Mission Statement
Mercy Hospital School of Nursing Mission Statement
The mission of the Mercy School of Nursing is to educate women and men who desire to become professional registered nurses. The school is part of UPMC Mercy which is a subsidiary of the UPMC Health System. Mercy School of Nursing lives out its mission and the values of UPMC Mercy by guiding students to incorporate Judeo-Christian values as a basis for providing holistic patient care.
Beliefs About the Individual
Mercy School of Nursing, valuing the respect for life; supports the belief that each individual is unique, possessing self-worth, dignity, and the ability to make autonomous decisions about personal health. Each member of society has the right to be educated about health promotion and maintenance, and disease prevention and management. Each person has the right to be assisted with health restoration by respectful, competent care givers who have a primary concern for the individual’s dignity and well-being. The individual, within their capability, has responsibility for their own health and for the health of dependents.
Beliefs About Health
Health is a dynamic process which is influenced by independent personal choices, reflecting the interaction of the family, the community and the environment. The concept of wellness reflects the dynamic relationship of the physiological, psychological, socio-cultural and spiritual dimensions of the individual. Individual health decisions are influenced by past experiences, family relationships, cultural practices, and availability of resources.
Beliefs About Nursing
Nursing establishes a commitment to society that promotes health and healing. Respect for life, from conception through death, is an essential nursing value which provides a foundation for all nursing actions. Through the interrelationship of evidence based nursing science, natural and social sciences, and ethical and legal principles; the nurse participates with the individual, the family and the community to achieve personalized healthy outcomes. The nurse values the patient’s rights to make decisions. The professional nurse utilizes the nursing process as a basis for decision making to ensure safe nursing practice, and to adhere to professional nursing standards. The nurse, as a patient advocate and responsible steward, utilizes all available resources to ensure collaborative, quality care for all patients across the lifespan.
Beliefs About Nursing Education
Mercy School of Nursing accepts the belief that the student is the center of the educational program which is accessible and responsive to diverse populations. The education program is a dynamic, flexible, intellectual, and spiritual process designed to meet the constant changing demands of the individual student needs. A positive learning environment is central to nursing education and is one that promotes self-directed learning, equal partnership in the educational process, participatory learning, the development of critical thinking skills, and caring behaviors toward self and others. Assessment of the individualized learning needs of students and the use of outcome based evaluation contribute to the promotion of student success.
Beliefs About the Responsibility of the Faculty
The faculty of Mercy School of Nursing assists students to become competent, entry-level professional nurses and contributing members of society as evidence by membership in professional organizations and participation in community service. The faculty has the responsibility to fairly evaluate the student’s performance based upon achievement of curriculum objectives and school values. The faculty demonstrates courage and integrity by accepting the responsibility to engage in the change process reflective of current trends in nursing practice and education. Through professional collaboration, the faculty strives to develop, plan, implement, and evaluate all aspects of the educational program.