About The School of Nursing

 

The School of Nursing is an integral part of Clemson University, a land-grant, state-supported institution of higher learning. The School is committed to teaching, research, and service to the public of South Carolina, the nation and the world. The goal of the Clemson University School of Nursing is to prepare nurses for professional practice, leadership in health care, and to advance nursing knowledge.

MISSION

To provide a scholarly center of learning that prepares nurses at the baccalaureate and graduate levels who can advance scientific nursing knowledge and evidenced-based nursing practice through research and outreach. The academic culture of the school values intellectual curiosity, personal accountability, diversity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the art and science of human caring.

VISION

To be the leading, innovative educational center engaged in preparing nurses for leadership, scholarship and practice to improve the health of people in South Carolina and the global community.

GOALS

To prepare practitioners from diverse backgrounds at baccalaureate and graduate levels for nursing practice and leadership in a dynamic health care environment.

To promote a creative and collaborative environment for scholarship and research.

To develop innovative nurse leaders with diverse experiences who engage in service that improves the health and quality of life of people of South Carolina and the global community.

To sustain cultural diversity among faculty, students, and staff within a mutually respectful, professional environment.

PHILOSOPHY

The philosophy is grounded in the four concepts of nursing, health, persons, and environment, and is in concert with the principles of learning and professional nursing education.  Nursing is both an academic discipline and a practice profession.  The science of nursing involves the development and application of nursing knowledge.  The practice of nursing involves systematic processes to promote, maintain and restore health and to assure death with dignity.  Comprehensive nursing care is provided in a variety of settings to meet diverse health concerns of individuals, families, groups and communities.  As an academic discipline, nursing fosters intellectual curiosity, knowledge development and advancement, and faculty and student scholarship.
    
Health is a dynamic state of relative well being which reflects the efforts of an individual, family, group or community to strive toward potential and adapt to the environment.  Persons have a right to the opportunity to achieve maximum health, to maintain dignity, and to participate in decisions influencing personal health.

Persons are holistic beings worthy of dignity, equity and respect.  Persons are characterized by biological, psychological, philosophical and socio-cultural capacities.  The complex nature of persons arises from these capacities and is manifested by experiencing, evolving and becoming.

Environment is the context through which individuals, families, groups and communities live and develop.  The environment consists of seven major components: (1) biological; (2) psychosocial; (3) cultural, (4) philosophical; (5) educational; (6) political and (7) geographical.  There is constant interaction between the environment and individuals, families, groups and communities, which contributes to reciprocal changes in each.

Learning is a life long process involving critical thinking and results in changes in values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. Learning is cumulative and occurs in many ways.  It is enhanced by learner readiness, active involvement and consideration of individual differences.

Teaching is the facilitation of learning and critical thinking.  It takes place in a climate that encourages and supports a learner’s potential.  The learner and the teacher share responsibility for the learning.