School of Nursing Mission Statement

The School of Nursing at Western New Mexico University prepares registered nurses to safely meet the needs of consumers and providers.  The School of Nursing is committed to maintaining National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission accreditation. Student outcomes are measured by reliable and valid instruments.  The program emphasized rural health, cultural diversity and evolving models of health care delivery.  The department utilizes a variety of clinical facilities. Continuing education programs are offered to meet the needs of the nursing community.

Philosophy of Nursing Associate Degree Program

Human beings are complex systems with evolving biological, cultural, spiritual, and psychosocial needs that can be viewed as a hierarchy.  They act deliberately to meet their needs and the needs of others through family, community, and the health care system.  Individuals have a right to optimum health and equal access to a health care delivery system that provides skilled assistance by culturally competent Registered Nurses.  The patient’s view of health care needs will be incorporated in planning of care which continues across the lifespan.

Nursing, as an art and science, is a caring, transcultural, humanistic, and scientific discipline with the central purpose to serve human beings world-wide.   Understanding how and why cultures are alike or different with respect to care, health, and illness provides new insights to improve nursing care practices.  Viewing cultural competence as a process makes it clear that it is not simply a collection of facts but a way of thinking and behaving.  Cultural self-awareness is essential to this process. Individualized care is the essence of nursing and a distinct, dominant, central, and unifying focus.   Caring is essential for well–being, health, healing, growth, survival, and facing handicaps or death.  The nursing process is a systematic method of assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementing, evaluating and revising plans of care with the patient. 

The graduate of the Associate Degree Program is prepared to enter practice as a provider of care, a manager of care, and a member of the profession. The foundation for all three roles include critical thinking, communication, collaboration, teaching, continuous learning, and maintaining competence.   As a provider of care, emphasis is on the following:  the nursing process, cultural competence, communication, collaboration with the team, teaching others, continuous learning, and maintaining clinical competence.  The graduate of the Associate Degree Program manages nursing care for a group of clients with common, well-defined health problems in structured settings.  The graduate delegates care and supervises those care providers with less education and experience.  The Associate Degree nurse also seeks guidance from experienced professionals.  As a member of the profession, the graduate of the Associate Degree Program practices within the ethical and legal framework and assumes responsibility for self-development and his/her own practice. 

Nursing education is a formal program of study which takes place within the mainstream of higher education.  The process of nursing education is organized to create a climate which encourages critical thinking, maximization of potential, originality, and creativity.   The educational process for a culturally diverse student population requires faculty to focus on the students’ unique cultures and learning styles.  Faculty act as facilitators of learning as students progress from simple concepts and skills to more complex knowledge and skills.  Cultural differences may have a significant impact on how students learn, communicate, and respond to the process of becoming part of a profession.  Facultyare committed to learning about and respecting cultural differences and similarities. 

ADN NURSING STUDENT SELECTION CRITERIA

Effective January 1, 2010

Prerequisites: 

       Minimum GPA of 2.75 (based on supporting courses below)

       Computer Literacy:  CS 111 or 1 semester high school computer     science

       Certified Nurses Assistant (CNA) Current as of June 1

Supporting Courses (completion with a grade of "C" or better):   

     * indicates courses required to be repeated if greater than 7 years prior to entrance into the program.

GPA:

Student G.P.A. (based on supporting courses above) is multiplied by a factor of 3 and added to the formula.  Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.75 to qualify for selection based on supporting courses.

Credit for Certified Health Care Experience  (Maximum of 5 points)

Points for more than 1 year experience require completion of verification of employment form by the employer.

Number of supporting courses completed, college GPA and health care work experience will be considered in the student selection process. 

The deadline for receipt of application forms for the Department of Nursing is May 1st.  Transcripts must be in the Admissions Office by April 1st of each year.  Student selection will be completed by June 15th.