Wednesday, October 28, 2009

College of Nursing hosts Indonesian visitors


The College of Nursing hosted a group of nurses from Indonesia yesterday as part of their visit to the United States. The trip was arranged through the Indonesian embassy and the Association of Indonesian Nurses Education Centers in Jakarta, the capital city. The association has an annual study visit to the education and service institutions in the developed countries.

The 46 nurses represented several institutions in Indonesia as well as some prospective master and doctoral students. Among the visitors was an alumnus, Mohammed Subu, a 2002 graduate of the Master of Science in Nursing program in nursing education. The group’s goals were to observe the learning facilities for nursing students, and investigate the programs at the University, the education management system and the collaboration between education institution and hospitals. They enjoyed an overview of the College’s history and programs and tours of the state-of-the-art Driscoll Hall with its clinical simulation labs, as well as the University library and later a clinic run by the College faculty for the underserved populations in South Philadelphia.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Video available: Promoting Dignity through Volunteerism

See the link below to access the October 5th video recording from Promoting Dignity through Volunteerism in the Driscoll Hall Auditorium. Thank you again to our panel!
http://vumslx.vuad.villanova.edu/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=7aa3372b22f74a27bab4d8c0756f0868


Patricia K. Bradley, PhD, RN
Barbara Ott, PhD, RN
Elise Pizzi, MSN, CRNP
Faculty, College of Nursing Villanova University
Hear this faculty panel discuss how they integrate their clinical expertise to uphold and promote the dignity of the individuals and groups with which they volunteer. Their volunteerism includes working with African American women with breast cancer, underserved immigrant populations in clinics, and those in the midst of ethical issues related to their health.

New Family Nurse Practitioner Option


The College of Nursing has received approval for its Graduate Nursing Program’s new Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) option from the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. The establishment of both a master of science in nursing (MSN) degree and post-master’s certificate option was approved. Students can enroll in the FNP option starting in January 2010.


Why add the FNP option to the existing adult, pediatric and geriatric nurse practitioner (NP) specialties at Villanova? The FNP program was developed to meet the need for increasing numbers of nurse practitioners who can care for patients across the lifespan. “Family nurse practitioners are the most versatile NP population as they can meet the health care needs of a wide range of patients in a variety of practice settings,” explains Elizabeth Blunt, PhD, RN, APN BC, assistant professor, coordinator of the NP programs and an FNP herself, “Our students have been asking for this option so they have flexibility in employment options including sites such as nurse managed health centers, retail clinics and emergency department and urgent care centers.”


The FNP option is 47 credits with 730 clinical hours for the MSN degree, or students may complete an FNP post-master’s certificate of varying credits –up to 36—depending on education background. Students will benefit not only from the partnership with faculty who bring their current clinical experiences and mentorship into the classroom but also the integration of procedures such as suture workshops into the curriculum. The FNP option is structured so that nurse practitioners with a population focus in an area other than family can complete the FNP requirements, usually within one year.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Evaluating the Use of Standardized Patients in Undergraduate Psychiatric Nursing Experiences

New article published by our faculty and lab director about the use of SPs (standardized patients):

Robinson-Smith, G., Bradley, P., & Meakim, C. (2009, November). Evaluating the use of standardized patients in undergraduate psychiatric nursing experiences. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, Vol(5). doi:10.1016/j.ecns.2009.07.001. This is an online journal.

From the abstract: Results suggest the SP interviews increased the overall perceived student self-confidence, critical thinking, and satisfaction with learning. Findings highlight strong and weak areas of perceived clinical skills in students and provide guidelines for teaching psychiatric nursing content.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Call for Nominations: College of Nursing Medallion



Each year the College of Nursing recognizes the achievements of its alumni with its highest award, the College of Nursing Medallion. Recipients are selected from among your nominations, a critical step in the process.

We encourage you to take the time to nominate a fellow Villanova Nurse before the deadline of November 19, 2009. Previous honorees have been nurse managers, executives, clinicians, community volunteers and educators.

We look forward to reading your nominations and honoring yet another distinguished group of Villanova Nurses.
Know the perfect candidate? Read more about criteria and find the nomination forms at
www.villanova.edu/nursing/about/medallion.htm



Dean Fitzpatrick elected to CGFNS Board


M. Louise Fitzpatrick, EdD, RN, FAAN, Connelly Endowed Dean and Professor of the College of Nursing, has been elected to the Board of Trustees of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS). She will serve a four-year term beginning January 2010. Dr. Fitzpatrick has served three years on the CGFNS Committee on Appeals.

