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Broadview University Nursing Program Mission Statement
The mission of the Nursing Program at Broadview University (formerly Utah Career College) is to provide high-quality education that enables nursing students to reach career and life goals through knowledge and skills training that meets the needs of business, industry, and government. Our commitment to nursing students and their employers will be accomplished through the following objectives:
- Provide career-oriented education and training leading to an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree
- Provide knowledge and skills that support immediate employment goals and prepare nursing students for future career advancement
- Provide career placement assistance and lifelong career seeking skills for nursing students upon graduation
- Offer general education courses to build awareness, abilities and interests so that students become empowered and knowledgeable citizens
- Provide academic and support services that meet student needs
- Maintain relationships with industry leaders through the Nursing Program Advisory Committee, which reviews curricula and resources to ensure appropriate and current programs for nursing students
- Attract and retain strong and experienced nursing instructors and staff, who have a commitment to professional development
Nursing program philosophy
The nursing faculty teaches students the nursing process in an effort to develop graduates who demonstrate strong leadership development and capabilities, who clearly understand today’s rapidly changing health care environment, and who can quickly adapt to the complexities of each client’s needs. The faculty values a collaborative partnership between the nursing student, the teacher, and the learning environment, a relationship that promotes life-long learning. The faculty believes that successful nursing practice by graduates of the program is facilitated through excellence in the teaching-learning process.
Teaching and learning in the nursing program
Nursing faculty help nursing students apply learning strategies and skills for achievement of positive outcomes. Effective implementation of teaching/learning strategies in the classroom, laboratory and clinical settings promotes active learning and critical thinking. Teaching involves lecture, discussion, questioning and interactive communication to facilitate student development of nursing knowledge and skills. The faculty facilitates nursing students’ natural ability to learn. Three teaching/learning principles used are accountability, consequences, and support. These principles promote the student’s success during the nursing program.
Accountability enables nursing students to be actively involved in learning and effective in self-determination.
Consequences represent the pressure of reality occurring without any intervention by the educator, or are predetermined events imposed by the faculty. Consequences facilitate student progress, representing benchmarks that students must meet to move forward in pursuit of their nursing career goal.
Support promotes student success by offering encouragement, confidence, help and comfort. Support from faculty and staff is imperative to the motivation and success of the learner. Support does not take ultimate accountability away from the nursing student, nor does it alter the predetermined consequences.
Faculty employ principles of adult learning and recognize student needs for personalized learning events that demonstrate respect, trust, and concern for individuals. Faculty participates in this process by acting as role models, mentors, and facilitators to support, guide, and direct student learning experiences. Mastery of nursing knowledge and skills occurs through preparation, being attentive and active participation during classroom, laboratory, and clinical experiences. Ultimately, nursing students are accountable for their own success.
The Associate of Applied Science Registered Nurse (AAS-RN) Program is based on a foundation of general education courses and essential nursing knowledge. This knowledge base supports development of sound clinical judgment and ethical decision-making ability in the graduate nurse, as well as stimulates intellectual curiosity that will support enhancement of the profession.
The nursing faculty defines the following terms as part of their philosophical beliefs regarding nursing and nursing education.
Nursing
Nursing is a collaborative art that integrates critical thinking, communication, advocacy and leadership. Nursing combines technical skills with knowledge derived from natural and behavioral science. Nursing uses the nursing process in a timely, organized and professional manner. Nursing, as a profession:
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Serves to promote, maintain, and restore (where able) health.
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Respects all life stages and the diversity of those served
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Utilizes critical thinking and ethical values as a base for decision-making
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Participates in interdisciplinary healthcare teams within local and global environments
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Responds to societal and world changes to promote health
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Contributes to the body of knowledge through research
Associate degree nurses
Nursing care is an integrated effort with shared responsibilities between various disciplines and care providers prepared with varying levels of knowledge and skill. Nurses are accountable for maintaining safe, effective and ethical nursing care within their scope of practice. Associate Degree nurses:
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Provide direct care for individuals in the context of families or communities who may have acute or chronic illnesses
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Participate in health/wellness promotion within the discipline of nursing
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Collaborate with clients, families and other health care professionals to assess clients’ needs
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Formulate appropriate nursing diagnoses to develop and revise nursing care plans to meet clients’ changing needs
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Manage and are accountable for care of designated clients
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Delegate to other licensed and unlicensed health care providers
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Advocate resource access for clients
Clients
Clients are not limited to individuals but may also include family, groups and/or communities. The Broadview University Nursing Program believes the following:
- Clients have unique needs depending on their characteristics as individuals and within their definitions of diversity
- Individuals, groups and communities may seek or benefit from nursing care through health promotion and disease prevention or during direct illness-related needs
- Those who may benefit from nursing care are not limited to a defined geographical space but are interconnected as a community worldwide
Health
Health is a dynamic process along a continuum of wellness as defined by the client. Health is also striving to obtain a balance and harmony for the body, mind and spirit that includes the cultural beliefs of the client, family, group or community.
