Mission & Philosophy

Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing is a small, private, Catholic, single purpose institution.  The College, founded and operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, is enriched by the heritage of the Sisters who have a mission of caring and commitment to quality health care.  The College is located in Peoria, Illinois, on the campus of OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, a large, tertiary health care and teaching institution.

Our Mission

The College provides nursing education programs at the undergraduate and the graduate level.  The upper division baccalaureate program prepares men and women for the practice of professional nursing.  This program builds upon and incorporates knowledge from the liberal arts and sciences.  The graduate program builds upon prior nursing knowledge and experiences and prepares the nurse for advanced roles in nursing.  The College offers opportunities for the personal and professional development of the student.  The primary commitment of the College is to undergraduate and graduate nursing education.  The College encourages the participation of the faculty and students in scholarly activities that contribute to learning, nursing, and health care.  The College serves the community by providing competent entry level and advanced practitioners responsive to the changing health needs of society and the health care system.  The College serves the community through participation in health-related activities and organizations.

Our Philosophy

The philosophy of Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing, developed by the faculty, is congruent with the Corporate Philosophy and Corporate Mission Statement of The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis. It is in accord with Catholic philosophy and follows the ideals of Saint Francis of Assisi who had a great love for God and humankind, especially the sick and the poor. 

We believe each person is created by God with a mortal body and an immortal soul whose ultimate aim is eternal salvation. We believe each person born with intellect and free will, has personal dignity and natural rights with associated responsibilities to God, humankind, and society.

The individual, a member of society, is an adaptive being who is constantly interacting with the environment while striving toward self-actualization throughout the life cycle. We believe society is a multicultural system composed of interdependent individuals, families, groups, and communities. Society has the responsibility to provide a health care system which is responsive to changing knowledge, technology, and human resources, and is accessible to its members.

The faculty believe health is a dynamic state in which the individual adapts to one's internal and external environments so that there is a state of physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual well-being. We believe that health encompasses both wellness and illness. Inherent in the individual's rights is the right to attain optimal health and the right to access to health care.

We believe professional nursing is an art and an applied science which builds on the behavioral, natural and social sciences. Nursing utilizes selected concepts, theories, principles and research in the implementation of the nursing process. The nurse, through application of the nursing process, assists the client in reaching optimal health status by facilitating adaptation within the individual's social system. As the health care system changes, the professional nurse must be prepared to assume a variety of emerging roles. The goals of nursing are the promotion and maintenance of health; the care and rehabilitation of the sick and the injured; and the support of the dying.

We believe caring is an essential element of both the art and science of nursing. Caring permeates all areas of nursing practice and facilitates the achievement of nursing goals.  Caring is a helping relationship which is influenced by cultural and spiritual values and which promotes growth and self-actualization of the client and the nurse.

The faculty believe learning, a life-long process, occurs when the individual is an active participant. Learning is both an independent and an interdependent process. The faculty recognize that the learner is a unique individual who comes from a sociocultural background with diverse life experiences and varied attitudes and values. The faculty accept responsibilities as educators to create a learning environment  which facilitates the development of the individual's potential. Planned learning activities encourage intellectual inquiry, critical thinking, effective communication and self-directed, independent learning.

The faculty believe baccalaureate nursing education builds upon and incorporates the natural and social sciences and the liberal arts. This broad foundation provides the understanding of humankind and society necessary for the learner to begin the implementation of the nursing process. We believe the professional nursing education integrates theories, principles and facts from the general studies with the nursing theories, concepts and experiences. Baccalaureate nursing education prepares the graduate for the practice of professional nursing as a generalist who is able to function independently and interdependently with individuals, families and groups in a variety of health care settings.

Masters nursing education prepares the advanced practice nurse who functions autonomously in a variety of roles and integrates theory, research, and practice for the improvement of client care and the advancement of the nursing profession.  

We believe the Judeo-Christian tenets underlying the nursing education at Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing promote values essential for the development of a personal and professional philosophy of God and humankind. These values, inculcated throughout the curriculum, guide the learner to evolve into an ethical and accountable professional nurse.