University of Maine School of Nursing Leveled and Terminal Program Outcomes

Leveled program outcomes define outcomes students achieve at each level of the undergraduate nursing program at the University of Maine. The terminal outcomes are achieved at the senior level and define outcomes students achieve at the completion of the UMaine undergraduate nursing program. Upon completion of the baccalaureate nursing program, the UMaine School of Nursing graduate:

  • Cultivate reflective nursing practice by integrating knowledge from nursing, the liberal arts, and natural and social sciences to guide inquiry and clinical judgment.
  • Evaluate the implementation of person-centered care at each stage of the nursing process utilizing a framework of scientific evidence, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Analyze issues encountered in population health and utilize the nursing process including stakeholders, and advocates for public policy, to create viable, sustainable solutions that consider population diversity
  • Advance the scholarship of nursing by synthesizing the research on clinical problems, applying and evaluating the best evidence. Synthesizes current literature/research to implement and evaluate clinical practice and care outcomes, and implement change in practice and patient outcomes.
  • Contribute to a system-based culture of patient, provider, and work environment quality and safety in various healthcare settings informed by the current best evidence.
  • Evaluate communication and strategies to create interprofessional partnerships with members of the healthcare team and other stakeholders to optimize health outcomes.
  • Participate in evaluating system effectiveness and developing innovative and evidence-based practices to facilitate strategies to optimize care outcomes.
  • Evaluate the use of informatics processes and technologies across various settings to manage and improve the delivery of safe, high-quality, and efficient healthcare services in accordance with best practice and regulatory standards.
  • Cultivate a sustainable professional identity through ongoing reflective practice that promotes professionalism.
  • Evaluates personal health and well-being, ongoing development of nursing expertise, and leadership in advancing the profession of nursing.

Knowledge for Nursing Practice

Concepts: Clinical Judgement; diversity, equity, and inclusion; evidence based practice; health policy; social determinants of health

Freshman Level

Understand that nursing is a unique and distinct discipline with its foundations in the liberal arts and natural and social sciences.

Sophomore Level

Consider how distinct nursing knowledge and knowledge from the liberal arts and natural and social sciences inform nursing practice.

Junior Level

Apply theory and research- based knowledge from nursing, the liberal arts, and natural and social sciences in the development of nursing practice.

Senior Level (Terminal Outcomes)

Cultivate reflective nursing practice by integrating knowledge from nursing, the liberal arts, and natural and social sciences to guide inquiry and clinical judgment.

Patient-Centered Care

Concepts: Clinical Judgement; Communication; Compassionate care; Diversity, equity and inclusion, evidence based practice; ethics; health policy; social determinants of health

Freshman Level

Identify components of person-centered care at each stage of the nursing process, considering concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Sophomore Level

Acknowledge the importance of person- centered care at each stage of the nursing process, consider diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts, and recognize scientific evidence.

Junior Level

Apply concepts of person- centered care at each stage of the nursing process utilizing scientific evidence and awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Senior Level (Terminal Outcomes)

Evaluate the implementation of person-centered care at each stage of the nursing process utilizing a framework of scientific evidence, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Population Health

Concepts: Diversity, equity, and inclusion; ethics, evidence based practice; health policy, social determinants of health

Freshman Level

Understand the foundation of population health and identifies factors that impact health equity.

Sophomore Level

Explore the relationships between population health, sociopolitical factors, and the impact of these relationships on health equity and population health outcomes.

Junior Level

Utilize the nursing process framework to create system- based action plans to focus on local, regional, national, and global solutions to address issues in population health.

Senior Level (Terminal Outcomes)

Analyze issues encountered in population health and utilize the nursing process, including stakeholders and advocates for public policy, to create viable, sustainable solutions that consider population diversity.

Scholarship for the nursing discipline

Concepts: Clinical judgement; Diversity, equity, and inclusion; ethics, evidence based practice, health policy, social determinants of health

Freshman Level

Describe the basic principles of the research process and the role of scholarship in nursing practice, policy, and education.

Sophomore Level

Utilize available nursing scholarship to integrate the best evidence into nursing practice.

Junior Level

Consider ethical behaviors in scholarly activities applied to the best evidence to clinical decision-making.

Senior Level (Terminal Outcomes)

Advance the scholarship of nursing by synthesizing the research on clinical problems and applying and evaluating the best evidence. Synthesizes current literature/ research to implement and evaluate clinical practice and care outcomes and implement change in practice and patient outcomes.

Quality and Safety

Concepts: Clinical judgement; communication; ethics; evidence based practice; health policy; social determinants of health

Freshman Level

Understand quality and safety principles applied to nursing practice in various healthcare settings.

Sophomore Level

Explore the nurse’s role as a member of an interprofessional team in assessing, planning, implementing, and monitoring quality and safety measures in various healthcare settings.

Junior Level

Apply quality and safety in nursing practice in various healthcare settings informed by the current best evidence.

Senior Level (Terminal Outcomes)

Contribute to a system-based culture of patient, provider, and work environment quality and safety in various healthcare settings informed by the current best evidence.

Interprofessional Partnerships

Freshman Level

Understand the principles and impact of interprofessional partnerships on health outcomes.

Sophomore Level

Explore the nurse’s role in establishing interprofessional partnerships to impact team dynamics that influence health outcomes positively.

Junior Level

Apply the principles of communication and team dynamics to build interprofessional partnerships in various clinical settings.

Senior Level (Terminal Outcomes)

Evaluate communication and strategies to create interprofessional partnerships with members of the healthcare team and other stakeholders to optimize health outcomes.

Systems-based practice

Freshman Level

Understand the various healthcare delivery environments across the continuum of care.

Sophomore Level

Apply knowledge of systems to work effectively across the continuum of care.

Junior Level

Utilize evidence-based methodologies to facilitate optimum system effectiveness in various healthcare settings.

Senior Level (Terminal Outcomes)

Participate in evaluating system effectiveness and developing innovative and evidence-based practices to facilitate strategies to optimize care outcomes.

Informatics and Healthcare Technologies (Unchanged from Current Outcomes)

Freshman Level

Describe informatics processes and technologies and relates them to the delivery of safe and high- quality healthcare services with regard to best practice and regulatory standards.

Sophomore Level

Demonstrate the use of informatics processes and technologies in one setting to assist with delivering safe and high-quality healthcare services in accordance with best practices and regulatory standards.

Junior Level

Utilize informatics processes and technologies across two to three different settings to manage the delivery of safe and high-quality healthcare services in accordance with best practice and regulatory standards.

Senior Level (Terminal Outcomes)

Evaluate use of informatics processes and technologies across a variety of settings to manage and improve the delivery of safe, high-quality, and efficient healthcare services in accordance with best practice and regulatory standards.

Professionalism

Freshman Level

Identify core characteristics, values, and behaviors that promote the profession of nursing.

Sophomore Level

Describe the components of professional identity that support accountability to the individual, society, and nursing profession.

Junior Level

Demonstrate professional identity through accountability to individuals, society, and the profession

Senior Level (Terminal Outcomes)

Cultivate a sustainable professional identity through ongoing reflective practice that promotes professionalism.

Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development

Freshman Level

Describe the relationship between personal health and well-being, professionalism, and leadership.

Sophomore Level

Identify and demonstrate specific practices and behaviors that foster personal health and well- being, professional maturity, and a leadership capacity to advance the profession of nursing.

Junior Level

Espouse a commitment to personal health and well- being, ongoing development of nursing expertise, and leadership to advance the profession of nursing.

Senior Level (Terminal Outcomes)

Evaluate personal health and well-being, ongoing development of nursing expertise, and leadership in advancing the profession of nursing.