BS-ABSN - Nursing (second degree accelerated) (BS) (59 units)

Mission Statement

The Nursing Program is committed to educating a culturally and academically diverse student population to become competent, compassionate, and holistic nursing professionals who uphold Christian values in their service to individuals, families, and communities.

Vision Statement

The Nursing Program has been uniquely designed for students to learn the necessary knowledge and advanced skills to provide excellent, compassionate, and competent nursing care. Ninety hours of clinical experience in a public health setting is arranged to prepare candidates to apply for the California Public Health Certificate. Additional clinicals will include patient care in the areas of medical-surgical nursing, pediatric nursing, maternal-child nursing, psychiatric/mental health nursing, and geriatric nursing.

Department of Nursing Philosophy

Nursing is both an art and a science. As such, it embraces the development of the individual through both liberal studies and scientific preparation. The goal of nursing is to view each individual as a biopsychosocial, cultural, and spiritual being with individual needs that are of utmost concern to the profession. The goal of this program is also to educate nurses to develop a view of nursing as a self-actualizing process that is essential in ministering to those seeking care. Nursing must be supportive and considerate of each individual seeking care. Nurses must exhibit unconditional regard for each patient.

Nursing is a profession that encompasses professional and personal values, core knowledge, and competencies in developing the role of care provider. It is also a service to humanity. Essential to this discipline is the development of attributes that encourage the holistic development of self in order to become socially responsive to the healthcare needs of a culturally diverse world.

The philosophy, objectives, and goals of the nursing Department are congruent with: a) the Nurse Practice Act of California, b) Dr. Jean Watson’s philosophy of caring in nursing, c) the mission and goals of Concordia University Irvine, and d) the American Association of Colleges of Nurse (AACN) Essentials of baccalaureate and master’s education in nursing, e) Quality and Safety Education for Nursing Competencies (QSEN) and the National League nursing competencies for the advanced nurse educator or selected specialty certifications for the advanced nurse leader.

At Concordia University Irvine, the nursing department functions within the philosophy of the University and has based its curriculum on the philosophy of Dr. Jean Watson’s premise that nursing is both a philosophical and scientific approach to caring for all those who seek health care, disease prevention, and management, health promotion and education. Watson’ views are founded on scientific knowledge from various disciplines that allow nursing care to encompass both “curative” and “carative” dimensions in assisting clients to reach or maintain health or “die a peaceful death.” (Watson, 1985, p. 7)

The nurse develops the skills to incorporate the nursing process, perform simple to complex nursing care skills, teach clients and families about self-care, disease management and prevention, and health promotion, learn and implement the ability to appropriately delegate and supervise members of a health care team. In addition, nurses will develop the ability to evaluate patients’ responses to nursing and medical care, and revise a plan of care in concert with the patient while advocating for best treatment and nursing care options with members of the health care team in a variety of settings. The advanced nurse educator or leader will integrate curriculum content in relation to academic and clinical learning outcomes specific to his/her degree requirements.

Nursing and its relationship to people of all cultural and ethnic backgrounds is rooted in a liberal arts education and life experiences that assist in integrating biophysical knowledge with information about human needs and behaviors in order to care for those who seek health care for illnesses, health restoration, and promotion. Dr. Jean Watson’s belief also encompasses the promotion of each nurse’s self-awareness and self-care. With this approach, the students have the opportunity to evaluate their own cultural beliefs and those of patients, their own learning needs and styles in building competencies at a beginner’s level in a variety of practice settings. The MSN program will build on the foundation of the baccalaureate nursing curriculum as to prepare professional nurse leaders in academic and clinical advanced nursing education. It is also the belief that the education at Concordia University Irvine will prepare both undergraduates and graduates to communicate and collaborate with all members of the interprofessional team in order to optimize patient health through evidence-based best practice outcomes.

The purpose of the Concordia nursing program is to educate nurses in a self-actualizing process that is essential in ministering to those who are seeking healthcare. Nursing must be supportive, considerate, and exhibit unconditional regard for each diverse population of patients in the context of the nursing metaparadigm as defined by the individual, health, environment, and nursing. The nursing faculty at Concordia University Irvine believes that Jean Watson’s Philosophy of the Science of Caring in Nursing flows from, and is a response to, God’s love of all people, as seen in His sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, for the salvation of all humankind.

