrelated
and exist in a dynamic relationship.
PERSON is defined as a human being worthy of respect and dignity. Accepting Maslow's
theory, each individual has a hierarchy of needs from physiologic to self-actualization.
Each person makes decisions and choices based on knowledge, cultural background, experience,
perceptions, values, and goals. Changes in the person occur throughout the lifespan.
Each person interacts with and responds to changes in the internal and external environment.
The concept of person may include individuals, families, communities, and groups.
ENVIRONMENT refers to the total of all factors and processes, internal and external,
continuously impacting on the person.
HEALTH is a dynamic state of being resulting from the adaptation to the interaction
of person and environment. Health is a subjective and individual perception existing
on a continuum from optimal wellness through end of life.
NURSING is an applied discipline of knowledge and skills based on research. Nursing
functions are dependent, independent, and collaborative. The nurse interacts with
the person in the environment to promote health. As a stakeholder in the community,
nursing has a responsibility to provide fiscally sound, quality care that promotes
health, prevents illness, restores health, and facilitates coping across the lifespan.
Nursing occurs in a variety of settings.
Nursing process is a systematic method that uses critical thinking to provide structure
to nursing practice toward the achievement of positive outcomes. Through the use of
nursing process, nurses diagnose and treat the person's response to actual and potential
health problems. The practice of nursing includes provision for a safe effective care
environment, measures to achieve physiological and psychosocial integrity, and promotion
and maintenance of health.
The Conceptual Model for this associate degree program depicts the interrelationship
between the central concepts of person, environment, health, and nursing. The outer
circle reflects the external environment. The broken lines of the two inner circles
illustrate the continuous open interaction between the internal and external environments.
The inner circles, representing person and nursing, overlap to depict the role of
nursing as it interacts to promote health, prevent illness, restore health, and facilitate
coping. The straight line intersecting person depicts the health continuum on which
each person exists.
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