College of Nursing Mission, Vision, Conceptual Framework, and Philosophy
College of Nursing Mission
Educate a broadly diverse student body who will deliver exceptional health care, generate innovative knowledge, and provide transformative leadership to improve health outcomes for all populations.
College of Nursing Vision
Lead healthcare transformation through innovative nursing education, practice, research, and scholarly inquiry.
Philosophy and Conceptual Framework
The Rush University College of Nursing Conceptual Framework guides curricula across degree levels and is based on the mission and vision statements of Rush University Medical Center, Rush University and the College of Nursing.
College of Nursing Philosophy
The College of Nursing philosophy expresses the beliefs of the faculty regarding the metaparadigm of nursing and nursing education.
Person
The faculty believe that a person is a unique being who possess innate dignity and worth with the right to self-determination. Persons live as individuals, and as members of families, communities, and national and global societies.
Environment
The environment is the multiple systems in which persons interact and include personal, physical, family, community, societal, economic, cultural, and political systems. Persons influence and are influenced by their environments.
Health
Health is a dynamic state of well-being that interacts with personal factors and the environment. It is perceived in the context of a multi-system environment.
Nursing
Nursing is both a discipline and a profession. The focus of the discipline is the generation of knowledge related to persons and their environments for the purpose of maximizing the wellbeing of individuals, families, communities, and society through health promotion, restoration, and maintenance. The focus of the profession is the care of individuals, groups and communities through application of discipline-specific and discipline-related knowledge. Nurses contribute individually and collaboratively with other professionals, to promote positive health outcomes. Nurses apply a professional code of ethics and professional guidelines to clinical practice and demonstrate compassion, advocacy, and cultural sensitivity.
Nursing Education
The education of nurses is a process by which the knowledge, competencies, values, and culture of nursing are transmitted to the learner. The faculty believe that professional nursing education is accomplished in a university setting and in an environment where nursing education, practice, and research are integrated. Nursing education is built upon knowledge from the sciences, arts, and humanities so students understand and value the human experience and its relationship to health. Nursing faculty foster student growth by providing learning experiences in a variety of healthcare settings so students can understand the complexity of healthcare and learn the nursing role.
The education of nurses is an interactive process whereby students are actively engaged learners who take responsibility for their education and practice. The curricula of the College of Nursing (CON) are designed to: 1) produce nurses who are competent practitioners, who demonstrate caring behaviors, who are life-long learners that value scholarship, and are leaders in the profession, and 2) produce scholars who contribute to the scientific basis of nursing practice, and positively influence the profession and the health care system.
Conceptual Framework Overview
The College of Nursing conceptual framework flows from the College’s philosophy and represents the fundamental conceptual underpinnings of the College’s curricula. The faculty believe that professional nursing education is built upon a foundation of knowledge in the arts, sciences, and humanities. Building on this foundation, nursing education provides requisite knowledge and competencies, promotes the essential values and culture of nursing, and provides for the development of the roles of practitioner, scholar, and leader, which the faculty sees as essential to the practice of professional nursing.
Curricular Threads
Specific nursing knowledge transmitted by the CON curricula includes health promotion, risk reduction and disease prevention, illness care, end of life and palliative care, information and health care technologies, human and cultural diversity, global health care, and health care systems and policy. Nursing competencies central to the CON curricula include critical thinking, communication, assessment, and requisite technical skills. Nursing values and culture promoted by the curriculum include advocacy, autonomy, human dignity, integrity, and social justice. The knowledge, competencies, and nursing values and culture comprise the curricular threads, which drive the curricula and contribute to the development of the roles of practitioner, scholar, and leader.
All graduates of the College of Nursing are prepared to assume the roles of practitioner, scholar, and leader, with each curriculum (MSN, DNP, PhD) placing a different emphasis on each of these roles. A practitioner is one who engages in the practice of applying the art and science of nursing. Students in the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) and doctor of philosophy in nursing (PhD) programs are presumed to have acquired nursing knowledge and competencies and subscribe to the values and culture outlined above in their previous nursing coursework.
