TROY School of Nursing Philosophy
The University along with the School of Nursing seeks to create an environment where every student can thrive academically, socially, and personally through traditional and emerging educational formats, promoting access and mobility for geographically bound students. The School's faculty serves the students, the community, and the University by promoting the discovery, exploration, and application of knowledge. Through teaching, service, and research, they drive lifelong success and the institutional mission. The School of Nursing faculty believes that humanity consists of unique individuals with inherent dignity and the right to self-determination and well-being. These individuals exist within families and communities shaped by cultural and social values that influence identity, health, and nursing practice. Faculty believe the environment—comprising all internal and external influences—both shapes and is shaped by individuals and groups. It provides the context for social identity formation, recognition of health needs, and the evolution of nursing practice. Through this dynamic interaction, nursing both influences and responds to the environment, supporting the health of a global society and collaborating across disciplines to advance this mission. The faculty believes that health is an observable manifestation of individual and group adaptive responses to the environment. Health is a dynamic, multidimensional state encompassing physical, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual dimensions and serves as the focus of nursing. . Health and health-seeking behaviors are culturally and individually defined. Individuals have the right to make their own health decisions, and their ability to do so is shaped by their knowledge, perceptions, and values.
The faculty believes that education is a process shared by the teacher and the learner
and is the exploration, utilization, and generation of knowledge through a spirit
of inquiry and self-motivation. The learner and the teacher share the right and responsibility
to achieve educational goals through participation in the educative process. An organized
setting with planned learning activities, utilizing traditional, nontraditional, and
emerging electronic formats, provides opportunities to achieve these educational goals.
The approach to teaching and learning varies with individual needs, abilities, and
experiences. Teachers and learners are responsible for creating, promoting, and maintaining
standards of academic and professional excellence through individual lifelong learning.
As an art and a science, nursing practice utilizes cognitive, affective, and psychomotor
skills in meeting the health needs of diverse individuals and social groups of all
ages. Clinical evidenced-based decisions lead to therapeutic nursing interventions,
which are based on assessment, diagnosis, and evaluation of human responses to internal
and external environmental dimensions that affect actual or potential health states
Key elements used in professional nursing practice within a multidisciplinary healthcare
system are caring, evidence-based clinical decisions, communication, collaboration,
respect for individual perspectives and backgrounds, awareness of social influences
on health, patient safety, ethical practice, information management, research, and
patient care technologies. Nursing practice requires reflection, lifelong learning,
and engagement in societal and professional initiatives to positively influence healthcare
policy and outcomes.
Associate Degree in Nursing Education
Associate degree in nursing is preparation for practice as a registered nurse and
serves as the foundation for further nursing education. The practice of the associate
degree nurse includes functioning as a provider and manager of care, a patient liaison,
an educator for patients and their support system, a consumer of best evidence, and
a member within the discipline of nursing. The associate degree graduate is prepared
to provide safe , quality, and holistic patient-centered care to patients to include
cultural and social beliefs and values across the lifespan, and may practice in primary,
secondary, and tertiary care settings.
Baccalaureate Education in Nursing
Baccalaureate degree in nursing is preparation for professional nursing practice and
graduate study. The practice of the baccalaureate degree nurse includes functioning
as a designer, manager and coordinator of care, member of the profession, provider
of direct and indirect care, and evaluator and consumer of research and best evidence.
The BSN graduate reflects accountable, evidence-based clinical decision-making in
environments where outcomes of health states may or may not be predictable to ensure
safe, quality patient-centered care. The baccalaureate degree graduate provides comprehensive
nursing care for all ages of individuals, families, communities, and diverse populations
in a variety of social, dynamic and complex healthcare settings.
Master's Education in Nursing
Master's degree in nursing prepares graduates for advanced professional roles and
continued doctoral study. This level of nursing practice prepares individuals to excel
in roles such as emerging clinician, educator, leader, informatics specialist, consultant,
and translator of research and evidence-based practice. Master's-prepared nurses are
equipped to engage in complex decision-making that reflects respect for varied perspectives
and patient needs, while promoting patient safety, quality improvement, and the evaluation
and influence of health policy at the organizational and systems levels. Learning
is fostered through a collaborative faculty–student partnership that promotes critical
inquiry, scholarly engagement, and leadership in advancing nursing practice and healthcare
outcomes.
Doctoral Education in Nursing
Doctoral degree in nursing practice prepares nurses for the highest level of clinical
practice and systems leadership. As a terminal degree, practice-focused doctorate,
the Doctor of Nursing Practice emphasizes the translation of evidence into practice
to improve outcomes for individuals, populations, and healthcare systems Graduates
are prepared as clinical scholars who integrate scientific evidence, quality improvement
methodologies, informatics, and systems thinking to address complex healthcare challenges
and strengthen care delivery. Doctoral preparation equips nurses to lead initiatives
that promote fairness and access, influence healthcare policy and organizational decision-making,
and drive innovation that enhances quality, safety, and meaningful improvements in
healthcare outcomes across various settings and communities.
5/2026-Revised and Approved by SON Faculty