The Practical Nursing program prepares graduates to provide safe, entry-level nursing care under the direction of a registered nurse or licensed provider. The curriculum integrates classroom, laboratory, simulation, clinical practice, and a structured preceptorship experience.
End of Program Student Learning Outcomes
- Evaluate patient care as a member of the interprofessional healthcare team.
- Evaluate the nursing process and clinical judgment to provide safe patient care.
- Reflect on personal bias and mitigate the potential negative effects on patient care.
- Analyze communication strategies to create a safe environment.
- Classify the PN scope of practice to ensure the quality of nursing care.
- Utilize evidence-based practice when performing patient care.
End of Program Outcomes
Consistent with the mission and goals of the MCHP Practical Nursing Certificate Program Core competencies established by the 6-NLN Integrating Concepts of Practical/Vocational Nursing Education and the standards outlined by the ACEN for degree-granting nursing programs, the following outcomes have been selected by the faculty to assist in measuring the quality and effectiveness of the Program.
- 60% of the PN certificate students who remain in the PN 101 course after the add-drop period will complete the program in three semesters.
- Graduate classes that pass the NCLEX-PN with an annual (12 months)-80% pass rate on the first sitting.
- 90% of alumni surveys (phone calls, texts, emails) will demonstrate the alumni has secured employment in a licensed practical nurse position within four (4) months after passing all program requirements.
Graduates will demonstrate reasonable satisfaction with their Program of learning.
Organizational Framework
The curriculum supports the achievement of the end-of-program student learning outcomes and program outcomes and is consistent with safe practice in contemporary healthcare environments. Teaching and learning practices are congruent with expected student outcomes. The PN program was developed according to the National League for Nursing (NLN) professional standards and guidelines:
National League for Nursing- Four Competencies and Six Integrating Concepts
The set of professional standards that are incorporated into the PN Program is derived from the National League for Nursing (2010), Outcomes and Competencies for Graduates of Practical/Vocational, Diploma, Degree, Baccalaureate, Master’s, Practice Doctorate, and Research Doctorate Programs in Nursing.
The NLN Education Competency Work Group collaborated over a one-year period to evaluate how best to prepare graduates of nursing programs across the academic spectrum to function in an evolving, dynamic health care environment. They determined that there are four standards and six integrating concepts that provide the framework for nursing education.
The Four Competencies
- Spirit of Inquiry: Encouraging graduates to question existing practices and seek innovative approaches to improve care.
- Professional Identity: Developing a strong sense of professional responsibility and accountability.
- Nursing Judgment: Equipping graduates to make sound clinical judgments and decisions.
- Human Flourishing: Promoting holistic care that respects the dignity and self-determination of patients and their families.
The Six Integrating Concepts are as follows:
- Safety: Safety is the foundation upon which all other aspects of quality care are built.
- Quality: Quality is operationalized from an individual, unit, and systems perspective.
- Team/collaboration: Team/collaboration fosters open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.
- Relationship-Centered Care: Core to nursing practice, relationship-centered care includes caring, therapeutic relationships with patients, families, and communities, and professional relationships with members of the interprofessional team.
- Systems-Based Care: Nurses practice in systems of care to achieve healthcare goals.
- Personal/Professional Development: This refers to the individual’s formation within a set of recognized responsibilities. It includes the notion of good practice, boundaries of practice, and professional identity formation
(Integrating concepts and definitions are transcribed from NLN, 2014).
The PN curriculum was developed, implemented, and continues to be revised to reflect relevant professional nursing standards and guidelines. Both individual and aggregate student outcomes throughout the Program are based upon these professional nursing standards. The integration of these professional nursing standards and guidelines provides students with a framework for nursing practice.