Is a Nursing Dept mission statement important?

[ceecel.dee, MSN, RN]

We are in the midst of a curriculum revision. It is difficult, as a rather new member of the team, to derive from the range of teaching techniques and student relations issues, what drives the department.

I think we need a departmental mission statement and official rationale for the program statement, developed TOGETHER, so that continuity is obvious to students.

Is this "old fashioned"?

It's hard to know where to start!

[doliveri]

Hi,

You are not old fashioned at all! A curriculum revision should not only align itself with the organization's mission and philosophy statement, but your department mission and philosophy statement should serve as the foundation for your curriculum.

The mission , philosophy, and goals should serve as the guide in this process and everything should align with the organizational values (goals,mission, and philosophy).

We have just started this process of curriculum revision. I have been through this once before, but this time admittedly, it has been difficult for me as well. There are so many new and innovative instructional strategies in nursing education today (simulation, for example), and care must be taken to include these newer strategies into the curriculum.

Good luck

[PedED]

You need the statement for sure. If you don't then your staff does not have a direction to strive for. I have 125 staff in my dept. I am responsible for. You better know where you are going and what the backbone is....your mission statement is just that!

PedED

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

I encourage this approach. In fact, some higher education certification boards require it in order for the facility (and dept) to be accredited. A mission statement will help strengthen the team so that everyone is working towards common goals.

[ceecel.dee, MSN, RN]

Thanks to all who responded! Really...thanks! From everything inside me, I think that this is where we need to START from! We are all coming from such differing points of reference! Some of us are very student-centered, and others give their orientation/first-day-of-class speech as the "we have eyes behind our heads" and "take one wrong step" and "look around at the people sitting on each side of you...one of you three won't graduate" challange. Very different philosophies in a rather small department.

We'll try to start here. I am a regular faculty gal, so no more clout than anyone else. Just a bit more energy and interest at this point.

[spydercadet]

The real question is;

Is a Nursing Dept mission statement important?

plink

In just one word; a sad reality begins sure, it's slow and the clearing does not come com-quickly. But degradation of the real world, comes on at such a speed no one can catch up to it. That's not to say that just once it isn't anything worse that the doctor said before. So for our angles they will watch with God and protect us all.