Mission Statement

We, the faculty of the Georgia Perimeter College Department of Nursing, believe nursing is a dynamic and challenging profession in which nurses care for people in all settings where health care and wellness are the focus.  Because of its accessibility and affordability, Associate Degree Nursing Education provides an important entry into the field or nursing where the need is critical for competent nurses who provide care to local communities.  Students who enroll in an Associate Degree Nursing Program often choose these programs because of their affordability and accessibility.  Partnering nursing education and nursing practice enables the preparation of nurses with cutting edge knowledge, highly developed skills and a personal commitment to caring for their patients/clients and the profession.  Georgia Perimeter College is positioned in a unique environment in a large metropolitan area, an environment that fosters creative learning practice in a variety of health care settings and work with a culturally rich and diverse population.

Nursing Practice

Nursing is a vital profession whose focus is the provision of effective, holistic, compassionate care to individuals, families and groups across the life span.  Nursing practice involves providing and managing the care of the whole person's responses to actual or potential health problems.  The nurse promotes wellness, prevention of illness and restoration of health, thus enabling clients to meet basic needs and cope with changes in health status.  Nursing activities must therefore include health promotion and maintenance, intervention and treatment, rehabilitation and restoration, and palliation.  Nursing encompasses clinical practice, education, leadership, management and service to the profession and the community.  It involves individuals, families and groups of clients who have health conditions that range from wellness to illness.  The practice of nursing is influenced by a multi-cultural population and occurs in diverse health care settings.  Nursing practice that addresses the needs of these community groups improve the quality of life and raise the educational level within the college and community.

Nursing Education

• Nursing education at Georgia Perimeter College provides high quality instruction that is affordable, cost-effective, and accessible to a diverse population of students.  The program is continually adapting to reflect local community needs and current health care trends.
• Nursing education is broad based, reflecting the science, art and ethics of nursing practice.
• Nursing education provides students with opportunities to acquire a common core of nursing knowledge and professional skills through a variety of structured experiences that promote creativity and the acquisition of skills in communication, critical thinking and therapeutic interventions which include the development of technological competence.
• Learning results in changes within the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains.  Effective learning occurs when the student sees an experience as meaningful, satisfying, and directed toward realistic goals.  Therefore, students must be actively involved in the learning process in order to acquire professional knowledge and clinical proficiency in order to become part of the nursing culture.
• Nursing education and student learning have been successful when a student and graduate can actualize concepts of nursing by providing caring, competent and appropriate care to patients.
• The Nursing Program at GPC facilitates the development of a student's self-actualization and supports responsible involvement in an ever-changing environment.  Students are nurtured to become caring professionals who perform at their optimal level of competence.  The learning environment must support and foster students' active engagement in the learning process.  Faculty who mentor and are professional role models for students are vital elements of nursing education from admission through graduation.
• Excellence in clinical and didactic teaching requires use of current knowledge and creative approaches.  The population surrounding the Clarkston Campus represent an internationally diverse community.  Consequently, the Nursing Program incorporates this diverse population and nursing students into the education experience  The Program welcomes and supports students who bring unique gender, cultural and ethnic life experiences to professional practice.
• Partnerships between nursing education and nursing practice provide excellent learning experiences and support, both professionally and financially, for students during their nursing education.
• Tracking student progress and supporting students through academic advisement will facilitate student success.  However, it is the student's responsibility to demonstrate knowledge and competency in the nursing curriculum.
• We, the faculty, believe learning is a lifelong process and the personal responsibility of students, graduates and faculty.  For faculty, commitment to scholarship and creative work for the purpose of supporting program and institutional effectiveness are critical attributes of an educator.  Recognizing the importance of keeping informed about the latest professional and societal trends in order to maintain the educational standards of the Nursing Program and to serve the community, faculty participate in ongoing professional development to assure their competence.  Faculty stress the importance to students and graduates of ongoing development through continuing education, practice and formal articulation to baccalaureate and higher degree programs.
• Continuous program evaluation is vital to the maintenance of consistent educational quality and standards.

Practice of the Associate Degree Graduate

We, the faculty of the Georgia Perimeter College Department of Nursing, believe:

• A graduate of our program has three major roles:  provider of care; manager of care; and membership in the nursing discipline.
• A graduate is prepared to utilize the nursing process, critical thinking, and problem solving skills to make decisions and establish priorities for nursing care in culturally diverse populations in a variety of settings.
• A graduate, while functioning within the legal and ethical framework of nursing, works with others in a collaborative manner, seeks guidance when necessary, and strives to improve the practice of nursing.
• The Associate Degree nurse should have a commitment to the value of caring, individual professional growth, and advancement of the nursing program.
• The goals/expected outcomes of the Department of Nursing are to prepare graduates who are able to practice nursing in changing and diverse health care settings by:

  Utilizing the nursing process, critical thinking, communication and therapeutic interventions to provide safe, effective nursing care that is responsive to the holistic needs of the client along the health/illness continuum.

  Effectively managing care, organizing, delegating, and collaborating as indicated.

  Functioning within the legal and ethical framework of nursing.

  Demonstrating commitment to individual professional growth and the advancement of nursing as a profession.