As an integral component of Baltimore City Community College, the Nursing Program is committed to the mission of the College. The faculty believes that the Practical Nursing and the Associate Degree Nursing Programs of study provide the residents of Baltimore City, particularly first-generation college students, with an opportunity to prepare for knowledge-based careers. This belief supports the mission of the College by providing quality, accessible, career-based educational programs to Maryland residents which will enhance the economy of the State of Maryland.
The Nursing faculty’s philosophy expresses its beliefs about the interrelationship among nursing, nursing education, the individual, and the community. The faculty believes that nursing is a learned scientific discipline with both theoretical and practical components. The nurse functions in multifaceted roles to promote and restore health and to prevent disease. To fulfill these roles, the nurse must acquire specialized knowledge, develop critical thinking abilities, and utilize technical skills based on the biopsychosocial sciences and a growing body of nursing knowledge.
Within the discipline of nursing entry into a level of practice whether practical nursing, associate degree nursing or baccalaureate nursing, requires different educational preparation. Levels of practice further dictate the roles and responsibilities of the nurse in providing health care. We believe that the associate degree nurse and the practical nurse are integral members of the health team who provide direct client care. The practical nurse assists with data collection, contributes to the plan of care, performs therapeutic and preventive nursing measures, and assists in evaluating the outcomes of nursing interventions of the client. The practical nurse provides safe and competent client care under the supervision of the registered nurse. The associate degree nurse provides direct nursing care to clients with common and complex nursing needs which requires judgment and clinical decision-making.
Nursing is accountable for nursing practice based on standards of care, scope of practice, and a code of ethics. The problem-solving methodology of the nursing process provides the basis for all nursing care. Using a holistic approach, nursing assumes an active role in providing care for a multicultural population throughout the life span. Nurses recognize the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to implementing quality care in various health care settings.
The Nursing faculty believes that institutions of higher learning should facilitate all nursing education programs. They should also provide opportunities for career mobility from the practical nurse to the associate degree nurse to the baccalaureate degree nurse and to other advanced educational degree nurses. The faculty are responsible for developing and implementing the curriculum under the direction of the Nursing Program Coordinator.
Courses in the curriculum are divided between general education and nursing. Courses in the humanities prepare the nurse to provide health care services to the whole person in a caring, compassionate manner. Courses in the biopsychosocial sciences enable the nurse to develop scientific rationales for practice. Nursing courses provide the learner with an opportunity to apply scientific and humanistic knowledge in order to foster creativity and critical thinking. All nursing courses are based on the health/illness continuum--the individual, the family and the community. The nursing process, as a problem solving method, is taught at all levels of the curriculum.
The Nursing faculty recognizes the significance of teaching social and cultural concepts as they relate to individuals. Students are taught to identify the impact cultural issues have on health, health beliefs, and health practices when implementing appropriate nursing interventions.
Nursing theory is correlated with clinical practice through planned experiences in various health care agencies in the community. This practice prepares the student to meet the needs of consumers and to develop an acceptance of professional responsibilities. Opportunities to develop leadership and management skills are also provided in the clinical experience. We believe the teaching/learning process should foster an atmosphere for each student to acquire skills in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domain through the use of a variety of educational media, instructional techniques, and emerging technology. The student progresses from the care of individuals having simple nursing needs to the care of individuals with complex nursing needs.
The faculty respects the student as a person of individual dignity and worth and as a learner with the capacity for hard work and self-direction to achieve his/her full potential. We believe students place high value on being honest and trustworthy, and we recognize the students’ need to understand the goals of the College and the Nursing Program and the inter-relationship of these to the students’ current and future career plans.
We recognize that the students need to have a voice in the educational process. They are prepared to accept responsibility and accountability for their learning now and in the future. They are encouraged to maintain continued professional growth.
Practical nursing education, which is offered within the framework of a community college, is designed as a complete formal education for entry into practical nurse practice. We believe that the college-level curriculum, leading to a certificate in practical nursing, prepares a theory-based practitioner who is competent to assume the role of a practical nurse. Practical nursing education, offered in a college setting, easily facilitates career mobility. Practical nursing programs within the organizational structure of an associate nursing program provide students with a curriculum developed from a conceptual framework with specific educational outcomes. Faculty beliefs regarding curriculum development and implementation of the Practical Nursing Program are consistent with those of the Associate Degree Nursing Program.
