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...

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…