Mission Statement
The Department of Nursing at Southern Arkansas University supports the missions statement, goals, and objectives of the University. The Department of Nursing is committed to demonstrating our core values by providing students with opportunities for intellectual growth through cultivating compassion, communication, and skill development for career preparation in a global environment. We strive to meet regional health care needs by preparing graduates who demonstrate basic competency as health care providers.
Core Values: Quality, Professionalism, Innovation, Caring
Philosophy of the Department of Nursing
Baccalaureate nursing education program prepares the graduate for entry into professional practice as a generalist who provides evidence-based care for persons as individuals, members of family/groups, and as communities in both structured and unstructured health care settings.
The complexity of decision-making and accountability increases in proportion to the complexity of the patient health care setting, and the preparation of the practitioner. The different levels of nursing education imply education increases in complexity to correspond with the expected competencies of each graduate.
Person
Each person is a physiological, psychological, sociocultural, and spiritual being, and is, therefore, unique and irreplaceable. The person is continually interacting and affected by the internal and external environment. Each person is dynamic and distinct, because they have unique and common basic human needs throughout the life span. The person within the context of individual, family/group, or community is the recipient of nursing care.
Environment
The environment consists of internal and external elements which are in constant interaction with the person. The internal environment is composed of physiological, psychological, sociocultural, and spiritual factors which influence the person from within. The external environment includes the physical and social elements that are external to and interactive with the person. The internal and external environments interact to produce needs unique to each person. The process the person chooses to meet those needs changes the health of the person.
Health
Health is a dynamic state influenced by personal choices occurring in and across all environments. The health of a person is dependent upon resources available within the internal and external environment. Through collaborative efforts, health is promoted, maintained, and/or restored until the end of life.
Nursing
Nursing is a scientific discipline that provides holistic care for culturally diverse persons across the life span. Nursing acknowledges the dignity, worth, and the right of all persons to have their health care needs provided in and across all environments through the use of nursing/research process. The practice of nursing is based on knowledge, which incorporates critical thinking, communication, therapeutic nursing interventions, professionalism, roles, and service.
Nursing Education
Nursing education requires a foundation in liberal education, which provides an effective base education within the university setting offers the opportunity to interact with students from diverse education disciplines, which provides the individual an experience to build a broader foundation, thus shaping their practice of nursing.
Nursing education is a life-long process that assists individuals in developing the potential to function productively within an existing and ever changing health care system. The use of technological resources and innovative creative teaching strategies provide optimal learning experiences. Learning occurs when the student perceives it as relevant and the information received has concurrent application.
Faculty facilitate, create, and guide learning opportunities, thus enabling individuals to seek and develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes to prepare them for practice within the nursing profession.