Nursing Program Philosophy
The Nursing Program subscribes to the Mission and Philosophy statement of Montgomery County Community College. The Nursing faculty has developed and adheres to the following beliefs.
A person is an individual in interaction with the environment. Within this environment, bio-psycho-social-spiritual requirements are necessary for survival and well-being and are known as needs. Health is a homeostatic process which integrates these multiple needs across a wellness-illness continuum. Health involves the ability of the individual to balance internal and external factors to achieve an optimal level of wellness. When this balance is disturbed, a health need may occur.
Nursing is a dynamic process which is both an art and a science. It utilizes critical thinking in the application of knowledge and skills within the context of a professional, caring relationship. Nursing is unique in its ability to provide a comprehensive view of client health needs which requires collaboration with the client and health care team and coordination of available resources. It focuses on human responses to actual and/or potential health needs by utilizing the nursing process and involves a holistic, goal-oriented approach which is adaptive to the needs of the individual, family and community.
The role of the associate degree nurse within the framework of nursing is to provide comprehensive care to diverse clients in a variety of healthcare delivery systems, grounded in evidenced-based practice. The associate degree nurse demonstrates the knowledge, skills, competencies and values inherent in three essential roles: member within the profession of nursing, provider of care, and manager of care.
The teaching-learning process is an interactive process between a teacher and one or more learners in which specific learning objectives or desired behavior changes are achieved. The faculty believe in the concept of a career-ladder approach to nursing education, allowing multiple potential entry points in academic preparation. This preparation should include a core of courses where the student is introduced to the arts and sciences as well as to basic nursing skills and knowledge. Faculty are committed to the idea that the education of the associate degree nurse should be accomplished in institutions of higher education where a balanced distribution exists between nursing and non-nursing courses. This milieu allows students and teachers from multiple disciplines and diverse backgrounds to interact in an atmosphere conducive to learning. In implementing this belief, the nursing faculty established protocols which expedite the movement of practical nurses into advanced standing in the associate degree program, and agreements with colleges/universities that facilitate graduates' progress in their further educational goals.
The outcomes of this associate degree program will be a practitioner who is able to:- integrate critical thinking when incorporating knowledge from the sciences and humanities in the delivery of nursing to clients;
- utilize nursing process in meeting the health care needs of individuals of diverse sociocultural identities across the lifespan;
- implement the roles of the associate degree nurse in a variety of healthcare delivery systems;
- demonstrate behaviors that reflect the values of nursing as a caring profession.
Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework is derived from the philosophy of the Nursing Program. The major foci are human needs, the nursing process, and roles of the nurse.
Human needs are defined as those factors in man's environment which impact on his/her functioning on the wellness/illness continuum. These factors are categorized as biological, psychological, social, spiritual. Within these factors, each human being's place may vary wellness and illness.
Agreed-Upon Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual Categories
Biological
- Oxygenation - The exchange of gases between an organism and its environment.
- Circulation - Production, distribution, and destruction of blood and blood components through the body system.
- Fluid/Electrolyte Balance/Hydration - Equilibrium/distribution of body water and its solutes.
- Nutrition - The sum of the processes involved in taking in nutriments, assimilating and utilizing them.
- Elimination - Excretion of body wastes.
- Rest and Sleep - Periods of diminished activity, both mental and physical.
- Regulation and Sensation/Comfort - Neuro-endocrine influences which govern body processes.
- Skin Integrity/Hygiene - Continuity of the integument.
- Activity - Any movement of the body or its parts.
- Safety/Protection from Infection - Protection from all environmental hazards.
Psycho-Social-Spiritual
- Developmental Stages - Chronological stages with well-defined tasks.
- Mental Health - A relative state of mind in which a person is able to cope with and adjust to the recurrent stressors of everyday living.
- Sexuality - The sum of the physical, functional, and psychological attributes that are expressed by one's gender identity and sexual behavior.
- Social, Cultural, Ethnic Identity - Those characteristics which identify a person to self and others.
- Spirituality - An intrinsic frame of reference providing strength, hope and meaning to life.
Nursing Process is a process used for decision-making within the professional framework of nursing. It is defined as those actions which nurses implement as they deliver nursing care to their client(s). These actions include assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Assessment: Collecting both subjective and objective data about a client.
Diagnosis: A problem statement based on analysis of data, which indicates an actual or potential health problem that nurses are able, licensed, and accountable to treat.
Planning: Reviewing the body of nursing knowledge which is applicable, setting goals, and identifying which interventions are appropriate.
Implementation: Putting the appropriate interventions into action; utilizing other personnel as needed.
Evaluation: Reviewing client attainment of goals, revising as necessary.
In utilizing the nursing process to meet human needs, the nurse enacts the following roles as defined by NLN Educational Outcomes of Associate Degree Nursing Programs: Roles and Competencies (1990).
- Provider of Care: practicing competently and safely in a variety of health care settings with clients of diverse socio-cultural identities across the life span. It includes cognitive, psychomotor and affective abilities which are based in knowledge of health; acute and chronic health deviations; nutrition; pharmacology; communication; human development; teaching-learning principles; current technology; humanities; and biological, social, and behavioral sciences.
- Manager of Care: planning and coordinating care for an individual or group of clients with health care needs. It includes the knowledge and skills necessary to make decisions regarding priorities of care, to delegate some aspects of nursing care and direct others to efficiently use time and resources, and to know when to seek assistance. Supporting the knowledge is an understanding of the principles of client-care management, communication and delegation, legal parameters of nursing practice, and roles and responsibilities of the health care team.
- Member Within the Discipline of Nursing: actively participating within the profession. It includes understanding ethical standards and the legal framework for practice, the importance of nursing research; rules and regulations governing the practice of nursing; roles of the professional organizations, political, economic, and societal forces affecting practice and lines of authority and communication within the work setting.
Approved by NFO - March, 1976
Revised - March, 1982
Revised - March, 1995
Revised - May, 2000
Reviewed - May, 2003
Revised - April, 2005
Revised - November, 2006
Reviewed - February, 2007
