Mission, Vision & Beliefs
Vision
The progressive Associate Degree nursing program of choice, promoting excellence in an atmosphere of dynamic education to serve the needs of the community.
Mission
To facilitate the growth and transition of the student into the role of the Associate Degree Registered Nurse practicing with integrity, accountability, excellence, passion, and a commitment to continued improvement.
Beliefs
We believe that a person, the recipient of nursing care, is defined as an individual, family unit or group. The person is dynamic in nature with human needs, actual or potential, which are influenced by culture, ethnicity, development, identity, spirituality, socio-economic status and environment. The person (patient) is to be included as an active participant in care and to be empowered as an equal partner with rights and responsibilities to promote and maintain an optimal state of health.
We believe that health is defined by a person in relation to their own values, personality and lifestyle, and is not just the absence of disease. Lifestyle circumstances, which may include environment (both local and global), diet, physiological and psychological variables, can impact health positively or negatively. Health promotion and prevention, applied across the lifespan, enhances the journey for improved quality of life. In contrast, illness is an altered state in which health is diminished in comparison to a person’s previous experience and may not be synonymous with disease. Illness impacts not only the physical dimension, but also the psychological, spiritual and social dimensions. To achieve favorable outcomes in care, nurses must assist ethically in promoting optimal environments in all human dimensions.
We believe that the nurse is a person who has been uniquely educated in the science and art of nursing to provide quality care for a patient in a compassionate and reflective manner. The nurse is an integral part of the interdisciplinary health care system serving a diverse community. The nurse possesses several distinguishing attributes to function in a complex role in providing quality care. As a caregiver, the Associate Degree Nurse (ADN) advocates, teaches, communicates, and utilizes the nursing process to promote health and wellness for the patient. In addition, the nurse uses life-long learning skills to incorporate research, evidenced-based practice, and technological proficiency in the provision of safe and effective care. The nurse also facilitates the patient’s goals through guidance, collaboration, mentoring and creative problem solving; all while empowering the person to make informed decisions. As a member of the profession, the nurse is a leader with integrity, accountability, and a passion for excellence who contributes to the voice of the profession through membership in a professional organization.
We believe that education is a dynamic process in which a partnership is developed between the educator and the student. Using innovative adult learning principles, a learning environment is created in which information can be accessed, assessed, used and managed. Measurable outcomes, appropriate to the discipline, are used to direct and evaluate the educational process. Nursing education, through the facilitation of this dynamic process, provides students the scientific background, practice-based knowledge, clinical reasoning skills and ethical focus necessary to enter the practice of nursing safely and competently. The nursing educator is knowledgeable about the subject matter, motivated to promote the educational process in a respectful and compassionate manner, and willing to be a mentor to the student while encouraging a spirit of inquiry and continual improvement. The nursing student is motivated and willing to be a responsible, interactive partner in the educational process.
