Saginaw Valley State University (Department of Nursing)

PHILOSOPHY & ORGANIZING FRAMEWORK

We as a department acknowledge the influence of the University and surrounding community environments, as well as the historical context that has brought us to this point in time. Our beliefs have been framed by a number of factors that make us unique and give meaning to how we interact as faculty, both within the nursing profession and the SVSU community. We are unique in that:

* We are part of a regional institution; many of our students remain in this area and have a direct impact on health care practices in this community. We have a responsibility, therefore, to understand the local health care environment and to help students understand the differences between this and other settings.
* The contiguous three cities and counties are represented in the University symbol of the pyramid. The three have very different socioeconomic profiles including minority representation, ethnic orientation, and income levels. All three enjoy distinct images and have established health care institutions that reflect these images. Historical evidence, stemming from the lumbering era, points to these communities as being traditional and paternalistic. The communities also have been influenced by industries such as the automotive and chemical. These characteristics and influences are reflected in the decision making process and goals of the area's health care organizations.
* Although the area has a rural influence there are some inner city influences that provide opportunities for a variety of student learning.
* The students who select nursing generally come from similar value orientations; but, are diverse in age, preparation, inclination, motivation and exposure to a range of ideas. They grow when their assumptions about the world are examined and when they are challenged to do more abstract thinking.
* The first graduating class designed the pin as a depiction of how they saw nursing--as a peaceful art. The symbol they used--a dove with an olive branch--then was adopted by the Department of Nursing.
* The program is small and has allowed faculty to interact in a caring manner with students.
* The nursing faculty represent a variety of institutions in educational preparation and experience and bring a variety of clinical expertise to the faculty role.

All of these factors have contributed to our shared commitment to transformation as a perspective for the nursing program. Transformation involves change, empowerment, and innovation for a collective purpose. This perspective, coupled with our unique mix of students, faculty, environment and history, provides learners with the opportunity to explore their understanding of the world. Students need opportunities to engage in these explorations in ways that challenge and broaden their understanding and foster their general education experiences.

The organizing framework of the department is based upon our beliefs about who we are and what we do as a faculty and as a group of learners. Our beliefs can be visualized as pyramids. For the undergraduate program, the base includes the concepts of communication and critical thinking, the sides represent the four metaparadigm concepts and the peak of the pyramid is nursing intervention. Similarly for the graduate program, the base includes the concepts of communication, critical thinking, leadership, and research; the sides represent the four metaparadigm concepts; and the peak is advanced nursing practice.

Communication is seen as a universal function involving human interpretation with the goal of interactive competence. Critical thinking is seen as an evolutionary relationship between action and knowledge propelled by critical reflection for emancipation. Conceptually, for the undergraduate program, the nursing faculty believe that the base concepts of communication and critical thinking are supported by the processes of: nursing process, research, teaching learning, and leadership. For the graduate program, the faculty elevate the processes of leadership and research to concepts. Leadership is the creation of an environment that empowers people to work toward a shared vision. Research is systematic inquiry for the purpose of validating or developing knowledge. Research traditions emerge from the paradigms of the discipline and relate to phenomena of concern to nursing.

The faculty also believe the metaparadigm (human, environment, health and nursing) provides a means of guiding learning in the curriculum. This belief is demonstrated through progressive development of knowledge using a variety of theoretical perspectives about the metaparadigm concepts. Knowledge development takes into account the level of the nursing student. Knowledge development is facilitated by critical thinking through the analysis of metaparadigm concepts using the lens of the broader, discipline-defining theories. Human is viewed as an entity who participates in a family unit, as the unit itself or as a community with inherent worth and dignity throughout the life span. Humans exercise freedom of choice in pursuit of self-actualization and have ultimate accountability for decisions and behavior. Environment is viewed as consisting of all conditions, circumstances, and influences that are part of being and becoming. Health is viewed as a function of perception and observation. Health incorporates illness and wellness and is viewed as actualization of human potential for development. Nursing, as a content area of general and advanced practice, is viewed in the curriculum as the practice of providing care, the roles enacted within the health care system, and as substantive knowledge. In this curriculum, family and community are co-participators with nursing in health care. Nursing roles are differentiated in focus and complexity at the graduate and undergraduate levels as is the understanding of the metaparadigm and foundational concepts.

