Nursing Department Learning Goals

The goals for the Westfield State University Nursing Program are to assist its students to:

1. Integrate knowledge from the humanities, physical and social sciences and to recognize and to support diversity in the practice of nursing.
2. Use evidence-based skilled nursing practice to promote, maintain and restore health across the lifespan to individuals, families and groups in a variety of health care settings.
3. Become beginning professional nurses who embody legal, cultural and ethical understanding to deliver patient centered care in a collaborative, caring and safe manner.
4. Utilize critical thinking skills to formulate skillful, caring nursing interventions to effectively meet health care challenges for individuals, families and/or communities.
5. Utilized current gerontological knowledge to maintain and restore health to aging clients or to support a peaceful end-of-life.
6. Value and confidently use appropriate health care technologies to enhance the care of patients.
7. Model an understanding of the role of the professional nurse as a leader who recognizes the importance of effective communication skills, the understanding of resource demands, the promotion of teamwork and the need to be flexible and delegate appropriately to achieve quality patient outcomes,
8. Demonstrate a spirit of inquiry, an understanding of self and a commitment to life-long learning