Nursing
Nursing Philosophy
The faculty of the nursing programs supports the Mission and philosophy of the University which aims to educate persons who will become concerned and enlightened citizens committed to a spirit of Christian service and social justice. The Mission of the supporting congregation of the University specifies a commitment to the economically poor and underserved. The nursing faculty attempts to operationalize this philosophy through our approach to both nursing education and nursing practice, by preparing individuals for professional nursing at the generalist and the advanced levels, and by the generation and application of nursing knowledge to improve health outcomes.
Nursing
The fundamental aspects of professional nursing practice are: the care of sick patients across all environments, the promotion of health and population-based healthcare. Nurses function in four primary roles: providers of patient-centered care, patient health and safety advocates, members of healthcare teams, and members of a profession. As providers, nurses emphasize caring as a means to assist individuals, families, groups, communities and populations to develop the skills and abilities necessary to achieve or maintain health. The need for nursing arises when individuals, families, groups, communities or populations are unable to adequately meet their own healthcare needs because of insufficient knowledge, skill, interest or resources. Nurses help through caring relationships, direct intervention, collaboration and coordination with family members and other healthcare providers and professionals, and political advocacy and participation in professional associations. Nurses are concerned about the environment in which care happens and how the environment influences health.
As a profession, nursing derives its mandate and reason for existence from the larger society that has needs that change over time. As members of a profession, nurses work to challenge social inequities influencing health, and to shape health policy. We believe that professional standards guide the education of our students and the practice of nursing.
Patients/Clients of Nursing
Individuals, families, groups, communities and populations are the patients/clients of nursing. Individuals possess inherent dignity and worth because they are created by God. They are composed of spiritual, psychological, physical and sociopolitical dimensions. Individuals and families are responsible for creating meaningful lives for themselves and their communities.
Health and Illness
Health is defined as harmonious functioning of the spiritual, psychological, physical and sociopolitical in individuals, families, groups, communities and populations. The collective experience of individuals and families influences the health of the community. Advances in science and technology along with quality improvement and advocacy contribute to the health of individuals, families, groups, communities and populations.
Illness is the actual or perceived disharmony of these dimensions that leads to a sense of alienation, loss of self and loss of social integration. Disharmony in individuals may result from disease processes, genetic vulnerabilities or specific experiences. Communities that are unable to effectively function and meet the needs of their members may be considered unhealthy. To properly understand the experience of health and illness it is necessary to be aware of the social, cultural, political, economic, ethical and religious factors which influence human life.
The Education of Nurses
We believe that professional standards guide the education of our students in all our programs and the practice of nursing. Therefore, the minimal preparation for entry into professional nursing practice is a baccalaureate degree in nursing. Nursing programs must facilitate the educational progress of registered nurses whose prior education and experiences provide a sound foundation for educational mobility.
We believe role development is an essential aspect of nursing education. Personal and professional standards, values and ethics are incorporated into role development and professional performance. Nurses work interprofessionally in bringing about system changes in a variety of healthcare settings, particularly those systems that serve clients with health disparities in all age, ethnic and cultural groups with a preferential option for the economically poor. Further, professional nurses need to demonstrate personal and professional commitment to the advancement of nursing, be eligible for national certification, and be dedicated to lifelong learning.
Through nursing education, students are helped to further develop these qualities and to fully embrace the discipline of nursing. They become increasingly responsible for their own learning, reflective self-evaluation, a commitment to advancing our respected profession and to the ethical principles and values that nursing ascribes.
Approved by Nursing Faculty Organization (NFO) April 27, 2020
Program Outcomes
At the completion of the baccalaureate nursing program, the graduate will be able to:
- Develop caring relationships rooted in the spiritual heritage of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word and professional nursing values inclusive of behavioral, environmental, cultural and socioeconomic factors with awareness of their influences on development of individuals across the lifespan.
- Integrate the use of technology and concepts from the liberal arts, including genetics and genomics, to conduct comprehensive assessments of patients (individuals, families, communities, groups and populations), and to effectively implement evidence-based, holistic patient- and family-centered nursing care across the lifespan, the health-illness continuum and all healthcare settings.
- Use written, spoken and technological skills to effectively communicate and collaborate with the patient, all members of the interprofessional healthcare team, the patient support network and community resources to plan, coordinate, deliver and evaluate care.
- Apply the nursing process to patient-centered teaching with consideration for the influence that genetics, development, age, culture, spirituality, patient education level, language, personal preference and health literacy have upon health status in order to promote health through empowerment and engagement in nursing care.
- Implement leadership and management skills to plan, coordinate, deliver and evaluate nursing care to optimize patient outcomes in dynamic healthcare settings.
- Use an evidence-based analytical approach and sound clinical judgment to create a safe care environment that results in optimal patient outcomes and experiences.
- Illustrate clinical reasoning when caring for patients (individuals, families, groups, communities and populations) across the lifespan, the health-illness continuum, and all healthcare contexts.
