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Mount Saint Mary’s University is an academic community committed to continuing exploration of our relationship to God, to other persons and to nature. This exploration takes the form of programs devoted to excellence in the liberal arts and career preparation with a special focus on educating women for participation and leadership in our society and our time. The Catholic intellectual tradition at the University offers a value orientation for the student's personal and professional life, providing motivation to view professional life as service. 

Nursing is a service to humanity. It is a profession committed to the promotion and restoration of health; the prevention of illness of individuals, families, groups and communities; and support for a dignified death. It is the science whose main concern involves the life processes that positively affect the health status and integrity of persons, families and groups. These life processes involve physiological, sociological and spiritual life components. A focus on the interaction of these components delineates nursing science. 

The goal of nursing is directing, maintaining and reinforcing the adaptation of person, families and groups toward optimal health. 

The process involves: 

• Assessing the factors that influence the position on the illness continuum, the factors that influence that position and the effectiveness of coping mechanisms. 
• Determining actual or potential health problem(s). 
• Establishing mutually acceptable goals. 
• Intervening by promoting adaptation through the modification of influencing factors and/or increasing the person’s response in coping potential. 
• Evaluating the position on the health-illness continuum to reaffirm and/or modify interventions. 

Each student enters the nursing program with a unique background for potential growth. Students are active learners. Learning progresses from novice to beginning-level practitioner in a variety of settings from simple to complex. Because each student is unique with different learning potentials and different critical thinking skills, the expectation is that the student will seek assistance and demonstrate growth at all stages of learning. The extent to which this distinct potential is achieved is determined by behavioral changes which are observed and evaluated in the context of the expected outcomes of the learning process. 

¹ú²ú´«Ã½ nursing faculty believe the program has different levels of competencies for students to achieve their distinct potential. That’s why we offer the ability to select your entry level to promote career mobility. 

Faculty also believe that providing a supportive environment enhances learning at each level of the program. Our professors act as role models and therefore must be clinically competent and professionally active. In addition, they assume responsibility for individual advisement of nursing majors and provide opportunities for assistance in the event of academic difficulties.