BSN Philosophy

Philosophy

The UH Hilo BSN program is founded on a belief that people are unique and holistic, and possess the right to the preservation of their personal, ethnic, and cultural identities.   Furthermore, people have the right to access health care that is culturally congruent and respects their roles as partners in health promotion and disease prevention.  

Human caring is seen as the essence of nursing, built on the premise that each person has intrinsic worth and value.

Nursing care focuses on preventative health education and research-based nursing interventions for individuals and communities.

The UH Hilo BSN program is committed to fostering a dynamic curriculum that evolves in response to the changing demands of current and future health care needs in nursing, at the local, state, national, or international levels.

The BSN Program uses an Organizational Framework to guide its curriculum development.

Mission

The Baccalaureate Nursing Program supports the mission of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo in providing a learning environment that is responsive to the needs of a diverse student population and that stresses rigorous high quality education in a caring, personalized atmosphere. This educational experience encourages student-faculty interactions and offers hands-on learning and leadership opportunities. The Nursing Program emphasizes life long learning and teaches students to deliver culturally congruent nursing care in a rural environment.

Goals

The program is committed to the following:

1. providing quality nursing education with a strong focus on transcultural caring and an emphasis on critical thinking skills
2. maintaining current nursing practices and standards in the delivery of therapeutic nursing care to individuals, families and communities
3. developing effective communication skills that are congruent with cultural values and beliefs
4. fostering community engagement through service and research projects which develops skills in collaboration, resource management and program development
5. satisfactorily meeting the needs of students as well as those of clients and employers

The Baccalaureate Nursing program prepares students for careers in professional nursing. The nursing program is approved by the Hawaiʻi State Board of Nursing and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). The B.S.N. degree will be granted by UH Hilo upon the recommendation of nursing faculty to those students who have successfully completed the prescribed curriculum.

To earn the degree, a student must satisfy the prerequisite, corequisite and nursing course requirements for the BSN degree as specified in the UH Hilo catalog and BSN brochure in effect at the time of the student's initial enrollment in the nursing program. Students are expected to complete the program within five years of enrollment. Students who do not graduate within five years of enrollment will be subject to review and will, if necessary, be expected to meet requirements currently in effect. The student is directly responsible to assure that all requirements are met for graduation.