WELCOME TO THE DEPARTMENT OF NURSING

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MISSION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF NURSING
Rooted in Franciscan Values, the Nursing faculty prepare a diverse community of students for professional nursing, lifelong learning, service, and leadership.

VISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF NURSING
The Department of Nursing will become a leader in nursing education, recognized nationally for academic excellence, distinguished faculty and exceptional graduates who lead the profession with vision, compassion and wisdom.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF NURSING
Guided by the Franciscan Values, the University of Saint Francis nursing educational experience serves as a foundation for lifelong learning.  Graduates are prepared for professional nursing practice, leadership, and service within an increasingly technological and diverse world. 

Learning is an interactive life-long process that enables the learner to think critically, creatively, and to adapt to change. Learners are active, self-directed, goal-oriented, and responsible for decisions involving their own learning. Learners bring valuable knowledge and experience that is respected in the learning environment. 

Nursing faculty facilitate the learning process and create a learning environment that stimulates critical reflection and supports the strengths and learning needs of a diverse community of learners. Through an atmosphere of open communication, mutual trust, collaboration, and caring, nursing faculty promote the growth of persons toward their full personal and professional potential in a flexible, creative, and technologically innovative educational environment.

Undergraduate education prepares nurses for entry into practice. Associate degree prepared nurses practice in the basic roles of providers and managers of care utilizing technical skills and nursing concepts. In addition to basic nursing roles, baccalaureate degree prepared nurses practice in structured and unstructured settings, fulfill leadership roles, and evaluate and apply research to improve client outcomes. Built on knowledge and competencies of undergraduate education, graduate prepared nurses utilize advanced knowledge of therapeutic nursing interventions, nursing and interdisciplinary theories, and research to change and improve health systems. 

Nursing is an art and a science that is proactive and responsive to the needs of individuals, groups, and communities across the life span in a variety of settings. An evolving science, nursing has its own body of knowledge derived from nursing practice, theory, and research.  Guided by evidence-based practice, the nursing process is used to assist and empower clients in health promotion, risk reduction, disease prevention, and management of illness and disease.  Caring, as an essential and unifying concept, forms the foundation for the profession of nursing.  Service to others is a critical aspect of nursing.  Service, through selfless giving of one’s expertise and unique self, exemplifies the art of nursing.  Through service to others, nurses engage in addressing health needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society. 

Knowledge from nursing and the arts and sciences serves as the basis for professional values, critical thinking, clinical skills, and judgment required to practice professional nursing.  With a commitment to ethical and moral conduct, nurses are accountable to their profession, society, and their clients for quality care.  Utilizing an understanding of diversity and therapeutic communication to promote the dignity of all people, nurses apply knowledge, expertise, time, and personal energy to make clients feel valued and worthy.  Nurses promote optimal health through critical thinking, practice of independent nursing activities, effective communication, use of information and health care technologies, and collaboration with a variety of health care professionals. 

Nursing leadership is an interactive process directed toward mutual goal achievement and is a vital component of meaningful change.  Leaders shape and improve healthcare systems by advocating for quality accessible healthcare for all people according to the principles of peace and justice.  Leaders utilize political action to influence health policy.

People are holistic, diverse, unique, and valuable creations of God who are endowed with inherent worth and dignity. People interact with their environment, demonstrating physical, mental, and spiritual growth and change throughout the life cycle. Essential needs are met through intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal relationships.  All people have the right to acquire, understand, and utilize information needed to assist them in making decisions regarding their personal health.

Health is a dynamic state in which people are able to set goals, mobilize energy to meet goals, and attain or maintain effective relationships with others. The multidimensional concept of health spans wellness to end-of-life and is influenced by individuals’ perceptions, culture, values, beliefs, and previous experiences.

Environment is a dynamic, comprehensive, complex, and unique context within which individuals, families, groups, communities, and society exists. Humans and the environment are interdependent and interactive; internal and external environments are constantly changing affecting the human condition. The inherent relationship that exists between environment and health can be positively impacted by nursing.