Department – Department of Fundamental, Management, Mental Health, Community, Family, and Gerontological Nursing
The Department of Fundamental, Management, Mental Health, Community, Family Health, and Gerontological Nursing was established based on Rector’s Decree Number 1196/UN3/2025. This department encompasses six areas of expertise: Fundamental Nursing, Nursing Management, Mental Health Nursing, Community Nursing, Family Health Nursing, and Gerontological Nursing.
Fundamental Nursing focuses on the development of essential knowledge and skills as the foundation of professional nursing practice, employing a holistic approach that integrates biological, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual dimensions. This field includes the application of the nursing process, ethical and legal principles, therapeutic communication, and the provision of nursing care to meet basic human needs such as oxygenation, nutrition, elimination, mobility, rest and sleep, personal hygiene, fluid and electrolyte balance, pain management, skin integrity, stress, and adaptation. In line with advancements in healthcare technology, Fundamental Nursing integrates information systems and digital technologies to support nursing education, clinical decision-making, patient safety, and quality improvement, while remaining grounded in nursing theories and the health–illness continuum across the lifespan in various healthcare settings.
Nursing Management emphasizes the effective, efficient, and quality-oriented management of nursing services with a strong focus on patient safety. This field covers healthcare system management, resource management, strategic management, and quality assurance. Students are equipped with competencies in planning, organizing, directing, and evaluating nursing services professionally, enabling them to develop holistic, standardized, and sustainable healthcare systems. It also strengthens leadership, decision-making, and adaptability in responding to the dynamic nature of healthcare systems. Furthermore, this field contributes to the implementation of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education through education, research, and community service, focusing on enhancing managerial competencies, system innovation, and community empowerment.
Mental Health Nursing is a field of nursing practice grounded in theories of human behavior and the therapeutic use of self as its primary method. Mental health nurses play key roles in three main areas: direct nursing care, therapeutic communication, and patient care management. This field equips students with knowledge and skills to understand human behavior, establish therapeutic relationships, and implement evidence-based interventions in mental health services. Students are trained to conduct assessments, develop care plans, and implement individualized care using various therapeutic modalities to assist clients in transitioning from maladaptive to adaptive behaviors. Through classroom learning, clinical practice, and field supervision, students are developed into competent, empathetic, and professional nurses capable of promoting mental health and supporting recovery at the individual, family, and community levels.
Community Health Nursing focuses on strengthening the capacity of individuals, families, and communities to achieve optimal health through promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative approaches. This field integrates professional nursing practice with public health principles, emphasizing community empowerment and the strengthening of social systems as the foundation of health. At the Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Airlangga, this field has evolved into a center of excellence in education, research, and community service, producing culturally competent nurses who are capable of becoming leaders and agents of change in public health transformation at local, national, and global levels. Additionally, this field explores the utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance the effectiveness of health promotion and disease prevention through predictive analytics, machine learning, and digital health platforms. Despite acknowledging challenges related to ethics, privacy, and digital literacy gaps, this field emphasizes the importance of integrating technology with a humanistic approach to build resilient, adaptive, and equitable public health systems in the digital era.
Family Health Nursing focuses on promotive and preventive efforts to improve the health of all family members. This field plays a critical role in delivering comprehensive and continuous care at the community level, including home-based and family-centered services. Family health nurses provide care across all levels of prevention—from health promotion to rehabilitation—while considering social determinants of health such as education, income, and living conditions. In addition to direct care, family nurses contribute to policy planning, resource management, and advocacy to ensure equitable and high-quality healthcare access. Over the decades, this field at Universitas Airlangga has significantly contributed to family empowerment and health equity through education, research, field supervision, community service, and scientific publications.
Gerontological Nursing focuses on providing comprehensive care for older adults with the aim of maintaining and improving their quality of life. This field encompasses not only disease management but also promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative efforts tailored to the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual changes associated with aging. The approach is holistic and person-centered, including the maintenance of physical function, mental well-being, social relationships, and the search for meaning in later life. At the Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Airlangga, this field serves as one of the key pillars in advancing the Tri Dharma of Higher Education. In education, it emphasizes competency-based curriculum development and learning processes to equip students with the necessary knowledge, skills, and professional attitudes in geriatric care. In research, the focus includes long-term care, independence enhancement, safety and risk prevention, health promotion, ageism, family roles in elderly care, and intervention model development. In community service, activities are directed toward empowering older adults, families, and gerontological nurses through health education, caregiver training, health screening, elderly exercise programs, and sustainable healthy aging initiatives.
Head of the Department of Fundamental, Management, Mental Health, Community, Family Health, and Gerontological Nursing:
Dr. Retno Indarwati, S.Kep., Ns., M.Kep.
Secretary of the Department of Fundamental, Management, Mental Health, Community, Family Health, and Gerontological Nursing:
Dr. Andri Setiya Wahyudi, S.Kep., Ns., M.Kep.
At present, the Department of Fundamental, Management, Mental Health, Community, Family Health, and Gerontological Nursing comprises 24 full-time faculty members, categorized as follows:
Fundamental Nursing Faculty:
Nursing Management Faculty:
Mental Health Nursing Faculty:
Community and Family Health Nursing Faculty:
Gerontological Nursing Faculty:
