The entire curriculum revolves around the belief that nursing is the art and science of caring. Caring forms the foundational concept, which undergirds our attention to persons, families, communities, and environments. It supports the emphasis in the curriculum on individual human needs, developmental levels, and holistic health. It is the compelling force behind professional competence within each of the nursing processes. Acknowledging multiple ways of knowing, caring is also an important factor in the use of creative learning strategies in classroom and clinical experiences throughout the curriculum.
The American Nurses Association (1998) Standards of Clinical Nursing Practice describe the standards of care and standards of professional performance. "Standards Of Care" relates to the competence of nursing care demonstrated through the use of the nursing process. "Standards Of Professional Performance" pertains to competence in the professional role including activities of quality of care, performance appraisal, education, collegiality, ethics, collaboration, research, and resource utilization. The "Standards" are utilized in each baccalaureate nursing course to teach the promotion of a caring and healing environment which facilitates holistic health and meets the human needs of clients as individuals, families, groups, or communities. Caring, as the essence and central focus of nursing, permeates all aspects of inquiry and education in nursing, undergirding expectations for excellence and providing guidance for personal behavior and professional practice. Philosophical, interpersonal, and technical components of caring are learned and reaffirmed as the student attends to the processes of nursing.
