Study Nursing at St. Mary’s University

The Department of Nursing at St. Mary’s University approaches the education of nurses within the Catholic and Marianist tradition. We see education as a self-initiated, life-long, intellectual and social process with a commitment to the development of the whole person. Nursing faculty embrace each student’s diverse background and work collaboratively with them, to become caring, compassionate, ethical and critical-thinking professional nurses making sound clinical decisions.

Mission and Vision

The mission of the Department of Nursing is the formation of compassionate, caring and transformative professional nurse leaders committed to providing holistic quality safe care that is fair and equitable for all. Our vision is to graduate innovative and passionate servant leaders within the Catholic and Marianist tradition who transform health and health care systems.

  • Student Learning Outcomes:

    1. Describe a professional identity as a nurse incorporating the Marianist values of service, peace, justice, and integrity of creation.
    2. Practice patient-centered care integrating knowledge from the liberal arts and science for clinical judgement to make informed decisions for the provision of safe, caring and compassionate evidence-based care.
    3. Utilize effective leadership skills to ensure safety, diversity, equity, inclusivity and belonging for improving patient outcomes and transforming healthcare systems.
    4. Function effectively as a member of the healthcare team with effective communication, teamwork and collaboration skills.
    5. Employ communication technologies and informatics processes to provide care, gather data, and support decision-making.

Blank Sheppard Innovation Center

Front view of the Innovation Center rendering.

In Fall 2022, St. Mary’s University broke ground on the Blank Sheppard Innovation Center, supporting research, innovation and instruction in the School of Science, Engineering and Technology. The Center will house a seven-bed skill lab, a four-bed simulation suite and a multiflex room dedicated to the new Nursing Program, which St. Mary’s University plans to launch in Fall 2024.


St. Mary’s Nursing Conceptual Framework

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) curriculum at St. Mary’s University is based on the core concept of patient-centered care, supported by professionalism, safety, evidence-based practice, teamwork and collaboration, quality improvement, and informatics. These supporting concepts are equally important and interdependent with nurses using clinical reasoning to make clinical judgments when providing patient-centered care.

Caring and compassion are foundational not only for patient-centered care but also for creating the respectful healing environments that are hallmarks of the Nursing Program. Graduates of the St. Mary’s Nursing Program will fully integrate all conceptual components of the framework into their nursing practice.

Click to expand


Why Choose St. Mary’s Nursing Program?

  • Mental health early in curriculum recognizing its focus in health and wellness for individuals
  • Community-based service learning opportunities
  • Focused on care of vulnerable populations
  • Focused on both the art and science of nursing
  • Simulated learning via our simulation suite and virtual simulation

Department of Nursing Core Values Grounded in Characteristics of Marianist Education

  • Faith

    • Recognize the whole person includes dimensions of spirituality
    • Appreciate impact of faith
    • Integrate the heart and intellect to display respect given the multiplicity of faiths and culture
  • Excellence

    • Sharpening reflection, critical thinking and clinical judgement skills
    • Promote a respectful academic environment whereby students feel safe to openly engage in dialogue with faculty and peers creating a community of learners
    • Expand personal views in the quest social justice
  • Community

    • Appreciate a culture of inclusivity
    • Accept others in the same way that a family accepts theirs
    • Learn within a community of faith, respect, and love
    • Teamwork and collaboration
  • Service

    • Advocate for peace and socially justice
    • Minister to the suffering and the poor
    • Servant leaders

Academic Programs in the Department of Nursing

Nursing

Back to top