West Virginia University Charleston Division School of Nursing Our Philosophy Nursing is an art and a science practiced by professionals in concert with individuals, families and communities for the purpose of promoting health.
Nursing is a learned discipline whose perspective is the person-environment health process.
The person is inseparable from the environment and interacts dynamically with the environment as a unified whole, thus maintaining integrity. This interaction enables the pursuit of choices and goals. Health is a process through which individuals, families, and communities maximize potential for living a self-determined life. Health is promoted through the caring presence of the nurse in situations where capabilities are discovered, strengths are maximized, and development is nurtured. The caring presence is a relationship in which the nurse interacts with persons in the creative application of the discipline's art and science.