The faculty believe that the baccalaureate degree in nursing education is the minimum requirement for entry into professional practice. Professional nurses are generalists who apply concepts from the liberal arts, sciences, and nursing in their practice. Professional nurses utilize inter-disciplinary knowledge and the nursing process to develop and carry out a holistic plan of care to assist client systems in adapting to potential and actual environmental stressors. Critical thinking skills are essential to the logical interrelationship of knowledge from all disciplines in their application to nursing practice. The faculty believe that nursing is operationalized through the interactive decision-making steps of the nursing process.
Research enhances professional nursing practice.
The application of research in the approach to client care and the use of the nursing process allows the professional nurse to provide a holistic approach to client interaction. Research also involves the refinement of theories that serve the base of a substantive body of knowledge unique to nursing. The mission of the SON is to Teach , conduct Research , and provide Service to the Community . The School's mission is consistent with and advances the university's mission by preparing beginning professional nursing generalists who can function in a variety of roles in diverse health care settings. The School's mission is predicted on the faculty's beliefs regarding humans, health, environment and nursing.