Nursing Programs Conceptual Model

Published by James Taylor

BSN	MSN
*Nurse as Detective*: The nurse uses clinical imagination coupled with nursing science to detect subtle changes and deviations from expected patterns of being to prevent or control adverse outcomes.	*Nurse as Detective:* The nurse uses clinical imagination coupled with nursing science to judge and determine the consequence of subtle changes and deviations from expected patterns of being to prevent or control adverse outcomes.
*Nurse as Scientist*: The nurse participates in scientific inquiry to inform healthcare decisions; and critiques, disseminates and implements evidence to influence practice.	*Nurse as Scientist:* The nurse uses translational science to influence healthcare decisions; to prescribe and implement best practice and broadly disseminate the findings.
*Nurse as manager of the Healing* *Environment:* The healing environment is global in nature and includes considerations of healthcare policy, finance and regulations. Acknowledging this, the nurse creates, coordinates, and advocates for a respectful, interdisciplinary environment that promotes optimal well-being and affirms the dignity of the human experience	*Nurse as manager of the Healing Environment:* The healing environment is global in nature and includes social, cultural, political and economic influences. Acknowledging this, the nurse, as a member of the inter-professional community, influences public policy and promotes social justice in the human health experience.

Operational Definitions of the Concepts in the Model

The three concentric circles of Knowing, Doing and Being describe the progressive development of the nurse which begins with Knowing, progresses to Doing and culminates in Being.

Knowing refers to the acquisition of knowledge, information or understanding and extends to the integration of knowledge of the mind, body, environment, community, self, clients and colleagues.

Doing describes the development of skills and abilities essential to the practice of nursing and the provision of care to patients, families and communities. It is the demonstration of skillful and helpful ways of being with patients and includes tasks and processes nurses use in course of providing care.

Being a nurse describes the development of ‘habitus’ or habits of ethical comportment and the use of knowledge, skills and abilities in embodying the complex role and intuition of a patient-centered practitioner.

Model Elements

Compassionate Patient-centered care is the provision of holistic care with respect for values, preferences and needs of the patient, family and community in the journey to well being across the lifespan.

Evidence based practice is integrating “best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of op mal healthcare” (QSEN, 2009).

Genomics and Genethics includes knowledge about the gene c basis of health and illness, the variables that impact the responses to genomic information and related ethical issues.

Informatics/Technology

Informatics is the engineering, storing, organizing and manipulation of data to support the provision of safe, effective quality care. Technology is the continuously changing array of devices and software used for patient care.

Leadership/Education

Leadership is the process of identifying and prioritizing goals to achieve optimal quality outcomes. Education is assessing learning needs and facilitating acquisition of knowledge, skills and abilities.

Safety & Quality care minimizes risk of harm to patients, families, communities and providers through analyses of systems’ effectiveness and individual performance while continually measuring quality of care in terms of cost, structure, process, and outcomes.

Cultural competency is providing care that is acceptable to patients, families and communities from diverse cultural, ethnic and social backgrounds.

Communication is effective interaction with patients, families, communities, professional colleagues and other health care team members.

Teamwork and collaboration is effective engagement with nursing and interprofessional teams to foster open communication, mutual respect and shared decision making to achieve quality patient care.

Professional/Legal/ Ethical is effective decision-making and reflection within a framework of social justice and law, advocacy, and standards of practice to promote the common good.

	BSN PROGRAM OUTCOMES		MSN PROGRAM OUTCOMES
	The WGU Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing Program Graduate Will:		The WGU Master’s Degree in Nursing Program Graduate Will:
	1. Communicate effectively in oral, written, interpersonal and electronic modes.		1. Employ appropriate patient- care technologies and information management strategies to lead change and improve quality care outcomes.
	2. Use clinical reasoning to provide safe, quality, nursing care based on the best available evidence and ethical principles.		2. Integrates clinical reasoning with organizational, patient-centered, culturally appropriate strategies to plan, deliver, and evaluate evidence-based practice.
3. Assume accountability for providing and ensuring safe, efficient, quality care congruent with ethical, professional and legal standards.		3. Design innovative nursing practices to impact quality outcomes for individuals, populations, and systems congruent with ethical, professional and legal standards.
4. Synthesize theoretical, clinical and empirical knowledge from nursing, scientific, community and humanistic disciplines within the practice of nursing. Synthesizes theoretical and empirical knowledge drawing from the arts and sciences to understand the human experience as a social advocate, and professional nurse.		4. Assemble scientific findings from nursing, biopsychosocial fields, genetics, public health, and organizational sciences for the continual improvement of nursing care across diverse settings.
BSN		MSN
5. Provide compassionate, patient-centered care to individuals, families, and communities from a variety of cultures across the lifespan.		5. Utilize applied research outcomes within the practice setting, navigating and integrating care services across healthcare systems.
6. Apply leadership and education skills to engage others in creating and promoting a healing environment for continued self-improvement.		6. Design organization and leadership systems that promote high quality patient-care delivery and advance life-long learning.
7. Engage in inter-professional collaboration to improve safety and quality of healthcare.		7. Construct interprofessional teams to communicate, coordinate, collaborate and consult with other health professionals to advance a culture of excellence.
8. Incorporate knowledge of genomics and genethics into the care of patients, families and communities.		8. Integrate scientific knowledge including that from genetics and genethics in the continual improvement of nursing care across diverse settings and populations.
9. Use information technology to communicate, mitigate error and make decisions related to the provision of patient care and support incorporation of nursing knowledge in the development of patient care technology.		9. Provide oversight and guidance in the integration of technology to manage care, identify performance measures and standards that improve quality and safety outcomes.