Mission & Philosophy
Northwest College Nursing Program
Mission Statement
The purpose of Northwest College's nursing programs is to prepare students as entry-level nurses who provide effective, safe, competent, and appropriate nursing care to diverse populations in a variety of health care delivery settings. In addition, Northwest College's nursing programs foster intellectual curiosity and a commitment to lifelong learning for personal and professional growth.
Northwest College Nursing Program
Philosophy of Nursing
Nursing is an art and a science. The dimension of art is the acquisition of interpersonal skills that include ethical and caring values, beliefs and standards unique to nursing. The science preparation requires the development of critical thinking and technical skills necessary for nursing practice. The competent entry nurse must have a foundation in the art and science of nursing that prepares them to function independently as proficient, nurses within the proper scope of practice.
Professional Nurse
The professional nurse provides effective, safe, competent and appropriate care to diverse populations in a variety of health care delivery settings. This care is provided to individuals and families with simple, common, predictable chronic illness needs or with complex, dynamic, unpredictable, acute illness needs. The skilled assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation of care for individuals and families across the life span are the responsibilities of the professional nurse as the Provider of Care. As Manager of Care, the professional nurse is responsible for designing, initiating and directing an individualized plan of care that promotes health prevention and wellness. This is based upon analysis of the individual's needs, environmental, cultural, spiritual, developmental and biopsychosocial welfare. Professional nurses are required to function as Members within the Discipline by practicing collaboratively within the proper scope of practice, legal and ethical frameworks, and within national and state standards of nursing practice.
Practical Nurse
The practical nurse provides effective, safe, competent and appropriate care to diverse populations in a variety of health care delivery settings. This basic care is provided to individuals and families with simple, common, predictable, chronic and acute illness needs. As the Provider of care, the practical nurse nursing care by contributes to the plan of care established by the professional nurse for individuals and families across the life span. Contributing to the skilled assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation of care requires the practical nurse to; collect report and record objective and subjective data in an accurate and timely manner. As Manager of Care, the practical nurse is responsible for participating in the development and revisions of professional nurses' established plan of care. This plan of care promotes health prevention and wellness and is based upon the analysis of the individual's needs, environmental, cultural, spiritual, developmental and biopsychosocial welfare. Practical nurses are required to function as Members within the Discipline by practicing collaboratively within the appropriate scope of practice, legal and ethical frameworks and within national and state standards of nursing practice.
The nursing practice of the graduate from the Northwest College Nursing Programs is characterized by functioning effectively within the three (3) roles of the nurse; Provider of Care, Manager of Care and Member within the Discipline and mastering the eight (8) outcomes of; communication, collaboration, teaching and learning, responsive to human needs, critical thinking, caring, professional behaviors and safety.
Nursing Outcomes (8) descriptions:
1. Communication
Nurses, professional and practical, establish and foster caring relationships with clients through therapeutic communication. Therapeutic communication is an integral part of the entire nursing process. This communication is creative, effective and empathetic and includes effective listening, verbal and non-verbal interactions. Nurses utilize the professional language of nursing to promote professional relationships with the health care team. Nurses document nursing care according to individual agency requirements as well as national and state standards of practice. Appropriate channels of communication are utilized when interacting, delegating and collaborating with the health care team to provide comprehensive and competent care. Consultation with the health care team, members of other disciplines, and other nurses with more education or experience is part of the nursing communication process.
2. Collaboration
Nurses, professional and practical, employ effective collaboration by professional interactions with members of the healthcare team, members from other disciplines and other professional nurses. Professional nurses utilize the collaborative process to share prioritizing, planning, decision-making and problem solving to foster cooperation and promote and ensure competent, safe, effective and appropriate care of the individual and family. Nurses demonstrate organization and management by providing competent care to individuals and families and by properly delegating appropriate tasks, care and responsibilities within the appropriate scope of practice. The ultimate responsibility for care delegated to other health care team members belongs to the professional nurse. The nurse utilizes critical thinking and skills relevant to the scope of practice to implement and efficiently manage the use of time and resources to provide cost effective care.
3. Teaching and learning
Professional nurses evaluate both the level of understanding and the learning needs of individuals and families with simple, common, predictable, chronic illness human needs or individuals and families with complex, dynamic, unpredictable, acute illness human needs when developing and implementing teaching plans. Professional nurses utilize teaching and learning to prevent illness, promote and maintain health and to facilitate informed decision making, achieve positive outcomes and support individual independence.
