Our Mission & Philosophy

The mission of the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, Olney Central College Associate Degree Nursing Program is to provide exceptional educational opportunities for qualified persons to enter the profession of nursing. This mission is achieved by providing a quality, balanced curriculum of general education and nursing courses.

Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, Olney Central College Associate Degree Nursing Program is committed to excellence in education through innovative teaching and collaboration with the communities we serve. We value and will promote ethical integrity, holistic caring, collaboration, excellence, personal and professional development, and respect of diversity as we facilitate students as members of the profession of nursing and citizens of the broader community. Our values are a reflection of the culture and character of the program and guide us in achieving our vision.

Ethical Integrity:
We endeavor to adhere to a consistent standard of ethical behavior that is grounded in the Code of Ethics for Nurses, respecting the dignity, self-determination, and worth of all persons across the lifespan.

Holistic Caring:
We seek to promote culturally sensitive health, healing, and hope within the context of a wellness-illness continuum.  We affirm the uniqueness of individuals based on their experiences, religious beliefs, and value system.

Collaboration:
We seek to develop cooperative relationships which reduce conflict, build trust, and create networks for sharing information and for mutual learning.

Excellence:
We aspire to continuous improvement in knowledge, understanding, and quality care.  We recognize that change is constant and endeavor to continually seek ways to improve practice, personal growth, and collegiality.

Personal Development:
We encourage persons to engage in activities that nurture mind, body and spirit and enhance maturation as a person and a professional.

Diversity:
We recognize the dignity, strength and uniqueness of each person and strive to provide an environment of mutual respect and understanding.

The values of the IECC/OCC Associate Degree Nursing program are congruent with the values of Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, District #529 which are compassion, respect/self-respect, fairness, truth/honor, and responsibility.

The vision, values, mission, purposes, and philosophy of the Associate Degree Nursing Program support the mission and purposes of Illinois Eastern Community Colleges. The philosophy reflects the nursing faculty’s view of the person, health, nursing practice, nursing education, the teaching-learning process, and the practice and roles of the associate degree graduate.

The faculty believes the person is a unique being, with bio-psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual dimensions, who interacts with the environment and responds as an integrated whole. The person has needs ranging from survival to the development of maximum potential. Development is individualized across the lifespan. As a learning being, the person alters behavior to meet basic needs. The person also has the right to receive health care to realize maximum potential as perceived by the person.

The faculty believes health is a dynamic state in which the person strives to meet basic needs in order to promote and maintain maximum potential. Health occurs on a wellness-illness continuum and may be influenced by heredity, environment or the capability to meet basic needs. If basic needs are not met, the person moves toward illness. Wherever the person presents on the wellness-illness continuum, nursing is one of the resources the person has for help.

The faculty believes nursing practice is a helping interaction based on the nursing process that assists the person to meet basic needs. The goals of this helping interaction are 

• to promote and maintain wellness
• restore to optimal health 
• support the person through the dying process

Caring is viewed as an inherent part of the helping interaction.

The faculty believes the person has the right and the responsibility, to the extent of the person’s capability, to participate in the planning of nursing care of self, and in evaluating its effectiveness. Nursing is accountable for the quality of nursing care the person receives.

The faculty believes that the responsibilities and level of functioning of various members of the profession of nursing are determined by educational preparation and experience. The faculty supports the concept of articulation and educational mobility.

The practice of the associate degree nursing graduate occurs within a variety of structured and community-based health care settings. Upon entry into practice, the graduate is prepared to perform the competencies inherent in the three interrelated roles:

• provider of patient-centered care
• manager of patient-centered care
• member within the profession

As a provider of patient-centered care, the associate degree graduate develops, implements, and evaluates individualized plans of care by using the nursing process, nursing judgment, and evidence-based practice as a basis for decision making. The graduate utilizes communication techniques to maintain culturally competent therapeutic relationships and promotes participation of patient, family, and health care team members in the plan of care.  The graduate collaborates with other health team members to assess the need for information, develop goals, implement a teaching plan, and evaluate the effectiveness of the teaching process. The graduate maintains awareness of consumer rights and responsibilities while demonstrating responsible allocation of resources.

As a manager of patient-centered care, the graduate collaborates with the multidisciplinary team to assess and set nursing care priorities for a group of patients. The graduate delegates aspects of care to peers, licensed practical nurses, and assistive personnel, consistent with their level of education, experience, and scope of practice, in order to meet patient needs.  The associate degree nursing graduate, in situations beyond his/her preparation, knowledge, and experience, consults with and seeks guidance from nurses with greater experience or education.

As a member within the profession of nursing, the graduate maintains accountability for care given and care delegated to assure adherence to ethical and legal standards as defined by the State of Illinois Nurse Practice Act and the American Nurses Association (ANA) Standards of Practice and Code for Nurses.  The graduate functions competently within the scope of practice as a member of the health care team.  The graduate utilizes evidence-based practice for planning and implementing nursing care. The graduate assumes responsibility for continued education recognizing this as necessary to maintain competence in a society of rapid technological change and complex issues in health care delivery. The graduate strives for professional growth and involvement in activities to promote nursing practice and improve quality of care and patient outcomes.

Nursing education is the process by which students are provided with learning experiences which help develop the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abilities necessary for nursing practice. Nursing education is influenced by the needs of the individual and by society as a whole; and it strives to facilitate the development of each student’s maximum potential. The Associate Degree Nursing Program, consistent with the practices of the nursing profession and the parent institution, is grounded in respect for diversity of all persons; the nondiscrimination statement can be viewed here. Associate degree nursing education requires general education and nursing courses that provide the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to obtain the Associate Degree in Nursing. After passing the NCLEX-RN the graduate is eligible to apply for licensure as a registered nurse.

The faculty believes that learning involves three domains: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. The cognitive domain pertains to knowledge, critical thinking, clinical judgment, and integratin of best evidence into practice; the affective domain, to attitudes and values; and the psychomotor domain to skills involving physical action. The faculty utilizes a variety of teaching strategies to help develop the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective abilities necessary for students to make sound decisions required for nursing practice. Learning occurs from simple to complex and is influenced by internal and external factors, including developmental tasks, health, culture, learning style and environment. Significant learning occurs when the activity is goal-directed, purposeful, and meaningful for the learner. Learning is enhanced when concepts and principles from the sciences and humanities are applied within a variety of situations.

The faculty believes the learning process is facilitated when the teacher functions with integrity. The teacher serves as a facilitator, a resource person, and a stimulus for critical thinking and intellectual inquiry. The teacher-student interaction forms the basis for development of collaborative relationships in nursing practice. The teacher serves as a role model for attitudes and values of the profession of nursing. Through participation in activities to promote individual personal and professional development, the faculty demonstrates commitment to life-long learning, competency, and relevancy to nursing practice and nursing education.

The faculty is responsible for providing an environment conducive to self-motivation and individuality.  Within this climate of mutual respect, student and faculty share in cooperative spirit of inquiry, learning, and teaching.  The faculty strives to promote a well-structured, scientifically based curriculum focused on patient-centered care.  Learning experiences, which are evaluated by both faculty and students, are rearranged and altered based upon input from faculty, students, and other communities of interest. The continuous evaluation of experiences promotes a commitment to quality education within Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, District 529.