Department of Nursing
Core Philosophy

Consistent with the philosophy of Fort Hays State University (FHSU), the Department of Nursing faculty provide appropriate educational opportunities for those enrolled as nursing students.   Shared beliefs about the nature of humans, environment, health and nursing assist the nursing faculty in achieving the goals of the Department of Nursing.

A HUMAN is a synergistic blend of body, mind, and spirit whose genetic potential provides a basis for dynamic interaction with life experiences. Certain phenomena about humans are closely related and are categorized as biological, psychological, sociological, and spiritual. These categories are secondary; the human is the reality. The human is inherently valuable and has the potential to make free choices, develop self-awareness, and express self in work, love, and play.   The human is entitled to personal beliefs, to privacy, and to make independent and informed choices regarding health care. Humans form relationships with others to comprise society:  families, groups, and communities. Humans continually influence the environment and the environment is continually influenced by humans.

The ENVIRONMENT is an aggregate of conditions, internal or external to the human. Internal environment includes all that interacts within the human; and external environment includes all outside forces which influence the human. Within the external environment, society evolves through the interaction of social and political forces. There is interaction between societal influences and individual values concerning health care delivery. Internal and external environments may enhance or disrupt the human's health status.

HEALTH is a dynamic, multi-dimensional state of being in which the potential of a human is realized. The relative dominance of human strengths or limitations determines health. Health may coexist and interact with illness, and is largely defined by culture. Health is the focus of nursing attention, not as an end in itself, but as a means to life that is meaningful and manageable.

NURSING is the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual or potential health problems (ANA, 1995). Nursing is a practice discipline utilizing nursing theory and research. As a discipline, nursing assists humans by using critical thinking in the nursing process to assess, diagnose, plan, implement, and evaluate. The essence of nursing is the caring for and nurturing humans in the performance of those activities contributing to health, recovery, or peaceful death.

Reference Cited
American Nurses Association. (1995). Nursing: A social policy statement. Washington, DC: Author.

    Learning is the art or process of acquiring knowledge and skill by means of investigation, instruction, practice, and experience. Learning is an active internal process that involves cognitive, psychomotor, and affective aspects of human behavior. A change of behavior, attitude, or thinking that endures over time indicates that learning has occurred.
     The motivation to learn and the rewards of learning are complementary and include both internal and external factors. Learning is a lifelong growth process that involves the development of human potential. The learner assesses motivation for learning, and with faculty assistance, makes periodic appraisal of personal progress in relation to standards of scholarly inquiry and personal goals. The learner uses personal motivation and accepts responsibility to continue inquiry and learning competence. Faculty and learners together establish objectives, design theoretical and clinical learning activities, utilize modern research methodologies, and evaluate performance in ways that facilitate learning. Together, faculty and learners develop a greater understanding of the relationships among theory, research, and advanced practice in nursing.

    Graduate nursing education builds upon the knowledge and competencies that characterize baccalaureate education in nursing. The master's program integrates theory and research from nursing and related disciplines to form the matrix of advanced nursing knowledge. Acquiring advanced nursing knowledge provides the foundation for mastery of advanced professional nursing practice. As practitioners of advanced nursing, graduates function in primary care and specialty roles.
         Using an eclectic approach, the theoretical content of the graduate nursing curriculum provides learners with the scholarly base that supports advanced nursing practice. Learners apply nursing theories and research findings by using the nursing process, addressing integrative health states, and facilitating human health potential, despite complicated situations and global societal problems. In addition, education and administration theories are examined to enhance the acquisition of advanced nursing roles.
         Besides being a scholarly endeavor, nursing has a global societal mandate for practice that identifies it as a professional discipline and demands that nurses function as autonomous practitioners. Practice at the master's level includes exploration of advanced nursing roles and the validation of research findings while working with clients from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The professional socialization process of the learners is augmented by carrying out collaborative and consultative functions within the health care system.
        Within the graduate curriculum, learners evaluate the health care delivery system to recommend or enact solutions addressing ethical, legal and political concerns. Learners are responsible for influencing health policy consistent with advanced role preparation. Through advanced theory, practica, and role preparation, learners also assume responsibility for contributing to the advancement of the nursing profession. The theory and practicum components of a master's education provide the foundation for doctoral studies in nursing.

Advanced Practice
        The faculty seek to produce master's prepared nurses with the qualities of intellectual honesty, curiosity, creativeness, and the capability for professional leadership within clinical, administrative or educational roles. Diversity is accepted and fostered within the framework of respect for all opinions, which are subject to tests of validity. The climate of the department encourages exploration and vision. Faculty, as role models, are committed to excellence in teaching and to scholarly development of the discipline of nursing. Faculty serve as mentors and resource persons, providing stimulation of thought, creativity and exploration. The university environment provides the climate for these opportunities.
        Advanced professional practice involves creative and critical thinking, and decision making; independent, collaborative and consultative functions; use of research methods and findings; and requires commitment to continued learning. Within the discipline, advanced specialists utilize nursing theories and research in complex or novel situations that present multiple variables. The faculty believes that new master's prepared graduates carry with them the potential to become expert advanced specialists and scholars of tomorrow.

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