Unifying Theme

Jean Watson’s Philosophy of the Science of Caring in Nursing has been threaded through the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. Watson’s 10 Carative Factors encompass the qualities that are essential in establishing therapeutic communication and relationships between the client/patient and the nurse. These original Carative Factors are incorporated into specific courses. The common themes in Watson’s model are:

1. Humanistic /altruistic value system

2. Faith and hope

3. Sensitivity and empathy

4. Helping-trusting relationships

5. Promotion and acceptance of both positive and negative feelings in Communication

6. Scientific problem-solving

7. Interpersonal teaching/learning

8. Mental, physical, socio-cultural, spiritual, supportive, protective, corrective, and safety

9. Gratification of human needs

10. Allowances for existential-phenomenological forces that may affect the caring experience (1985, p.9-10).

Watson original Carative Factors evolved into Caritas Processes, which include:

1. Practicing loving-kindness and equanimity for self and other

2. Being authentically present; enabling/sustaining/honoring deep belief system and subjective world of self/other

3. Cultivating one’s own spiritual practices; deepening self-awareness, going beyond “ego-self”

4. Developing and sustaining a helping-trusting, authentic caring relationship

5. Being present to, and supportive of, the expression of positive and negative feelings as a connection with deeper spirit of self and the one being cared for

6. Creative use of self and all ways of knowing/being/doing as part of the caring process (engaging in artistry of caring-healing practices)

7. Engaging in genuine teaching-learning experiences within context of a caring relationship – attend to whole person and subjective meaning; attempt to stay within other’s frame of reference (evolve toward “coaching” role vs. conventional imparting of information)

8. Creating healing environment at all levels (physical, nonphysical, subtle environment of energy and consciousness whereby wholeness, beauty, comfort, dignity, and peace are potentiated (Being/Becoming the environment)

9. Reverentially and respectfully assisting with basic needs; holding an intentional, caring consciousness of touching and working with the embodied spirit of another, honoring unity of Being; allowing for spiritfilled connection

10. Opening and attending to spiritual, mysterious, unknown existential dimensions of life-death-suffering; “allowing, for a miracle” (2008, p. 31),

In addition to Watson’s Model, other specific strands are woven throughout the undergraduate and graduate programs. For undergraduate program strands they are:

1. Nursing process/therapeutic care competence

2. Professional role development/teaching/learning

3. Communication 

4. Research process

5. Cultural awareness and competence

6. Watson’s Carative Factors/Caritas Processes

7. Development of Values 8. QSEN Competencies

For graduate program strands they are:

1. Advance practice nurse competencies

2. Professional role facilitation

3. Interprofessional communication/collaboration

4. Evidence-based practice outcomes

5. Cultural and age related competencies

6. Integration of professional caring concepts

7. Human Values

8. QSEN Competencies

The advanced practice nurse curriculum plan builds on baccalaureate nursing education. The Concordia MSN program will provide the foundation for preparation and provision to the individual, family, community, and the health care environment. The advanced practice nurse educator or nurse leader will apply his/her skills in a variety of educational and clinical sites. Role development, identification of researchable health care issues and utilization of research by the learner and colleagues are facilitated in a blended on-line format. With the emphasis of life-long learning in nursing education, the graduate of the Concordia MSN program will provide the foundation for doctoral study and foster ongoing responsibility for continuing education in nursing.

Alternative means for advancing nursing education in the blended and on line format may appeal to students who are seeking an alternative delivery system. This delivery system is appropriate for graduate students who are self-motivated, independent learners, and thrive in the self-directed setting.

The blended format is designed to promote interaction between the professor and the students and student to student in a threaded discussion format. The courses are facilitated in a two eight-week semester timeframe in which a full time student will take two eight week courses. There are two four hours face-to-face classes during the first and eighth weeks on Saturday. The third, fifth, and seventh weeks are synchronous online class sessions where by the students enter into a classroom setting using a web-camera format and participate in class discussions with the assigned faculty and peers. There are three asynchronous sessions during weeks two, four, and six in which the students completes the identified assignments and participate in discussion threads. The on line format is designed to promote interaction between the professor and the students and student to students in an effective teaching learning process.

It is expected that the students will complete online lectures (written, video, or audio) assignments, seek advisement and feedback from the assigned course faculty, seeks academic advisement from assigned advisor, and work independently to meet the course and program learning outcomes.

The thesis or project capstone experience is the culminating activity of the advanced practice nurse educator and leader. The content for the thesis or project is threaded throughout the curriculum plan for the MSN program and represents the consolidation, synthesis, and analysis of the academic or clinical scholarship in graduate nursing education evidence based outcomes.

There are three avenues of study available to the nursing student:

• Accelerated BSN (ABSN)

• LVN to RN 30-unit option certificate

• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Accreditation Standards

Concordia University Irvine and its Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and Accrediting Commission (WSCUC).

Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WSCUC)
1080 Marina Village Parkway
Suite 500
Alameda, CA 94501
(510) 748-9797

Students and other interested parties may review accreditation documents by going to the commission’s website.

Concordia University Irvine’s accelerated Bachelor of Science in nursing (ABSN) and the Master of Science in nursing (MSN) are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Officially recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education, the CCNE is an autonomous accrediting agency whose mission includes the assessment and identification of nursing programs that engage in effective educational practices.

Professional Association Guidelines

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials (Baccalaureate)

1. Liberal Education for Baccalaureate Generalist Nursing Practice: a solid base in liberal education provides the cornerstone for the practice and education of nurses (AACN Essential 1).

2. Basic Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Care and Patient Safety: Knowledge and skills in leadership, quality improvements, and patient safety are necessary to provide high-quality healthcare (AACN Essential 2).

3. Scholarship for Evidence Based Practice: Professional nursing practice is grounded in the translation of current evidence into one's practice (AACN Essential 3).

4. Information Management and Application of Patient Care Technology: Knowledge and skills in information management and patient care technology are critical in the delivery of quality patient care (AACN Essential 4).

5. Health Care Policy, Finance, and Regulatory Environments: Healthcare policies, including financial regulatory, directly and indirectly influence the nature and functioning of the healthcare system and thereby are important considerations in professional nursing practice (AACN Essential 5).

6. Inter-professional Communication and Collaboration for Improving Patient Health Outcomes: Communication and collaboration among healthcare professionals are critical to delivering high quality and safe patient care (AACN Essential 6).

7. Clinical Prevention and Population Health: Health promotion and disease prevention at the individual and population level are necessary to improve population health and are important components of baccalaureate generalist nursing practice (AACN Essential 7).

8. Professionalism and Professional Values: Professionalism and the inherent values of altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity, and social justice are fundamental to the discipline of nursing (AACN Essential 8).

9. Baccalaureate Generalist Nursing Practice: The baccalaureate graduate nurse is prepared to practice with patients including individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations across the lifespan and across the continuum of healthcare environments. The graduate understands and respects the variations of care, the increased complexity, and the increased use of healthcare resources inherent in caring for patients (AACN Essential 9).

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials (Master's)

1. Background for Practice from Sciences and Humanities: Recognizes that the master’s-prepared nurse integrates scientific findings from nursing, biopsychosocial fields, genetics, public health, quality improvement, and organizational sciences for the continual improvement of nursing care across diverse settings (AACN Essential 1).

2. Organizational and Systems Leadership: Recognizes that organizational and systems leadership are critical to the promotion of high quality and safe patient care. Leadership skills are needed that emphasize ethical and critical decision making, effective working relationships, and a systems-perspective (AACN Essential 2).

3. Quality Improvement and Safety: Recognizes that a master’s-prepared nurse must be articulate in the methods, tools, performance measures, and standards related to quality, as well as prepared to apply quality principles within an organization (AACN Essential 3).

4. Translating and Integrating Scholarship into Practice: Recognizes that the master’s-prepared nurse applies research outcomes within the practice setting, resolves practice problems, works as a change agent, and disseminates results (AACN Essential 4).

5. Informatics and Healthcare Technologies: Recognizes that the master’s-prepared nurse uses patient-care technologies to deliver and enhance care and uses communication technologies to integrate and coordinate care (AACN Essential 5).

6. Health Policy and Advocacy: Recognizes that the master’s-prepared nurse is able to intervene at the system level through the policy development process and to employ advocacy strategies to influence health and health care (AACN Essential 6).

7. Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes: Recognizes that the master’s-prepared nurse, as a member and leader of interprofessional teams, communicates, collaborates, and consults with other health professionals to manage and coordinate care (AACN Essential 7).

8. Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Improving Health: Recognizes that the master’s-prepared nurse applies and integrates broad, organizational, client-centered, and culturally appropriate concepts in the planning, delivery, management, and evaluation of evidence-based clinical prevention and population care and services to individuals, families, and aggregates/identified populations (AACN Essential 8).

9. Master’s-Level Nursing Practice: Recognizes that nursing practice, at the master’s level, is broadly defined as any form of nursing intervention that influences healthcare outcomes for individuals, populations, or systems. Master’s-level nursing graduates must have an advanced level of understanding of nursing and relevant sciences as well as the ability to integrate this knowledge into practice. Nursing practice interventions include both direct and indirect care components (AACN Essential 9).