Philosophy

Nursing is a professional discipline concerned with meeting the health needs of a diverse and changing society. Nursing is concerned with diagnosing, treating, and evaluating human responses to actual or potential health problems across the life span. Clients may be individuals, families, groups or communities. Nurses assist clients to achieve their human potential by promoting or restoring health or by supporting them to achieve a peaceful death.

Nursing practice is provided within the context of interpersonal interactions. Both baccalaureate-prepared and advanced practice nurses contribute to improving the health of the public. Nurses must analyze, synthesize, apply, and evaluate knowledge from nursing and other disciplines in order to provide high quality care. They must demonstrate caring, commitment, and respect for the dignity of all people. Excellence in nursing is exhibited through adherence to professional standards and through contributions to changes in professional standards as the role of the professional nurse changes. Students at all levels develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes while in the clinical arena. Faculty practice enriches our education, research, and service activities

Health is a dynamic state reflecting a client's ability to adapt to changes in the environment. The environment consists of internal and external forces that influence biopsychosocial and spiritual functioning. Nurses support and enhance clients' capacities for health by fostering care and personal growth in an increasingly complex health care system. Nursing is a dynamic discipline and nurses provide care through cooperation, collaboration, and consultation with healthcare professionals of other disciplines.

Learning is a life-long process that provides students the opportunity to progress to the highest educational and practices levels of which they are capable. The process of learning involves student-teacher partnerships and cooperation in meeting student and program goals. Faculty provide learning opportunities and guidance appropriate to individual and program objectives and with recognition of the unique learning styles and needs of individual learners. Faculty provide the environment that promotes self-growth and career satisfaction, and learners are encouraged to assume leadership in citizenship, professional, and social responsibilities. Faculty and students contribute to college level strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation within the College to enhance the learning environment at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing.

Nursing research contributes to the discipline’s knowledge base to improve the health of individuals, families, groups and communities. Nurse scientists provide leadership in the conduct, application, and dissemination of research.

Programs

Undergraduate
Faculty believe that professional nursing education begins at the baccalaureate level. Professional education at this level provides knowledge about the content and process of nursing in sufficient depth and scope to enable individuals to use evidence in practice and exercise critical thinking and independent judgment when making clinical decisions. The general education component encompasses a broad knowledge base which individuals use to be responsible and creative practitioners and citizens. Because nursing is a practice discipline, students have opportunities to apply an ever-expanding store of general and professional knowledge in a variety of clinical settings with faculty guidance. Student-faculty interactions promote socialization of students into the professional nursing role.

Graduate (master and doctoral levels) 
Master's level education prepares nurses for advanced practice in an era of specialization in nursing. Advanced practice builds on a liberal baccalaureate education for the general practice of professional nursing and provides a foundation for doctoral education. Graduate education provides more and varied alternatives with which to make decisions that are based on the critical analysis of literature that support and improve clinical practice. Faculty believe the best approach for promoting student enthusiasm and commitment to the pursuit of these scholarly endeavors is through reciprocal relationships with faculty as mentors and models. Masters' level nursing education occurs with one overall program and multiple specialty component areas of study from which students can choose. Graduate education includes the preparation necessary for leadership in evolving roles in nursing and health care, and for gaining expertise in nursing at the doctoral level. Doctoral education prepares nurse scholars to contribute to the discipline’s knowledge base and to provide leadership in education, research, service, and practice.

Continuing Education
Faculty believe that life-long learning for nursing enhances competence in professional practice and self-growth. A well-organized system of life-long education enables registered nurses to function more effectively in their professional roles, to contribute to society, and to become more fulfilled human beings. Faculty believe that the interdisciplinary exploration of new ideas, trends, and developments, coupled with exposure to new dimensions that improve the individual's competence, are critical to the development and maintenance of a dynamic nursing profession. Although life-long learning is ultimately the responsibility of individual nurses, faculty are committed to providing opportunities for such education.  The College of Nursing is particularly committed to providing life-long learning for advanced practice nurses, researchers, managers, and scholars.

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