Mission, Vision & Values

Mission, Vision, and Values of Teramano Simulation Center

Terri Teramano

University of Central Florida

Abstract

As an educator in the simulation program of an undergraduate nursing program, I developed mission, vision, and core values for the Teramano Simulation Center that align with the overarching School of Nursing.

Mission:

To provide a safe environment for students to learn nursing skills and develop clinical judgement using various methods of simulation.

Vision: 

For each undergraduate student to experience diverse simulation experiences that enhance his or her nursing skill competence and confidence.

Values:

1.      Compassion: We value the intentional practice of caring for patients and not only providing safe nursing care.

2.      Collaboration: We value the shared experiences of the different healthcare team members to provide a comprehensive approach to nursing education.

3.      Innovation: We value the constant advancement of simulation education.  

Mission, Vision, and Values of Teramano Simulation Center

            The development of a simulation center is much more than the acquisition of state-of-the-art mannequins.  A highly effective simulation center requires careful organization of the curriculum, design of the facility, and training of the educators.  The steps of development are many and are determined after a careful analysis of the needs and available resources of the organization (Seropian, Brown, Gavilanes, & Driggers, 2004).  One critical component to the development of a simulation program is writing down the purpose of the program and plan for carrying out this purpose in the future.  This process can be achieved through the intentional development of mission, vision, and values statements.  Additionally, recognizing the organizations mission, vision, and values help stakeholders determine which projects should be tackled and which should be left alone (Wilson & Wittmann-Price, 2019).

Mission

According to Jeffries (2014), a program’s mission statement is “the fundamental purpose of your simulation organization and its reason for existence”.  Foisy-Doll and Leighton (2018) describe the mission statement of the organization as the WHY the program exists.  It is important to know WHAT you aim to do but Sinek (2009) argues that the WHY of any organization is the key to its sustainability.  Safe practice and improved patient outcomes are the why this program exists.  The mission statement for Teramano Simulation Center (TSC) is to provide a safe environment for students to learn nursing skills and develop clinical judgement using various methods of simulation.  According to Foisy-Doll and Leighton (2018), students should feel safe in the simulation environment as harm to the patient is more likely under duress.  In addition to a safe environment, simulation should promote clinical judgement as a necessary skill for the new nurse (Jeffries, 2014).

Vision

A critical component to the establishment of a successful simulation program is the creation of a vision.  According to Seropian, Brown, Gavilanes, and Driggers (2004), the vision must address issues such as “size of the facility, collaboration with other disciplines, budget, population to be served, type of simulation to be used, structure of ‘ownership’, and governance.”  The vision created for the TSC is for each undergraduate student to experience diverse simulation experiences that enhance his or her nursing skill competence and confidence.  Since the students of the TSC are at the undergraduate level, the scope of learning must be broad to cover the diverse standards of the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), an examination that undergraduate nursing graduates must pass before legally practicing in their profession.  Additionally, first-time pass rates of NCLEX-RN are an important measure of success in the comparison of undergraduate programs (Pennington & Spurlock, 2010).   Students should be competent to successfully pass the NCLEX-RN and care for patients in a variety of specialties.

Whether the simulation program is brand-new or has a long-standing existence, the vision statement should communicate what the organization wants to do in the future (Foisy-Doll & Leighton, 2018). While the program may not be successfully meeting the vision statement at the time it is written, it provides guidance for the direction of the program to move and should be developed prior to the purchase of equipment (Seropian, Brown, Gavilane, & Driggers, 2004). 

Although the TSC is comprised of multiple educators with different areas of expertise, it is critical that each participant work toward the shared goal of creating confident and competent nurses by utilizing a diverse array of simulation experiences.  Researchers recommend that collaboration for vision statement development requires that stakeholders remove their individual agendas in support of cohesiveness of the group (Seropian, Brown, Gavilane, & Driggers, 2004). 

Values

The values held by the TSC include compassion, collaboration, and innovation.  Compassion, a caring attitude toward others, has often been referred to as the “essence” of nursing and represents the affective domain of Bloom’s Taxonomy framework (Foisy-Doll & Leighton, 2018).  Without addressing the element of human caring in a nurse preparatory program, we miss the delicate balance between scientific knowledge and being human (Watson, 1979).

The second value of the TSC is collaboration.  Collaboration involves “two or more entities working together towards a common goal” (Frey, Lohmeier, Lee, & Tollefson, 2006).  Knowing that healthcare is not an isolated profession, nurses must know how to work with other healthcare professionals, so as much as resources allow, simulation programs should aim to provide collaboration simulation experiences for learners.  Benefits of collaboration include networking, shared expenses, inspiration, and assistance with troubleshooting (Foisy-Doll & Leighton, 2018).

The third value of the TSC is innovation.  Because simulation involves technologically advanced equipment, the need for advancement will always exist.  Educators and designers must remain aware of the constant evolution of nursing practice and simulation delivery to stay relevant.

The mission, vision, and values will guide the TSC for years to come and ensure its longevity as a successful center of simulation excellence.

References

Foisy-Doll, C., & Leighton, K. (2018). Simulation champions: Fostering courage, caring and connection. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.

Frey, B. B., Lohmeier, J. H., Lee, S. W., & Tollefson, N. (2006).  Measuring collaboration among grant partners. American Journal of Evaluation, 27(3), 383-392.

Jeffries, P.R.(Ed.). (2014).  Clinical Simulations in Nursing Education: Advanced Concepts, Trends, and Opportunities. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.

Penington, T.D., Spurlock, D. (2010). A systematic review of the effectiveness of remediation interventions to improve NCLEX-RN pass rates. Journal of Nursing Education, 49(9), 485-92. doi: 10.3928/01484834-20100630-05.

Seropian M.A., Brown K., Gavilanes J.S., & Driggers B. (2004). An approach to simulation program development. Journal of Nursing Education, 43(4), 170–174. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=106741290

Sinek, S. (2009). Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. New York: Penguin Group.

Watson, J. (1979). Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company.

Wilson, L., Wittman-Price, R.A. (2019). Review manual for the certified healthcare simulation educator (CHSE) exam.  New York: Springer Publishing Company.