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Associate Degree in Nursing (RN)-Traditional

 
 Check back in mid-September for Fall 2014 packets. 
If you would prefer a packet to be mailed to you, just email nursing@sic.edu. 
 

Deadline is March 31, 2014 to complete the application procedures.

Full-time traditional classroom program begins each Fall semester.

THE APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

1. Submit an application for admission to SIC. (This is not necessary if you are a continuing student.)  The application may be completed electronically at Southeastern’s website. www.sic.edu/apply
2. Provide proof of graduation from an accredited high school or submit proof of having successfully completed the GED exam.
3. Submit official transcripts from all high schools (or official GED exam scores) and post-secondary institution attended.
4. Be a graduate of an approved Practical Nursing program with a completion date prior to the start of ADN classes. Transcripts will provide proof of completion of the Practical Nursing Program.
5. Attend a scheduled advisement meeting regarding the ADN program (dates and times are listed in the application packet).
6. Submit an application for the Associate Degree Nursing Program, by the application deadline, to the Admissions Coordinator. The deadline date for the traditional and online programs is March 31 for completion of the application process, including application, advisement, and TEAS V testing. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that all the information has been received (by Kelli Mahoney or the Nursing Office) prior to the March 31 deadline.  The applicant’s supporting documentation must be complete by the end of the Summer 2014 Semester to be considered for acceptance to the Fall class.
7. Register to take the TEAS V at SIC. Exam dates are by appointment, call 252-5400, ext. 2442. Prior to taking the TEAS V test make payment to the SIC Business Office of $45 for TEAS testing fee. Make check or money order payable to Southeastern Illinois College. No refunds. Provide receipt as proof of payment on your scheduled test date.
8. Take the standardized pre-nursing TEAS V examination given at Southeastern. These scores will be used to rank admission to the program. Applicants must score 58.7%.  Applicants may take the exam a maximum of twice in one academic year to improve their scores, if they so choose. The highest TEAS score will be used for ranking.  The exam should be taken in time for scores to be received by the college prior to the deadlines of the program to which the student is applying.  Students who are reapplying to the program must retake the TEAS exam for continuation. If the student is transferring a TEAS V score taken at another college, the student is responsible for making arrangements with ATI for the transfer, as well as for all costs incurred with the transfer.
9. Applicant files will be evaluated and a rank ordering of those with complete files will be done on or after the supporting documentation deadline. Letters of acceptance will be sent to applicants from the Director of Nursing. Complete file means that the SIC application AND the application to the ADN Program are present. Also, the transcripts, test scores, documentation of advisement meeting attendance, and proof of successful completion of General Education requirements must be present.
10. Within the first seven (7) days of class, the student must provide the Nursing and Allied Health Department with:
a. Documentation of specific health screening and immunizations as required by the Clinical agencies
b. Proof of current personal health insurance coverage or signed waiver

 

ADN Students

Associate Degree Nursing Program

 

HISTORY

Associate Degree Nursing education is a part of higher education and is established on generally accepted standards of community college education. The Associate Degree Nursing Program at Southeastern Illinois College originated as a member of the Southern Illinois Collegiate Common Market (SICCM) in 1975.  SICCM is comprised of Southeastern Illinois College, John A. Logan College, Shawnee College, Rend Lake College and the School of Technical Careers at Southern Illinois University.  At a later date, the Associate Degree Nursing Program of each of these campuses established separate identities at the respective community college campuses.  The Associate Degree Nursing program is approved by the Illinois Community College Board, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations.  Southeastern Illinois College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and schools.

MISSION STATEMENT

Southeastern Illinois College, as a comprehensive community college and a member of the Illinois Community College System of Higher Education, is committed to a philosophy that believes in the dignity and worth of each individual regardless of race, creed, gender, physical abilities, national or ethnic origin. As its mission, Southeastern strives to become the educational and cultural center of the community by providing for the development of intellectual, social, personal and productive skills to all persons who reside within Community College District #533.

In order to implement its mission, Southeastern Illinois College has adopted the following objectives:

  1. Promote admission policies and reasonable costs that facilitate enrollment of those who can benefit from educational and other services offered.
  2. Provide a wide range of student support services that reinforce the student’s academic, career, and personal development.
  3. Provide a general education program that creates a foundation for further study and enlightened citizenship.
  4. Provide the first two years of baccalaureate degree program in the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees that will enable students to transfer to four-year institutions.
  5. Provide vocational and technical programs and courses designed to prepare students for career entry, position upgrade and career advancement.
  6. Provide developmental and remedial courses, programs and support services for students with academic deficiencies.
  7. Provide educational opportunities, courses, and programs in basic education and adult secondary education.
  8. Provide educational and social opportunities for students to better understand the diversity of cultures and peoples in the local, national, and global communities.
  9. Provide continuing education and life-long learning opportunities for students and constituents to meet individual cultural and leisure-time interests.
  10. Work cooperatively with educational institutions, businesses, industries, health organizations, governmental agencies and other community entities to provide programs and services designed to promote the economic health and development of the region.
  11. Provide cultural, recreational and general interest events which enrich and enhance the lives of students and other residents of the community.

