The Learner

The student nurse wants and needs to learn in order to gain self-actualization.  The student nurse actively participates in the learning process, and finds value in the acquisition of knowledge and skills to provide caring, competent healthcare delivery.

Purpose of Nursing Education

Nursing education is a cooperative process between faculty and student to prepare graduate nurses for entry-level practice.  This is accomplished by instilling the constructs of caring, competence and confidence through the development of a strong knowledge base and critical thinking skills, enabling the graduate nurse to function effectively in an ever-changing healthcare environment

Content or Subject Matter

Nursing is a science and an art that helps clients determine needs, set a plan of action and meet goals in order to reach an optimal state of health.  The content of the nursing curriculum includes basic physiologic principles from the medical model as well as holistic perspectives of the human response based in the social sciences.  It includes principles of problem solving and critical thinking that allow the student to integrate these principles to accomplish those objectives.

Learning Process

Learning is a lifelong active process of acquiring new knowledge and understanding, developing critical thinking abilities, and applying artistic and scientific concepts, building on the foundation of past experience. 

Beliefs about the Role of the Nursing Educator

The role of the nurse educator is to guide, encourage and support the student, providing the necessary resources and tools, to become caring and competent practitioners.  The educator is at times an active teacher, role modeling expected behavior, and at times a facilitator, providing resources and guiding the student to develop critical thinking and broaden their knowledge base.