SVCC Catalog/Handbook 2017-2018

80 Southside Virginia Community College
NURSING
(Christanna Campus, John H. Daniel Campus, and Southern Virginia Higher Education Center in South Boston)
Award: Associate of Applied Science
Length: Sixty-seven credit hour program
Purpose: The program in Nursing equips the student
with the knowledge and skills needed to begin professional
practice in the care, counseling, and education of
health care consumers in a variety of settings. Upon
satisfactory completion of the program, the student is
eligible to take the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensing
Exam-Registered Nurse). The SVCC Nursing
Program assists in providing a competent entry-level
Registered Nursing workforce for health care providers
in Southside Virginia.
Program Framework and Core Values
The organizing framework for the AAS Nursing Program
encompasses five core values: Patient-Centered Care,
Professional Identity, Nursing Judgment, Collaboration,
and Safe and Effective Care.
Patient-Centered Care – Advocate for the patient and
families as a source of control and full partner in providing
care. By seeking learning opportunities with
patients who represent all aspects of human diversity
across the lifespan a nurse will be better able to demonstrate
caring behaviors to a diverse population. Caring
behaviors are nurturing, protective, patient-centered, and
compassionate. In order to demonstrate caring behaviors
and actions a nurse must understand and integrate
the knowledge and understanding of natural and
behavioral sciences, nursing theory, research, and past
nursing experiences.
Professional Identity – Conduct oneself in a way that
reflects integrity, responsibility, and ethical practice.
Truly understand what it means to be a nurse and what
nursing means to patients, families and communities.
Actively participating in professional organizations elevates
the profession of nursing by instilling pride and
self-fulfillment found in being a nurse.
Nursing Judgment – Make effective judgment in practice
by utilizing current evidence to assist with clinical
decisions. Clinical decision making encompasses the
performance of accurate assessments and the use of
multiple methods to access information, and the analysis
and integration of knowledge and information
to provide positive outcomes for the patient, family, and
community.
Collaboration – Function effectively within nursing and
the inter-professional teams. Foster open communication,
mutual respect, and shared decision-making to
achieve quality patient care. Utilize collaboration to innovatively
think about nursing practice. Challenge the
status quo and offer new insight to improve the quality of
care for patients, families and communities.
Safe and Effective Care – Recognize the role nursing
plays in the system of care and understand the process
that affects outcomes for patients, families, and communities.
Understand the role nurses have to continuously
test and improve the quality and safety of care. Incorporate
technology and standardized procedures that
support safety and quality. Reporting of errors and near
misses is integral to the practice of providing safe and
effective care. Utilize patient teaching and learning processes
to promote health and reduce health risks. These
teaching and learning processes are implemented in
collaboration with the patient, family, and other members
of the health care team. Teaching promotes health
education, informed decision-making, and promotes the
patient and family to become active participants in
safeguarding care.
Employment Possibilities
Include beginning staff nurse positions in hospitals,
nursing homes, physicians’ offices, clinics, and other
comparable health care facilities and agencies.
Program Approval and Accreditation
The Virginia Board of Nursing and the State Council for
Higher Education have approved and/or accredited the
development, implementation, and continuation of this
program. The program has been granted accreditation by
the Accrediting Commission for Education in Nursing
(ACEN), 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta,
Georgia, 30326. 404-975-5000
In Virginia, a State License is required for this profession.
More information may be obtained from the Virginia
Department of Health Professions; Board of Nursing,
Perimeter Center, 9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 300,
Henrico, Virginia 23233-1463 Phone: (804) 367-4515.