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The Philosophy of the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing (FCN) is in accord with the Philosophy of ²ÝÁñÉçÇø as stated in its Mission Statement. Rooted in the Catholic and Augustinian heritage of the university, the FCN is welcoming and respectful of those from all faith traditions. We recognize human beings as unique and created by God. The faculty believes that human beings are endowed with intellect, free will, and inherent dignity across their life span. Human beings have the potential to direct, integrate, and adapt to their total environment to meet their needs.

The faculty believe that health is a state of physiological, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being and not merely the absence of disease. Human beings do not assume a fixed position of health but have the potential for moving between wellness and illness in multiple dimensions. The faculty believes that health care is a right, and they respect individuals’ decisions related to their health care.

Nursing is a dynamic profession. Its focus is person-centered care which assists individuals, families, and communities locally and globally at all points in the life cycle to maintain, restore and promote health, while providing safe, equitable, trauma-informed, quality care. The nurse, as an accountable agent of health care, uses the nursing process to fulfill various functions of nursing: health promotion, health teaching, health counseling, and managing and providing safe nursing care. The nurse cultivates a just culture addressing structural racism and other forms of discrimination and reflecting civility and respect.

Person and population centered care uses the nursing process to assess, diagnose, plan, implement, and evaluate both the need for nursing care and the outcomes of nursing interventions. The faculty understands that the nursing profession is ever changing. Nurses are actively involved in the planning, implementation, and development of changes that predict or respond to continually evolving health needs enhanced by communication technologies and informatics processes. Through evidence-based practice, nurses act as catalysts in stimulating deliberate and conscious planning for the improvement of society's health. As change agents and leaders, nurses serve and emerge with other health disciplines as intentional interprofessional partners in leading and shaping health policy for a diverse, inclusive, multicultural society and in functioning as advocates for health and well-being.

The faculty and students comprise a community of learners with the teacher as the facilitator and the students engaged in their own learning. The faculty believe that education provides students with opportunities to develop critical thinking so that they can use sound clinical judgment in nursing practice. Students and faculty are engaged in a technology enhanced classroom and clinical environment. This type of intellectual development can best be attained in a teaching-learning environment that promotes sharing of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and scholarship which generates new knowledge. 

Through its Baccalaureate, Masters and Doctoral programs, the FCN educates nurses who are prepared to practice safe, quality nursing care and demonstrate leadership across healthcare systems. The faculty believes these educational programs are integral to the ongoing process of continuing professional education and development. Core professional values include altruism, autonomy, excellence, caring, ethics, respect, communication, collaboration, and shared accountability. The FCN prepares graduates to commit to ongoing self-reflection, lifelong learning and a spirit of inquiry fostering compassion, humility, inclusivity, resilience, and the promotion of nursing excellence. 

Effective June 2022