The mission, vision, and values statements of the Lower Columbia College Nursing Programs are authored by the nursing faculty, regularly reviewed, and aligned with LCC's mission, vision, and values.
Our Values
Integrity
Lifelong Learning
Advocacy
Compassion
Professionalism
Our Mission
The mission of the Lower Columbia College Nursing Programs is to offer student-centered education that empowers individuals to develop into compassionate caregivers, innovative leaders, and advocates for holistic, person-centered care. We are committed to fostering cultural humility, interprofessional collaboration, and preparing nurses capable of responding to the diverse needs of communities while reaching their full potential a skilled, ethical nursing professionals.
Our Vision
The Lower Columbia College Nursing Programs envision and aim to shape a future where compassionate, innovative, and empowered nurses thrive as leaders and advocates within their communities and across diverse healthcare environments while remaining dedicated to lifelong learning.
Our Philosophy
Each individual is viewed as a unique, complex, holistic and dynamic entity with biological, psychological,
social, cultural, and spiritual dimensions. Individuals have intrinsic value, unconditional
worth and self-determination. The dignity of each human being is to be protected and
respected. A patient/client can be an individual, family, or group, community, or
population.
Health is a dynamic state of adaptation to stressors in the internal and/or external environment
in an attempt to achieve balance. Health is influenced by heredity, environment (including
social and ecological determinants), lifestyle, and choices.
Nursing is a discipline centered on the caring application of knowledge and skills to advocate
for patients, prevent illness or disability, optimize or restore health, alleviate
suffering, and facilitate wellness. Nursing integrates the concepts of person, health,
environment, and nursing therapeutics. Nursing relies on knowledge that is practical,
theoretical, and evidence-based.
Learning is a life-long process, which involves the assimilation of information to expand
one's knowledge and influences attitudes, beliefs, and/or behaviors. Learning builds
on previous experience.
Teaching facilitates the learning process to promote student success. It is a cooperative
endeavor between the instructor and student.
Nursing education builds upon information and concepts from several disciplines (language and literature,
biological science, physical science, social science, math), and incorporates the
affective, cognitive, and psychomotor learning domains.
The nursing curriculum progresses from simple to complex information, concepts, and skills. It is designed
to provide the student with the knowledge and skills necessary for nursing practice,
promote competence, and foster the growth of independent thought, purposeful judgment
and critical thinking.
The associate degree nurse is a generalist whose nursing practice encompasses the roles of provider of care,
manager of care, and member of the nursing profession.
The bachelor-prepared nurse is equipped for professional practice as a nurse leader, scholar, and change agent
in diverse healthcare settings.
AN-DTA/MRP End-of-Program Student Learning Outcomes
The end-of-program student learning outcomes (EPSLOs) are benchmarks developed by the nursing faculty to establish a baseline of competent nursing practice for the entry-level registered nurse graduating from our program. The EPSLOs guide the faculty in delivering a curriculum that prepares graduates of our program for competent and safe practice.
Upon completion of the nursing program at Lower Columbia College, all students will be able to
QSEN competencies addressed: Safety, evidence-based practice, quality improvement
LCC Global Skills: Critical thinking
QSEN competencies addressed: Safety, patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration
LCC Global Skills: Critical thinking, communication, quantitative literacy, and teamwork
QSEN competencies addressed: Patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, safety, informatics
LCC Global Skills: Communication
QSEN competencies addressed: Safety, informatics, evidence-based practice, quality improvement
LCC Global Skills: Quantitative literacy
QSEN competencies addressed: Patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration
LCC Global Skills: Teamwork
QSEN competencies addressed: Safety, patient-centered care
LCC Global Skills: Critical thinking, communication, and teamwork
Read more about Global Skills assessment at LCC.
Read more about Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) competencies.
RN to BSN End-of-Program Student Learning Outcomes
The nursing faculty developed RN to BSN end-of-program student learning outcomes (EPSLOs) utilizing the ten domains of The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2021) as a framework. The EPSLOs guide the faculty in delivering a curriculum that prepares graduates for professional nursing practice in today's complex healthcare environment. Each EPSLO is mapped to LCC Global Skills (institutional outcomes) and the AACN Essentials domains.
Upon completion of the bachelor's degree nursing program at Lower Columbia College, graduates will:
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Advocating for equitable quality health care for individuals, families, groups, and populations through an understanding of health care delivery systems, public health policies, and societal issues.
