Program Development

Weber State University’s nursing program celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2003. The nursing faculty is proud to be part of a long and honorable legacy of excellence in nursing education. WSU offers students the option to earn a certificate as a practical nurse, or a degree as an associate’s degree registered nurse, or a bachelor’s degree registered nurse. The WSU nursing program’s legacy has provided nursing education not only in Ogden, but, through its outreach programs, virtually every community throughout Utah.

Weber State’s nursing program was launched shortly following the end of World War II. Compounding the effects of the war on the civilian pool of registered nurses, the United States found itself embroiled in the North Korean conflict. These combined factors produced the gravest nursing shortage of modern history. Mildred Montag, a doctoral student at Teacher’s College and Director of Adelphi College’s School of Nursing, designed and proposed the associate’s degree in nursing (ADN) model as an alternative to the two existing educational models for nurses. She posited that both the three-year hospital-based Diploma program, as well as the four-year university-based BSN program were excessively time intensive, and proposed that a two-year college-based associate degree program would be a time-efficient and realistic alternative for educating technical registered nurses.

With funding support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Montag designed and implemented a research project in which seven community colleges throughout the United States would be selected to serve as research pilot programs for a revolutionary associate degree model for nursing education. It was the year 1953, and Weber State College (now Weber State University), located in downtown Ogden, Utah, was selected as one of the seven pilot Montag ADN programs.

Thirty-six enthusiastic and courageous young women, joined by equally courage nursing faculty, became the first class of the Weber State associate’s degree nursing program. Needless to say, this new and unproven model for educating nurses was met with significant resistance and concern by Ogden’s nursing and medical communities alike. Ruth Swenson, RN, served as the first director of Weber’s associate’s degree nursing program. Working very closely with community leaders, health care facilities, nurses, and physicians, Ms. Swenson and the program faculty overcome any concerns. The success of the students soon won the support for the new nursing program.

Much has been accomplished since the first class was admitted to the WSU nursing program. Today, well over 7,000 men and women have graduated from the program and gone on to serve as registered nurses in their communities. Throughout the 50 years the program has been in existence, the nursing faculty, with the leadership of Ruth Swenson, Leola Davidson, Gerry Hansen, and most recently Debra T. Huber, has developed a nationally recognized nursing education program. They have developed and implemented an effective “career-ladder” approach to nursing education, and a respected and successful distance and innovative Internet-based online delivery model for PN, ADN and RN to BSN education.

The WSU nursing program also is proud to have had the opportunity to serve as the 1971 Utah Board of Regents designated provider of ADN Nursing Education in the State System of Higher Education. As a result of this mandate, associate’s degree nursing programs have been offered by WSU at cooperative campuses located throughout the state. Programs were offered at Utah State University in Logan, Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) in Salt Lake City, Southern Utah University in Cedar City, and Dixie State College in St. George. Two of these campuses, Utah State University and Southern Utah University, continue to have cooperative nursing programs with WSU, while SLCC and Dixie State College have been approved by the Board of Regents to offer their own nursing programs. In continuing fulfillment of this early mandate, WSU nursing outreach programs continued to be offered throughout Utah’s rural communities, including Tooele, Richfield, Roosevelt/Vernal, Payson, Price, Delta and Panquitch. 
  
Despite early voices of concern and dismay, the college and university-based associate’s degree model for nursing education has been a tremendous success, growing from seven pilot programs in 1953 to more than 900 programs throughout the U.S. today. WSU, beginning as a pilot program for a unproven and revolutionary model of nursing education, offers hundreds of men and women throughout Utah the opportunity to become a registered nurse. The health and well-being of these urban and rural communities have benefited from the invaluable service provided by WSU’s nursing graduates.

This contribution to our state is a source of great pride for WSU’s nursing program, both today and into the future. Displaying the spirit of those 1953 faculty and students, the current faculty and students are ready to embrace the challenges facing today’s nursing professionals . The WSU nursing program continues to be as committed to serving the nursing education needs of Utah as were the nursing pioneers we honored during our 50th anniversary commemoration in 2003.
 
Mission

The mission of WSU Department of Nursing is to prepare graduates for the practice of nursing in a variety of health care settings. We offer career mobility through an articulated ladder approach to nursing education. WSU nursing faculty provides nursing education to a diverse population of students residing in urban and rural areas, building a foundation for life-long personal and professional learning.

Practical Nurses: Provide direct care for patients who have common, well-defined health problems and needs, collect basic data, utilize established nursing diagnoses and modify nursing care based on evaluation; maintain professional relationships by being advocates for patients, and by collaborating and communicating with patients, families and other health team members; manage and are accountable for the care of their own patients, and at times, unlicensed auxiliary nursing personnel; practice with supervision of registered nurses and/or other licensed health care professionals; as a member of the discipline of nursing, functions within the legal and ethical scope of their practice.
 

Associate’s Degree Nurses: Practice in the roles of provider of care, manager of care and member within the discipline of nursing; provide direct care to patients with more complex health needs, adjusting care as patient situations change; collect and analyze data from patients, families and other health care resources; formulate appropriate nursing diagnoses; develop and revise plans based on effectiveness; maintain professional relationships by advocating and supporting patient decisions, and by collaborating and communicating with patients, families and other health professionals; manage and are accountable for care of their own patients, patients delegated to others, and at times, for other licensed and unlicensed health professionals.
 
Bachelor’s Degree Nurses: Provide direct care to patients with complex health problems; collect and analyze data from patients, families, groups and communities; formulate nursing diagnoses; use nursing theory and research to formulate nursing care plans, and evaluate and revise plans based on effectiveness as changes occur; maintain professional relationships by advocating for patients and other health care providers, and by collaborating, coordinating and consulting with patients, families, peers, groups and communities; manage and are accountable for planning, supporting and evaluating care delegated or provided, directly, to the patient and at times other licensed and unlicensed health professionals; demonstrate leadership in collaboration with other health care providers and community members.

Program Outcomes

Program outcomes are developed as performance indicators that give evidence the WSU nursing program is meeting the mission and goals set by faculty. Documentation of outcomes shows the effectiveness of the educational program and serves to guide maintenance and revision of components of the program. Program outcomes have been developed using the National League of Nursing Accrediting Council (NLNAC) criteria as guidelines.

Outcomes are consistent across nursing units with leveling statements that show the progression of students through practical nursing to associate’s degree nursing to bachelor’s degree nursing. Outcomes are consistent with the mission and philosophy of WSU, the Dr. Ezekiel R. Dumke College of Health Professions and the nursing program. At the completion of their program of learning, the graduate will:

Outcome No. 1: Students will progress to graduation in a timely manner as identified by program policy. Graduates will be educated to be nurse generalists who are prepared to be employed in diverse health care setting at the appropriate level of education: PN, ADN, or BSN.

Outcome No. 2: Students will successfully pass the PN-NCLEX and the RN-NCLEX at or above the Utah State Board of Nursing and NLNAC established benchmark pass rate.

Outcome No. 3: PN, ADN, and BSN program graduates, seeking such employment, will be employed in a health care setting within 6 months of graduation.

Outcome No. 4: Students and graduates will be satisfied that the program of learning provides qualified faculty; adequate resources to meet educational mission; adequate clinical facilities to provide sufficient learning experiences; and the means to increase student skills in critical/creative thinking, communication, and therapeutic nursing interventions. Employers will be satisfied that the program of learning prepares PN, ADN and BSN graduates to practice nursing at the appropriate level of preparation following graduation.