Philosophy

Vision

In 2017, the School of Nursing is a center of excellence for baccalaureate and graduate education.  The Departments develop and facilitate innovative programs of education, model inter-professional clinical practice, translational research and scholarship, and service to the community.  Faculty guide students to become providers of care, advanced practitioners and nurse leaders committed to professional ideals, lifelong learning and meaningful practice within health care systems and communities. 

Mission

The mission of the Department of Nursing is to facilitate the education of future professional nurses to be effective clinicians and leaders.  As clinicians, graduates are prepared to promote the ability of all persons, families and communities in attaining their highest level of wellness.  As leaders, graduates are prepared to use research for evaluating and improving health care approaches and for continued study in nursing.

Philosophy

Nursing, a caring art and science, encompasses the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to health and illness.  Nurses use a variety of models to guide people of many cultures toward identifying their own health care and healing needs.  Nurses model self care while supporting people in their own pursuit of health.  People are born with healing capacities with or without perception of these capacities although a cure is not always certain.  The nurse as a health care resource is available to assist people to move toward and maintain health in their human experiences.  The society in which the nurse functions is rapidly changing and is technologically oriented.  Nurses use knowledge gained from client preferences and values, clinical expertise and best research evidence as well as the integral process to guide their practice.  The practice of nursing must be in accordance with established standards of clinical practice and the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics (ANA 2001).

Health, a personally perceived state of wellbeing, is an ever-changing holistic interplay among the physiological, spiritual, psychological, social, cultural, cognitive and emotional dimensions of people.  As people grow and develop, they strive to meet the needs of these interconnected dimensions to achieve a sense of harmony and balance between self and environment.  Clients, as partners in their care, may be individuals, families, groups or communities.  Faculty value the uniqueness, worth, dignity and integrity of all people and believe that each human being is a dynamic holistic system. 

The essence of professional nursing education lies in the academic experience, which provides the foundation for intellectual inquiry.  Committed to liberal education as fundamental for the development of clinical judgment , decision making and communication, faculty strive for a balance between arts, sciences, humanities and professional studies.  The acquisition of knowledge is evidenced by the student’s integration and application of theories and concepts from the natural and behavioral sciences and the humanities.  The process of reflection is a continuous one wherein the student develops a unique holistic awareness of self and how one’s self affects others.  The student learns holistically to integrate nontraditional therapies with traditional medical modalities.  Optimal learning occurs in a supportive, caring and interactive environment that takes into account the diversity of culture and experience that students bring to the learning situation.  Education is a partnership between student and teacher, where the teacher serves as a facilitator, role model and guide.  Learning is a collaborative process whereby students and faculty learn from each other, clients, peers, mentors, preceptors as well as other health care professionals.  Faculty are receptive to individual student needs, flexible to individual learning styles and committed to a continuum of nursing education. (2010)

Accreditation

The program is fully accredited by the National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLN-AC) and is approved by the Maine State Board of Nursing.  The NLN can be contacted at 3343 Peachtree Rd. NE, Suite 500, Atlanta, GA 30326 1-404-975-5000.