The mission of the School of Nursing is aimed at meeting the health needs of society in a global and multicultural world.  To this end, scholarship, research, education, and practice are integrated to create a culture of inquiry that values intellectual curiosity and diversity, and where faculty, clinicians, staff and students thrive and learn from one another.   

SCHOLARSHIP AND RESEARCH

We believe that integration of the arts and sciences is the basis for nursing knowledge and the framework for nursing practice and scholarship.  Nursing knowledge encompasses empirical, philosophical, historical, ethical, and personal ways of knowing, and is fundamental to the advancement of professional practice.  Scholarship encompasses more than research, but also the integration of research into practice and the advancement and dissemination of nursing knowledge.  Research is integral in every educational program and is strengthened by participating in and contributing to the rich scholarly environment of the University. 

Nursing is scientifically based and carried out autonomously, as well as interdependently.  The focus is development, dissemination, and utilization of knowledge about nursing actions that promote positive changes in patients, systems of care, and the larger society.  Nurses collaborate with individuals, families, groups, communities, and other professions to achieve health and well-being for all people.  

The School of Nursing is responsive to numerous influences that shape health care, including evolving models of care, consumer advocacy, demographic changes, and advances in science and technology.  The faculty are committed to a scholarly agenda that pushes the boundaries of nursing science, in turn influencing education and shaping policy and practice.  

EDUCATION

Education at the University of Pennsylvania facilitates the intellectual, personal and social development of students as they identify and attain academic and professional goals.  Our educational environment fosters independence, ethical behavior, creative and critical thinking, increased breadth of knowledge, and sensitive interactions concerning cultures and viewpoints.

Programs, from baccalaureate to post-doctoral and lifelong learning, are enriched by the varied needs and perspectives of a culturally diverse population, as well as pressing needs for nursing leaders in a rapidly changing world.  These leaders will be the clinical experts and nursing scholars of the future.  

The baccalaureate program, including traditional and second degree students, focuses on professional nursing practice across the continuum of health care, with particular emphasis on vulnerable populations.  The curriculum is dynamic and reflects changes in science and technology, and content and clinical experiences emphasizing evidence-based practice, leadership skills; and interdisciplinary collaboration.   

The Master’s programs focus on advanced practice nursing and administration, with an emphasis on specialty and subspecialty practice in concert with changing societal needs.  Graduate nurses are prepared for advanced practice that creatively combines knowledge and skills in critical thinking and expert interventions across the lifespan.  Special attention is given to clinical decision-making and management skills, as well as methods of evaluation of quality and cost of care.   

Pre- and post-doctoral education is dedicated to advancing the discipline of nursing through research.  The goal is to equip students with a foundation in nursing and a field of concentration in order to make substantive contributions to scholarship.  Strong faculty mentorship is integral to the development of a critical cadre of future researchers, academicians, and leaders, nationally and internationally.   

PRACTICE

Practice serves as the foundation for research and education and is defined as the diverse and varied construction, application and evaluation of knowledge and action within the discipline of nursing, and most importantly for the users and recipients of nursing care.  We believe it is the responsibility of academic nursing to serve as the fulcrum for modeling the intentional integration of education, research, and clinical care in order to advance the science and shape the structure and quality of health services. 

Revised Philosophy approved by the Faculty Senate 2/3/03