Nursing, as an academic and practice discipline grounded in research, has an associated value orientation and a professional standard of practice. Therapeutic nursing interventions, as the culmination of how the world sees who we are and what we do, are supported by the middle range theories and accompanying research. These theories and research studies support nurses' understanding and intervention and are explored for their instrumental and conceptual utilization.

The nursing faculty view themselves as co-learners/expert learners. Faculty interact with students to explore scholarly modalities and go beyond rationale to situated meaning. The expectation of continuing education is shared with the student co-learners. The learning environment is a caring environment based on the learner's level of understanding of the meaning of how to be as a nurse.

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Department of Nursing Location

Department of Nursing Courses

NURSING HEALTH PROFESSION Professional nursing role is explored with students interested in the profession. Topics covered include historical foundations of nursing, current trends influencing the profession, and strategies for student success. This course helps students expand their world view of nursing and health care. This is an elective course open to all students and not required for the major. PRINCIPLES OF PHARMACOLOGY IN NURSING Focuses on principles of pharmacology and pharmacological aspects of the major categories of medications as used in nursing practice. Special attention is given to the pathophysiology of disease processes, implications of the therapeutic treatment within nursing practice, and critical thinking and communication in medication administration. NURSING ACROSS THE LIFESPAN Focuses on selected theories and processes involved in human development as relates to health and nursing. A holistic adaptation approach will be used to explore nursing implications from conception to later adulthood. CORE PHENOMENON & NURSING INTERVENTIONS Explores origins, dynamics and theories related to human experiences such as safety, comfort, and motion. Examines perspectives for nursing interventions as they relate to these experiences. CRITICAL THINKING & COMMUNICATING IN NURSING I Focuses on critical thinking and communication as major components of the organizing framework for nursing. Supporting processes such as leadership and the nursing process are explored, using an empowerment perspective. NURSING PRACTICUM I Develops competence in nursing practice through interventions with humans as individual persons. Focuses on knowledge unique to nursing as it is utilized in practice. Students begin to identify with the role of the professional nurse. SELECTED TOPICS IN NURSING Selected topics related to nursing and the nursing profession. TRANSITION Explores communication and critical thinking as major components of the organizing framework for nursing. Introduces nursing phenomena as they occur in individuals and families. Focuses on professional transition processes and research/theory-based nursing practice using an empowerment perspective. HUMAN EXPERIENCE OF HEALTH PHENOMENA AND NURSING INTERVENTIONS Explores cognition, perception, and regulation as responses within altered life processes. Examines nursing interventions as they relate to these responses. CRITICAL THINKING & COMMUNICATION IN NURSING II Applies a critical thinking perspective to the research and teaching-learning processes. Expands understanding of communication to include groups. NURSING PRACTICUM II Expands competence in nursing practice through intervention with humans as individuals in varying contexts. Focuses on developing and testing of knowledge unique to nursing. FAMILY HEALTH PHENOMENA AND NURSING INTERVENTIONS Explores health as it is experiences by families. Major influences on the health of families such as culture, poverty, self-care, and wellness, are examined. HEALTH OF POPULATIONS I Explores human responses of families as they experience significant health events. Health issues of selected aggregates related to the family are examined. NURSING PRACTICUM III Develops competence in nursing practice through interventions with families. Focuses on knowledge unique to nursing as it is utilized in practice with families. SPECIAL TOPICS IN NURSING A departmental course in a subject area not currently listed in the catalog. A descriptive title will appear on the Course Schedule and the transcript. DIRECTED STUDY IN NURSING An organized plan of readings in one or more aspects of the discipline. The student and instructor must agree on a plan of readings prior to enrollment. INDEPENDENT RESEARCH IN NURSING An independent research project in the discipline by a student or a cooperative research project with a faculty member. The student and instructor must agree on a project before enrollment. FIELD STUDIES Applications of the discipline in off-campus locations. The student and instructor must agree on