Mission Statement

The mission of the Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing is to nurture persons in preparation to practice as registered nurses at the basic and advanced practice levels through concentrated study in nursing, by facilitating individual and group learning experiences within the Christian community, so that graduates develop ethical awareness and academic and career competencies in order to serve effectively and compassionately in various health care settings and to be valued by patients and employers in the community.

History

When the Birmingham Baptist Association acquired the Birmingham Infirmary in 1922, twelve nursing students were enrolled in The Nurses Training School. Staff doctors and the Superintendent of Nurses taught classes while patient care was given under direction of graduate supervisors. This marked the beginning of the Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing as we know it today.

Ten to twelve new students joined the student body when Ensley Infirmary closed in 1926. The nursing program increased in enrollment and reputation for excellence during the 1930's. Students spent three months in New Orleans to pursue studies in pediatrics at Charity Hospital. Later this experience was enlarged to include one month in the study of communicable diseases. In 1961, the pediatric clinical experience moved to Children's Hospital in Birmingham. In 1941, Mrs. Ida Vines Moffett, a Supervisor of Birmingham Baptist Hospitals, Highland Avenue Facility, and a graduate of the Birmingham Baptist Hospitals School of Nursing program, was selected to head the nursing program. She moved to West End Baptist Hospital and served as Director of Nursing Service and the nursing program until 1969.

During the years of World War II she led Birmingham Baptist Hospitals School of Nursing to become one of those approved for the United States Cadet Nursing Corps. In 1945, the school moved from West End to Highland Avenue and 22nd Street. Changes in curriculum, laboratory requirements, and academic pursuits took place throughout the years, and in 1950 the school joined with the University of Alabama in Birmingham to provide academic credits in social and biological sciences.

From its beginning, under strong leadership, the school met approval of the State Board of Nurses' Examiners and, in 1948, accreditation by the National League for Nursing Education. In June 1955, Birmingham Baptist Hospitals School of Nursing became the first school in the state to receive national accreditation by the National League for Nursing.

After 46 years of service, Birmingham Baptist Hospitals School of Nursing became the Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing, named for its visionary and dedicated leader of many years.

Then, in the early 1970's, a joint venture with Baptist Medical Centers, formerly Birmingham Baptist Hospitals, and Samford University came under consideration and became a reality in 1973. The unified effort in nursing education continues to the present, and the Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing at Samford University, in a unique agreement with Baptist Health System, serves as a model for education and service locally and nationally.