Nursing is viewed as both an art and a science, reflecting upon the concepts of the nursing metaparadigm. Nursing is an applied discipline which expresses itself in practice, and has its foundation rooted in scientific/empirical knowledge, theory, and research. Nursing is also expressed as a caring, therapeutic and teaching discipline.

 

The goal of nursing is optimum client wellness, and the maximum level of functioning.  The School of Nursing curriculum reflects the belief that the generalist nurse must function in an independent role in many situations and is responsible for independent decisions and actions. Faculty in the School of Nursing encourage the use of the science-based and goal directed nursing process as a framework for critical thinking and decision making to produce therapeutic nursing interventions.  The nursing interventions are evidence-based and stem from their core knowledge.  The professional nurse must appreciate the role of informatics-both acquisitions of knowledge, as well as, timely electronic record keeping.

 

Theoretical and empirical knowledge from nursing, biological, social sciences, and the humanities are synthesized in utilization of the nursing process (an evidence-based series of activities employed by the nurse in an on-going effort toward achieving desired outcomes for humans, environment and health). The steps of the nursing process include assessment, nursing diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation.

 

The therapeutic component of nursing is realized by providing health care or knowledge of health care practices to enhance one’s level of wellness. The teaching component of nursing includes providing information to make health care decisions, acquire skills, and to change behavior. When it is not possible to promote wellness, nursing seeks to enable individuals to adjust to illness and/or relieve suffering. When it is not possible to promote a healthy life, nursing seeks to enable individuals to adjust to the loss and a peaceful death.  The nurse must assume a leadership role as she/he designs nursing systems to meet their patient’s overt and covert health care needs.  The nurse must collaborate with the multi-disciplinary health care teams which are an innate part of professionalism.  The nurse must also understand the role of health care policy as it relates to patient care as well as having an appreciation for the health care needs from a global perspective.

 

Faculty in the School of Nursing (SON) believes the BSN degree is the minimum level of educational preparation for professional nurses. The faculty also believes nursing education should be based in the liberal arts and sciences with the majority of non-nursing courses placed at the lower division level. In keeping with these beliefs, the majority of the Upper Division course hours are in nursing science. Nursing science courses are constructed to develop the student through the integration of nursing knowledge and knowledge from the humanities and social natural sciences.

 

The School of Nursing faculty also believes the educational concepts of “transfer of learning” and “critical thinking” is more valuable than rote memorization. Since the world of nursing is evolving and rapidly changing, it is more important that students learn to transfer knowledge from one situation to another while making decisions based on critical thinking specific to a situation. The School of Nursing provides nursing education that is based in practice, thus giving students an opportunity to transfer theoretical knowledge into clinical learning experiences.  The School of Nursing faculty is committed to preparing each student so that they become practicing graduates who contribute to nursing as competent and caring professionals.  In keeping with the 2010 Institute of Medicine Report and the American Association Colleges of Nursing “Essentials in Baccalaureate Nursing” document, students of nursing must be able to perform nursing techniques and technologies at a competent level of performance triggered from their core knowledge of the skill set itself, embraced with strong critical thinking and a thorough operationalization of the nursing process.  

 

Inherent with the practice of professional nursing, the faculty serves as role models in mentoring the students of nursing to the role of professionalism.  Emphasis is placed on integrity and respect, as well as, striving towards excellence in practice.  The faculty is held accountable for teaching the students of nursing the skill sets that are pertinent to professional practice, and the students are also held accountable for learning the prescribed curriculum content.  The students will also develop knowledge of cultural competence as they learn to address the health care needs of a diverse society.