Vision
The faculty of the College of Nursing believes that humans are unique, holistic and multidimensional beings who are deserving of respect and dignity. Human beings have a right to self-determination and to make informed choices. They also have a right to competent advocacy when their abilities for self-determination and choice are impaired. Persons are capable of deliberate action for health purposes, have free will, reflect upon their experiences, and attach meaning to their experiences and their environments. Nursing is the professional application of arts, skills, and science to help the individuals, families and groups obtain their maximal state of well-being.
Mission
The mission of the College of Nursing is to educate professional nurses of today and leaders of tomorrow through the provision of excellent educational programs in nursing. The College will identify, attract and graduate students of high potential, especially those from groups who have been historically under-represented in Texas health care. Furthermore, this mission will facilitate individuals, families, and groups in achieving the maximum state of well-being through education of highly skilled nurses, research and service. The mission of the College will be enhanced through faculty contributions to community service, leadership, practice and research.
History
The Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Nursing, located in College Station, was created in response to the severe nursing shortage across Texas. With a nursing work force as well as a large population that is aging and ready to retire, it is vital to the state of Texas to help increase the number of registered nurses. The college is committed to addressing this vital need. The faculty and staff believe that highly skilled nurses, in collaboration with other health professionals, through research and service will facilitate individuals, families and groups to achieve a maximum state of well being.
After receiving approval from the Texas Board of Nursing, the college began with 44 students. The college currently offers three different "tracks" for the baccalaureate degree. One is a standard generic Bachelor of Science in nursing (B.S.N.) requiring two years of prerequisite courses and two years of nursing curricula. A second "accelerated" program is for those who already have earned a bachelor's degree in another field of study. The third track is an R.N. to B.S.N. program allowing registered nurses with diploma or associate degrees to complete additional course work for the B.S.N. Long-range plans include nursing graduate programs to include masters and doctoral programs.
Our Goals
In support of the vision and mission, the College of Nursing is committed to the following educational goals:
1. Develop within the student the knowledge and skills necessary for beginning professional nursing practice, cultivating basic and specialized abilities needed to pursue a successful career in the nursing profession.
2. Promote the concept of nursing as holistic caring, and facilitate attainment of a care delivery system sensitive to multicultural communities and their health values.
3. Use technology to facilitate and enhance student learning outcomes both inside and outside of the classrooms.
4. Offer individuals the opportunity to increase the breadth and depth of the theoretical base for nursing practice, enhance and expand competence, prepare for role specialization, and utilize new nursing knowledge.
5. Provide an educational environment of respect within which students may evolve as broadly educated, responsible, and accountable professionals dedicated to the principles of lifelong learning.
6. Serve the community as nursing experts, leaders and consultants in professional organizations, health promoters, providers of health care policy information, and advocates of ethical distribution and usage of resources.
7. Provide educational opportunities that combine the expertise and skills of nursing students, medical students, future hospital administrators and public health professionals to promote collaborative partnerships and relationships on many levels.
8. Contribute to the improvement of nursing education through innovation, evaluation, and participation in local to global nursing education activities.
Expected Student Outcomes
Baccalaureate graduates of the College of Nursing will:
Provide Care
1. Integrate concepts, models, and theories of nursing, the humanities and the natural, psychological, and sociological sciences as the foundation for professional nursing practice.
2. Apply concepts and theories as a base for problem solving decision making and critical reasoning in evidenced based nursing practice.
3. Use effective and therapeutic communication in formal and informal interaction with clients, colleagues and other members of health care team.
4. Utilize the nursing process in the holistic care of diverse individuals, families, groups, communities and populations in various healthcare settings.
5. Apply current standards of professional nursing practice in providing care to individuals, families, groups, communities and populations.
Manage Care
6. Utilize leadership and management skills while implementing safety principles to create a safe, caring environment for care delivery.
7. Use information management and patient care technology in the delivery of health care.
Participate as a Member of the Profession
8. Collaborate with other interprofessional health care team members to provide health promotion and disease and injury prevention across the lifespan for individuals, families, groups communities, and populations.
9. Modify care and advocate for patients in reflecting current and changing healthcare systems, health policies and global health care factors.
10. Demonstrate ethical accountability and legal responsibility for professional practice.
11. Integrate professional nursing values of altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity and social justice in professional nursing practice.
12. Demonstrate accountability for lifelong learning and professional growth.
