Western governors university nursing program

• Provision of competency-­‐based programs • Adherence to a student-­‐centric model • Use of technology to improve quality and

efficiency • Use of external learning resources, combined

with mentoring and progress management; • Adherence to an executive governance structure • Oversight by external Councils

• Competency-­‐based bachelor’s and master’s degree programs that allow nurses to demonstrate their professional knowledge and skills

• Broad access to education for nurses where they live and work

• Professional preparation for new nursing practice roles and additional education

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WGU Department of Nursing Philosophy

We envision nursing as a caring interaction between the nurse, who is a member of an interdisciplinary team, and the patient who is a member of a family and community. This caring interaction occurs across the lifespan, from infancy through old age. Nurses identify and strengthen clients’ potential to move toward health and help clients shape their environment to promote well-­‐being. We believe that healthcare begins in the community, prior to diagnosis of illness, by promoting health and wellness through advocacy, community assessment, and preventative care. Nurses use appropriate technologies and current evidence to develop their plans of care, whether in the community, the clinic, an acute care facility, or an extended care facility. Nurses assume leadership for clinical and ethical decision-­‐making. We believe that the global nature of communities and healthcare delivery necessitates that nurses be able to engage with patients, families, and communities who have diverse ways of responding to their healthcare needs. We recognize that the definition of family has expanded to include a variety of different compositions and roles and is the fundamental vehicle for how clients are supported, interact with the world around them, access resources, and engage in healthcare. We recognize that students, particularly adult learners, have preferred learning styles, bring previous experience to the learning environment, and develop competency at different paces. Learners seek to make sense of new educational experiences in light of their past and existing knowledge and then apply their new findings to real situations. Therefore, nursing education should provide opportunities where students engage in real world application to demonstrate competency in cognitive knowledge, clinical reasoning, and ethical comportment.

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Conceptual Framework

There are 10 unifying themes that have guided the development of the nursing programs at Western Governors University. These themes are depicted visually in the conceptual model below.

Revised 2013

BSN MSN Nurse as Detective: The nurse uses clinical imagination coupled with nursing science to detect subtle changes and deviations from expected patterns of being to prevent or control adverse outcomes.

Nurse as Detective: The nurse uses clinical imagination coupled with nursing science to judge and determine the consequence of subtle changes and deviations from expected patterns of being to prevent or control adverse outcomes.

Nurse as Scientist: The nurse participates in scientific inquiry to inform healthcare decisions; and critiques, disseminates and implements evidence to influence practice.

Nurse as Scientist: The nurse uses translational science to influence healthcare decisions; to prescribe and implement best practice and broadly disseminate the findings.

Nurse as Manager of the Healing Environment: The healing environment is global in nature and includes considerations of healthcare policy, finance and regulations. Acknowledging this, the nurse creates, coordinates, and advocates for a respectful, interdisciplinary environment that promotes optimal well-­‐being and affirms the dignity of the human experience

Nurse as manager of the Healing Environment: The healing environment is global in nature and includes social, cultural, political and economic influences. Acknowledging this, the nurse, as a member of the inter-­‐professional community, influences public policy and promotes social justice in the human health experience.

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Operational Definitions of Threaded Curriculum Concepts

Compassionate Patient-­‐centered care is the provision of holistic care with respect for values, preferences and needs of the patient, family and community in the journey to well-­‐being cross the lifespan. Cultural competency is providing care that is acceptable to patients, families and communities from diverse cultural, ethnic, and social backgrounds. Evidence based practice is integrating the “best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal healthcare” (QSEN, 2009) Genomics and Genethics include knowledge about the genetic basis of health and illness, the variables that impact the responses to genomic information and related ethical issues. Informatics/Technology Informatics is the engineering, storing, organizing and manipulation of data to support the provision of safe, effective quality care. Technology is the continuously changing array of devices and software used for patient care. Leadership/Education Leadership is the process of identifying and prioritizing goals to achieve optimal quality outcomes. Education is assessing learning needs and facilitating acquisition of knowledge, skills and abilities. Safety and Quality care minimizes risk of harm to patients, families, communities and providers through analyses of systems effectiveness and individual performance while continually measuring quality of care in terms of cost, structure, process, and outcomes. Communication is effective interaction with patients, families, communities, professional colleagues and other health care team members. Teamwork and collaboration is effective engagement with nursing and interprofessional teams to foster open communication, mutual respect and shared decision making to achieve quality patient care. Professional/Legal/Ethical is effective decision-­‐making and reflection within a framework of social justice and law, advocacy, and standards of practice to promote the common good.

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BSN PROGRAM OUTCOMES MSN PROGRAM OUTCOMES

The WGU Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing Program Graduate Will: The WGU Master’s Degree in Nursing Program Graduate Will: 1. Communicate effectively in oral, written, interpersonal and electronic

modes. 1. Employ appropriate patient-­‐ care technologies and information management

strategies to lead change and improve quality care outcomes. 2. Use clinical reasoning to provide safe, quality, nursing care based on the

best available evidence and ethical principles. 2. Integrates clinical reasoning with organizational, patient-­‐centered, culturally

appropriate strategies to plan, deliver, and evaluate evidence-­‐based practice. 3. Assume accountability for providing and ensuring safe, efficient, quality

care congruent with ethical, professional and legal standards. 3. Design innovative nursing practices to impact quality outcomes for individuals,

populations, and systems congruent with ethical, professional and legal standards. 4. Synthesize theoretical, clinical and empirical knowledge from nursing,

scientific, community and humanistic disciplines within the practice of nursing. Synthesizes theoretical and empirical knowledge drawing from the arts and sciences to understand the human experience as a social advocate, and professional nurse.

4. Assemble scientific findings from nursing, biopsychosocial fields, genetics, public health, and organizational sciences for the continual improvement of nursing care across diverse settings.

5. Provide compassionate, patient-­‐centered care to individuals, families, and communities from a variety of cultures across the lifespan.

5. Utilize applied research outcomes within the practice setting, navigating and integrating care services across healthcare systems.

6. Apply leadership and education skills to engage others in creating and promoting a healing environment for continued self-­‐improvement.

6. Design organization and leadership systems that promote high quality patient-­‐care delivery and advance life-­‐long learning.

7. Engage in inter-­‐professional collaboration to improve safety and quality of healthcare.

7. Construct interprofessional teams to communicate, coordinate, collaborate and consult with other health professionals to advance a culture of excellence.

8. Incorporate knowledge of genomics and genethics into the care of patients, families and communities.

8. Integrate scientific knowledge including that from genetics and genethics in the continual improvement of nursing care across diverse settings and populations.

9. Use information technology to communicate, mitigate error and make decisions related to the provision of patient care and support incorporation of nursing knowledge in the development of patient care technology.

9. Provide oversight and guidance in the integration of technology to manage care, identify performance measures and standards that improve quality and safety outcomes.