Linda D. Norman, DSN, FAAN, VUSN dean and Valere Potter Menefee Professor of Nursing, tells Nursing.Vanderbilt.edu, “Nursing, perhaps above all professions, understands the need to periodically revise procedures and direction so that they incorporate the best practices, thinking and evidence. We recently re-evaluated these two specialties to determine if there were newer or better ways to serve our students and prepare them for leadership roles.”
The redesign included making both specialty programs part time only, drawing in more registered nurses who want to work full time while working toward their master’s degree. The program will be offered in an online format that allows students to complete their degree requirements without relocating or leaving their job. On-campus interactive immersion experiences will also be incorporated periodically, in addition to distance learning activities like online conferencing and video-streamed lectures.
The Nursing Informatics program will incorporate curricular changes including newly emerging informatics competencies and innovations, as well as customized practicum experiences. The leadership specialty has been renamed the Nursing and Health Care Leadership program based on feedback from nursing professionals who wanted a program that incorporates stronger experiential learning, new collaborations with nursing informatics, and a focus on real-world learning.
To learn more about the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing’s newly redesigned MSN programs in Nursing Informatics and Nursing and Health Care Leadership, visit here.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) recently introduced a new Master of Science dual degree program in nursing administration and healthcare informatics. The program will prepare nurses for entry into management positions in healthcare organizations, and foster skill development in planning, designing, and implementing information technologies.
SIUE’s dual degree program provides a unique opportunity for experienced nurses to leverage their prior education and experience to improve their leadership skills by using technology to improve patient healthcare options.
Frank Lyerla, SIUE healthcare informatics director, stated in a press release: “In 2008, less than 10 percent of acute care hospitals were using electronic medical records. Today, that percentage is nearing 100 percent! Graduates of our dual degree program will be well situated for leadership positions in two fields that are growing and in high demand.”
The dual degree nursing program opens up new career opportunities to guide and lead fellow nurses by becoming a nurse manager or healthcare executive. Graduates will be prepared to analyze and interpret clinical data and work with other health professionals to plan, implement, and optimize healthcare information systems to aid in training, project management, and leadership within an organization.
To learn more about SIUE’s new dual program in Nursing Administration and Healthcare Informatics, visit here.
Pinning ceremonies are a treasured tradition in nursing and each nursing school has its own distinctive pin to identify its graduates. According to Vanderbilt Nursing Dean Linda D. Norman, DSN, FAAN, and Valere Potter Menefee Professor in Nursing, pinning ceremonies can be traced back to the crusades with modern significance beginning with Florence Nightingale who presented medals of excellence to her nursing graduates.
MSN students received the VUSN pin signifying their entrance to the advanced practice nursing profession, DNP students received lavaliers to attach to their nursing school pins, and post-master’s students received certificates denoting the completion of their specialty education beyond the master’s degree level.
Vanderbilt Nursing’s pinning ceremonies also awarded two students: Kristina Holmes with the Amy Frances Brown Prize for Excellence in Writing, and Anna Sizemore with the VUSN Alumni Association Award for Student Excellence in Service and Leadership to School and Community. Nine faculty members were also honored during the ceremonies with Sara K. Archer Awards for outstanding contributions to student learning.
To learn more about Vanderbilt Nursing’s pinning ceremonies for nursing graduates, visit here.
Frontier Nursing University (FNU) has been granted continued accreditation from the Board of Commissioners of the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). The university’s master of science in nursing and post-graduate certificate nursing programs are included in the continued accreditation approval, as well as the newly implemented psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner specialty track.
Dr. Joan Slager, FNU interim dean, tells LaneReport.com, “The ACEN Board of Commissioners commended FNU’s commitment to quality nursing education. They noted strengths such as administrative and financial support available to faculty for evidence-based clinical and teaching practices, as well as our consistent national certification exam pass rates.”
ACEN supports nursing education, nursing practice, and the public through the functions of accreditation. To learn more about the continued accreditation of Frontier Nursing University’s programs, visit here.
Denise Coppa, associate dean of the College of Nursing graduate programs, tells Today.URI.edu, “We have a huge mental health and addiction crisis across the country. We need more people who are clinically trained and can handle working with mental health patients. The students will come out of the program certified to deliver mental health counseling and therapy, and will be licensed to prescribe psychotropic medications.”
URI’s new nursing program is designed to educate psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners who are capable of providing psychiatric care to individuals and families in a multitude of health care settings. The program is being offered as part of the regular, on-going curriculum in the URI College of Nursing and upon completion of the program, graduates will be eligible to take the American Nurses Credentialing Center certification exam.
The program is based at Rhode Island’s Nurse Education Center in Providence where classes in psychiatric assessment and diagnosis, neuro-psychopharmacology, and integrated treatment for older adults will be offered. Students will also be able to complete their clinical hours in local hospitals, community health centers, and private practice offices.
To learn more about the University of Rhode Island College of Nursing’s new master’s degree program in psychiatric mental health, visit here.
