Introduction
The philosophy and mission statement of health care organizations and academic institutions in the same industry not only determine their plans of action and short-term and long-term goals and objectives, but also their commitment to providing the best health care services to patients and health care education for future medical professionals and staff members. Although upholding the quality of health care services and the safety and welfare of people seem to be the common factor unifying the philosophies and mission statements of both health care organizations and academic institutions in the health care industry, the difference lies in their means to accomplish the aforementioned common mission and goal. Perhaps this difference is supported by the distinct characteristics of both institutions, such that the health care organization is in the actual environment of providing health care services, while the academic institution focuses on the knowledge and skills that students should acquire in order to become competent medical and health care professionals in the future.
Philosophy and Mission Statements: Similarities and Differences
The USC University Hospital (USCUH) is a health care organization that is committed to provide the highest standards of quality in health care services. USCUH has identified five commitments that USCUH nurses are determined to achieve. First, nurses within the health care organization are committed to their patients, by considering the individual differences and needs of each patient. Second, nurses are committed to uphold the quality of the practice by continuing to improve nursing practices through training and increase health care facilities for better services. Third, USCUH supports a health care organizational culture that is patient-centered. The cooperation and collaboration between health care personnel and the efforts of nurses to provide direct health services to patients is believed to foster a patient-centered organization. The fourth and the fifth commitments of USCUH include professionalism in terms of upholding the highest ethical and moral standards, and acknowledging the organization’s commitment to the health care team by cultivating harmonious and helping relationships between the members of the organization’s human capital.
If USCUH is committed to improve the organization’s administration of health care service by means of considering patients, human capital, and social and ethical responsibility, the Nursing California State University of Sacramento (NCSU), a school of nursing, is committed to providing undergraduate and graduate programs that will produce highly competent and skilled nursing graduates. The USC University Hospital’s commitments are focused within the hospital setting, overseeing the practice of providing health care services, work performance of nurses in terms of patient care and ethical and moral compliance. On the other hand, the NCSU is committed to quality nursing education by improving its educational programs in term of curriculum development and course advancements.
A highly observable distinction separates the USCUH from the NCSU as individual entities. USCUH is a health care organization that practices patient care and provides health care services. It is not an academic institution where students are being educated and trained to understand the prerequisites of nursing and patient care. It is not open to inaccuracies or deficiencies in quality of services, unlike the academic nursing institution wherein a specific margin of error is acceptable during training programs, simulations, and such. USCUH is not a training ground, but an actual organization where in knowledge and skills in health care should be applied, and these knowledge and skills are particular to academic nursing institutions such as NCSU.
NSCU, on the other hand is an academic institution where future nurses as well as medical health practitioners are being educated and trained in preparation to their actual service in health care organizations. The quality of academic programs for both the undergraduate and graduate levels determines how efficient nursing professionals will be in their actual involvement in health care organizations. NCSU may be considered a stepping-stone to quality health care services if it continues to strive for excellence and high standards of quality academic programs. Due to the aforementioned reasons, the philosophy and mission statements between USCUH and the NCSU greatly differ in scope, content, and complexity.
The philosophy and mission statement of USCUH is broad and complex because it focuses on various aspects of the health care industry – from the patients, to the culture within the organization, and finally emphasis on the continuing education and training of nurses in the facility for improved knowledge and skills. The content of philosophy and mission statement covers the most specific to the general details and concerns that health care organizations should consider in order to become successful in the industry. The philosophy and mission statement of the NCSU is less complex and broad. It only covers the educational aspect of nursing. It is student-centered, focusing on the appropriateness and validity of academic programs for students that will allow them to grow and develop their skills in nursing. The content is mostly on the educational curriculum, program, and activities. NCSU realizes the importance of the science in nursing for valid and reliable application to health care organizations.
Conclusion
Health care organizations and health care academic institutions are independent entities under the health care industry. Their differences are palpable by noticing what aspects of health care they focus on. Health care organizations, such as USCUH, are focused on hospital administration – from patient care, to organizational practices and operations, organizational culture, nursing personnel, and such. These are the tangible and intangible components that make up the health care organization, from which organizational success is highly dependent. Academic institutions, such as NCSU, are focused on providing quality educational programs by establishing competent curriculum for the benefit of future nurses and medical professionals. The ultimate mission of academic institutions is to facilitate knowledge acquisition and skill development in preparation for actual service in health care organizations. However, although these two institutions seem to be independent in terms of their distinct characteristics, they share a similarity which keeps them strong forces and foundations of the health care industry. Both health care organizations (USCUH) and academic institutions (NSCU) are geared towards the growth and development of health care by increasing standards and quality services through hospital management, knowledge acquisition, and skill development.
