About SLU's Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing

Welcome to the website of the Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing at Saint Louis University, a national leader in nursing education since 1928. Our students have the great opportunity to learn from leading educators, practitioners, and researchers in nursing, as well as from experts in medicine and related health disciplines. In various settings, from the classroom and virtual learning spaces to our simulation laboratory to external practice settings, including hospitals, clinics, agencies, and communities, students gain first-hand experience with nursing and health care. We partner with a wealth of excellent health care sites in St. Louis, surrounding areas, and the nation. These include, but are not limited to, SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital, SSM Health, BJC HealthCare, Mercy Health, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Our students study the science and art of nursing, both its theoretical and clinical domains, as well as participate in health sciences interprofessional education.

Situated within the larger context of Saint Louis University with its Jesuit and Catholic mission, a distinguishing feature of our education is the embodiment of cura personalis, or care for the whole person, including the person’s mind, body, heart and spirit. Cura personalis grounds everything we do as a caring community. We educate knowledgeable nursing leaders as men and women for others who will lead successful, ethical and meaningful lives.

Nursing is the most trusted profession and nurses’ knowledgeable, compassionate care is needed worldwide to promote health, well-being, healing and the relief of suffering. We, in the Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing, are well-positioned to help students meet this worldwide need. We offer a scientific and values-based education for the generalist and advanced practice nurse and for Ph.D.-prepared nurse scientists who will shape the discovery and generation of nursing knowledge.

We are passionate about nursing and the excellent education we offer. Thank you for visiting our site. We look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Danny G. Willis, D.N.S., RN, PMHCNS-BC, CNE, FAAN
Dean and Professor

The vision of the Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing is to pioneer innovation and advance equity through our mission-driven, diverse, inclusive, well-being-focused environment of excellence in teaching, research, practice, and service. 

2023 Spring Commencement Program

The mission of the Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing is the education of “the whole person” - mind, body, heart and spirit within a diverse and technological society.  

The School of Nursing embraces the University's Core Student Learning Outcomes which define the essential educational outcomes expected of all who earn baccalaureate degrees at Saint Louis University — regardless of major or the college or school in which students are enrolled. These outcomes — and demonstrable evidence of student achievement of them — drive the faculty's development and revision of the University Core Curriculum.

1. All SLU graduates will be able to examine their actions and vocations in dialogue with the Catholic, Jesuit tradition.

Catholic, Jesuit beliefs and traditions provide the intellectual and spiritual foundation for education at Saint Louis University. The Core exposes students to Catholic, Jesuit and other worldviews and asks them to reflect on how these perspectives inform their character, sense of purpose, and vocations in order to imagine and assess the moral and spiritual implications of their actions and life choices.

2. All SLU graduates will be able to integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines to address complex questions.

A breadth of knowledge is the heart of a Catholic, Jesuit liberal arts education. The Core fosters creative ability and an understanding of cultures, institutions, systems, and the natural world; it introduces students to a variety of disciplinary perspectives and asks them to synthesize that knowledge for systemic inquiry and innovation.

3. All SLU graduates will be able to assess evidence and draw reasoned conclusions.

Critical thinking — from the scientific method to the creative process, from systems thinking to complex abstractions — is a hallmark of a well-developed mind. The Core fosters a student’s ability to gather source material and discern its reliability, analyze data via quantitative and qualitative methods, compare multiple interpretations of evidence, evaluate conflicting claims, and demonstrate evidence-based reasoning.

4. All SLU graduates will be able to communicate effectively in writing, speech, and visual media.

Eloquent communication connects people and advances ideas. The Core compels students to analyze written, oral, auditory, and visual messages and their implications in order to communicate effectively with a clear understanding of audience, rhetorical purpose, argumentation, genre, and style.

5. All SLU graduates will be able to analyze how diverse identities influence their lives and the lives of others.

Interdependent identities—such as nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, race, class, ability, and sexual orientation—shape how people move through and experience the world. The Core helps students assess how identities are constructed historically, culturally, socially, and linguistically. Students will be able to examine values and biases, empathize with others, and connect across cultures.

6. All SLU graduates will be able to recognize transnational or global interdependence.

Many persistent challenges—from climate change to health crises to the distribution of wealth and property—transcend national boundaries. The Core gives students the intellectual tools to understand and participate in this interconnected world. Students will be able to identify the transnational impact of local actions in order to be engaged and responsible global citizens.

7. All SLU graduates will be able to evaluate the extent to which social systems influence equity and reflect innate human dignity.

The Catholic, Jesuit tradition calls on students to envision a just society, recognize how and when injustice is institutionalized, and identify conditions that promote the dignity and equity of all. The Core enables students to consider how social, political, and cultural systems influence human interactions and well-being in the past, present, and future.

8. All SLU graduates will be able to collaborate with others toward a common goal.

Academic, professional, and community life requires acting together intentionally toward a shared objective. The Core advances students’ abilities to listen actively, cultivate an atmosphere of mutual respect, delegate work fairly, exercise servant leadership, manage conflict, and invite diverse ideas.

9. All SLU graduates will be able to apply and acquire knowledge through engagement beyond the University.

Acquiring and applying knowledge in context advances more holistic, mutually transformative education. The Core requires students to partner with and learn from those in broader communities—from internships to immersion experiences, from clinical practice to community-based research. By acting with and for others, students experience and reflect on the benefits of community engagement.

The School of Nursing, an integral unit of Saint Louis University, seeks to fulfill its mission of education through teaching, research, practice, and service in ways consistent with the Catholic, Jesuit values of the University. The School of Nursing acts responsibly by setting priorities and exercising stewardship to ensure the best use of its resources. 
 
The school, through the teaching component of the mission, prepares diverse students at the baccalaureate, master's, post-master's, and doctoral levels for professional nursing practice and interprofessional collaboration to care of the whole person, the cura personalis. The school creates an inclusive student-centered environment that recognizes and actively addresses the diverse needs and well-being of individuals and an academic climate of in-person and online learning that promotes the spirit of inquiry among faculty and students. 
 
The school, through the research component of the mission, advances the active engagement of faculty and the involvement of students in the scholarly process of inquiry and discovery, dissemination, and translation of knowledge. The school promotes interprofessional collaboration in the conduct of research in order to advance health care. 
 
The school, through the service/practice component of the mission, promotes health care within the University and the local, regional, and national communities. The school assumes a leadership role in developing nursing as a discipline and profession by providing expertise in nursing education, practice, and research to these communities. 

• 1971: SLU becomes the first university in the country to offer an accelerated B.S.N. program for qualified students seeking a fast-track bachelor’s degree in nursing.
• 1990: SLU offers the first Ph.D. in nursing in Missouri.
• 1997: The first web-based distance learning program at SLU is offered through the Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing.
• 2000: SLU begins offering Missouri’s first totally online Master of Science in Nursing - Nurse Practitioner degree.
• 2003: We are the first in the nation to offer an online certificate program that prepares nurses to assume a leadership role in case of a natural disaster or terror attack.
• 2006: SLU develops the nation’s first interprofessional core curriculum, which teaches nursing students the best ways to work closely with other health care providers.
• 2008: We are the first in the St. Louis area to offer a Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) degree, a doctoral degree for advanced practice nurses focusing on patient care.
• 2010: SLU begins offering a 21-month direct entry accelerated M.S.N. program.
• 2015: SLU begins offering a Master of Science in Nursing - Clinical Nurse Leader program.
• 2018: SLU School of Nursing celebrates its 90th year.