The faculty of the Licensed Practical Nursing Program of the W-B AVTS is dedicated to the preparation of the practical nurse. The department’s goal is to graduate a knowledgeable nurse capable of providing safe, effective and competent patient care with direct supervision of the registered nurse, medical doctor or dentist. We believe that the practical nurse education is based on a complementary relationship between clinical experience and classroom studies. Didactic information progresses from the simple to the complex and is closely correlated to scheduled clinical experiences.
The faculty is aware that society and health care are constantly changing and believe the practical nurse is part of this dynamic process. The following are the faculty’s beliefs about the interrelated and dynamic concepts that make up the paradigm of nursing:
Health is the ability to exist holistically throughout life by balancing and integrating life processes at the best level of an individual’s capability. Health includes physical, mental and social well being with the ability to overcome or adapt to stressors. The faculty believe the strongest factor to affect health is the individual’s self-efficacy regarding health promotion and maintenance activities. We believe positive perceptions of control of health strongly relate to continued health promoting behaviors.
Environment is the immediate surroundings in which individuals, families and communities exist. It is shaped by one’s age, developmental state, life experiences, sociocultural orientation, health and available resources. The faculty believes the environment is a major determinant in the individual’s ability to attain a positive state of health.
Nursing is an art and a science that utilizes the nursing process as a basic framework for practice. It is a combination of principles and knowledge from the physical and behavioral sciences with nursing arts and techniques. Holistic nursing addresses the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of each individual. Nursing provides care services directed toward primary health care (prevention), secondary health care (hospital & extended care facilities) and tertiary health care (rehabilitation & restorative care) facilities.
Education is the process of acquiring knowledge and skills. It provides the opportunity for an individual to develop to one’s own potential. The process is based on prior knowledge and it builds on this foundation.
The faculty further delineates nursing education as being based upon a foundation of scientific concepts with a curriculum reflecting current and realistic articulation of theory and clinical experiences in a sequential manner from the simple to the complex throughout the program. The curriculum should reflect the common needs of all individuals in all health care settings. A practical nurse who functions safely, effectively, and competently is the goal of the Practical Nursing program.
The faculty believe that the educational process is the responsibility of a qualified faculty to develop, implement, evaluate and revise on an on-going process, and to keep the curriculum current, flexible, and reflective of the health care changes, while maintaining the standards of nursing education.
Individuals are unique beings, possessing inherent worth and dignity and a capacity for continued growth and adaptation throughout the life cycle, congruent with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. As long as the individual’s basic needs are met, they may be capable of meeting Maslow’s highest level. The individual is the recipient of nursing care and the faculty believes it is our responsibility to the student to integrate society, nursing and education to allow the student to function effectively as contributing members of society. We believe that an individual must continually adapt to changes in the environment and changes within one’s self.
We endorse the basic philosophy of the Wilkes-Barre Area Vocational-Technical School in that it is an equal opportunity educational institution. We will not discriminate on the basis of age, marital status, spiritual belief, race, color, national origin, sex, & handicap in activities, programs, or employment activities as required by Title VI, Title IX, Section 504. The opportunity to prepare for practical nursing is available to any individual who meets the admission criteria.
Upon successful completion of the Practical Nursing Program of the Wilkes-Barre AVTS, the graduate Practical Nurse will, within the scope of the Practical Nurse Practice Act:
(1) Interrelate basic scientific principles in administering safe nursing care to patients;
(2) Demonstrate the necessary skills and adaptive abilities in administering patient care, utilizing the nursing process;
(3) Correlate information regarding the patients' needs, utilizing the nursing process;
(4) Select appropriate therapeutic communication techniques in interaction with patients and others;
(5) Participate with the health care team in the planning & implementation of patients' needs, utilizing the nursing process;
(6) Refer patients and families to the appropriate community agencies, as indicated;
(7) Practice within the established ethical and legal guidelines as specified in the PA Practical Nurse Practice Act;
(8) Participate in available continuing educational conferences and workshops;
(9) Participate in local nursing organizations;
(10) Evaluate personal & professional strengths and weaknesses;
(11) Function as a health care advocate.
The Practical Nursing Program's objectives and philosophy are clearly stated and publicly accessible in the Student Handbook, Program Brochure, and on the Practical Nursing Website.
The Mission Statement of the Wilkes-Barre Area Vocational-Technical School was developed in October 2001. Following an administrative change in the Practical Nursing Program, the Practical Nursing Program's philosophy and objectives were reviewed and revised in October 2002 in an effort to reflect current trends in practical nursing and in keeping with the mandates of the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.
The philosophy of the Practical Nursing Program confirms that the program is available to anyone meeting the admissions criteria, regardless of race, color, age, national origin, sex and handicap in its activities, programs or employment activities.
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