Description of Nursing Curricular Threads
Nursing Knowledge
Health promotion, risk reduction & disease prevention
Illness care
End of life and palliative care
Information and health technologies
Human and cultural diversity
Global health care
Health care systems and policy
Nursing Competencies
Critical thinking
Communication
Assessment
Technical Skills
Nursing Values & Culture
Advocacy
Autonomy
Human dignity
Integrity
Social justice
Nursing Roles
Scholar
Leader
Practitioner
College of Nursing Description and History
Description
Rush University College of Nursing is a private non-profit graduate college of nursing. It is currently comprised of three degree programs - Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Science (PhD) - and a post-graduate certificate program. The College of Nursing faculty thoroughly prepare students to advance the quality of patient care and nursing practice in a multitude of health care environments and to be leaders focused on improving health outcomes, whether at the bedside, in a research setting, or directing an organization.
The education and preparation of students to meet the health needs of a culturally diverse society is facilitated at Rush by the integration of academic, research, and clinical practice components. Rush students have the advantage of attending a private university that is a vital part of a nationally recognized academic medical center. This unique integration stimulates excellence in education, practice, scholarly activities, and professional leadership by the faculty and the graduates of the College of Nursing.
The Master’s degree in nursing and the Doctor of Nursing Practice programs at Rush University College of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ccne-accreditation).
History
The heritage of the College of Nursing dates back to 1885, when the College’s first antecedent, the St. Luke’s Hospital Training School of Nursing, opened to offer diploma education to nurses. In 1903, the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing accepted its first students. From 1956 to 1968 nurses were taught at the merged Presbyterian-St. Luke’s School of Nursing. Before the establishment of the College of Nursing in 1972, more than 7,000 nurses had graduated from these schools.
The first dean of the Rush University College of Nursing was Luther Christman, PhD, RN, FAAN. Christman rose to great prominence in American nursing as both a forward thinking and controversial figure. The son of a coal miner, Christman became vice president of nursing affairs and the dean of the College of Nursing at Rush University in 1972. His educational background in psychology served him well as an administrator, becoming the first male to hold the joint appointments of dean of nursing and hospital director of nursing. He developed the Rush Model of Nursing that gained him an international reputation as a nursing leader. As an educational maverick, Christman advocated in the 1980s for entry-level nurses to have doctoral degrees.
Other brief highlights (there are many more) from Christman’s career include his being dean, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing; founder, American Association for Men in Nursing (the American Assembly for Men in Nursing); founder, National Student Nurses Association; and fellow and living legend of the American Academy of Nursing. Rush College of Nursing is extremely proud to have Christman represent the important contribution of men in the nursing profession.
Today, well over 8,000 baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral students have graduated from Rush University College of Nursing. The first bachelor’s and master’s degrees were awarded in 1975; the first Doctor of Nursing Science degree was awarded in 1980; the first practice doctorate was awarded in 1990. Enrollments for current nursing programs are offered from the master’s through the doctoral (DNP and PhD) levels. The last baccalaureate class graduated in June 2009. The generalist entry master’s (GEM) is the prelicensure program for entry into RN practice.
College of Nursing Seal and Pin
Seal
The College of Nursing Seal was designed originally to represent the College of Nursing on the University Scepter. A committee appointed by Dean Luther Christman, the first dean of the College of Nursing, worked with Dr. Steven Economou to create the Scepter and design the seals of the various colleges.
The Seal is circular in design with the inscription RUSH UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF NURSING around the outside. The interior of the Seal is a shield divided into four sections. Each section combines the design of one of the three nursing programs offered in the past as well as the present symbol for Rush University Medical Center.
The lower left section shows the book and cross of the St. Luke’s School of Nursing pin. The pin is gold with a blue Latin cross and open book with rays emitting from behind the cross. The cross is a symbol of sacrifice, the rays are symbolic of the light of the world through Christianity; the heart of compassion; the book, of the Scriptures. The Scripture reference, St. Luke, Chapter X, Verse 9, reads ‘And heal the sick that are therein, and say, the kingdom of God has come nigh unto you.’
The lower right section depicts the Presbyterian School of Nursing pin. The pin is dark blue and gold with a fleur-de-lis; symbol of life, and the initials of the school.
The upper right section shows the Latin cross of the Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing. The shape of the pin is the quatrefoil, which is floral in origin. It also combines the shapes of the two schools merged to form one. The horizontal and vertical ovals symbolize this union. The four petals denote the four cardinal virtues; justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude. The Latin cross with rays of light issuing from the center is blue, which denotes truth and loyalty. The effect of the overall design is that of a window through which one glimpse the rayed cross signifying life, sacrifice, and service.
Pin
The Rush College of Nursing pin is represented by the seal of the College of Nursing. The degree awarded to the student is printed beneath the seal. The pin is designed in white, green and gold.
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