ADN Mission and Philosophy
Overview
The San Joaquin Delta College curriculum is based upon the basic standards of competent performance of an entry- level registered nurse. Upon completion of the program, the graduate is eligible to write the National Licensing Examination (NCLEX-RN) for licensure as a registered nurse in the state of California. Graduates who complete the prescribed basic curriculum earn an Associate Degree in Nursing.
The Associate Degree Nursing Program content is drawn heavily from the sciences and general education. The Associate Degree Nursing Program curriculum is based on utilization of problem solving, nursing process, critical thinking, professionalism and leadership behaviors. The Associate Degree in Nursing provides a foundation of nursing knowledge and technical skills.
The experiences in the program are designed to encourage students to take responsibility for independent learning. The content is built upon concurrent scope (breadth and depth) of educational concepts. The Associate Degree Nursing preparation focuses on a strong medical-surgical foundation, professionalism, and application of the nursing process in the various clinical settings.
Mission Statement
The mission and philosophy of the San Joaquin Delta College Associate Degree Nursing Program (SJDC ADN Program) is congruent with the Mission Statement, Goals, and Vision of San Joaquin Delta College. The curriculum is designed to provide an educational program that integrates the needs of the student nurse with the needs of the college, the community, and the nursing profession. The purpose of the ADN program is to provide an education that is based on student learning outcomes which support the practice of professional nursing care designed to meet the needs of client who are undergoing alterations in health throughout their lifespan. The nursing faculty is committed to providing a program of instruction that is responsive to cultural diversity while preparing graduates for entry-level nursing practice.
In order to best meet an ever-changing healthcare environment, the program will engage in a process of continuous improvement in curricula, faculty and staff development, technical strategies and education delivery methods that best serve the needs of student nurses. The program is committed to educational mobility and articulation. The curriculum is organized to meet the requirements of the California Board of Registered Nursing and the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. Graduates are prepared to assume responsibility for educational and professional growth through participation in programs of continuing education and life-long learning.
Philosophy of Nursing
Client
The client is viewed as an individual, family or society with distinct but ever-changing health care needs that are impacted by personal history and sociocultural influences. Actual or potential health problems may arise at any time during the lifespan of clients indicating the need for nursing care. It is the right of the client to participate in making decisions regarding his/her health care needs.
Environment
Environment refers to "that viable arena which has relevance to the life space of an organism." (Neuman, 1982, p. 9; 1989; 1995). Environment consists of internal and external stressors, which encompass the client at any point in time creating a need for nursing care. Stressors may be intrapersonal, interpersonal, and extrapersonal. The environment is also viewed as the site where nursing care may take place, which may be in a health care facility, the home or the community.
Health
Health is an individualized, dynamic state identified as a relative point on a continuum. Health is impacted by the client's lifestyle, psychological health, biological factors, and social/cultural influences (Pender, 1996). The goal of nursing care is to address client needs using process-based scientific principles in an organized manner that addresses the needs for a safe and effective care environment, the need to promote or maintain physiological integrity, the need to promote or maintain psychosocial integrity and the need to promote overall health by engaging the client in their plan of care, along with providing appropriate patient education.
Nurse
The nurse is an individual who has been prepared to enter the profession of nursing. This time-honored profession, both an art and a science, is committed to the prevention of illness, promotion of health, and restoration of optimal wellness, through professional, caring and supportive interventions. The professional nurse applies scientific principles and skills in providing care that recognizes the unique characteristics and needs of the client. Nurses must be aware of professional practice standards and the scope of practice to which they are responsible (ANA, 2004). The faculty promotes a nursing practice that is "based on a social contract that acknowledges the professional rights and responsibilities of nursing, and includes mechanisms for public accountability (ANA, 2003). Nursing practice demands caring behaviors and commitment to ethical practices independent of the practice setting. These behaviors are as important as the integration of theoretical knowledge and scientific principles within practice of the profession (ANA, 2001).
Nursing
Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations (ANA, 2013).
Nursing is a discipline, which requires the use of cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills for the provision of individualized care. The delivery of care is based on the application of the nursing process, utilizing scientific principles and theoretical knowledge. The nursing process is goal oriented; client-centered and requires the application of critical thinking skills toward problem-solving and decision making.
The practice of nursing is dynamic and is directed toward the needs of the individual, the family and the community during health and illness. The nursing process is applied to address the needs for a safe and effective environment, promotion of client physiological and psychological integrity, and for the promotion and maintenance of health. Nursing practice may be in structured, unstructured, acute, chronic or community-based health-care settings.
