Introduction

Mission Statement

The Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, as an integral part of Florida Atlantic University, is committed to the pursuit of higher education grounded in the arts, sciences and humanities. Faculty of the College support the University mission of teaching, research/scholarship and service within an environment that fosters inclusiveness.

The Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing is dedicated to caring; advancing the science, studying the meaning, practicing the art, and living caring day-to-day.

Statement of Philosophy

Nursing is a discipline of knowledge and professional practice grounded in caring. Nursing makes a unique contribution to society by nurturing the wholeness of persons and environment in caring. Caring in nursing is an intentional mutual human process in which the nurse artistically responds with authentic presence to calls from persons to enhance well-being. Nursing occurs in nursing situations: co-created lived experiences in which the caring between nurses and persons enhance well-being. Nursing is both science and art. Nursing science is the evolving body of distinctive nursing knowledge developed through systematic inquiry and research. The art of nursing is the creative use of nursing knowledge in practice. Knowledge development and practice in nursing require the complex integration of multiple patters of knowing. Nurses collaborate and lead interprofessional research and practice to support the health and well being of persons inextricably connected within a diverse global society.

Persons as participant in the co-created nursing situation, refers to individual, families or communities. Person is unique and irreducible, dynamically interconnected with others and the environment in caring relationships. The nature of being human is to be caring. Humans choose values that give meaning to living and enhance well-being. Well being is creating and living the meaning of life. Persons are nurtured in their wholeness and well being through caring relationships.

Beliefs about learning and environments that foster learning are grounded in our view of person, the nature of nursing and nursing knowledge and the mission of the University. Learning involves the lifelong creation of understanding through the integration of knowledge within a context of value and meaning. A supportive environment for learning is a caring environment. A caring environment is one in which all aspects of the person are respected, nurtured and celebrated. The learning environment supports faculty-student relationships that honor and value the contributions of all and the shared learning and growth.

The above fundamental beliefs concerning Nursing, Person and Learning express our values and guides the actions of Faculty as they pursue the missions of teaching, research/scholarship and service shared by the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and Florida Atlantic University.

Organizing Framework for Curricula

The unique focus of nursing at the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing is nurturing the wholeness of persons through caring. Caring is the basis for examination and further development of the discipline of nursing. Caring in nursing is a mutual human process in which the nurse artistically responds with authentic presence to calls from clients. The caring person demonstrates compassion, commitment, consciences, competence, and confidence.

Nursing situations have simultaneous commonalities and uniqueness. In each nursing situation, there is a call from the client and a response from the nurse. The call arises from the person; the nurse is able to enter the world of the other and respond appropriately to the call to nurture wholeness through caring. Nursing is studied in each course through the examination of nursing situations and case studies.

Multiple ways of knowing provide an organizing framework for asking epistemological questions in nursing. In order to experience knowing the whole of nursing situation with caring at the center, each of these patterns comes into play.

Central themes of nursing are explored in all courses of the discipline: images of nurse and nursing, nursing as a discipline of knowledge, nursing as profession, wholeness of person connected with others and the environment through caring, and the practice of nursing that demonstrates an understanding of nurturing the wholeness of others through caring. These five themes are introduced in the undergraduate program and expanded in the graduate program. All courses that focus on the practice of nursing have these themes as objectives; sub objectives then address the unique aims of each individual course.