Grand Canyon University College of Nursing and Health Care Professions Philosophy
In concert with the mission of the University, the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions faculty affirms our belief in educating nurses within a dedicated and supportive community of Christian nurse scholars. The nursing programs prepare graduates to provide excellent, holistic care while encouraging a passion for achievement, a lifelong curiosity for knowledge, and pursuit of advanced professional degrees.
The AACN Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice guides the curriculum for the baccalaureate program. The AACN’s The Essentials of Master’s Education for Advanced Nursing Practice, Advanced Nursing Practice: Curriculum Guidelines and Program Standards for Nurse Practitioner Education, NONPF and AACN Nursing Practitioner Primary Care Competencies in Specialty Areas, NONPF Domains and Competencies of Nurse Practitioner Practice, and NACNS Statement on Clinical Nurse Specialist Practice and incorporatesEducation provide structure for the curriculum content of the master’s program. The College of Nursing and Health Care Professions curriculum is designed to facilitate the students’ abilities to creatively respond to continuously changing health care systems throughout the world. Educational experiences are planned to meet the needs of and to empower both students and clients. Professionalism, ethical decision making, accountability, critical thinking, and effective communication are emphasized. This is achieved through the application of liberal arts constructs, science, health and nursing theories, and the values of the Christian faith within the scope of nursing knowledge and evidence-based practice. Nursing practice promotes human dignity through compassionate caring for all human beings, without consideration of their gender, age, color, creed, lifestyle, cultural background, and other visible or invisible boundaries between students, faculty, and clients.
The faculty of the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions is accountable for the quality of the educational programs and for the promotion of safe and effective nursing through teaching, service, and collaboration with other professionals and consumers of care. The following statements reflect the philosophical beliefs of the faculty in relation to the concepts of health, environment, person, and nursing:
HEALTH
Health is the central focus of nursing. Health is a dynamic aspect of being that incorporates physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and social dimensions.
ENVIRONMENT
All humans interact with the physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and social environments in which they work, play, and live. The nursing role is to help provide healthy and safe environments so that persons may live in optimal health.
PERSON
We believe that all people are accepted and loved unconditionally as children of God. In the baccalaureate program, clients are considered to be individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations. In the master’s program, clients include in addition organizations/systems. Human diversity is cherished. Spirituality is conceived as vertical and horizontal relationships with God and humanity. These relationships give hope and meaning to life now and in the future.
NURSING
Baccalaureate nursing practice incorporates the roles of assessing, critical thinking, communicating, providing care, teaching, and leading. The caring professional approach includes the values of autonomy, altruism, human dignity, integrity, and social justice with unconditional regard for all people. Nursing practice includes health promotion, disease prevention, early detection of health deviations, prompt and adequate treatment of the human response to acute and chronic illness, and compassionate care for those experiencing death.
Master’s nursing practice expands upon baccalaureate nursing concepts to include clinical practice knowledge, coaching/mentoring/teaching, consulting/collaborating, advanced leadership, and nursing education with a focus on research and quality assurance, critical thinking, spirituality, diversity, caring, and life-long learning. The advanced professional nursing role relies on best practices and evidence-based research with a focus on evaluation of health, outcomes, and processes.
Nursing education is theory driven. Theories are derived from the humanities, sciences, and Biblical concepts. Nursing knowledge, theory, research, and health promotion are influenced by spiritual perspectives, and ethical, legal, political, historical, and social influences. The faculty values excellence in teaching with an individual focus on the learner. Teaching includes a variety of methods, learning modalities, and practice situations. Faculty provide opportunities for students to give comprehensive care to diverse client populations, and the learning environment is created and arranged to meet individual learning outcomes that are consistent with the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions program outcomes. The College of Nursing and Health Care Professions supports life-long learning endeavors and fosters an appreciation of diversity among traditional and nontraditional learners. Students are educated to provide, direct, and evaluate client-centered care while focusing on the person as an integrated whole.