Philosophy
The philosophy of nursing education of the College reflects the major concepts, common beliefs and values of the discipline of nursing our College faculty have acquired. As guidance for the College, it forms the basis of defining core competences, curriculum objectives, programme structure, teaching contents, teaching strategies, learning experience and the characteristics expected of the graduates. The philosophy of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programme fully realizes the educational philosophy of the College in the five aspects: client, health status, environment, nursing and education embodied in the curriculum.
1. Client
Each client is a holistic but unique open system, composed of five sections in the biological, psychological, social and cultural, spiritual and development aspects. Each section connects with each other and interacts with sources of stress that keep affecting his/her health in the surroundings. Meanwhile he/she is also part of a family, group, community and society. In response to the energy flow and stimulation of stressors from internal and external environmental factors, each individual is able to develop his/her own unique capability of regular reaction, known as the normal line of defence and normal level of health. Therefore, all individual, family, group or community can be regarded the nursing client.
2. Health Status
Health is the stable condition and the wellness state of a client, manifesting one’s energy and potential for life. The flow of energy goes between a client and the environment. When more energy is produced and accumulated, it is considered the optimal health status. On the other hand, disease occurs whenever energy consumption is larger than energy production. The optimal health status is that the entire need of client can be met to the highest extent at various stages, otherwise the client will suffer from diseases or health defects to a certain extent. Wellness and Illness are the two ends of a dynamic successive conjunction.
3. Environment
Environment refers to the situation where client exists in, including internal and external environmental factors. The internal environment indicates the physiological and psychological environments inside an individual whereas the external environment refers to the natural surroundings and social setting outside the individual. Both the internal and external environmental factors can serve as stressors giving continuous influences on client to get adapted to the environments, the capabilities of changing the environments and improving health status. Whenever stimulations of stressors from the internal or external environment are to be faced by a certain individual system (positive or negative influence can be made on the individual system), various lines of defence will be harmonized to realize a stable level of health.
4. Nursing
Nursing is a science as well as an art. Through a 3-level preventive care, namely the primary prevention (health promotion, special protection); secondary prevention (early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment) and tertiary prevention (rehabilitation), nursing can raise the capacities of clients to reduce or avoid sources of stress and unfavorable condition that affects health, and thereby assists the related individuals, families and communities to join a healthy mode of life. By virtue of nursing, clients are competent in health-related decision making while enjoying assistance in maintaining the best level of health.
Caring is the core value of nursing profession – “Serve with Professionality and Care.” The means of nursing implementation is by nursing process in which a series of proactive actions of nursing intervention – assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation are taken. Nurses can make judgments through critical thinking and evidence-based clinical practice. Meanwhile they are able to enhance the quality of nursing service by conducting sustainable researches in nursing science. A professional nurse has the competence to work independently, or collaborates with the other health care professionals, to promote human health status under ever-changing and complex environment.
Caring is the core value of nursing profession – “Serve with Professionality and Care.” The means of nursing implementation is by nursing process in which a series of proactive actions of nursing intervention – assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation are taken. Nurses can make judgments through critical thinking and evidence-based clinical practice. Meanwhile they are able to enhance the quality of nursing service by conducting sustainable researches in nursing science. A professional nurse has the competence to work independently, or collaborates with the other health care professionals, to promote human health status under ever-changing and complex environment.
5. Education
Education is a purposeful, planned and organized transmission of knowledge, skills and values to develop students’ intelligence and competence according to the needs of society and learners, and the activities to foster noble thoughts and professional competence of students while helping develop their proper values. In the process of education, students, as the main body of educational activities, should be responsible for their own deeds, and each teacher plays the role of organizer and promoter for students’ study, while student peers also serve as learning resources.
Nursing educators should adhere to the education rules and principles. By virtue of a series of theoretical and practical teaching activities such as field practice, guidance, enlightenment, reflection, role modeling, mentorship, group cooperation and community of practice, etc. held within the College or clinical study venues, during lectures or extra-curricular activities and in Macao or neighbouring regions, they can facilitate students’ utilization of learning resources and growth from an ordinary natural person into a professional nurse with philanthropic heart, professional ethics, social responsibility, collaborative spirit and clinical reasoning who “strive for competence and integrity”. To boost students’ personal and professional growth, they are taught to equip themselves with critical thinking and evidence-based practice in the academic front, as well as lifelong learning belief for both a healthy body and mind.
Nursing educators should adhere to the education rules and principles. By virtue of a series of theoretical and practical teaching activities such as field practice, guidance, enlightenment, reflection, role modeling, mentorship, group cooperation and community of practice, etc. held within the College or clinical study venues, during lectures or extra-curricular activities and in Macao or neighbouring regions, they can facilitate students’ utilization of learning resources and growth from an ordinary natural person into a professional nurse with philanthropic heart, professional ethics, social responsibility, collaborative spirit and clinical reasoning who “strive for competence and integrity”. To boost students’ personal and professional growth, they are taught to equip themselves with critical thinking and evidence-based practice in the academic front, as well as lifelong learning belief for both a healthy body and mind.