Northwest Florida State College RN to BSN Nursing Program

faculty with the tools needed not only to use the distance learning delivery platform
(Desire2Learn) effectively, but also to enhance that delivery method through use of
additional software such as Camtasia, Elluminate, and Tegrity.
Service and Practice
Support for service and practice are also key in the overall college commitment to the program
and essential to achieving program goals and outcomes. The following examples illustrate the
college’s support in this area – support which results in a direct contribution achieving program
goals 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7.
• As a matter of community involvement, the college supports the nursing faculty’s efforts
each year for the American Heart Association Heart Walk and the American Cancer
Society Relay for Life. Planning for and participation in such activities can all be done as
part of the faculty member’s workload commitment, though many instructors also elect to
spend their own time in support of these activities.
• Through the college budget process, funds are allocated to the program for nursing
faculty and staff to attend professional meetings at the state and national level.
• Provision may be made within the faculty member’s work load and OPA hours to
participate in on-site professional practice activities such as job shadowing or assisting in
client services at local hospitals or clinics. To that end, faculty members currently
volunteer at the Crossroads Medical Clinic and the Waterfront Rescue Mission.
Scholarship
Although the primary mission of NWFSC is teaching, quality instruction cannot be separated
from continued academic inquiry by faculty. To that end, the college provides time during the
faculty member’s duty obligation (OPA hours) to pursue research and scholarly activities. In
addition, the college funds travel and conference fees associated with professional growth and
scholarship, including presentations of research at such conferences. The college also supports
scholarship by funding graduate tuition and sabbatical opportunities.
• The director is currently pursuing a doctoral level nursing research project focusing on
health care of the homeless, a circumstance which adds depth and perspective to the
clinical experiences of her students. She has recently been selected to participate in the
Northwest Florida State College Self-Study Report for the BSN Program, August 20, 2008 Page 21 of 59