LVN to RN

Upon completion of the Registered Nursing (LVN-RN) Program the graduating student will competently perform in the following areas.

Communication Skills

• Establish a therapeutic environment that promotes communication across the life span for vulnerable and diverse populations
• Demonstrate effective therapeutic communication in nurse/client relationships in a variety of healthcare settings
• Demonstrate effective therapeutic communication with other interdisciplinary healthcare professionals in the practice of nursing
• Demonstrate effective teaching strategies for vulnerable and diverse populations

Critical Thinking, Critical Reasoning, and Critical Elements

• Formulate individualized nursing care plans and teaching plans for assigned patients/clients including assessing health status, implementing therapeutic interventions, and evaluating the outcomes of care
• Integrate and demonstrate clinical decision making and critical thinking skills to provide effective nursing care for individuals throughout the developmental stages across the life span
• Provide comprehensive direct nursing care to patients/clients using Neuman system theory, evidence based practice, the nursing process, and the principles of asepsis, caring, and safety while  taking into consideration the physiological, psychosocial, cultural, developmental, and spiritual aspects of care

Information Competency and Informatics

• Evaluate and integrate appropriate scientific resources and technology to plan and deliver patient/client care
• Document patient/client care as per facility policy
• Evaluate and integrate evidence based information from traditional and electronic resources for health promotion activities

Diversity

• Integrate the principles of diversity outlined as psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual influences in caring for patients/clients across the life span in a variety of health care environments.
• Prioritize nursing interventions to coincide with changing patient/client conditions, cultural considerations, and vulnerable population needs.

Professionalism, Leadership, and Civic Responsibility

• Demonstrate professional nursing behaviors which integrate accountability, responsibility, and self direction in the areas of life long learning, self evaluation of learning goals, multidisciplinary collaboration, and effective communication.
• Demonstrate professional nursing practice while integrating the nursing program’s overriding critical elements and Neuman Systems theory which adhere to the, Nursing Practice Act, the Nursing Social Policy Statement, the Code of Ethics, and state and federal regulation pertaining to registered nurses.
• Demonstrate the principles of advocacy in nursing practice which includes but is not limited to prioritizing patient care, anticipating and intervening with ethical and legal issues in a variety of health care setting and with diverse and vulnerable populations.
• Demonstrate leadership principles in nursing practice which includes planning, managing, collaborating, delegating, and supervising the delivery of health care.

Gerontology/Geriatrics

• Integrate theoretical knowledge of pathophysiology, pharmacology, developmental stages, and the principles of gerontology/geriatrics in the practice of nursing

The Registered Nursing (LVN-RN) Program is guided by a philosophy which embodies the mission and goals of Mission College. This philosophy acknowledges the individual and emphasizes the diversity of thought, creativity, multicultural viewpoints, and teaching/learning strategies that integrate innovative ways of acquiring and sharing knowledge.

By combining the values of the individual with the acquisition of knowledge and nursing skills, the Registered Nursing (LVN-RN) Program fosters the development of the whole person as a responsible, accountable professional committed to the principles of life-long learning and service to others using a holistic approach to the practice of the nursing profession. The philosophy of the program is actualized through application of the Neuman Systems Model.

In support of the philosophy, mission, and goals of Mission College and the philosophy, mission, and goals of the Registered Nursing (LVN-RN) Program, the faculty affirms the following beliefs:

The person is a layered multidimensional being that consists of five person variables or subsystems which are identified as physical/physiological, psychological, socio-cultural, developmental and spiritual. The person may in fact be an individual, a family, a group, or a community. The person is seen as being in a state of constant change and in constant, dynamic interaction with the environment.

The environment consists of the internal and external forces which surround a person and with which they interact at any given time. These forces include the intrapersonal, interpersonal and extrapersonal stressors which can affect the person's normal line of defense and so can affect the stability of the system.

Health is the optimal state of wellness in which all variables are in harmony with the whole of the client (Neuman, 1995). Health is a continuum of wellness and illness. As the person is in a constant interaction with the environment, the state of wellness is dynamic and influenced by the interaction with the five person variables, the stressors they encounter, and systemic feedback loops.

Nursing is a unique profession that is concerned with all of the variables which influence the response a person might have to a stressor. The task of nursing is to address the whole person and use nursing actions to assist individuals, families, and groups to retain, restore, or maintain a maximum level of wellness. The primary aim is stability of the patient/client system through nursing interventions to reduce stressors.

This concept of nursing is consistent with Nursing's Social Policy Statement in which nursing is defined as "the prevention of illness, alleviation of suffering, and the protection, promotion, and restoration of health in the care of individuals, families." (American Nursing Association, 2003). Furthermore, nursing is an art and applied science based on principles from the biological, physical, and behavioral sciences, which focus on the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual or potential health problems.

Nurses collaborate with a multidisciplinary health team to respond and care for the patient/client across the life cycle based on physiological, psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual needs.

Education is a dynamic and synergistic process of sharing information between individuals resulting in a modification of behavior. Education respects the individuality of students and recognizes that each student has different educational experience; sociocultural, spiritual, and economic backgrounds; and a unique support system. The aim of education is to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills in a positive, innovative environment moving from the beginning (simple) to advanced competencies (complex).

Teaching/Learning is defined as the right and responsibility of nurse educators to utilize sound educational practices and theoretical concepts to present relevant knowledge and skills reflecting current evidenced-based healthcare practices in order to facilitate the students' achievement of their highest potential.

Recognition of differences in individual needs, learning styles, ethnicity, and cultural backgrounds are essential components in effective teacher-learner interactions. Within the concept of teaching/learning is the idea that the learning environment nurtures the development of potential, promotes the maturation of values, cultivates the ability to think critically and independently, and encourages the spirit of inquiry.

Learning is an individualized, continuing, and interactive process. Learning is enhanced by active student participation in which the students assume primary responsibility for directing their own learning.

Learning occurs via a dynamic and synergistic process that prepares the learner to function effectively and competently as an entry-level registered nurse, a provider of care across the health/illness continuum, and as a member within the profession of nursing.