Fitness Leadership
Western uses technology to assist in preparing Nursing students for practice. Simulation
mannequins and technology give the student the opportunity to practice complex nursing
in a safe environment. All Nursing exams are computerized, which prepares the students
to take the national licensing exam. All theory is available via distance modalities,
allowing students to work from home, but integrated with a variety of faculty and
other students throughout the service area. Students may need to travel for lab, clinical
and simulation.
Outcomes for Western Wyoming Community College graduates are high. Western Wyoming
Community College pass rates on the national licensing exam are consistently above
both the state and national averages. Graduates from the program enjoy excellent employment
rates. Satisfaction among graduates and employers is superior. Graduates and employers
often comment that graduates of Western Wyoming Community College function at a higher
level than other new grads.
The Nursing faculty subscribes to Western Wyoming Community College's stated mission,
vision, guiding principles, and goals for student success. The professional nurse
provides care across the lifespan of diverse patients, families and communities. The
health of the community, family and environment shapes the person's health experience;
the environment is influenced by a global society. Health is unique to each person
and fluctuates across the health-illness continuum. Interactive communication is utilized
to construct therapeutic nurse-patient relationships and to promote teamwork to enhance
the delivery of safe, patient-centered care. The nurse is devoted to ensure the delivery
of safe, culturally sensitive care within the values, ethics, and standards of professional
nursing practice.
Nursing students are diverse learners who bring unique perceptions and experiences
to an interactive teaching-learning relationship. Nursing students are challenged
and supported in the development of critical inquiry, analysis of evidence, independent
thinking, and clinical decision making. Faculty strive to role model leadership and
excellence in nursing. Open communication, teamwork, and quality are valued and fostered
in the preparation and practice of nursing in a dynamic healthcare environment.
Western has developed a curriculum designed to introduce students to multiple modes
of intellectual inquiry that are believed to be fundamental to human knowledge and
to successful learning. Through the College's Goals for Student Success, students
expand their capacity to solve problems both critically and creatively, to consider
multiple perspectives, to retrieve relevant information, to communicate clearly, and
to develop life skills that promote health and well-being.
All College courses utilize the Goals for Student Success to identify specific Student
Learning Outcomes (Objectives) in course syllabi.
The Nursing curriculum was created by the faculty and correlates with Western's Goals
for Student Success and also with ReNEW (Revolutionizing Nursing Education in Wyoming)
the statewide nursing education initiative. The Core Curricular Concepts used by Western
include:
- Safety
- Clinical Judgement
- Leadership
- Patient Centeredness
- Professionalism
- Health Promotion
- Educate students to become competent, beginning nurses.
- Create an environment that facilitates independent learning, critical thinking, mutual respect, and free expression.
- Provide access to nursing education throughout southwestern Wyoming.
- Design learning experiences to reflect current health care trends, nursing practice, and research.
- Cultivate intellectual and personal growth in faculty and students.
- Promote student appreciation for lifelong learning to maintain competence and reach maximum potential.
- Provide and promote mechanisms for student educational mobility among the levels of nursing.
State of Wyoming
State Board of Nursing
130 Hobbs Avenue, Suite B
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: (307) 777-7601
Web: wsbn.wyo.gov
Accreditation Commission
for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, Georgia 30326
ACEN website
Is Nursing Right for Me?
- Nursing is a wonderful profession to go into. Not only are there plenty of nursing jobs available, but nursing offers highly competitive salaries, benefits, and more. Many nursing specialties are available for a nurse to specialize in. For example, a nurse can become a labor and delivery nurse, ER nurse, ICU nurse, school nurse, psychiatric nurse, family nurse practitioner (FNPP, certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) and many more.
- Nurses have the opportunity to make a real difference in people’s lives. Sometimes, this difference can mean life or death. Nursing is special because you are able to experience the beginning and end of human life. If nursing is for you, ask yourself how much you like being around people. Being a nurse is all about having social skills. You have to be able to communicate efficiently with patients, their families, and the health care team. If communication is not your strong point and it is hard to be around people all the time, you might want to question your choice of nursing. Being a nurse also demands a caring attitude. The golden rule of nursing is “Love thy patient”. Nurses must also have strong critical thinking skills.