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Program Mission

The Associate Degree Nursing faculty at Austin Community College is committed to implementing ACC's mission statement through:

• facilitating excellence in nursing education by preparing graduates for licensure in a rapidly changing profession in a technological age.
• respecting the individuality of students by recognizing and supporting each students’ unique qualities, varying backgrounds, skills, and learning styles.
• providing a foundation for career and education mobility by fostering the development of decision making through the use of critical thinking and problem-solving.
• providing access to a quality education for a culturally diverse population including the at-risk student
• meeting community needs through alternative avenues for entry into Associate Degree Nursing.
• establishing a learning environment that promotes the development of traditional nursing values including care, compassion, and competence.
• fostering student success through a variety of educational and financial resources.

Program Philosophy

The Austin Community College Associate Degree Nursing Program operates within the philosophical framework of Austin Community College subscribing to the college values of communication, access, responsiveness, excellence and stewardship. The program exists to meet the community need for responsible, competent, and caring registered nurses. We are committed to contributing to the profession of nursing through providing a sound educational program based on the following philosophy.

Nursing and Nursing Practice
We believe nursing is a dynamic caring profession that provides an essential service to society. That service is health promotion, health maintenance, and /or health restoration for individuals and their families within the context of the community. The nurse provides services with respect for human dignity and the uniqueness of the client unrestricted by considerations of social and economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of the health problem.

Nursing utilizes a unique body of knowledge based upon theory, practice and research incorporating facts and concepts from biological, social, physical and behavioral sciences. From this body of knowledge, nurses provide nursing care through the three primary roles:

• Provider of Care – provides safe, competent nursing care for individuals and or families demonstrating caring, competence, confidence, and commitment through the use of interpersonal processes. Using problem solving and the critical thinking skills, the nurse assesses diagnoses, plans, implements, and evaluated the care provided.
• Coordinator of Care - Collaborates with other healthcare providers, coordinates care and delegates specific aspects of nursing care to others as appropriate. Implements nursing care in a cost-effective manner and assumes an advocate role for individuals and families effectively managing human and material resources.
• Member of the Profession - Practices within the ethical/legal framework of the profession and assumes responsibility and accountability for nursing practice and through promotion of excellence in nursing and a commitment to lifelong learning, projects a positive image of nursing.

These identified roles provide the context for nursing decisions and communication. These decisions require the use of critical thinking and the nursing process. Critical thinking and the nursing process provide the framework for decision-making. The nursing process is a systematic problem-solving process incorporating assessment, diagnosis, planning, and interventions to address individualized needs and evaluating the individual’s response to care. Nursing is an interpersonal process characterized by the systematic use of problem solving and critical thinking, management of a rapidly changing environment, the need for clinical competency, effective use of communication, acceptance of personal accountability, and a commitment to the value of caring.

Individual
We believe the individual is a unique being and has inherent dignity, worth and the capacity for growth. Each individual has a blend of physiological, psychosocial, spiritual needs that influence the perception of self, others, and the world. All individuals have human needs and possess the right to make choices that affect health. The individual or family is the recipient of nursing care and in the program are referred to as clients.

Learning
We believe learning is an active process characterized by a change in behavior, insights, and perceptions whereby students acquire and apply knowledge. Learning is also an interactive process in which the faculty and the students share responsibility. The faculty has the responsibility for guiding learners to experiences that will assist them in meeting the outcomes of the nursing program. The student has the responsibility for acquiring the knowledge, values and skills necessary to meet the outcomes of the nursing program. The nursing faculty acts as facilitators and role models recognizing and supporting each student’s unique qualities, varying backgrounds, skills, and learning styles.

Students participate in learning through course activities that integrate previously learned concepts with newly acquired content. Self-motivation and responsibility are essential elements in the learning process. Students develop critical thinking and nursing process skills to readily access and evaluate information, place it in context, and effectively apply it for making appropriate nursing decisions. Respect for differing viewpoints, opinions, beliefs and cultures are encouraged as students interact with clients, faculty, peers, and members of the community. Learning is enhanced when the student perceives knowledge as relevant with concurrent application.

Nursing Education
We believe that the purpose of nursing education is to prepare graduates with the knowledge and skills for licensure in a rapidly changing profession in a technological age. This education is a stimulus for life long learning. The faculty is responsible for the design and implementation of a curriculum that includes relevant, innovative elements. In order to maintain currency and relevance, the faculty systematically evaluates and revises the nursing curriculum and its policies.

Faculty promotes an environment that provides students with opportunities to experience interactive learning incorporating knowledge from the biological, behavioral, and physical sciences to the acquisition of a unique body of nursing knowledge. Students apply this body of nursing knowledge through use of the nursing process and critical thinking when making nursing decisions in a variety of practice settings.

ADN Graduate
We believe the ADN Graduate is prepared with the skills necessary for entry into nursing practice. The ADN graduate acts in a caring, professional manner within the ethical, legal and regulating frameworks of nursing and standards of professional practice in a variety of practice settings.

Beginning practice settings for the ADN graduate should provide direct access to more experienced practitioners with greater levels of clinical expertise. Settings for beginning practice of the ADN graduate should have clearly identified policies, procedures, protocols and lines of communication to support the new graduate. Within this environment, the new graduate has the opportunity and resources for the continuation of personal and professional growth.

The faculty subscribes to the educational outcomes established by the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas (BNE) and the American Nurses’ Association Standards of Practice.

The philosophy is reflected in the program educational outcomes.

Nursing Program Educational Outcomes

Provider of Care

1. Utilize critical thinking and the nursing process in decision making to provide safe, quality and comprehensive nursing care for multiple clients and their families.
2. Communicates therapeutically with multiple clients and their families in the provision of nursing care.
3. Integrates the teaching-learning process in the delivery of care to multiple clients and their families to meet their needs for health maintenance, promotion, and/or restoration.

Coordinator of Care

1. Collaborates with members of the health care team to develop client focused, quality care for clients and their families. +*
2. Manages material and human resources in an organized manner when providing care for multiple clients and their families. +*
3. Communicates in an effective, professional manner with members of the healthcare team to resolve problems affecting clients and their families. +*

Member of the Profession

1. Assumes responsibility and accountability for the practice of professional nursing. +*
2. Practices within the ethical/legal framework established by the nursing profession. +*
   

* Demonstrates DELC ADN competencies
+ Demonstrates SCANS competencies