- Apply the principles of clinical judgment in prioritizing patient needs, making clinical decisions, engaging in collaborative interprofessional relationships, and delegating care to appropriate members of the healthcare team.
- Coordinate nursing care for individuals, families, and populations while adhering to the policies of the employer, the standards of the practice setting, the standards of the Texas Nursing Practice Act, the Texas Board of Nursing Rules, and the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses.
- Analyze the role of the registered nurse in emergency preparedness and disaster response with an awareness of environmental factors and the risks to self, colleagues and patients (individuals, families, communities, groups and populations).
- Apply knowledge of social, political, economic and historical factors to health and professional issues to influence healthcare policy changes.
- Demonstrate adaptability, resilience and flexibility to uncertain local, national and global health environments through innovative strategies.
- Support safe, equitable and inclusive healthcare practices across the continuum of care that respect the dignity and diversity of individuals and populations.
- Demonstrate professional identify development and responsibility through reflection, self- awareness, self-care, lifelong learning, membership in professional organizations and involvement in local and regional community activities.
It is expected that at the completion of the program, the graduate will be prepared to:
- Integrate knowledge and theories from nursing, related sciences and humanities, behavioral science, systems science and education to support advanced nurse leadership roles.
(Essential I: Background for Practice from Science and Humanities) - Lead the delivery of ethical and culturally competent advanced nursing care to individuals and aggregates of diverse backgrounds in a variety of settings.
(Essential VIII: Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Improving Health) - Lead the development, implementation and evaluation of policies related to healthcare financing, resource management, access, safety, quality, efficacy, equity and social justice.
(Essential II: Organizational and Systems Leadership; Essential VI: Health Policy and Advocacy) - Use evidence from nursing and related sciences as the foundation for designing, implementing and evaluating best practice for individuals, aggregates and healthcare organizations.
(Essential IV: Translating and Integrating Scholarship into Practice) - Demonstrate competency in the design, implementation and evaluation of research, evidence-based practice and/or quality improvement projects.
(Essential III: Quality Improvement and Safety; Essential IV: Translating and Integrating Scholarship into Practice) - Use technology and information to analyze clinical problems and advance communications that promote quality and safe care for individuals and aggregates of diverse backgrounds.
(Essential V: Informatics and Healthcare Technologies) - Collaborate with the interprofessional healthcare team and clients to improve healthcare delivery.
(Essential VII: Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes) - Advocate for consumers and the profession to assure access and quality of healthcare.
(Essential VIII: Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Improving Health) - Appreciate a commitment to lifelong learning of self and peers that incorporates professional nursing standards and accountability.
(Essential IX: Master’s Level Nursing Practice)
The DNP prepares the graduate to:
- Integrate nursing science with ethical, biophysical, psychosocial, analytical and organizational sciences to plan, implement and evaluate advanced practice in nursing at the doctoral level.
(Essential I: Scientific Underpinnings for Practice) - Design, implement and evaluate evidence-based interventions and interrelationships using advanced levels of nursing practice and systems thinking.
(Essential VIII: Advanced Nursing Practice) - Synthesize concepts from epidemiological, biostatistical, environmental, and medical sciences related to clinical prevention and population health in order to develop, implement and evaluate interventions that improve access to health promotion and disease prevention efforts for culturally diverse and vulnerable populations.
(Essential VII: Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Improving the Nation’s Health) - Lead initiatives to develop and implement best practice to improve the quality of care within the continuum of the individual, organizational and/or community levels.
(Essential II: Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Improvement and Systems Thinking) - Design and implement processes to translate evidence and improve outcomes of practice in accordance with national standards.
(Essential III: Clinical Scholarship and Analytical Methods for Evidence-Based Practice) - Use information technology and research methods to promote safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient centered care.
(Essential IV: Information Systems/ Technology and Patient Care Technology for the Improvement and Transformation of Health Care) - Develop, evaluate and provide leadership for healthcare policies related to healthcare financing, resource management, practice regulation, access, safety, quality, efficacy, equity and social justice.
(Essential V: Health Care Policy for Advocacy in Health Care) - Lead interprofessional teams using effective communication, collaboration, and consultation skills in developing and implementing practice models, guidelines and standards of care, peer review, health policy and scholarly products.
(Essential VI: Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes) - Appreciate commitment to lifelong learning of self and peers that incorporates professional nursing standards and accountability.
- Use advanced theoretical knowledge of physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology and health assessment to provide optimum advanced nursing care to clients across the lifespan.
- Function as an expert clinician to improve the outcomes of patients across the lifespan to promote health and prevent disease in medical and psychiatric settings.
- Collaborate with interprofessional teams to optimize clinical outcomes using effective communication and consultation skills.
- Synthesize concepts from epidemiological, biostatistical, environmental, and medical sciences related to clinical prevention and population health in order to develop, implement, and evaluate interventions that improve access to health promotion and disease prevention efforts for culturally diverse and vulnerable populations.
- Use information technology, research methods, and evidence-based practice to promote safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient centered care.
- Appreciate a commitment to lifelong learning of self and peers that incorporates professional nursing standards and accountability.