The Catholic University of America Conway School of Nursing is an integral component of its parent institution and, therefore, is committed to the teachings of the Catholic Church and the values of the Christian faith. The Conway School of Nursing conducts its academic affairs in accordance with the university's aims and policies, the standards of the academic community, and of the nursing profession. Its philosophy and mission focus on education, scientific inquiry, and service within the scope of nursing knowledge and practice. The faculty subscribes to the following belief statements applicable to all programs of study as reflecting a unifying philosophy.

We believe in the integrity and worth of the human person; that the values of respect, dignity, and justice undergird the delivery of nursing care; that health care is a basic human right; and that all persons are unique and capable of change and of participating in decision-making related to their health needs. These beliefs are enacted through caring responses to the needs of all human beings, with consideration for their gender, age, color, creed, lifestyle, and cultural background. We have special obligations as Christians and as professional nurses for the nursing care of clients who are poor and/or disadvantaged and to prepare multinational nurses to transmit these values to their people throughout the world.

We believe that professional nursing, steeped in a rich tradition of caring, is ever mindful of the health needs of contemporary and future societies in rapidly changing and complex environments throughout the world. Society and human beings are viewed holistically. Human persons are perceived to be continually adapting to their environment in order to meet their biological, psychological, social, and spiritual needs. The goal of professional nursing is to foster adaptation and to promote, maintain, and restore optimum health in individuals, families, groups, and communities throughout the life span. A systematic approach utilizing intellectual, interpersonal, and technical competencies frames the delivery of nursing care to clients. Through the roles of clinician, teacher, consultant, manager, and advocate, the professional nurse is able to provide care in a variety of settings.

The goal of education within the Conway School of Nursing is to promote the growth of persons toward their full personal and professional potential. Faculty members view education as a continuous interactive process. Faculty members believe that nursing knowledge, as well as relevant knowledge from the arts and sciences, is foundational for professional nursing. The courses of study at both the undergraduate and graduate levels are designed and implemented in ways that include, yet go beyond, what is currently descriptive in nursing practice. An awareness of ethical and spiritual values is an essential component of our educational efforts. Faculty recognize and strive toward meeting their responsibility to add to the existing body of nursing knowledge.

We believe that nurses prepared at the graduate level build on these basic competencies, engage in explanatory and critical thinking about clinical practice issues in all settings, delineate nursing knowledge embedded in clinical practice through research activities, and are skillful in applying frameworks, models of care, concepts, and rationales for practice.

Finally, we believe that the school's faculty is accountable for the quality of the educational programs and for the promotion of safe and effective nursing through teaching, service, research, and collaboration with other professionals and consumers of care.