Practical nurses evaluate both the level of understanding and the learning needs of individuals and families with simple, common, predictable, chronic and acute illness needs when contributing to modifying the professional nurses' established teaching plan. Practical nurses utilize teaching and learning to prevent illness, promote and maintain health and to facilitate informed decision making, achieve positive outcomes and support individual independence.
4. Responsive to human needs
Nurses, professional and practical, recognize that all humans have the same basic needs based on a hierarchy requiring that physiological and safety needs be met before higher needs can be secured. Nurses provide care to meet the unmet needs of the individual in order to promote the overall well-being of the individual. When caring for individuals and families, the nurse is aware that each individual's perception of needs is based upon learning and standards of culture. Individual growth and self-fulfillment are a continuing lifelong process. Nurses provide ethically and culturally competent care to individuals and families. Psychosocial dimensions of growth and development, social interactions, spirituality, coping, and end of life issues play and important role in how the professional nurse designs and manages the care of individuals and families.
Professional nurses use human needs as a foundation for assessing behaviors, assigning priorities to desired outcomes, and planning and prioritizing nursing interventions.
Practical nurses use human needs as a foundation to contribute to the professional nurse's assessment of behaviors, assigned priorities for desired outcomes, and planning and prioritized nursing interventions. Practical nurses utilize human needs as a baseline for providing and delegating care appropriate to the PN scope of practice.
5. Critical thinking
Nurses, professional and practical, use thinking that is purposeful, logical and creative and based on research, educational knowledge, skill, experience, analysis, multiple points of view and collaboration with knowledge from members of other disciplines.
Professional nurses must use critical thinking when making decisions about individual care and situations. Decisions made about individual care utilize the nursing process and draw from a broad and thorough knowledge base of biological, social, behavioral science and nursing. Prioritizing care of individuals is based upon competent problem solving that includes logical organization, analysis and validation of information, critical examination of assumptions, and analyzing inferences and conclusions.
Practical nurses utilize critical thinking to make individual assumptions in clinical settings that contribute to the professional nurse's decisions about the care of the individual.
6. Caring
Nurses, professional and practical, are responsible for the physiological, biopsychosocial, cultural, spiritual and developmental well being of individuals and families. Nurses are accountable for employing nurturing, protective, compassionate, empathetic, and person centered behaviors when providing care to individuals and families. Competent care of the individual requires the nurse to self examine individual as well as personal views and biases when implementing care. It is the responsibility of the nurse to create an atmosphere that establishes trust and hope. Nurses demonstrate respect for client choices related to lifestyle, culture, values, beliefs and multiple points of view when caring for individuals.
7. Safety
Nurses act to ensure the safety of each individual being cared for. The nurse is responsible for functioning within the appropriate scope of practice and must practice within national and state standards for nursing practice as well as legal and ethical frameworks. To ensure nurses are able to make safe decisions regarding individual care and to practice competently, it is essential that the nurse have a broad and thorough knowledge base grounded in nursing and nursing skills relevant to the appropriate scope of practice.
The nursing practice of the graduate from the Northwest College Nursing Programs is characterized by functioning effectively within the three (3) roles of the nurse; Provider of Care, Manager of Care and Member within the Discipline and mastering the eight (8) outcomes of; communication, collaboration, teaching and learning, responsive to human needs, critical thinking, caring, professional behaviors and safety.
8. Professional behaviors
Professional and practical nurses practice within the appropriate scope of practice, legal and ethical frameworks, and within national and state standards of nursing practice. Nurses are committed members within the discipline and collaborative members of the health care team. Nurses are dedicated to protecting the rights of the individual, serve as a patient advocate and adhere to client confidentiality policies. Nurses value and promote intellectual curiosity, and are committed to lifelong learning for personal and professional growth. Nurses value high standards of practice and assume responsibility for knowledge, learning and competent practice. Accountability is demonstrated through being responsible for personal conduct and decisions and accepting the consequences associated with such. It is paramount the nurse recognizes the roles and responsibilities mandated by national standards of ethical and legal scopes of practice and understand the consequences associated with violating the rules and regulations governing individual nursing practice. It is essential that nurses are aware of the importance of professional organizations and the political, economical and social influences that impact nursing practice. The competent nurse is familiar with advancing technology and utilizes evidence based practice to augment critical thinking and advance individual nursing practice.
