The Philosophy of the College of Nursing is in accord with the Philosophy of Villanova University as stated in its Mission Statement. While the Philosophy is rooted in the Catholic and Augustinian heritage of the university, the College of Nursing is welcoming and respectful of those from other faith traditions. We recognize human beings as unique and created by God. The faculty believes that human beings are physiological, psychological, social and spiritual beings, endowed with intellect, free will and inherent dignity. Human beings have the potential to direct, integrate, and/or adapt to their total environment in order to meet their needs.
The faculty believes 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 to assist individuals, families, and communities locally and globally at all points in the life cycle to maintain, restore and/or promote health. 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 nursing care. The nursing process involves assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating both the need for nursing care and the outcomes of nursing interventions. The faculty believes that the nursing profession is ever changing. Nurses are actively involved in planning and implementing changes enhanced by technology in nursing practice. Nurses act as catalysts in stimulating deliberate and conscious planning for the improvement of society's health care through the use of evidence-based practice. Nurses serve as change agents and emerge as full partners, with other health disciplines, in leading and shaping health policy for a diverse, multicultural society and in functioning as advocates for the health care consumer.
