Vision, Mission, Values, Goals, and Outcomes

The St. David’s School of Nursing at Texas State University will provide supportive and creative educational programs, which inspire those who teach and those who learn, based on mutual respect and a commitment to contribute to the health of individuals, families, populations, communities and the environment worldwide.

Preparing the next generation of nurses to improve health care.

The St. David’s School of Nursing at Texas State University educates and prepares graduates, using innovative teaching strategies and state-of-the-art technology. Graduates provide ethical, safe, and effective patient-centered care and contribute to present and emerging research and health management practices. Graduates demonstrate competence in clinical judgment, collaborate as members and leaders of interprofessional healthcare teams, and utilize scientifically-based interventions. As caring professional nurses, graduates manage illness; promote, maintain, and restore health; and provide end-of-life care for diverse individuals, families, populations, and global communities across the lifespan.

In pursuing excellence in nursing education, we the faculty and staff of the St. David’s School of Nursing are guided by shared values. We believe in:

• Educational opportunities which provide for intellectual and professional growth and that challenge students to excel in nursing
• A holistic approach to nursing education across the continuum of health and the lifespan
• Diversity and a spirit of inclusiveness with respect for the dignity of every person
• Cultivation of character and civility through the modeling of honesty, integrity, caring, compassion, fairness, respect, and ethical behavior
• Teaching and learning based on student involvement and free exchange of ideas and diverse perspectives
• Research, scholarship, and creative activity as a source for evidence-based practice and generation of new knowledge and an expression of the human spirit
• Commitment to public service and advocacy as a resource for personal, educational, cultural, and economic development in promotion of a healthy environment
• Thoughtful reflection, collaboration, planning, and evaluation of diverse and changing healthcare needs, practices, and resources
• Professional competency, systematic use of the nursing process, leadership, clinical judgment and lifelong learning leading to ethical, safe, quality patient care
• Interprofessional activity facilitating the advancement of science and positive patient outcomes
• Providing recognition that is balanced and acknowledging faculty and students for excellence in teaching, practice and scholarship.

We the faculty are committed to:

• Graduate well-prepared Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students who are able to obtain Registered Nurse licensure and function at the beginning practice level
• Equip nursing graduates to adapt to rapid changes in healthcare delivery and practice
• Build a foundation for nursing graduates to pursue excellence in practice and national recognition
• Provide programs at the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and/or the Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) levels
• Pursue funding to promote diversity in the admission and graduation of students
• Develop an overall plan for faculty scholarship
• Provide faculty access to professional development
• Partner with University Advancement to support a sustainable plan for nursing programs
• Assess, identify and develop a plan to address community needs
• Foster educational partnerships with community organizations for academic programs

BSN PROGRAM

At the completion of the BSN program, a graduate of the St. David’s School of Nursing at Texas State University will be able to:

1. Facilitate safe, holistic and effective patient/family centered care outcomes through use of evidence-based research and other science-based frameworks to promote and maintain health, prevent disease, and manage illness.
2. Demonstrate professional accountability and responsibility for nursing judgments and actions within an ethical and legal framework, utilizing the most current knowledge.
3. Demonstrate leadership in the provision and coordination of safe, cost effective and high quality nursing care.
4. Advocate for patients, families, communities, and the nursing profession, applying values and utilizing an ethical framework, clinical reasoning, and cultural competence.
5. Utilize information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, educate, mitigate error and support decision making.
6. Provide entry-level professional nursing care to clients across the lifespan in a variety of health care settings.
7. Promote a culture of caring to provide holistic, compassionate, culturally competent care.
8. Function effectively within nursing and interprofessional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision making to achieve quality patient care.

MSN-FNP PROGRAM

Graduates of the MSN-FNP program will gain knowledge, skills and competencies around the following program educational outcomes:

1. Engage in advanced nursing practice through integration of scientific findings from nursing, humanities, and sciences into the delivery of care to diverse patients, families, and communities. 
2. Participate in organizational and systems leadership through promotion of high quality, safe patient care which emphasizes ethical decision making, effective working relationships, and a systems-perspective.
3. Lead quality improvement processes to communicate effectively, evaluate health outcomes, and advocate for changes in the care environment to improve health outcomes.
4. Synthesize and critique research to integrate the best evidence to resolve practice problems, work as a change agent, and assist in disseminating findings into clinical practice.
5. Utilize healthcare technologies and informatics to analyze and evaluate data to promote safe practice environments, cost containment and health outcomes.
6. Demonstrate leadership in professional nursing practice through commitment to reflective practice, accountability, and maintaining active roles in health policy and professional organizations.  
7. Actively participate as a member and leader of interprofessional teams to promote safety, reduce risk, and address healthcare disparities for patients and populations.
8. Integrate clinical prevention and population health concepts, including global and social determinants of health, into the diverse healthcare care needs of patients, communities, and populations.
9. Lead health education, treatments, and care through incorporation of biocultural perspectives of patients, communities, and populations as they relate to integrative healthcare practices.
10. Practice as an advanced practice nurse using evidence based, cost effective integrative healthcare approaches to positively influence health outcomes of patients, families, and the global community. 

MSN-LAN PROGRAM

Graduates of the MSN-LAN program will gain knowledge, skills and competencies around the following program educational outcomes:

1. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication across a diverse constituency including board members, executives, academia, physicians and providers, employees, community members, patients and families.
2. Gain extensive knowledge of the health care environment regarding patient safety, quality and performance improvement, delivery models, economics and policy and governance.
3. Internalize personal and professional leadership skills that demonstrate reflective practice, change management, succession planning, systems thinking, and emotional intelligence.
4. Synthesize personal accountability and professional ethics into an advocacy role as a nurse leader.
5. Correlate business skills in financial management, human resources, strategic planning and information management and technology.

MSN-PMHNP PROGRAM

Graduates of the MSN-PMHNP program will gain knowledge, skills and competencies around the following program educational outcomes:

1. Engage in advance nursing practice through integration of scientific findings from nursing, humanities, and sciences into the delivery of psychiatric and mental health care to diverse patients, families, and communities. 
2. Participate in organizational and systems leadership through promotion of high quality, safe patient care which emphasizes ethical decision making, effective working relationships, and a systems-perspective.
3. Lead quality improvement processes to communicate effectively, evaluate health outcomes, and advocate for changes in the care environment to improve health outcomes.
4. Synthesize and critique research to integrate the best evidence to resolve practice problems, work as a change agent, and assist in disseminating findings into clinical practice.
5. Utilize healthcare technologies and informatics to analyze and evaluate data to promote safe practice environments, cost containment and health outcomes.
6. Demonstrate leadership in professional nursing practice through commitment to reflective practice, accountability, and maintaining active roles in health policy and professional organizations. 
7. Actively participates as a member and leader of interprofessional teams to promote safety, reduce risk, and address healthcare disparities for patients and populations.
8. Integrate clinical prevention and population health concepts, including global and social determinants of health, into the diverse psychiatric and mental health care  needs of patients, communities, and populations.
9. Lead health education, treatments, and care through incorporation of biocultural perspectives of patients, communities, and populations as they relate to integrative healthcare practices in psychiatric and mental health care.
10. Practice as an advanced practice nurse using evidence based, cost effective integrative healthcare approaches to positively influence health outcomes of patients, families, and the global community.