MADIGAN ARMY MEDICAL CENTER

DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS

TACOMA , WASHINGTON   98431

MCHJ-P                                                                                        16 October 2002

  STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY/MISSION FOR NURSING PERSONNEL

1.  We believe the primary function of the Pediatric Clinic nursing staff is to provide a caring and supportive environment in which the physical, emotional, personal, cultural, social and religious needs of the patient and their family is met.  Our approach is primarily phenomenological, in that we try to feel and to “know” (understand) what our patients are experiencing.

2.  We view our patients in a holistic manner and believe in depth assessment complemented by ongoing interaction, which is essential to insure identification of actual or potential nursing problems.  We believe our parents and their families are partners in the delivery of optimal nursing care.  Nursing personnel interact with and seek the cooperation of all other members of the health care team in planning for and providing total patient care.

3.  We believe that patients and their families have varying ability to meet their self-care needs at any point in time.  We further believe nursing is the giving assistance with the patient or his family is unable to meet these self-care needs.  Nurses make initial assessments of chief complaints, the direct/participate in patient care until actual or potential self-care deficits are resolved.

4.  We believe that all nursing personnel should effectively commensurate with their education, level of training, abilities, and potential.  We believe the first priority in this clinic will always be engaging in activities designed to improve patient care.

5.  We believe that a continuous program of in-service education for all nursing staff must be provided if the delivered care is to be improved as developments in the health care filed occur.  Educational offerings will be based on needs as perceived by the individual staff member, the education facilitator, the physicians, or the Department of Nursing.  All nursing personnel will be encouraged to expand their knowledge base and to seek out learning experiences in the military and civilian sector.

6.  We believe that ongoing evaluation of all nursing care activities is necessary to assess and monitor the effectiveness of the patient’s, their families, and the civilian sector.

7.  We believe that all forms of nursing research are important to improve patient care, give a theoretical based to nursing practice, test current knowledge, and keep abreast of new developments.

8.  We believe that it is important for all health care providers to maintain physical, spiritual, and emotional well being.  We accomplish this through our physical training program; our mutual sharing, support, concern, and communication; the “open door policy” of the head nurse and NCOIC; and utilization of the clinical nurse specialists