Vocational Nursing Program Philosophy

The philosophy of the Vocational Nursing Program at Santa Barbara City College is in accord
with the Mission Statement of the college and the program's philosophy of nursing. The curriculum of the program and the process of teaching and learning by which they are implemented is based on the following:

1. Nursing is a social endeavor. Participants in the community of nursing and related health disciplines should reflect society.
   
   
2. There is a core of nursing knowledge that is applicable to a wide variety of nurse- client settings and situations.
   
   
3. Understanding of functional, physiological, social and psychological patient/client needs is essential to effective nursing practice. Different levels of nursing determine the degree of educational preparation necessary and the scope of responsibility of the nurse.
   
   
4. The program prepares students from diverse backgrounds for beginning level of direct patient-centered care and educates students in the changing trends of the health care delivery system.
   
   
5. The program's content progresses from the simple to the complex and is predicated on the premise that effective vocational education requires active participation.
   
   
6. Faculty's role is to assist the student to be a responsible learner whose actions are guided by ethical standards as well as knowledge and skills.
   
   
7. Faculty fosters the learning process by assessing the students learning needs, assisting in developing faculty-student selected goals, providing access to learning situations, and when necessary making appropriate referrals.
   
   
8. The purpose of academic and clinical evaluation is to help the student recognizeand maximize abilities.