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University of Colorado College of Nursing

College of Nursing
 

The Dean’s Office

Educational Philosophy

In 2008, the College of Nursing celebrated 110 years of contributions in nursing education, practice and research. The BS in nursing program, established in 1920, is one of the oldest baccalaureate programs west of the Mississippi. The MS program began in 1950, the PhD in 1978, and the doctor of nursing practice(DNP) in 2005 in accordance with national standards. In 1965, the college offered the first nurse practitioner program in the country. The College of Nursing consistently ranks in the top 15 schools of nursing in the U.S. for the quality of our programs.

College of Nursing Mission, Vision and Values

The mission declares our purpose. The vision expresses our direction. The values assert our behavior. Taken together, they provide a road map to our destination.

Mission

The College of Nursing shares the mission of the University of Colorado: Improving human health by educating practitioners in nursing, delivering exemplary health care, and conducting research in the health sciences. (Source: College of Nursing Philosophy Statement – June 23, 2008)

Vision

By 2020, the College of Nursing will be recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in research, clinical care and education of clinicians, scientists and educators for professional and inter-professional roles.

Values

The College of Nursing embraces excellence in:

  • Learning and Scholarship
    • Generation of disciplinary knowledge is founded upon pluralistic forms of inquiry, continual communication with nursing practice and interdisciplinary collaboration.
  • Discovery and Innovation
    • a search for knowledge regarding human experiences of health-illness-healing, the human/technology interface, environmental contexts of health care and quality cost-effective outcomes
    • development and testing of explanatory models of health, illness and healing to guide professional practice
    • positive influence on the environmental contexts of health and health care; and
    • promotion of quality and cost-effective outcomes of nursing care
  • Health and Care of Mind, Body, and Community
    • Nursing is a theory-guided, evidence-based practice, focused on holistic, relationship-centered caring that facilitates health and healing.
  • Diversity, Respect, and Inclusiveness
    • Contemporary nursing education and practice require a commitment to diversity, interdisciplinary partnerships in practice and research and a grounding of education in faculty practice.
  • Citizenship and Leadership
    • Nurses engage in leadership to improve the health and health care of the society they serve. Faculty believe in education’s responsibility to society to prepare nurses who advocate for social justice and in education’s need to be responsive to society’s needs and changing local, national and global health care environments. Faculty have a commitment to promoting reflective practice and leadership for social change.

(Source: College of Nursing Philosophy Statement – June 23, 2008)

Philosophy

The College of Nursing, as an integral part of its parent institution, is dedicated to the pursuit of higher learning grounded in the arts, sciences and humanities. The College of Nursing shares the mission of the University of Colorado: improving human health by educating health practitioners, delivering exemplary health care, and conducting research in the health sciences. The mission of the institution is directed toward a diverse community and the university acknowledges values, fosters and benefits from the unique qualities, rich histories and wide range of cultural values. The philosophy and mission of the College of Nursing are focused on education, research, reflective practice and service within nursing.

The College of Nursing faculty believe nursing is a professional discipline with academic and practice dimensions. As a practice profession, nursing serves society through delivery of direct and indirect health care services to individuals, families and communities in local, regional, national and international contexts. Nursing is a theory-guided, evidence-based practice, focused on holistic, relationship-centered caring that facilitates health and healing. Nursing is committed to ensuring quality health care for all. Nurses engage in political leadership to improve the health and health care of the society they serve.

The College of Nursing faculty believes that higher education in nursing is responsible for preparing nurses for professional and discipline-related roles through a competency based curriculum emphasizing practice that is relational, reflective, responsive, respectful and caring. Thus, the faculty believes in the equivalent importance of undergraduate nursing education, graduate nursing education and nursing education to prepare entry-level nurses with a professional doctorate.

The faculty is committed to promoting reflective practice, and leadership for social change with inherent reciprocity among nursing practice, theory and research in all educational programs. The faculty further believes that preparation for various nursing roles requires education in the arts and sciences foundational to nursing and in substantive disciplinary knowledge regarding caring in the human health experience across the lifespan.

The faculty believes that contemporary nursing education and practice requires a commitment to diversity, interdisciplinary partnerships in practice and research and a grounding of education in faculty practice.

Faculty practice models, expert care and community service provides opportunities to develop innovative models of health care delivery, improve access to care for underserved populations, engage in clinical inquiry and test nursing theories. Contemporary nursing education is also facilitated by articulated degree programs – flexible and self-directed programs that incorporate lifelong learning, innovative educational technologies and inter-institutional collaboration.

Re-ratified 6/23/08 General Faculty Meeting

Accreditation

The College of Nursing offers programs leading to the bachelor of science (BS), master of science (MS), doctor of nursing practice (DNP) and doctor of philosophy (PhD) degrees. The BS, MS and DNP programs are fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The nurse midwifery specialty in the MS program is further accredited by the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM). PhD programs are not reviewed by nursing accrediting bodies; however, the PhD program is regularly reviewed by the University of Colorado Denver Graduate School. In addition, all College of Nursing degree programs are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.