The Nursing Department goals reflect professional nursing standards.  These standards are provided in the most recent version of such documents as the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials of Baccalaureate Nursing Education for Professional Nursing Practice and The Essentials of Master’s Education for Advanced Practice Nursing; the American Nurses Association Nursing’s Social Policy Statement and ANA standards for specific areas of nursing.  In addition the department goals are responsive to the professional nursing standards provided by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accreditation criteria and guidelines.

Based on the statements in the philosophy, the overall goal of the Department of Nursing is the continuing development and preparation for graduation of individuals who will provide professional nursing through clinical practice, leadership, research and education.  To realize this goal, it is imperative that the Department:

1.      Select and develop a distinguished faculty who can achieve the objectives of the Department through support and development of current faculty members and the recruitment of qualified faculty with clinical expertise prepared at the master’s and/or doctoral level;

2.      Offer a baccalaureate program built upon a foundation and integration of liberal education which not only prepares knowledgeable, analytical practitioners who will be able to function professionally, but also provides a core of content upon which graduate programs in nursing can be built;

3.      Offer articulation for registered nurses from associate degree and diploma programs who wish to build on previous learning and earn a baccalaureate degree in nursing;

4.      Offer a master’s program which prepares practitioners who not only use theory and complex concepts to improve nursing care and promote maximum functional status but also function as leaders in nursing;

5.      Offer a school nurse credential program that may be taken at the post-baccalaureate, masters or post-master’s level that prepares graduates to assume the roles and functions of a professional school nurse;

6.      Maintain involvement in continuing education courses for nurses in the community;

7.      Utilize a wide variety of facilities and resources essential to the achievement of the objectives of the department;

8.      Utilize continuing evaluation through which the effectiveness of program objectives are assessed and modified as necessary;

9.      Collaborate with community agencies in order to focus on the promotion of healthcare;

10.    Provide consultation services to other institutions in the community, state, and nation;

11.    Foster faculty participation in nursing research and scholarly activity which adds to the body of knowledge in nursing; and

12.    Participate in the recruitment and retention of under-represented faculty and students in the program.

Approved by Faculty Organization on February 2, 2006