Department Mission

The faculty of the Associate Degree Nursing Program of Davis & Elkins College supports the beliefs and general purposes of the college. The Nursing Program is in concert with the college's mission "to prepare and inspire students for success and for thoughtful engagement in the world." The associate degree program in nursing is to provide its students with a personalized quality education designed to prepare its graduates to practice as registered nurses and to provide a foundation for continued expansion of knowledge.

The faculty is committed to excellence in teaching and ascribes to the definition of scholarship purported by Boyer (1990) and Fincher, et.al. (2000). Scholarship involves four components which include the scholarship of teaching; the scholarship of discovery; the scholarship of integration; and the scholarship of application. Scholarship at Davis & Elkins College focuses primarily on teaching and other learning-related activities rather than on educational research.

Philosophy

The philosophy of the Associate Degree Nursing Program describes the beliefs of the faculty in relation to man, health, nursing, and environment in addition to tenets regarding nursing education. Eclectic in approach, it addresses the role of the associate degree nurse and provides for clear direction in the development of the organizational framework and implementation of the curriculum. It is in harmony with the mission and goals of the college.

Integral to the philosophy and the development of the curriculum are the roles of provider of care, manager of care, and member within the discipline as identified by the National League for Nursing. (Council of Associate Degree Programs, 1990; Council of Associate Degree Nursing Competencies Task Force, 2000). Integrated throughout the curriculum are the eight core components of those roles as identified in the Educational Competencies for Graduates of Associate Degree Nursing Programs (2000). These components are professional behavior, communication, assessment, clinical decision making, caring interventions, teaching and learning, collaboration, and managing care.

Majors & Minors Offered

Majors

Nursing

For More Information Contact Dr. R. Carol Cochran., Chairperson
Department of Nursing
Davis & Elkins College
Elkins, WV 26241
(304) 637-1375
e-mail: cochranc@davisandelkins.edu