NURSING DEPARTMENT OBJECTIVES

The vision of the Nursing Department is to be recognized as a center of excellence in nursing education that prepares professionals to practice in a dynamic healthcare environment and serve a diverse community.  To facilitate this vision, the Nursing Department developed objectives upon which to focus its activities:

• Provide innovative and relevant educational programs to meet consumer care needs.
• Recruit, retain, and develop knowledgeable faculty.
• Provide a teaching/learning environment which stimulates and motivates students.
• Develop partnerships and collaborations.

Provide innovative and relevant educational programs to meet consumer care needs is an objective which is designed to increase student mastery of an expanding body of knowledge, ensure safe performance of appropriate clinical interventions, critically analyze problems and utilize credible research in planning and/or implementation, educate students in a manner that ensures ethical practice and patient safety, and motivate the transition of students from one level of nursing education to the next.

Recruit, retain, and develop knowledgeable faculty is an objective which is designed to address current demands and future challenges in the specialty of nursing education.  Knowledgeable faculty must have up-to-date information, be motivated to seek certification or advanced/continuing education, and have support from educational administration as well as colleagues.  Development includes development of the professional faculty role in the academy, the instructional (teaching) role, and the leadership role.

Provide a teaching/learning environment which stimulates and motivates students is a critical objective for student success.  Student success is enhanced when the environment promotes creativity and scholarly achievement, while honoring academic integrity. Quality clinical experiences and learning assignments designed to promote critical analysis and utilization of evidence-based practice are an integral part of the environment.

Develop partnerships and collaborations is an objective that will help provide growth opportunities for nurses and nursing in the rural northeast Texas area.  Academic partnerships provide opportunities for working nurses to advance their level of education in order to provide care at a higher level.  Clinical partnerships help facilities fill vacancies with newly graduating nurses familiar with the facility. Partnerships can increase the recognition of the benefits of supporting nursing education for both students and consumers and enhance the operations of the Nursing Department through donations, resources, and other types of support.