Environment
The environment exists wherever there is a person, family, group or community requiring nursing care. Environments may be interconnected and may positively or negatively affect health. Within this context, nursing strives to interact and collaborate with the client to maintain or modify the environment to achieve optimal health. The relationship between the client and perceived environment is honored and maintained through caring behaviors by the nurse.
Curricular threads
The curriculum lays a solid foundation of nursing knowledge that incorporates the development of knowledge, skills, and personal and professional values. It is concerned with helping the student acquire nine essential skills and abilities necessary to effectively and efficiently promote holistic nursing care to meet clients’ needs across the lifespan. These nine skills and abilities are the curricular threads:
- Critical Thinking is a multi-dimensional skill using cognitive processes or a set of procedures. Critical thinking requires an attitude of inquiry, which is essential to identify problems and their resolutions. Critical thinking is demonstrated when nursing theory is correctly applied, interrelationships between clinical data are understood, and the nurse can adapt nursing care to changing environments and the complexities of client care needs.
- Technical Skills mastery requires four basic steps including study, practice, proficiency and continued competence. Nursing skills are an important part of the nursing education curriculum because mastery is a vital component in achieving safe and effective care. Mastery is achieved when equipment and supplies are used accurately, safely, effectively and with confidence to achieve desired client outcomes with minimal distress and without directive or supportive cues from faculty or nursing staff.
- Time Management is making optimal use of available time. An effective manager of time is aware of personal barriers to efficient time management and allows time for planning and essential priorities. Effective time management is demonstrated through attendance, effective prioritization of activities and successful performance of assigned responsibilities within established time frames. Effective time management reduces personal stress and increases productivity.
- Communication is the complex exchange of thoughts, ideas, or client information verbally, in writing, or electronically. The art of communication is the ability to exchange values, feelings, temperament, and clinical knowledge or data, in a timely and effective manner so that both the receiver and the sender are empowered and understood by each other. Effective communication is essential for health/wellness promotion, advocacy, conducting assessments, implementing nursing care, leading or managing life-threatening crises, or handling clients’ or colleagues’ stress.
- Health/Wellness Promotion is the facilitation of client self-care and lifestyle toward optimal health and wellness. Nurses should promote and evaluate client knowledge about their health, facilitate goal setting, offer support, and encourage clients to assume personal responsibility for their own health and well-being. Health/wellness promotion teaches various cultural and socioeconomic groups about unhealthy and healthy lifestyle behaviors, disease prevention, management of illness, self-care, and judicious use of the professional health care system. Nurses should also practice personal principles of health promotion and self-care.
- Advocacy is acting ethically and responsibly to protect human dignity and promote the best interest of the client, family or community regardless of ethnic, religious, cultural or socio-economical background. Advocacy is focused on promoting inherent individual worth through caring, competent and timely nursing care. Advocacy fosters trust and promotes the client’s well-being.
- Leadership is the ability to direct, guide or delegate to an individual or group. It requires establishing and promoting goals, executing a plan, and conducting appropriate follow-up. Leaders effectively organize, motivate, and manage people and resources.
- Professional Behavior represents the highest standards of the nursing profession and is the foundation of relationships of trust with clients, peers, colleagues and supervisors. Professionalism is demonstrated through personal grooming, appropriate dress, preparedness, punctuality, maintenance of client confidentiality at all times and respect for self and others. It requires honesty, a willingness to learn and receive correction, and appropriate communication, behavior and demeanor. Professionalism also means accepting responsibility for one’s actions.
- The Nursing Process across the Life Span is a problem-solving approach for meeting clients’ health care and nursing needs across the lifespan through assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation. It provides rationales for clinical assessment findings, interventions, and treatments, diagnostic tests or medications. The nursing process uses a holistic approach, including both the client and family in planning and adapting nursing care to meet psycho-social, emotional, spiritual, and physiological needs of clients of any age. The nursing process facilitates quality interdisciplinary care and enables the nurse to anticipate clients’ problems or needs.
More information on the nursing program
The Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree program at Broadview University provides rigorous preparation that leads to professional success. If you would like to discuss the AAS in Nursing program, or have any other question, please call our West Jordan campus (801-304-4224) or send an e-mail and a representative will be happy to help you.