Educational Mission the Unc Health Care System

Educational Mission

The UNC Health Care System runs a teaching hospital that publishes its mission statement, statement of core values, and nursing philosophy on the organization's Web site at < http://www.unchealthcare.org/site/Nursing/nurseleadership/visionvalues >. The mission is stated briefly as: "to be a leader in providing compassionate, quality care focusing on the unique needs of patients and their families." Key words in the mission statement include "compassionate," "quality care" and "unique needs." The core values of the UNC Health Care System's nurses include five main elements. Those elements include "My patient," "My team," "My Hospital," "My Community," and "My Profession." Phrasing these five main values in terms of "my" helps the nurse to feel like an integral part of the organization.

Furthermore, the nursing philosophy of the UNC Health Care System is outlined as being a reflection of the vision and values of the organization as a whole. The main principles of the nursing philosophy include the delivery of "individualized, compassionate, and culturally appropriate" care. Moreover, the nursing philosophy mentions the need for collaboration with patients, families, and healthcare team members. Collaboration with others also entails "support the experience of loss and death" when needed. One of the core values of the UNC Health Care system is the provision of "holistic, coordinated, and effective patient care" that is "based on scientific and ethical principles, research findings, cultural understanding and experience-based intuition." A "shared governance" approach is indicated as being effective, as is "interdisciplinary collaboration." Nursing advocacy is an integral part of the UNC Health Care System nursing philosophy, too. The last component of the UNC Health Care System nursing philosophy relates squarely to the professional environment and organizational culture. The organization intends to create a climate that "nurtures and supports clinical expertise, education, shared governance and research, fostering the recruitment and retention of nursing staff who demonstrate the highest integrity, competence, and qualifications." This nursing philosophy is therefore committed to the improvement of the practice of nursing.

At the East Carolina College of Nursing, a vision, mission, and values statement is provided on the Website at < http://www.nursing.ecu.edu/philosophy.htm>. The vision, mission, and values statement collectively serve as the college's nursing philosophy. Accordingly, there is no separate philosophy listed. The vision of the East Carolina Collage of Nursing is to develop "nationally recognized" programs that are "innovative." The vision also includes a mention of interdisciplinary partnerships, especially ones "that improve the way health care is provided in rural underserved communities." Therefore, both the East Carolina College of Nursing and the UNC Health Care System advocate an interdisciplinary approach to nursing. However, the East Carolina College of Nursing is dedicated specifically to the provision of services for underrepresented and disenfranchised communities. The stated mission of the East Carolina College of Nursing is "to serve as a national model for transforming the health of rural underserved regions through excellence and innovation in nursing education, leadership, research, scholarship and practice." The East Carolina College of Nursing also has a global perspective, which states: "Our intent is to improve the health and well being of citizens in the region and around the world." Therefore, the East Carolina College of Nursing simultaneously focuses on specific rural populations in the state, but also has a global focus. None of these things is expressly mentioned by the UNC Health Care System in its vision or mission statement.

However, there are some elements in common between the two nursing philosophy statements. Compassion is key to both organizations, and so is caring. The East Carolina College of Nursing also mentions "dignity" and "respect" as keys to patient care. Both organizations mention the goal of the profession of nursing to be of benefit not just to patients on an individual level but also to "individuals, families, organizations, and communities." Because of its emphasis on nurse education, the East Carolina College of Nursing mentions students and teaching methods with greater emphasis than the UNC Health Care System. For example, the East Carolina College of Nursing states, "Students should be prepared to actively participate in a global community." Only the East Carolina College of Nursing mentions the word "diversity," requesting an "inclusive" environment for nurse students. The UNC Health Care System philosophy does not include any mention of diversity or inclusivity, but it does generalize about how to foster a healthy organizational climate.