The Philosophy of Nursing of CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health Care supports and reflects the mission and core values of the CHRISTUS system. Every aspect of our nursing practice demonstrates our passionate commitment to making a difference in our community and our world, one patient at a time.

 

	We believe that the patient and family are the focus of our care and that promotion of healing and well-being requires a fundamental understanding of each patient within the context of family as defined by the patient. We respect and welcome the participation of the patient and family in identifying care needs, establishing priorities for care and participating in that care.
	We believe that nursing practice involves a complex blending of scientific knowledge and skills grounded in profound caring and compassion in order to serve the whole person in body, mind and spirit.
	We believe that our mission requires each of us to function effectively as leader and team member to achieve best practice in caring for those we serve, while being a good steward of our human and material resources.
	We believe we have the duty and the privilege to serve not only as care providers but as advocates for each patient’s best interests and optimum outcome, whether that outcome be maximizing health, preventing complications, preparing for transition to home or other care facilities, and/or experiencing a dignified death.
	We believe that our nursing care reflects, values, and celebrates the diversity of our patient population and of our care team, and that honoring those differences allows us to share the best of ourselves with each other.
	We believe that the unique expertise and contributions of each discipline are essential to the care process and we are committed to working in close collaboration with physicians and all members of the health care team to achieve excellence in all aspects of our practice.
	We believe that excellence in nursing practice is essential to the delivery of quality patient care, and is only achieved when each nurse accepts personal responsibility for determining and pursuing individual goals for ongoing professional development.
	We believe our autonomy as nursing professionals obligates us to actively participate in the continuous development and refinement of evidence based nursing standards and processes, utilizing a shared decision-making model to govern our practice.
	We believe that we have an obligation to promote and embrace learning opportunities across the career continuum from novice to expert, and that we each bear responsibility for maintaining an environment that enhances the learning process.
	We believe that a strong nursing presence contributes to healthy communities, not only by direct service, but by cultivating individual and institutional relationships that support and advance the profession of nursing and develop the future generation of nurses.