Philosophy of Nursing Education
Nursing education must promote scholarly inquiry skills in order to meet the health care needs of client populations, now and in the near future. This is best accomplished through institutions of higher learning. The goal of nursing education is to prepare entry-level nurses who provide effective, safe, competent, and appropriate nursing care to diverse populations in a variety of health care delivery settings. Nursing education is based on a strong foundational knowledge grounded in general education and nursing content and skills. Curriculum and learning experiences are based on evidence and reflect current trends relevant to nursing practice. Mastery of desired nursing practice outcomes is the expectation.
Philosophy of Person
The focus of nursing is the person viewed from the perspective of the five dimensions that make up the wholeness of the human experience: physiological, psychological, socio-cultural, developmental, and spiritual. In all phases of life each person is entitled to dignity, respect, informed choice and confidentiality. Human beings have certain basic needs of multicultural origins which are constantly modified as they interact with a changing environment. These basic human needs are arranged in a hierarchy as described by Maslow and dependent on the dimensions.
Philosophy of Health
Health is an individual's perception of the satisfaction with their own state of well-being. It may or may not be related to the presence or absence of disease, but rather the client's perception to their condition. Humans perceive themselves as healthy or ill as a consequence of the relationship between themselves and their environments. The nurse's role is to assist the client to meet basic needs and promote a state of well being that maximizes health status and potential. In that assistance the nurse must acknowledge the client as an individual and provide care that is responsive, appropriate, timely and focused on the client.
Philosophy of Environment
The environment is the combination of internal and external factors which may influence human behavior. The environment can influence the eradication, initiation, maintenance, progression, escalation or termination of a client's disease, condition or state of being. Management of the environment is only possible to the extent that there is the ability to avoid accidents/harm, and diseases. Conscious choices made by the client may not affect the stabilization of forces that effect the environment.
Philosophy of Teaching and Learning
Teaching is defined as communication specifically designed to promote learning in many formats. Teaching and learning are integral parts of ongoing professional development and the nursing process.
Learning is an active, lifelong process that is not site-bound. Learners are responsible for their individual learning and are expected to develop intellectual curiosity and a commitment to lifelong learning founded on evidenced based education. Learners are accountable for personal actions and decisions based on a thorough knowledge and skill base, critical thinking, analysis, and application of content. The learner is expected to be motivated, prepared, self directed, and engaged in individual learning as well as flexible to change and receptive to growing and developing through life experiences, whether positive or negative. Each student brings individual experiences and strengths to the educational setting and is encouraged to be open to multiple points of view.
Faculty are responsible for creating a learning environment conducted with mutual value and respect. The educational setting is one that fosters positive and productive interactions between students and faculty and embraces a variety of learning styles and teaching techniques. Optimal learning occurs when the learning environment is varied to allow the instructor to interact with students in multiple ways and with multiple points of view that enable them to acquire new information, practice new skills, reconfigure and incorporate what is already known with what is newly learned.
Conceptual/Organizational Framework
The nursing faculty believes that building a strong foundation in and by mastering the art and science of nursing leads to competent nursing practice. Faculty developed the curriculum to ensure that the entry level nurse from the Northwest College Nursing Programs will be prepared to provide effective, safe, competent, and appropriate nursing care to diverse populations in a variety of health care delivery settings.. The curriculum is organized around the (3) roles of the nurse; provider of care, manager of care and member within the discipline and the eight (8) outcomes or progressive and pervasive threads that provide the foundation for safe, effective , competent and appropriate nursing care: Safety, communication, collaboration, teaching and learning, responsive to human needs, critical thinking, caring, and professional behaviors.
The outer ring of the schematic is labeled with the principles of the mission; safe, effective, competent nursing care. The center of the schematic demonstrates the three (3) roles that the nurse functions within to provide nursing care. Each role of the nurse overlaps with the other demonstrating that each responsibility relates to and impacts the other and ultimately the safe, competent, and effective care of the individual.
Arrows from each role of the nurse progress outward towards each of the eight (8) outcomes or threads of the curriculum. This demonstrates that nurses must master and implement each of these behaviors within each of the three (roles) in order to be safe, competent, and effective practitioners of nursing care.
