Mission and Goals

Mission Statement

Because:

• We value students as unique individuals seeking quality health sciences education through our service and support;
• We value being progressive, knowledgeable, adaptable, original, and academically sound in our academic programs;
• We value the substantive quality of our curricula through emphasis upon academic excellence;;
• We value progress achieved by the development of new knowledge and its importance to chiropractic medicine and other complementary healing arts and sciences;
• We value quality training and practice in the clinical skills of all relevant programs with particular emphasis upon the physician/patient relationship within the first professional programs;
• We value complementary and alternative care for its emphasis upon holism and use of the least invasive therapeutic procedures necessary for optimizing human health;
• We value collegiality and cooperation among all members of the University community, the related professions, other health care systems, and the community;

Therefore:

The mission of National University of Health Sciences is to provide and promote the necessary leadership, management, and resources for the advancement of education, new knowledge, cultural diversity, outreach, and the ethical practice of the healing arts and sciences as taught within the programs of this university.

General Institutional Purposes

It is the vision and purpose of National University of Health Sciences that the various members of complementary and alternative medicine shall study together, work together, and develop a strong sense of collegiality and integrated function. To carry out this vision, it was decided in 1993, as part of the institution’s long-range plan that it would begin to move toward expansion of its educational offerings. As part of this plan, the concept of a university was born and became a reality on September 1, 2000.

The university contains three colleges, which administer their own programs:

1. College of Professional Studies;
2. College of Allied Health Sciences and Distance Education;
3. Lincoln College of Postgraduate and Continuing Education;

Specific Institutional Purposes

National University of Health Sciences provides academic programs that help students acquire and develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that are necessary to be competent and ethical practitioners of the complementary and alternative medical healing arts.

The University subscribes to the Standards and Criteria of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, the Council on Chiropractic Education, and other specialized, programmatic accrediting agencies, for the purpose of receiving accreditation by these agencies and to ensure a high quality of education at the University.

The University seeks to hire employees who support the mission of the University, have diverse academic and professional experiences, are dedicated to teaching and scholarship, are sensitive to the needs of students, and who are committed to professional development.

The University provides well-designed and maintained facilities, adequate fiscal resources, faculty development, and competent instruction, and promotes sound scholarship in an institutional culture of civility and ethical behavior. The University strives to provide a safe and effective educational and working environment that fosters active student learning, collegiality, collaboration, and innovation.

Pertinent clinical experiences and related activities are designed to prepare students to participate as health care providers in the civic, social, cultural, ethical, and political aspects of community life, and to assume leadership positions, when appropriate.

The University promotes the value of inquiry and encourages the advancement of knowledge through active research and the involvement of faculty and students in varying forms of scholarship.

The University seeks to provide service to, and develop meaningful relationships with, the community, the health professions, graduates of the University, and patients of the University clinics.

The University seeks to provide a collegial environment in which students can learn a specific health care discipline, develop a better understanding of other complementary healing arts and sciences, and become better prepared for interaction and practice in an integrated health care environment.

College of Professional Studies

Chiropractic Medicine
The purposes of the Doctor of Chiropractic Degree Program are to educate students in the basic and clinical sciences and related health subjects requisite for development of competent primary care chiropractic physicians, the development of new knowledge and other scholarship in the field of chiropractic medicine, and the provision of health care and other services to patients in University clinics and the community.

Naturopathic Medicine
The purpose of the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine Program at National University of Health Sciences is to create competent physicians who are ethical, effective practitioners of naturopathic medicine. The program will guide the student in developing a whole health, non-invasive, and individualized therapeutic approach guided by the naturopathic principles that meet the needs of the patient; teach students to earn the trust of patients by always placing the needs of the patient foremost; enable students to further the knowledge of the naturopathic profession with education in critical thinking, independent research, and philosophical inquiry; provide students with high quality curriculum, instruction, assessment, and evaluation in the biomedical and clinical sciences with an emphasis on the doctor-patient relationship, naturopathic tenets and principles, naturopathic case management, and the role of the naturopathic physician in the greater community; lead students in building productive professional relationships through collegiality, cooperation, and shared educational experiences within the University; and create leaders who will contribute to the growth and development of naturopathic medicine through strong participation in the profession’s most vital initiatives.

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
The purpose of the Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Program is to provide the highest quality comprehensive and professional education in the Five Branches of Traditional Oriental Medicine: Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Tui Na, Chinese Nutritional Therapeutics, and Tai Chi/Qi Gong. Through classroom instruction and extensive clinical experience, woven into the program from the start, we are dedicated to teaching the wisdom of classical acupuncture and oriental medicine as it continues to be informed by contemporary medical knowledge. The programs emphasize an integrative and holistic approach to health care, incorporating instruction in clinical western medicine so that our graduates may practice confidently in a wide range of clinical settings. We hold the core values of integrity and compassion in the practice of medicine in the greatest esteem, and seek to graduate students who wish to engage in it at the highest levels.

Lincoln College of Postgraduate and Continuing Education

The Lincoln College of Postgraduate and Continuing Education provides education to those who possess first professional degrees and other health care professionals who wish to remain current and/or specialize in various fields of practice through graduate-level academic degrees and certificate programs. Various programs are offered for the purpose of continuing the lifelong learning that is emphasized by the University. NUHS/Lincoln College also offers programs intended to meet the requirements of various state statutes that require continuing education for professional license/registration renewal.

College of Allied Health Sciences and Distance Education

The purposes of the College of Allied Health Sciences and Distance Education are to provide education to those who wish to become a health care professional; to provide education to students who wish to pursue a BS degree in biomedical sciences; and to provide education to persons seeking increased knowledge in the sciences through enrollment in non-degree courses. The college provides graduate degrees and distance education.

Institutional Goals