CGFNS, based in Philadelphia, is an internationally recognized authority on credentials evaluation and verification pertaining to the education, registration and licensure of nurses and health care professionals worldwide.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Nursing alumna honored with University Alumni Association Award


Congratulations to Rear Admiral Christine Bruzek-Kohler '74 BSN who received the 2009 St. Thomas of Villanova Medal last night during a dinner ceremony hosted by the Villanova University Alumni Association. Her acceptance speech was gracious, humble and inspiring-as is her leadership.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Tell a friend! Open House is October 20th!

Open House for MSN, PhD, accelerated BSN and RN to BSN

Save the date!
Tuesday, October 20th
3:30-7:30pm
Villanova Room, Connelly Center


Meet with faculty, tour the new Driscoll Hall classrooms and clinical simulation center and hear from an MSN/PhD student panel at 5:00 pm. Find out more about our accelerated BSN program during our 4:30 pm session.

Attend the Open House and your application fee is waived!

Promoting dignity through volunteerism


The College of Nursing’s 15th Annual Health & Human Values Lecture Series: Promoting Human Dignity Throughout the Lifespan continued on Ocotber 5th with a special look at the diverse and highly effective efforts of Nursing faculty who addressed Promoting Dignity through Volunteerism.


Villanova’s campus community, students, and colleagues alike joined a faculty panel for a discussion of how they integrate their clinical expertise to uphold and promote the dignity of the individuals and groups with which they volunteer. Their volunteerism includes working with African American women with breast cancer (Patricia K. Bradley, PhD, RN), underserved immigrant populations in clinics (Elise Pizzi, MSN, CRNP), and those in the midst of ethical issues related to their health (Barbara Ott, PhD, RN).


Dr. Bradley spoke of the commonalities among the work of the three colleagues. Each gives a voice to the voiceless and, regardless of the area of specialization, “takes the talk and puts it into action.” She is tied to multiple advocacy groups for African American women with breast cancer. Dr. Bradley explained her work at the organizational level, for instance the national level of the American Cancer Society, where she is involved in discussion and decisions relating to healthcare access and diversity. She also helps smaller organizations access resources. While she works with policy, Dr. Bradley is also connected to people in the community.


Prof. Pizzi volunteers her time to assist Unity Clinic in South Philadelphia with its operations and future plans, as well as care for its underserved immigrant patients, most of who are from Indonesia. She illustrated the need for dedicated volunteers who keep an entity such as the clinic as vibrant as it can be for the neighborhood it serves. She also spoke about the importance of relationships with other health care resources—and funding sources—in being able to provide the continuum of care required by the population. In the near future, Unity Clinic hopes to move and expand its services deeper into the surrounding area through what will be a permanent home within a community center.


Dr. Ott explained the need for well-trained, experiences and diverse membership of an ethics committee. She volunteers her time with several ethics committees in large and small hospitals and a health care system. Her work at any given time might involve policy development and review, such as those relating to do-not-resuscitate orders, HIV testing and advanced directives; education of hospital staff, committee members, patients and families and community members; and case consultation for ethically troublesome cases. Dr. Ott also spoke of the benefit of prospective ethics review in the ICU where there can be early intervention in high risk cases. She noted the cross-cultural mandate to respect and protect human rights.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Celebrating the 1st Anniversary of the Dedication of Driscoll Hall


One year ago today, October 6, 2008, Driscoll Hall, the new home of the College of Nursing, was dedicated on a crisp, sunny fall day. In that year, the building has hosted numerous nursing lectures, conferences and campus events; seen vigorous scholarly discussions, watched the integration of new knowledge and role development in its students; been home base for global outreach; and rejoiced in the mentorship of the next generation of Villanova Nurses.


The walls of Driscoll Hall do talk...through the actions of our faculty, staff, students and alumni. Thank you for all you do to support the College and our new home!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Open House for MSN, PhD, accelerated BSN and RN to BSN


Save the date!

Tuesday, October 20th

3:30-7:30pm

Villanova Room, Connelly Center


Meet with faculty, tour the new Driscoll Hall classrooms and clinical simulation center and hear from an MSN/PhD student panel at 5:00 pm. Find out more about our accelerated BSN program during our 4:30 pm session.