General Nursing Curriculum Philosophy.

Philosophy

The Purpose of the nursing program is to prepare students to enter into the evolving healthcare
system as competent, safe general practitioners. Nursing education is concerned with four major
elements: client, environment, health and nursing.
Client- The client is the focus of nursing practice. Client includes individuals, families, groups and
communities throughout their lifespan. Elements that comprise person are physiologic,
psychologic, socio-cultural, Developmental, and spiritual.
Environment- The environment includes internal and external physical, chemical, biological,
socio-cultural and spiritual factors, which support or threatens the person’s ability to maintain
homeostasis.
Health- Health is a dynamic state in a person’s lifecycle, involving varying degrees of
independence and interdependence. It is conceived as a continuum that extends from optimal well
being at one end through illness to death at the opposite end.
Nursing- The function of nursing is to help individuals gain and maintain optimal levels of health
or to die with dignity. Where health is not attainable, the nurse provides support during the dying
process. The scope of practice for any member of this discipline is determined by the legal and
educational standards for the specific level of practice. Guided by the American Nurses
Association Code of Ethics, and the State of Illinois Nursing and Advanced Practice Act. Faculty
recognizes that nursing is an art and science. Nurses include those individuals who are licensed as

practical nurses or registered nurses.



Nursing Education and Curriculum

Nursing Education and Curriculum is a systematic, dynamic process. The purpose of education is
to promote the acquisition of thinking, feeling, and acting in the areas of nursing knowledge, skills,
values and attitudes. The Joliet Junior College Nursing Program builds on a foundation of learning
in the humanities, and the physical, behavioral, and social sciences. The program provides
curricula and educational climate conducive to the attainment of the concepts, skills and values
needed for the competent practice of nursing. The curriculum incorporates the National League of
Nursing’s competencies for Graduates of Associate Degree Nursing. Student involvement is
encouraged for curriculum critique and revisions.
The faculty respects the diversity of nursing education and view different levels of
preparation as essential to Providing health care services to the community. A process for
educational articulation is central to the program at Joliet Junior College to enable learners to
pursue additional learning goals.
The Faculty recognizes the importance of scholarship and defines it as: “Scholarship
encompasses the individual and collective talents of the faculty. It is a rigorous academic process
which assists the faculty in the achievement of program goals by enhancing our knowledge base

and promoting excellence in teaching through discovery and practice”.

Teaching-Learning 

The faculty views learning as an active process, which is collaborative between the learner and 

educator. Learning is the means through which the learner acquires knowledge, skills, attitudes and 

values. The nursing program incorporates the classroom (theory/topics/lab), community clinical 

settings, and the use of technology for instruction to provide a varied learning environment to our 

diverse student population. 

The learner is central to the Educational process. Each learner has individual needs and 

potential and is expected to be self directed, active participant in the educational process. 

The faculty is responsible for designing learning experiences that promote 

current/competent nursing practice and is dedicated to incorporate best practices and evidenced 

based practices within the curriculum. These experiences progress from simple to the complex 

building on past knowledge. The faculty facilitates the learning process by defining explicit 

learning outcomes for the learners and basing evaluation on these criteria.