 

PHILOSOPHY

The Associate Degree Nursing Program philosophy is consistent with the Philosophy of Southeastern Illinois College, which states “Southeastern strives to become the educational and cultural center of the community by providing for the development of intellectual, social, personal and productive skills to all persons who reside within Community College District #533.”

Educational efforts of the Associate Degree Nursing Program are directed toward responding to the needs of individuals and the community to enable the student to acquire both the theory and skill base necessary for an entry-level professional nurse.

We believe that humans exist as unique individuals of worth. A human is a bio-psycho-social being with certain basic needs. Humans while operating as an open system, which includes individual, family and groups, are in a constant state of change striving toward order and organization. Patterns of life-span development within this state of change are sequential and predictable.

Health is the internal state that enables each individual to adapt to life changes. Health is a dynamic fluctuating state of change on the wellness-illness continuum and includes interactions with the physical, psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual movement.

Teaching/Learning Process

We believe that learning is a life-long process, which occurs in different ways at different rates and in a variety of settings.

The teaching/learning process is an interdependent, dynamic and continuous interaction between the teacher and students and includes:

  • The learner’s needs, interests, goals and objectives
  • Self-directed, logical learning which moves from simple to complex
  • Exercises in critical thinking and inquiry

Nursing Education at the Associate Degree level is best delivered in the community college setting and includes:

  • Acknowledgment of the student as a whole person with psychosocial growth potential
  • Dynamic and current nursing theories, concepts, practice and research
  • Development of professional and interpersonal relationships
  • Integration of the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor approaches to learning
  • Development of critical thinking skills and encourages student inquiry
  • Periodic evaluation of program competencies and objectives
  • Recognition of economics in health care delivery

We believe that nursing is an art and science that utilizes the Nursing Process to assist humans in the attainment of a high level of wellness and includes:

  • Respect for worth and dignity of the individual and family
  • Provision of care to meet basic human needs
  • The components of the Nursing Process to assist individual participation in health promotion, maintenance and restoration throughout the lifespan
  • Technology and accepted standards in delivering, documenting and managing care
  • Restoration and/or maintenance of health or support throughout the dying process
  • Health care delivery in a variety of settings

The Role of the Associate Degree Nurse includes:

  • The ability to provide comprehensive nursing care in diverse settings
  • The use of the Nursing Process as a basis to make decisions in the delivery of nursing care
  • Collaboration as a member of the discipline and participation on the multidisciplinary health care team.
  • The management and delegation of care to Licensed Practical Nurses and unlicensed assistive personnel

The Illinois Articulations Initiative defines nursing:

  1. As a provider of care, the graduate develops, implements, and evaluates individualized plans of care.  The graduate maintains effective communication and promotes participation of client, significant other, and health care team members in the plan of care.
  2. As a manager of client care, the graduate works with other health care personnel within the organizational structure to assess and set nursing care priorities for a group of clients.  The graduate delegates aspects of care to peers, licensed practical nurses and ancillary nursing personnel, consistent with their levels of education and expertise, in order to meet client needs.  The graduate works under the guidance and supervision of the baccalaureate, masters, or doctoral prepared nurse who assums a leadership role in health care management.
  3. As a teacher, the graduate collaborates with the other health care team members to assess the need for information, develop goals, implement the teaching plan and evaluate and promote participation of client, significant other and health team members in the plan of care.
  4. As a researcher, under the guidance of masters of doctoral prepared nurses, the graduate participates in research conducted at the employing institution.  The graduate utilizes nursing research in nursing care.

As a member within the discipline of nursing, the graduate maintains accountability for care given and delegated, and assures adherence to quality and ethical and legal standards of care. The graduate recognizes the necessity for continued education in a society of rapid technological change and complex issues in health care delivery. The graduate strives for professional growth and involvement in activities to promote nursing practice.

 Conceptual Framework/Organizing Structure

The Conceptual Framework, which provides structure and organization for the Associate Degree Nursing curriculum/program of learning, encompasses three major concepts, which flow throughout all the Nursing Courses. These major concepts are: Life-Span Development as defined by Erikson, Hierarchy of Basic Human Needs as defined by Maslow, and the Wellness-Illness Continuum.

Additional concepts, which contribute to the organizing structures of each nursing course, are: Nursing Process and the Roles of the Associate Degree Nurse. Factors or sub-concepts found throughout the program of learning which play a role as to the client’s place along the wellness-illness continuum are: Nursing Skills (Interventions), Communication, Caring, Patient Teaching, Environment.

As a member within the discipline of nursing, the graduate maintains accountability for care given and delegated, and assures adherence to quality and ethical and legal standards of care. The graduate recognizes the necessity for continued education in a society of rapid technological change and complex issues in health care delivery. The graduate strives for professional growth and involvement in activities to promote nursing practice.

