Department of Nursing

| Northeast MS Community College

NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE

ASSOCIATE DEGREE NURSING PHILOSOPHY

The purpose of the Northeast Mississippi Community College Associate Degree Nursing Program is to prepare a competent, caring professional who can attain licensure as a Registered Nurse and enter the workforce.  The Program purpose mirrors the institutional purpose and is supported by the philosophy of the Division of Nursing.  The Philosophy of the faculty is congruent with the theories and concepts around which the curriculum is designed and provides the foundation for the achievement of course, educational, and program outcomes and is the impetus for instruction.

The faculty believe that humans are unique creations of the Supreme Being capable of achieving homeostasis through meeting basic needs, developmental tasks and common goals across the lifespan.  We believe family, society, and culture influence behavior.  Ethnicity, religion, and social order contribute to the individual's perspective of life. Humans, as social beings, exhibit integrity and innate worth and are thinking members of society.

Health, a dynamic state of optimal physical, spiritual, emotional, and social well being, is a total life process.  Health is influenced by one's perception of the ability to cope with stress in meeting needs and achieving tasks and goals.  Illness occurs when humans, at any time within the lifespan, are unable to meet their needs or perceive a threat to their ability to meet needs.

The faculty concur with the Southern Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing Task Force which defines nursing as "a practice discipline with cognitive, sensory, affective, and psychomotor performance requirements." Nursing involves caring and, as a process, assists humans to meet their needs and is practiced in collaboration with other health care providers in diverse settings with clients at various stages of their lifespan. The Nursing Process (assessment, analysis, planning, implementation, and evaluation) and knowledge derived from the biophysical and psychosocial sciences provide a framework for the application of critical thinking in nursing.

The associate degree nurse uses the nursing process to provide competency based care, thereby promoting and/or maintaining, healthy outcomes for individuals, families and groups.  The associate degree nurse provides the first level of professional nursing care and, as an accountable member of the health team, practices with nurses having a variety of educational backgrounds.  The Associate Degree Nurse, in Mississippi, functions within the roles of Provider of Care, Manager of Care, and Member Within the Discipline of Nursing as outlined in the competencies identified in The Mississippi Model, 2003 and the core competencies identified in the National League for Nursing document Educational Competencies for Graduates of Associate Degree Nursing Programs, 2000.  The practical nurse, a graduate of an approved vocational-technical program of study, functions at the direction of the registered nurse.  The faculty believe that the practical nurse possesses the potential for advanced placement into an associate degree program because of his/her basic nursing education.  A broader and more liberal educational base is referenced in the practice of the baccalaureate prepared nurse. The nurse who is prepared at the masters and/or doctoral level possesses a broad range of theoretical concepts and clinical skills that are necessary for functioning in advanced practice roles.

The institution of higher education is the ideal setting for optimal learning and the achievement of social and intellectual progress of the nursing student.  Such a setting is conducive to maximum use of human and material resources in achieving such objectives.

The teaching-learning process, like the nursing process, is purposeful, planned, implemented, and evaluated. Basic ideas, concepts, and skills are introduced using sequential steps. Knowledge of scientific principles and human behavior is gained through integration of basic ideas into more complex learning.  Implementation of this process is influenced by such factors as learner readiness, teacher and learner perception, and availability of resources and time.

  Active involvement of teacher and learner is necessary for optimal learning and achievement of objectives.  Learner feedback is encouraged and validated through verbal exchange, psychomotor behavior, and written cognitive expressions.  Learning is reinforced through successful application and transfer of knowledge.  Problem solving in related areas is made possible through guided clinical experiences in which the learner uses sensory, cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills. The teacher sets the stage for the emergence of desirable learning outcomes through planned course content and laboratory experiences.  The teacher guides and directs the learner in planned activities to achieve objectives and serves as a resource person. Evaluation of the teaching-learning process is ongoing, mutual, and based on stated objectives and criteria for performance.  Shared evaluation of the learner by the teaching team increases objectivity.  The learner actively participates in achievement of program goals and objectives and possesses unique capabilities and characteristics that influence individual learning outcomes.

Philosophy Last Reviewed by the Faculty August 2006