TROY School of Nursing Philosophy
The University seeks to provide an appropriate academic, cultural, and social environment for the student. In accordance with the mission of the University, the School of Nursing serves a diverse student body linked through an environment supported by traditional, nontraditional, and emerging electronic formats. Global access to University resources facilitates educational mobility for students who may be geographically bound. The School’s faculty serves the students, the community, and the University through teaching, service, scholarship, research, and other creative activities.
The School of Nursing faculty believes that humanity consists of unique holistic beings with intrinsic worth and dignity who have the right to self-determination, well-being, and equity. As part of various groups, individuals interact according to individualistic and group needs in the community. These interacting individuals and groups, with their cultural and social beliefs and values, create the society within the larger environment.
The faculty believes that the environment, an aggregate of all internal and external dimensions, not only influences individuals and groups but is also influenced by them. The environment provides the context for the development of individuals’ social identities, the identification of health needs, and the evolution of nursing. Through ongoing, interactive processes, the environment and nursing influence each other. The nursing profession, therefore, advocates for and serves the health needs and interests of a global society and collaborates with other disciplines toward this goal.
The faculty believes that health, a dynamic state, is an observable manifestation of individual and group adaptive responses to the environment. Health is the focus of the discipline of nursing and includes physical, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual components. Since the state of health is culturally defined diverse or individually-defined, health-seeking behaviors reflect culturally diverse perceptions and values. Individuals have the right to make decisions about their health. The ability to make informed decisions is influenced by knowledge, perceptions, and values.
As an art and a science, nursing practice utilizes cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills in meeting the health needs of diverse individuals and social groups of all ages. Nursing practice applies nursing theory and research as well as knowledge from other sciences and the humanities.
Nursing practice is the application of evidence-based clinical decisions in a caring environment for the improvement and achievement of optimal states of health for individuals and groups. Clinical decisions lead to therapeutic nursing interventions, which are based on assessment, diagnosis and evaluation of human responses to internal and external environmental dimensions that affect actual or potential health states. Key elements used in professional nursing practice within a multidisciplinary healthcare system are caring, evidence-based clinical decisions, communication, collaboration, cultural humility, social awareness, patient safety, ethical competence, information, research, and patient care technologies.
Nursing practice includes the right and responsibility for continuous evaluation of personal and professional behaviors and values in addition to development and maintenance of legal and ethical standards for professional excellence. Nursing practice requires reflection, lifelong learning and application of sound evidence and research for quality improvement. Nursing participates in social processes to positively influence healthcare policy and outcomes.
The faculty believes that education is a process shared by the teacher and the learner and is the exploration, utilization and generation of knowledge through a spirit of inquiry and self-motivation. The learner and the teacher share the right and responsibility to achieve educational goals through participation in the educative process. An organized setting with planned learning activities, utilizing traditional, nontraditional and emerging electronic formats, provides opportunities to achieve these educational goals. The approach to teaching and learning varies with individual needs, abilities, and experiences. Teachers and learners are responsible for creating, promoting, and maintaining standards of academic and professional excellence through individual lifelong learning.
The faculty believes that nursing education is the means by which students are prepared for competent nursing practice at multiple levels. These levels of nursing practice are facilitated through various educational opportunities that are best provided in a collegiate setting.
Associate Degree in Nursing Education
Associate degree in nursing is preparation for practice as a registered nurse and serves as the foundation for further nursing education. The practice of the associate degree nurse includes functioning as a provider and manager of care, a patient advocate, an educator for patients and their support system, a consumer of best evidence, and a member within the discipline of nursing. The associate degree graduate is prepared to provide holistic care to patients to include cultural and social beliefs and values across the lifespan, and may practice in primary, secondary, and tertiary care settings.
Baccalaureate Education in Nursing
Baccalaureate degree in nursing is preparation for professional nursing practice and graduate study. The practice of the baccalaureate degree nurse includes functioning as a designer, manager and coordinator of care, member of the profession, provider of direct and indirect care, and evaluator and consumer of research and best evidence. The BSN graduate reflects accountable, evidence-based clinical decision-making in environments where outcomes of health states may or may not be predictable to ensure safe, quality patient-centered care. The baccalaureate degree graduate is a generalist who provides comprehensive nursing care for all ages of individuals, families, communities, and diverse populations in a variety of social, dynamic and complex healthcare settings.
Master’s Education in Nursing
Master’s degree in nursing is preparation for the beginning level of advanced nursing practice and doctoral study. Advanced nursing practice encompasses the roles of expert clinician, educator, administrator, consultant, and translator of research and evidence-based practice. Decision-making encompasses social diversity, equity, and inclusion, while integrating patient safety, quality improvement and the ability to evaluate and influence health policy at the organizational level for the master’s prepared nurse. Learning at the master’s level emanates from an open collegial relationship between faculty and students that allows for challenges of nursing knowledge and theories.
Doctoral Education in Nursing
Doctoral degree in nursing practice is preparation for nursing practice at the most advanced level. The Doctor of Nursing Practice is a terminal degree with a focus on the translation of evidence into clinical practice. It prepares advanced practice nurses as clinical scholars in patient care outcomes and clinical leaders. Advanced practice at this level influences healthcare outcomes in a way that is equitable and inclusive for diverse individuals and populations, the administration of nursing and healthcare organizations and systems, and the development and implementation of health policy.
5/2023-Revised and Approved by SON Faculty