Nursing Department Mission Statement
The mission of Tennessee Wesleyan University Fort Sanders Nursing is to prepare professional nurses for lives of significance, leadership and service through quality nursing education within the Christian tradition.
Nursing Department Philosophy
The faculty of the Tennessee Wesleyan University Fort Sanders Nursing Department believe people are unique, biological, emotional, social and spiritual beings with dignity, worth, and inherent rights of freedom and choice. Each person develops values and beliefs which are influenced by the social institutional forces of family, education, government, community, and religion. People develop and change throughout the lifespan by interacting with the internal and external components of the environment which impact both human functioning and the state of health.
We believe health is a dynamic, multidimensional state of being, based on a wellness/illness continuum. People strive to attain, maintain, and promote a positive state of health by enhancing adaptation to environmental variables. We believe healthcare is a basic human right while the quality of health is an individual responsibility influenced by personal behaviors.
We believe nursing is a profession and an academic discipline based on a scientific body of knowledge requiring critical thinking, problem-solving, ethical reasoning, accountability, scholarship and a commitment to lifelong learning. The primary goals of nursing are to maintain, restore and promote optimum health, and to provide end-of-life care with diverse populations in a variety of settings. Safe quality patient care is implemented through the roles of the nurse as a provider of care, manager of care and active member in the profession of nursing.
We believe education is a dynamic, on-going process of growth and development that involves acquisition and application of knowledge and skills culminating in new patterns of behavior. The men and women who demonstrate an interest and commitment to nursing are unique individuals with diverse backgrounds and learning styles. Education must take place in a non-threatening, open environment that fosters creativity, self-motivation, the spirit of scientific inquiry and effective communication. The responsibility for learning is shared by both student and faculty; thus, the curriculum is planned, implemented, and evaluated by the faculty with input from students and graduates to assist in meeting educational goals.