Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program Goals/Expected Outcomes and Framework

BSN Program Goals/Expected Outcomes 

Program Goals

1. Integrate a background in the liberal arts with the knowledge, skills, and values in professional nursing in order to improve patient and healthcare outcomes (Essential I, V, VI, VIII). 
2. Prepare nurse generalists to provide safe, ethical, evidence-based, patient-centered care that reflects critical thinking and inter-professional collaboration (Essential II, III, VI, VIII). 
3. Manage information and technology to enhance clinical decision making for quality patient-centered care in a variety of settings (Essential II, IV, V, VI, VII). 
4. Apply principles of prevention and health promotion when providing care to patients (Essential II, VII) 
5. Contribute to the profession of nursing by engaging in leadership, scholarship, and practice activities (Essential III, VIII, IX). 
6. Prepare nurse generalists for professional role development through lifelong learning, graduate education, and specialization within their chosen career path (Essential VIII). 

Essential refers to The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], amended 2008). 

Expected Student Outcomes 

1. Eighty percent (80%) of traditional students will pass NCLEX-RN on their first attempt.
2. Sixty percent (60%) of BSN students will graduate within five years. 
3. Twenty-five percent (25%) of BSN graduates will indicate they will pursue professional certification or graduate study within five years of graduation. 
4. Seventy-five percent (75%) of BSN graduates will state that they have met the goals/program outcomes. 
5. Seventy-five percent (75%) of BSN graduates will report overall program satisfaction. 

Definition of Framework Concepts 

Four major concepts (nurse generalist, professional role development, critical thinking and patient-centered care), aid the BSN traditional or RN-BSN student in becoming a nurse generalist.  The concepts are interwoven into program and course objectives, assignments, and program evaluation. 

Nurse Generalist - The RN functions as a leader, manager, and advocate when providing patient-centered care in an inter-professional collaborative environment through use of knowledge, skills, professional values, critical thinking, and professional development. 

Professional Role Development - The profession of nursing is rapidly changing in response to transformations within the complex healthcare delivery system. In order to prepare the nurse generalist for these new roles, the RN to BSN completion program provides the foundation for lifelong learning, scholarship, graduate education, and specialization within their chosen career path.  

Critical Thinking - Nurses function in an environment where information and clinical situations change frequently. Critical thinking enables nurses to analyze and respond to different challenges through use of the nursing process, evidence-based practice, professional standards, information management systems, and ethical codes. 

Patient-Centered Care - Nursing focuses on the delivery of quality, safe, ethical, and evidenced-based patient-centered care with emphasis on prevention and population health.  Patients include individual patients, families, groups, communities, and populations. 

The interconnectedness of these concepts can be seen in our conceptual framework.