Accredited by: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, Inc., 61 Broadway, New York, New York 10006; Phone 800-669-1656.
Accredited and Approved by: New Jersey State Board of Nursing, PO Box 45010, Newark, New Jersey, 07101; Phone 973-504-6430.
Member of: National League for Nursing; Association of Diploma Schools of Professional Nursing.

Accredited by: Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools; New Jersey Commission on Higher Education. Member of: College Entrance Examination Board. Approved for: Veteran Training.

History of the School of Nursing

Trinitas Hospital proudly represents the heritage of the School of Nursing whose graduates have served as professional nurses in our community and throughout the world.

In keeping with the Hospital’s philosophy of diversity of service offerings and of commitment to community development, a School of Nursing was conceived under the auspices of the Ladies’ Aid Society in 1891. Growth in enrollment from the first year’s admission of six students to a student body of more than 1800 students in 2009 attests to the community’s recognition of the maintenance of high quality standards of education over the past century.

Since 1947, the School has enjoyed an educationally advantageous association with Union County College. The association has enhanced the School’s ability to keep abreast of educational and scientific advancements, and has strengthened the students’ base of knowledge and intellectual skills. This articulation stems from a philosophy that the School must prepare a nursing practitioner who is capable of meeting the demand for intelligent nursing care of clients and their families.

Philosophy

The Faculty of Trinitas School of Nursing, in keeping with the mission of Trinitas Health, is committed to providing a high quality, diversified nursing education program to a multi-cultural student population representative of the community it serves. The School is a part of this community and the Faculty believes that it has a responsibility to be aware of and responsive to the health needs of its members. The Faculty and students interact with members of the community to assist them in meeting identified health needs.

Recognizing the challenges that result from continual changes in the structure and delivery of healthcare, the School is fortified by Catholic tradition and values in its commitment to educate students who will be prepared to face these challenges with the spirit of fairness, justice, community service, social responsibility for others, and the courage to be innovative.

The Faculty believes that human beings are complex, rational, spiritual beings. Inherent in the human condition is one’s right to dignity and value in every stage and condition of life. Human beings have created complex social systems in which they interact with each other to protect, nurture and educate their members. Human beings exist, with varying degrees of independence, in many contexts as members of families, communities and society. Individuals are capable of using their intellects to take deliberate actions directed toward maintaining life, health and well being of self, society and their environment. Human beings are accountable for their actions.

Health is a dynamic state that is influenced by an individual’s reciprocal interaction with the environment. Individuals possess their own personal definition of health that may differ from the beliefs of the people with whom they come in contact. Further, it is the Faculty’s belief that access to health care is a basic right of all individuals.

Nursing is an art and a science characterized by interpersonal and therapeutic processes. It is based on a body of nursing knowledge and research and makes use of the natural and behavioral sciences. An essential element of nursing practice is caring. Nursing’s goal is to collaborate with the client and family, assisting them in the acquisition of knowledge and abilities necessary to achieve the highest possible level of health.

Using critical thinking and decision-making skills, the nurse assesses, diagnoses and treats commonly occurring human responses to actual and potential health problems, providing a holistic response to the complex health needs of human beings. The nurse engages in collaborative relationships with members of the health care team in order to provide the range of nursing services that the client, family and community may require. The nurse respects and interacts with a diverse population in a variety of settings within the community.

Teaching/learning is an interactional lifelong process. During the learning process, students integrate new and previously held knowledge and beliefs to form insights and ideas that empower them to think critically and make clinical decisions that are appropriate to the situation. Reflecting the belief that students learn differently, effective teaching employs a variety of strategies and media to accommodate different learning styles. Learning is a self-directed activity with faculty members functioning as facilitators and in so doing, join with the students in the learning process and become more effective teachers.

Students come to the School of Nursing with diverse backgrounds and differing strengths and experiences. The School recognizes this diversity and therefore, provides qualified traditional and non-traditional students opportunities to access the educational process in order to maximize their individual potential. It is the responsibility of the School to provide an environment in which the student may acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to function as a registered nurse.

The graduate of the School is prepared to assume the role of a caring, beginning practitioner with varying amounts of supervision. The graduate is capable of practicing within a variety of settings. It is the responsibility of the graduate to continue the learning process in order to maintain competency or to advance to another level of practice. Graduates are responsible for being aware of and responsive to the health needs of their individual communities, as well as making meaningful contributions to the profession of nursing and society.

School Goals

The School will:

1. Graduate a beginning practitioner who can function in a variety of health care settings.
2. Produce a graduate who is successful in passing the NCLEX examination.
3. Engage in a contractual agreement with Union County College to offer the student a program that leads to a Diploma in Nursing and an Associate in Science degree.
4. Provide opportunities for educational mobility.
5. Utilize existing facilities, institutions, and resources.
6. Provide educational access to a diverse student population that is representative of the community.
7. Collaborate with community agencies to meet identified nursing education and/or health care needs.

Student Learning Outcomes

The Graduate will:

1. Demonstrate the role of the nurse within a variety of health care settings.
2. Act as a client advocate by recognizing the uniqueness and dignity of individuals, families, and groups by providing culturally competent care.
3. Utilize the nursing process to provide safe, competent, contemporary care to individuals, families, and groups backgrounds.
4. Engage in the continuous process of life-long learning and development within a dynamic society.
5. Demonstrate accountability by adhering to ethical guidelines and legal standards in the practice of nursing.
6. Teach practices related to the prevention of illness and the promotion and restoration of health to individuals, families and groups according to age-specific guidelines.
7. Collaborate with interdiscipinary team members to facilitate the highest level of health for individuals, families and groups.
8. Utilize effective interpersonal, verbal, non-verbal and written skills when interacting with individuals, families and groups.
9. Demonstrate competence and accountability in using current technology to communicate and manage client information in the planning and provision of nursing care.
10. Employ clinical decision making/critical thinking in nursing.
11. Contribute to continuous improvement of the health care system.

Program Outcomes

    1. > 80% of Trinitas School of Nursing graduates will pass the National Council Licensing Examination on first writing.

    2.> 80% of Trinitas SON graduates who are seeking employment will obtain a position within 12 months of graduation as per Job Placement Survey.

    3.> 80% of Trinitas SON graduating seniors will report program satisfaction as average to superior as per Senior Survey.

    4. > 80% of Trinitas SON graduates and/or their employers will report program satisfaction as average to high as per Cooperative Nursing Program (CNP) Graduate/Employer Survey.