The color of the schematic goes from simple and light centrally to complex and dark peripherally. This demonstrates the progressive and pervasive (simple to complex) nature of the curriculum. Each outcome is present pervasively within each role of the nurse. Each semester of the curriculum builds upon the skill and content from the previous semester. Students must successfully achieve master each semester to progress on to the next semester. The progression of skill and content increases in complexity each semester in order to prepare the entry level nurse to be an appropriate, competent, safe and effective provider of care.
Definitions:
1. Communication: Communication is an interactive process through which an exchange of information occurs whether written, verbal, or non-verbal. It is through meaningful and therapeutic communications that trust and rapport is established with clients, other members of the healthcare team and community.
2. Collaboration: Collaboration is the shared planning, decision-making, problem solving, goal setting, and assumption of responsibility by those who work together cooperatively. Collaboration occurs with the client, significant support person(s), peers, other members of the healthcare team, community agencies, and the professional nurse. Collaboration requires consideration of client needs, priorities, and preferences, available resources and services, shared accountability, and mutual respect.
3. Teaching and Learning: Teaching and learning are processes utilized to impart and assimilate knowledge, stimulate thinking, and facilitate decision making. Teaching includes the transmission of information, evaluation of the response to teaching, and the changing of teaching based on identified client responses. Learning involves the transfer and processing of knowledge. The processes of teaching and learning are used to promote and maintain health and to facilitate informed decision making, achieve positive outcomes, and support activities that promote maintaining individual independence, and result in positive changes of behavior.
4. Human Needs: Human needs are basic human requirements necessary for the overall well being of an individual. According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, basic human needs such as physiologic and safety must be met before higher needs in the hierarchy can be secured. People meet their own needs relative to their own priorities. A failure to meet basic needs results in one or more homeostatic imbalances. Nurses use human needs as a framework for assessing behaviors, assigning priorities to desired outcomes, and planning nursing intervention. Meeting the needs of the individual with unmet human needs is paramount to ensure the overall well being of individuals.
5. Critical Thinking: Critical thinking is purposeful and reflective logic and judgment which is based on knowledge, skills, and experience and multiple points of view. Critical thinking is self-directed; outcome focused, and involves a constant re-evaluation of decisions or solutions against a standardized set of criteria. Critical thinking is applied using the nursing process as a systematic framework to meet the needs of the individuals, family, and community.
The Nursing Process is a systematic framework that utilizes critical thinking skills and analysis. The nursing process consists of five components: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Assessment is the gathering of subjective and objective data related to the client. The data collected is analyzed and used to establish an organized data base. The data base is used to make a nursing diagnosis and to guide care. Planning is a collaborative effort between the nurse and the client so goals for behavioral change are mutually agreed upon. Goal statements are client oriented, measurable, and time-bound. Planning also involves the selection of appropriate nursing interventions that will assist the client to attain the desired outcome.
The focus of nursing interventions is the promotion of health and prevention of illness, facilitation of health and wellness throughout the illness process, and rehabilitation which is aimed at facilitating the return to a maximal level of health. When evaluating, the nurse analyzes each outcome to determine if the goals were appropriate and attained. The processes are repeated as necessary as reassessment occurs.
6. Caring: Caring is an interpersonal process of feeling and connecting emotional and empathetically with self, others and personalizing and humanizing the situation. Nurses utilize a knowledge and understanding of the natural sciences, behavioral sciences, nursing theory, nursing research, and nursing experiences to formulate plans of care and intervene with nursing behaviors and actions that assist clients in meeting their health care needs. Caring also involves nursing behaviors that are nurturing, protective, compassionate, culturally sensitive and person centered. These behaviors facilitate an atmosphere of trust and hope. Caring behavior maintains respect for client choices related to lifestyle, culture, values, attitudes, beliefs and multiple points of view.
7. Safety: The act of keeping the client free from harm or risk of harm.
8. Professional Behaviors: Professional behaviors are those manners of conducting oneself leading the individual to be perceived as professional by individuals within and outside the professional arena of practice. Professional behaviors generate responses from others as to how a person is received, viewed and accepted as provider of care, a member of the profession and healthcare team. Professional behaviors adhere to a scope of practice, within legal and ethical frameworks and within state and national standards of nursing practice. Professional are accountable for individual actions, behaviors and decisions. Professional nurses value the profession of nursing and participate in ongoing professional development.
