"Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open."
Sir James Dewar
WELCOME TO THE QUINSIGAMOND COMMUNITY COLLEGE A.D.N. NURSE EDUCATION ELECTRONIC EFFECTIVENESS PORTFOLIO
The Quinsigamond Community College Nurse Education Program is approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing (MBORN) and fully accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Committee (NLNAC)
The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) is the entity that is responsible for the specialized accreditation of all types of nursing education programs, both post-secondary and higher degree. The Commission has authority and accountability inherent in the application of standards and criteria, accreditation processes, and the affairs, management, policy making , and general administration of the NLNAC.
The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) accredits five types of nurse education programs. This includes masters degrees, baccalaureate programs, associate degree programs, RN diploma programs, and practical nursing programs.
Electronic portfolios incorporate assessment into the process and recording of learning for students, faculty, and institutions. The premise that assessment can be designed to improve learning during the process of learning can be reflected throughout this assessment portfolio. In addition, to provide quality teaching and learning, assessment and evaluation of data is critical to program function.**
As the reader begins to navigate through this electronic portfolio assessment of the Nurse Education Program it is important to understand the process of educating nurses. The method of educating nurses revolves around critical thinking and the nursing process.
Critical thinking is purposeful thinking in which the thinker systematically imposes criteria and intellectual standards on the thinking. The thinker is aware and takes charge of the thinking process, guiding it according to the standards. ***
The nursing process is a systematic, rational method of planning and providing nursing care. Its goal is to identify a client's healthcare status using assessment, and actual or potential health problems, to establish plans to meet the identified needs, and to deliver specific nursing interventions to address those needs. The nursing process is cyclical; that is, its components follow a logical sequence, but more than one component may be involved at one time. At the end of the first cycle, care may be terminated if goals are achieved, or the cycle may continue with reassessment, or the plan of care may be modified. The five stages of the nursing process are: assessing, diagnosing, planning, implementing, and evaluating. ***
The electronic portfolio assessment in part is a reflection of the nursing process. The adaptation of the electronic portfolio assessment utilizes assessment and evaluation to reflect a congruency with the nursing process.
The components of the electronic portfolio include the following:
A. Program Goals and Educational Effectiveness
This section identifies the goals of the Nurse Education Program and methodology to evaluate educational effectiveness within the A.D.N. Program..
This section illustrates the Seven Standards and twenty three criterion of the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission.
Additionally, the QCC Nurse Education Program's Systematic Plan for Program Evaluation and Assessment of Outcomes is presented.
C. Relationship of Program Philosophy and Program Outcomes
The curriculum is developed by the nursing faculty and flows from the nursing unit philosophy through an organizing framework into a logical progression of course outcomes and learning activities to achieve desired program outcomes. A table illustrates all of the above.
Entry into the practice of nursing in the United States and its territories is regulated by the licensing authorities within each jurisdiction. To ensure public protection, each jurisdiction requires a candidate for licensure to pass an examination that measures the competencies needed to perform safely and effectively as a newly licensed, entry-level registered nurse. (RN). The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN) develops a licensure examination, the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN ), which is used by state and territorial boards to assist in making licensure decisions.****
This section illustrates a 10 year span of NCLEX-RN results for Quinisgamond Community College A.D.N. Program.
E. The Methodology/Change in Practice
This section identifies trended and aggregated data for the NUR 211 overall course evaluations. This section identifies changes made over several semesters to recognize evaluations, completed by students, that fell below faculty established benchmarks. Demonstrated in this component is the trended data for 6 semesters showing the improvement as changes were made.
Reflective practice can be defined as a cognitive process that involves a deliberate pause to examine beliefs, goals or practices that can lead to improved instructional strategies in the college classroom.*****
This section identifies the curriculum framework and threads of the A.D.N. Program utilizing a visual component. Included in this portion of the portfolio assessment is the decision making and discussion that lead to the actual graphic that was selected by faculty to demonstrate this concept. This helps students to understand the framework, using a visual component, to understand the curriculum framework and the accompanying threads throughout the program necessary for entrance into practice.
Listed in a table format are the 10 program outcomes along with the NLN competencies and how they fit into the Quinsigamond Community College Conceptual Framework and the Curriculum Threads. All have been color coded to enhance the description and for further understanding of the entire nursing curriculum.
**Electronic Porfolios as Knowledge Buiders, Barbara L. Cambridge
***Kozier, Erb, Berman and Burke(2000),Nursing Process and Critical Thinking. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall
****Wendt, Anne, and Harris, Lenore (2003), National Council of State Boards of Nursing Detailed Test Plan for the NCLEX-RN Examination
*****Montie, York-Barr, Kronbergr, Reflective Practice: Creating Capacities for School Improvement: Institue on Community Inclusion, University of Minnesota
QCC A.D.N. Electronic Portfolio Assessment created and developed by Jane June