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Applying the quality improvement strategies to effectively and proactively coordinate resources in order to affect change in complex healthcare systems.
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Implement processes that utilize evidence-based practice principles to ensure safety and mitigate error or harm to patients and providers.
Essentials Domains: V (quality and safety) and VII (systems-based practice)
LCC Global Skills: Critical thinking and teamwork
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Planning, providing, and evaluating person-centered care in a variety of settings.
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Participating in the development of policies and strategies to promote cost-effective, equitable, quality care for health and wellness.
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Demonstrating effective and collaborative communication with intra- and interdisciplinary health care teams.
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Facilitating readiness in others for organizational change.
Essentials Domain: VI (interprofessional partnerships)
LCC Global Skills: Critical thinking, communication, and teamwork
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Integrating research and scholarship in the application of the nursing process to care for individuals, families, groups, and populations.
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Synthesizing information gathered through assessment and scholarly inquiry to optimize care and promote health in settings across the healthcare continuum.
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Utilizing creative and scientific reasoning along with integrated knowledge from other disciplines to challenge assumptions and habitual approaches to practice.
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Applying epidemiology, clinical and outcomes research, and health information systems to identify evidence-based approaches to care.
Essentials Domains: I (knowledge for nursing practice) and IV (scholarship for the nursing discipline)
LCC Global Skills: Critical thinking, communication, and quantitative literacy
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Analyzing environmental and societal factors that impact the health of individuals, families, groups, and populations.
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Advocating for the equitable health care access and quality in community and public health settings.
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Applying concepts of health promotion and disease prevention to culturally diverse individuals, families, groups, and populations as they are identified through community health assessment techniques.
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Implementing nursing care with the aim of creating, modifying, and enhancing environments to promote optimal health outcomes.
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Facilitating attitudes and behaviors that promote wellness within the cultural frameworks in which individuals, families, groups, and populations make decisions.
Essentials Domain: III (population health)
LCC Global Skills: Critical thinking, communication, and teamwork
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Demonstrating caring behaviors, including empathy, listening, warmth, and respect for human dignity.
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Demonstrating professional behaviors, including accountability, integrity, social justice, ethical principles, and self-regulation.
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Demonstrating adherence to the scope of nursing practice specified in the Washington State Nurse Practice Act, the American Nurses Association (ANA) Standards of Nursing Practice, and the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses.
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Demonstrating commitment to self-directed life-long learning.
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Developing self-care strategies to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
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Participating in professional nursing activities.
Essentials Domains: IX (professionalism) and X (personal, professional, and leadership development)
LCC Global Skills: Critical thinking and communication
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Demonstrating and understanding of the basic elements of the research process.
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Applying theoretical frameworks, models, and evidence in clinical decision-making.
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Demonstrating evaluation and appropriate application of varying types of evidence.
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Utilizing evidence-based findings for reduction of risk and maintaining, restoring, or improving the health of individuals, families, groups, and populations.
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Recognizing the impacts of ethical and equity issues in research.
Essentials Domain: IV (scholarship for the nursing discipline)
LCC Global Skills: Critical thinking, communication, and teamwork
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Utilizing effective verbal, non-verbal, written, and technological communication with clients and members of the interdisciplinary health care team.
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Teaching and supporting clients and healthcare team members.
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Assisting clients to interpret the meaning and validity of health care information.
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Delivering contextually appropriate, patient-centered care that considers all influences on health and wellness.
Essentials Domain: II (person-centered care)
LCC Global Skills: Critical thinking and communication
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Utilizing innovative patient care technologies, social platforms, and information management systems to promote positive healthcare outcomes.
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Managing information and technology to promote interdisciplinary and patient-provider communication.
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Leveraging informatics and technologies to collect data that influences practice changes as well as the advancement of nursing knowledge.
Essentials Domain: VIII (informatics and healthcare technologies)
LCC Global Skills: Critical thinking, communication, quantitative literacy, and teamwork
Read more about Global Skills assessment at LCC.
Read more about the AACN Essentials Domains, Concepts, and Competencies.
Last updated 09-02-2025.
Healthcare Program Inquiries
Health & Science Building, 2nd floor
(360) 442-2860
Fax: (360) 442-2879
Other Inquiries
For a full list of nursing faculty and staff, please see our Faculty & Staff page.
Nursing Advising
Jenna Burnell, Career Pathways Advisor
Rebekah Villanti, Career Pathways Advisor