the project before enrollment. FAITH COMMUNITY NURSING I Explores health, healing, and wholeness in communities of faith from conceptual and historical perspectives. Examines values and beliefs of major world religions in relation to contemporary health issues. Expands understanding of professional accountability and competence to encompass relevance to practice as a faith community nurse. FAITH COMMUNITY NURSING II Emphasizes the basic role and functions of the faith community nurse. Introduces key concepts and strategies necessary to begin organizing and administering health promotion activities within faith communities. Scope and standards of nursing practice, standardized nursing language and evidence-based content using NIC taxonomy are explored in relation to specific faith community nursing role functions. FAITH COMMUNITY NURSING III Leadership aspects of practice in faith community nursing are discussed. Emphasizes coordination, management and evaluation of health programming within faith communities. Topics include mission and vision development, documentation and record keeping, role integration, collaboration with community agencies and maintaining professional competency. COMMUNITY HEALTH PHENOMENA AND NURSING INTERVENTIONS Explores health as it relates to the community. Major influences on health of communities such as poverty, violence, and communicable diseases, are examined. Interventions affecting community health are identified. HEALTH OF POPULATIONS II Examines the human response related to health issues of selected aggregates across the population. Focuses on nursing interventions as they relate to these aggregates. FAMILY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH PHENOMENA Explores health as it is experienced by families and communities. Relationship between families and communities is examined, including the major influences on and between each. Interventions affecting family and community health are identified. Enrollment limited to RN students NURSING PRACTICUM IV Expands competence in nursing practice through intervention at the aggregate and community levels. Focuses on nursing knowledge as it is developed, utilized and tested in practice with families, aggregates, and the community. Refines the professional nurse role identity to address the complexity of human need. RN PRACTICUM I Expands competence in nursing practice through intervention at the aggregate and community levels. Focuses on nursing knowledge as it is developed, utilized, and tested in practice with families, aggregates, and the community. Refines the professional nurse role identity to address the complexity of human need. RN INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CARE An international experience in healthcare that is outside the U.S.A., with both theoretical and fieldwork components. PROFESSIONAL ROLE DEVELOPMENT Integrates the processes and major components of nursing within the professional role. A transformational perspective in enacting the role is emphasized. PROFESSIONAL ISSUES Examines current issues as they relate to the nursing profession, health care and society. Emphasis is on issue analysis and resolution, utilizing processes and theories related to ethics, law, power, and politics INTEGRATION OF PROFESSIONAL ROLE AND ISSUES Examines the professional role within the context of nursing standards, a transformational perspective and the issues relevant to the profession. Issue analysis and resolution is emphasized within the role, utilizing processes and theories related to ethics, law, power and politics. NURSING PRACTICUM V Refines competence in nursing practice through enactment of selected roles. Focuses on nursing knowledge as it is developed, utilized and tested in nursing practice with selected populations. Begins internalization process of the role of the professional nurse. RN PRACTICUM II Refines competence in nursing practice through enactment of selected roles. Focuses on nursing knowledge as it is developed, utilized and tested in nursing practice with selected populations. Begins internalized process of the role of the professional nurse. SPECIAL TOPICS A departmental course in a subject area not currently listed in the catalog. A descriptive title will appear on the Course Schedule and the transcript. DIRECTED READINGS An organized plan of readings in one or more aspects of the discipline. The student and instructor must agree on a plan of readings prior to enrollment. FIELD STUDIES Applications of the discipline in off-campus locations. The student and instructor must agree on the project before enrollment. SENIOR PROJECT IN NURSING An independent Senior project in the discipline. HONORS THESIS Preparation and completion of an Honors Thesis. May enroll twice, one for the preparation of the proposal and once for its completion. ADVANCED STUDIES IN NURSING Theoretical and/or applied study of selected topics within a specific area of nursing science.

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