Looking towards the future: St. John’s builds a foundation of nursing

A foundation, as defined by Webster, is "a basis on which a structure is built or a concept supported."

It is the underpinning of a physical or conceptual structure. Upon questioning, many nurses would define "foundational" nursing as medical/surgical nursing.
However, medical/surgical nursing is much more than a foundation for specialty nursing practice.

Medical/surgical nursing is the care of adults with acute health conditions. This practice can occur in a variety of settings, from the acute care hospital to an outpatient clinic.
Medical/surgical nurses are challenged with ever-increasing patient acuities. They manage a vast array of co-morbidities, such as diabetes and cardiovascular/pulmonary diseases.The severity and complexity of these conditions often cause our focus to narrow, and sometimes to refer to our patients as diseases or conditions. However, the practice of medical/surgical nursing is holistic and shifts our focus back to the restoration and maintenance of health in the adult population.


Read more