St. Mary’s Nursing Philosophy’s foundational beliefs arise from Florence Nightingale and Virginia Henderson. Nightingale believed nursing was a call from God and that the sick deserved civilized care, regardless of their station in life. She knew that cleanliness, fresh air, sanitation, comfort and socialization were necessary to healing. Virginia Henderson is known as the modern-day mother of nursing. Her work focused on the patient centered care. St. Mary’s Philosophy refers to our belief system of the nursing profession and provides perspectives for care of the patient, nursing practice, leadership, scholarship and research.
We believe the Patient is an individual, family, specific population or community with unique health needs, influenced by cultural, ethnic, social, economic, developmental, educational, linguistic and spiritual factors. The patient is entitled to respect, dignity, privacy and confidentiality in a caring and healing environment. The patient deserves to be fully informed, educated and involved in all health care decisions and is an empowered member of a support system.
We believe the Nurse is key to our Call to Action in achieving healthcare that is safe, healthcare that works and healthcare that leaves no one behind. The nurse establishes a trusting relationship with the patient/family/support system and uses the nursing process to achieve patient/family centered goals. The nurse is clinically competent and exhibits caring behaviors which are guided by ethical principles.
At St. Mary’s we believe Nursing Leadership is an integral part of every nurse’s practice. We believe every nurse is a leader, a leader at the bedside, a leader in the clinic, a leader in education, a leader in management, a leader in the community and a leader with those who matter most our patients and families. Our nurse leaders act with clarity of vision and