About
Mission
The mission of the Nursing program is consistent with, and captures the essence of, the mission of Tulane University and the School of Medicine with a focus on knowledge acquisition and leading with integrity and wisdom, and improving the health of communities and translating best evidence into practice, respectively.
“Nurses are vital to safeguarding public health and building thriving communities. We are at a critical period in time, where it is essential to educate future nurses to competently adapt to the evolving healthcare environment.”
– Dr. Brenda Douglas, Dean of the Tulane Program of Nursing
Our Mission is Twofold
To prepare highly competent and compassionate nurses who think, learn, act, and lead with integrity and sound judgment.
To serve the community by developing nurses who contribute to improving health outcomes through excellence in clinical practice and distinction in scholarly endeavors.
The goals of the Nursing program reflect the need to educate competent, practice-ready nurses for the changing healthcare landscape with a focus on prevention and primary and community-based care, and the essential need for inter-professional team collaboration and communication skills to coordinate care.
- To develop highly competent and compassionate BSN nurses who are prepared to enter the workforce.
- To prepare nurses to function independently and collaboratively in team-based patient care across the lifespan with individuals, families, and communities.
- To inculcate students with a commitment to community and community health outcomes.
- To support student success through a robust student support structure with tangible and accessible services.
Expected Program Outcomes
Expected program outcomes of the Program of Nursing includes Student Learning Outcomes, Benchmarked Competencies, and Program Outcomes. By aligning our Expected Program Outcomes and curriculum with the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education Standards, and the Louisiana Professional and Occupational Standards for Registered Nurses, we aim to graduate students with skills required for competent, compassionate, and evidence-based nursing practice. Our graduates will be prepared to meet the diverse needs of patients, advocate for health equity, and contribute meaningfully to the advancement of the nursing profession.
Student Learning Outcomes
The Program’s Student Learning Outcomes are grounded in The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (2021) by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing designed to guide the development of nurses who are equipped to lead in complex healthcare environments, demonstrate clinical judgement and collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary teams. These core competencies emphasize person-centered care, population health, quality improvement, inter-professional collaboration, and systems-based practice, all while ensuring that nurses are adaptable to technological advancements and culturally competent in a globalized healthcare context.
Students will demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes by successfully passing all curriculum didactic and practicum courses.
1. Integrate theory and research-based knowledge from nursing, the arts, humanities, and other
sciences to support the delivery of nursing care using sound clinical judgment.
2. Apply the nursing process utilizing effective communication, assessment skills, and respectful
team-based relationships.
3. Integrate principles of population health to develop partnerships, and advocate for and evaluate action plans that implement health promotion, risk reduction, disease prevention, disease management, and health restoration strategies across communities of interest.
4. Demonstrate the ability to consider and evaluate nursing practice and critically assess and apply research to promote ongoing evidence-based practice.
5. Apply principles of quality improvement that support standardized, evidence-based patient care, contribute to a culture of patient and provider safety, and eradicate unsafe work environments.
6. Collaborate with inter- and intra-professional teams maintaining a climate of mutual respect and utilizing effective principles of team dynamics to efficiently address patient, family, and
community healthcare needs.
7. Describe the system processes, organizational relationships, and economic factors that impact
8. Effectively use information and communication technology to gather data, deliver safe care,
9. Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior across practice settings and diverse populations.
10. Commit to personal well-being and professional development while engaging in self-reflective behaviors indicative of a capacity for leadership.
Benchmarked Competencies
In addition to primary student learning outcomes, students will achieve these Benchmarked Competencies.
1. 85% of students will achieve a Level 1, or higher, proficiency level on ATI proctored Content Mastery exams, demonstrating meeting the minimum knowledge expectation in any given content area.
2. 90% of students will achieve a minimum average score of 85% on Clinical Performance Evaluations where Essentials Competencies are emphasized as outline in the Evaluation Instrument.
3. 90% of students will demonstrate competence in select nursing skills by achieving a minimum score of 90% on faculty-evaluated mastery skills assessments, with all critical skills performed to a safe and competent standard as defined by the course skills checklists.
4. 100% of students will engage in at least one meaningful community service activity.
Program Outcomes
1. At least 80% of graduates who test will pass the NCLEX-RN licensure exam on the first attempt.
2. At least 70% of students who graduate will have completed the program within the length of the program.
3. At least 80% of graduates who respond to a post-graduation survey, or otherwise provide information, will be employed in any field within 12 months after graduation.
Tulane Nursing Student Pledge of Commitment
As I begin my journey into professional nursing, I pledge to use the guidance,skills, and wisdom passed down by my nursing professors and mentors to think, learn, act, and lead with integrity and sound judgement.
I pledge to use my eyes to observe, my mind to reason, and my hands to do no harm.
I pledge to collaborate and communicate effectively with the patient, the patient's family, and other health care professionals.
I pledge to provide privacy, preserve dignity, and exhibit understanding to each patient by upholding professional, legal, and ethical standards of practice.
I pledge to use compassion as a mechanism of healing, to treat every patient as an individual, and to always exhibit competent practice in the journey toward healthy and wellness.
I peldge to serve the community by contributing to improving health outcomes through excellence in clinical practice and distinction in scholarly endeavors.
With this pledge, I accept the accountabilities and responsibilities that the nursing profession embodies.