The major concepts that provide organization throughout the program of learning are:

  • Life-Span Development
  • Maslow's Basic Human Needs
  • Wellness-Illness Continuum

Additional concepts, which contribute to the organizing structures of each nursing course are:

  • Nursing Skills (Interventions)
  • Communication
  • Caring
  • Patient Teaching
  • Environment

Content is organized according to Maslow’s Basic Needs and interferences with those needs. Knowledge of client’s needs throughout the life-span includes the normal and predictable patterns of biological, psychological and sociological development from birth to death. Utilization of the 5 step approach to the Nursing Process allows the student to determine the client’s place within the wellness-illness continuum. Placement on the continuum is impacted by alteration of basic needs and developmental stages of the client.

The Nursing Process assists the student to assess the client and identify client problems, formulate nursing diagnoses, develop goals and expected client responses, delineate and implement nursing interventions and evaluate client outcomes.

Within the scope of practice of the Associate Degree Nurse as a provider of care, the nurse is expected to perform skills safely and competently, communicate in a way that helps clients meet basic needs, exhibit caring behaviors, implement teaching specific to client’s learning needs and recognizes environmental influences which impacts the client’s continuum. As a manager of client care, the nurse practices organizational and problem-solving skills to guide and supervise less skilled workers. As a member of the discipline, the nurse collaborates with other team members and health care providers, practices within ethical and legal standards and participates in continuing education and professional development. Role responsibility emphasizes the need to be accountable for one’s own nursing practice and that which is delegated.

 

CURRICULUM DESIGN

The current curriculum has recently been redesigned and reflects the curriculum defined and accepted by the faculty.

There are four major concepts that flow throughout the Program of Learning: (a) person’s basic needs, (b) growth and development, (c) wellness-illness, and (d) nursing process. Each nursing course considers the person’s basic needs in relation to growth and development on the wellness-illness continuum by utilizing the nursing process.

The nursing process provides the basis for the program. The five-step approach to the nursing process includes: (a) assessing, (b) analyzing, (c) planning, (d) implementing, and (e) evaluating. The nursing process assists the student to assess the client and identify client problems, formulate nursing diagnosis, develop client goals and expected client responses (outcomes), write and implement nursing interventions, and evaluate client responses (outcomes).

Lower basic needs and higher level needs are identified and presented in the courses in a meaningful order. Knowledge of client’s needs in relation to growth and development includes the normal and predictable patterns of biological, psychological, and sociological development from birth to death. These predictable patterns are accomplished in a manner and timeframe unique to each person in relation to their cultural and sexual identity. Analyzing data allows the student to place the client appropriately on the wellness-illness continuum. Placement on the continuum depends upon the alteration in basic needs, which have an impact on the other basic needs and the developmental tasks of the client throughout the life cycle.

Analyzing client assessment data encourages the student to think critically, conceptualize and analyze relationships in order to arrive at a nursing diagnosis. Nursing interventions are then impacted by the decisions made.

Planning includes prioritizing, setting goals, and determining nursing interventions, validating rationale, determining outcome criteria and the writing of the nursing care plan. Client participation is considered a most important part in the planning step of the nursing process.

Integrated into the nursing process are assessing, analyzing, planning, implementing and evaluation. The five major nursing actions are skill performance, communication, client teaching, and management of client care and role responsibility.

Nurses are expected to perform skills safely and competently. Communication assists the nurse to help the client meet basic needs, collaborate with other team members and to document the nursing process according to ethical and legal guidelines. Management of client care requires the nurse to implement organizational and problem-solving skills to guide and supervise less skilled workers. Role responsibility emphasizes the need to be responsible and accountable for nursing practice within the discipline’s ethical and legal framework. Continuing education and participation in the professional organizations are integral parts of this role.

Click here to see a complete curriculum guide.

TERMINAL OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of the Associate Degree Nursing Program, the graduate, recognizing humans as unique individuals of worth, will be able to in a “caring” manner:

  1. Communicate effectively with clients, families and members of the multi-disciplinary health team;
  2. Utilize the nursing process (assess, analyze, plan, implement and evaluate) to provide nursing care to clients with common health problems in varied health career settings;
  3. Demonstrate the professional responsibility necessary to safely, and legally, function in accordance with the Illinois Nursing and Advance Practice Nursing Act;
  4. Apply scientific principles as the foundation for nursing interventions;
  5. Implement individualized nursing care according to the client’s cultural background;
  6. Apply basic knowledge of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs;
  7. Apply basic knowledge of Erikson’s Stage of Growth and Development;
  8. Utilize principles of nutrition in health and disease;
  9. Utilize principles of pharmacology, understand rationale, and administer medications safely;
  10. Utilize teaching principles to provide education to client, community and family;
  11. Demonstrate successful performance of competencies identified in: a) the Illinois Occupational Skill Standard Nursing Cluster, and b) Illinois Articulation Initiative Nursing Model; and
  12. Recognize and comprehend all information regarding clients is confidential and students are held accountable for knowing Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations.
  13. Demonstrate successful completion of all current academic year CAP/CAT exams, as authored by Educational Resources Inc., with scores above the National Passing level; and
  14. Answer the personal history questions on the NCLEX-RN application and be prepared to write the NCLEX-RN exam.

 Click here for an Associate Degree in Nursing Curriculum Guide.