Nursing Education
Nursing Education of the Associate Degree Nurse (ADN) at San Joaquin Delta Community College is an outcomes-based curriculum, organized around an NCSBN Client Needs Model. Integrated with the curriculum are the disciplines of nursing and nursing practice. The nursing process and the concepts associated with meeting client needs include teamwork and collaboration, quality improvement, safety, informatics and evidence-based practice. Graduates of the program are prepared to provide and manage entry-level care throughout the lifespan in a variety of healthcare settings. The graduates are prepared to collaborate with other members of the care team to meet the healthcare needs of a culturally diverse urban and rural community.
The faculty recognize and are sensitive to the learning needs of the student nurses who come to the program from varied backgrounds that are reflective of the community. Instructional strategies are developed to meet student needs and are continuously evaluated for effectiveness. Members of the faculty assume the role of student advocate by assisting students with available support the services. The faculty encourages student involvement in program development and college-wide activities.
The faculty facilitates the learning process by creating a flexible environment and planning experiences that support student learning outcomes. Respect for individuality, freedom of expression, shared decision making, and mutual trust promote reciprocal relationships and create an optimal learning environment. The faculty accept responsibility for acting as role models and stimulating intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, self-awareness and promoting lifelong learning. The nursing faculty accept responsibility to provide students with quality educational experiences necessary for academic and professional growth. Likewise, students accept the responsibility for actively engaging in the learning process and are encouraged to evaluate personal and professional responsibilities on a continuing basis.
Conceptual Framework
The San Joaquin Delta College Associate Degree Nursing Program has adopted an organizing framework based on the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) framework of Client Needs (NCSBN, 2013,) along with integration of QSEN Pre-Licensure Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes. The Client Needs framework places the client as the focus of care at the center of the model. This evidence-based model delineates the areas of client needs as a method of organizing patient care. Each of the categories contain specific sub skills which define care to be delivered to a client in a variety of settings throughout the lifespan. The four major concepts are:
- Safe and Effective Care Environment
- Health Promotion and Maintenance
- Psychosocial Integrity
- Physiological Integrity
Evidence-based care is delivered utilizing the nursing process. The nursing process serves as a guide for nursing actions based upon formulation of nursing diagnoses, planning and implementation of care followed by evaluation of those interventions as a means of quality improvement. Integrated within the nursing process are practices that promote client safety, utilize collaboration with other health care disciplines and promote continuous quality improvement through the use of objective and subjective data.
Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) Program Outcomes
Concept 1: Safe and Effective Care Environment
Program Outcome 1: Through the application of the nursing process, the graduate will facilitate optimum client outcomes through quality, effective nursing care that provides a safe environment for clients, family/significant others and other health care personnel.
Program Outcome 2: Through the application of the nursing process, the graduate will facilitate optimum client outcomes through assistance with activities of daily living, provision of comfort measures as well as safe and accurate administration of medications and parenteral therapies to clients.
Concept 2: Health Promotion and Maintenance
Program Outcome 3: Through application of the nursing process, utilizing best practices across the lifespan in a variety of settings, the graduate will facilitate optimum client outcomes which are based upon decisions and care that prevent and/or manage complications or health problems related to existing conditions, treatments, or procedures by providing evidence-based care to multiple clients with acute, chronic and/or life threatening physical conditions.
Program Outcome 5: Through the application of the nursing process, utilizing best practices across the lifespan in a variety of settings, the graduate will facilitate optimum client outcomes by managing care that promotes health maintenance through client advocacy and education.
Concept 3: Psychosocial Integrity
Program Outcome 4: Through application of the nursing process, utilizing best practices across the lifespan in a variety of settings, the graduate will facilitate optimum client outcomes by providing therapeutic communication to clients, family, and significant others.
Program Outcome 6: Through application of the nursing process, utilizing best practices across the lifespan in a variety of settings, the graduate will facilitate optimum client outcomes by managing care that addresses the emotional, mental, social, and cultural needs of clients, their families, and significant other.
Concept 4: Physiological Integrity
Program Outcome 7: Through applications of the nursing process, utilizing best practices across the lifespan in a variety of settings, the graduate will facilitate optimum client outcomes through nursing care that incorporates professionalism, leadership, interprofessional collaboration, teamwork, and quality improvement.