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Dean’s Corner
On behalf of the College of Nursing and Health’s faculty and staff, I wish you a Happy New Year and continued success in your nursing studies.
In October 2008, the college hosted its 8th annual Cameos of Caring event to honor bedside nurses from 17 regional hospitals. (Two of these recipients were graduates of Wright State University.) Besides honoring these special nurses for their compassion and caring, the event serves as a major fundraiser for nursing scholarships. Each year, we have nursing students who dress in past and present nursing uniforms to assist with registration at the event. I want to thank Amanda Bowles, Christie Boyle, and Audrey Taylor for donating their time and presenting such a positive impression to the community. The Cameos of Caring scholarship is awarded each year to a junior or senior from Auglaize, Clark, Darke, Greene, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, or Shelby counties on the basis of a written essay and panel interview. In Summer 2008, Tiffany Shaeffer was selected as the 2008-2009 Cameos Scholar, and Melissa Crabtrey, Brooke Litwinko, and Bruce Suchland were selected as Cameos Honors Recipients. For more information about applying for the Cameos scholarship, please contact Patricia Bethel at patricia.bethel@wright.edu or (937) 775-2579.
We continue to look for ways to ease the financial burden for our nursing students. In September 2008, Dr. Kathy Keister received $80,000 funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support scholarships for students underrepresented in nursing or having disadvantaged backgrounds in our BEACON program. BEACON is an accelerated BSN program for students with baccalaureate degrees in other fields. For more information, contact Dr. Keister at Kathy.keister@wright.edu. Another faculty member, Dr. Donna Miles Curry, received $22,074 funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP). Students who receive this loan must be enrolled in an eligible Master’s or Doctoral nursing program and must complete the education components to become nurse educators. For more information about the NFLP, please contact Dr. Curry at donna.curry@wright.edu.
In February, we recognize Brenda K. Kuhn, PhD, RN, as the recipient of the 2009 College of Nursing and Health Outstanding Alumni Award. Brenda is an alumna of our Master’s program in community health. She has demonstrated dynamic leadership in a variety of positions, including her present roles as Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Kettering Medical Center and President of the Zeta Phi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International. She has been a staunch supporter of nursing education and is committed to the nursing profession.
Congratulations also go to Dr. Donna Miles Curry, director of our Child and Adolescent Health/Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program. Dr. Curry was responsible for the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board’s review of our pediatric nurse practitioner dual care program. The review was successfully completed, and our college was granted recognition through January 31, 2010.
This year, our second cohort of Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) students began their studies. Graduates of the CNL program will function as generalist clinicians with a unit-specific focus. Practice partners have included Good Samaritan Hospital, Maria Joseph Living Care Center, Miami Valley Hospital, and the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Recently, we added Kettering Medical Center as a practice partner.
In February, I will participate in the All-County Nursing Education Capacity Summit held in Baltimore, Maryland. This summit is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Health Resources Service Administration, and the Center to Champion Nursing in America at AARP. Up to five representatives from each state can attend this important summit. One of the topics to be addressed is how to increase enrollments and faculty in nursing programs.
Nursing education continues to be a “hot topic” as the nursing shortage continues in our country and worldwide. Funding, faculty development, curriculum, as well as policies and regulation are important areas considered for revision to address the nursing shortage in a positive manner. In October 2008, revisions to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice were approved. A national task force, which I chaired, worked on this standard for two years. AACN’s Website states, “Due to the ever-changing and complex healthcare environment, this document emphasizes such concepts as patient-centered care, interprofessional teams, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, patient safety, informatics, clinical reasoning/clinical thinking, genetics and genomics, cultural sensitivity, professionalism, lifespan, and end-of-life care.” We are reviewing our curriculum to ensure that we meet all recommendations on these topics.
I am excited to lead a summer (June 27-July 22, 2009) ambassador program to Japan on The Importance of Culture in Health Care. Students can enroll in this 3-credit-hour nursing elective, NUR 415/715 (independent study), which will focus on the influence of Japanese culture on the provision of health care. The cost of the program is $1,950, which includes all lodging, meals, travel within Japan, excursions, and health and accident insurance. Tuition, airfare, passport costs, and personal expenses are NOT included. For more information, please contact Megan Trickler in the University Center for International Education at megan.trickler@wright.edu. Applications, including a $50 non-refundable application fee, are due by May 1, 2009.
I wish you success with your studies in Winter 2009 and a safe and joyous spring break following the quarter.
Patricia A. Martin, PhD, RN
Dean and Professor
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