Feature: Spartan Nurses on the Frontlines of Health Care
Some 5,000 Spartan nurses are working to ensure that a nurse will be there when you need one.
Few people embody the spirit of nursing like Spartan Nurses. In addition to providing direct care, Spartan Nurses are leading the way in research, education and leadership in implementing healthcare change. With a focus on systems improvement, Spartan Nurses are a source of expert knowledge and compassion in people’s lives when they are most vulnerable.
? When a new mom needs help learning how to provide proper nutrition for her baby, a College of Nursing researcher is leading the way with infant and toddler feeding interventions.
? When falls among the elderly impact a grandparent’s quality of life and independence, a Spartan doctoral student is leading the way with fall prevention measures to improve mobility.
? When a cancer patient needs help at home managing their symptoms and medication, a College of Nursing researcher is leading the way with symptom management support for patients and their caregivers.
? When the nation’s children suffer from an increased incidence of obesity, a College of Nursing researcher is leading the way to improve physical activity and prevent obesity in middle school girls.
As the nursing profession faces critical challenges of an adequate nursing workforce, the College of Nursing at MSU is intricately tied to national healthcare initiatives and has come up with solutions to help address the nursing and faculty shortage.
"The College of Nursing at Michigan State University is committed to addressing the critical challenges set forth by national healthcare initiatives,” says Mary Mundt, dean of the college. “Our vision is to provide leading educational and research experiences that prepare the future nursing workforce and address the crisis of a shortage of nurses and nursing faculty. When a Spartan Nurse enters the workforce, their careers are built upon the foundation of academic excellence and the support of our outstanding faculty.”
Celebrating 60 Years of Distinction
The College of Nursing at MSU celebrates its 60th Anniversary during the 2010-2011 year with the themes of heritage, leadership and distinction. The legacy of strong nursing leaders and the land grant tradition have laid the foundation for the current success of the college and provide the momentum for future accomplishments. Established as an undergraduate nursing program leading to the baccalaureate degree, the college has grown to include graduate programs at the master’s and doctoral level, and distinctive programs of nursing research and nursing practice.
Looking forward, the College aims to have a significant impact on the redesign of healthcare through integrated approaches to generating and disseminating knowledge in education and practice. The future of the College will be shaped by the local and global need for nursing and healthcare knowledge and an educated workforce.
As part of one of the leading 100 research institutions in the world, MSU has a profound appreciation for how essential a top notch education is to enhance the future of our students and the outcomes of nursing research and practice. The College graduates nursing leaders who have the capacity for high-level critical thinking while caring deeply about the profession and their communities at-large. Of our graduates, more than 75 percent currently reside in the State of Michigan, benefiting our local healthcare systems and Michigan workforce.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that more than 581,500 new RN positions will be created through 2018 making nursing one of the nation’s top professions in terms of projected job growth.
Building the Nursing Workforce
In order to educate the “nurse of the future” the College is implementing educational models based on partnerships with clinical systems and collaboration with other health professions.
The College of Nursing enrolls a population of over 500 nursing students and maintains high standards of excellence and recognition in test performance and application. Nursing research and scholarship are integrated into all programs with the pursuit of new knowledge rapidly incorporated into the curriculum.
The College extends access to educational programs through a variety of pathways including accelerated on site and distance education programs. At the undergraduate level, all students are immersed in evidence based scholarly projects that address real quality improvement issues in healthcare settings.
Increasing Access to Graduate Education
The education of undergraduate professional nurses is balanced with expanding graduate education options and the preparation of future nursing faculty and nurse researchers.
Enrollment has increased in the Master of Science in Nursing program as the College responds to the need for increased numbers of Advanced Practice Nurses in an environment of healthcare reform to serve a broadly insured population. Master’s students have clinical placements in over 300 sites throughout the state of Michigan to provide learning opportunities with diverse populations. New specialties in Nurse Anesthesia have also been added to respond to shortages of Nurse Anesthetists.
Quality educational programs are a high priority for the College. The U.S. News and World Report ranked the College of Nursing’s master’s program in the top 20 percent nationally. Master’s student graduates have a 100% pass rate on certification examinations.
Developing advanced practice nurses to lead process improvement within the changing healthcare environment is the focus of the CNS-Education concentration. Responding to the faculty and nursing shortage, the program prepares nurses for the advanced role of Clinical Nurse Specialist and equips them with the skills necessary to enter the nursing faculty workforce to teach future nurses.
Extending Nursing Careers
Growing from a long-term relationship and support from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation (BCBSM), the Nursing for Life: RN Career Transition Program was established to help retain nurses by transitioning them from hospital based jobs into home-based, hospice, long-term and ambulatory care practice. By extending the lifespan of a nursing career, experienced nurses who may otherwise leave or retire from active nursing are educated to take on new nursing roles within the community.
The program, kicked off in 2007 as part of the Partners Investing in Nursing's Future initiative led by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Northwest Health Foundation. The project encourages local foundations to act as catalysts in developing grassroots strategies to establish a stable, adequate nursing workforce. Expanding to meet additional nursing workforce needs, Case Management and Quality/Safety Management tracks are being added to the Nursing for Life Program with an additional grant from BCBSM.
“Our work force initiatives that support experienced nurses are an important strategy in addressing the nursing shortage,” says Teresa Wehrwein, Associate Dean for Academic and Clinical Affairs. “The healthcare demands of the 79 million baby boomers moving into their 60s—and the general population growth of people older than age 80—require innovative solutions to meet an anticipated unprecedented demand for healthcare services expected to last for the next 30 years.”
Breaking New Ground
With program expansion, increased numbers of students and growth of research programs the College of Nursing has required new space for programs, student services and research. To address these needs, the college broke ground on The Bott Building for Nursing Education and Research in September. The Building is named in honor of John and Anna Bott, the parents of Bernadette Bott Marquez, BSN ’80. The building will be located next to the Life Science A Building and will be connected to it by a walkway.
The new Building is made possible by a $7 million dollar gift from the Timothy and Bernadette Marquez Foundation, a $7.45 million grant from the National Institutes of Health Center for Research Resources and the generosity of more than 1,000 other benefactors.
“I am deeply grateful to all who contributed to making the new Building a reality and to all that contribute to the vibrant experience that defines the College of Nursing at Michigan State University,” says Dean Mundt. “This will allow the College more space, resources and technology to educate more nurses at the master’s and doctoral levels, who in turn can prepare and teach future nurses.”
The Bott Building for Nursing Education and Research will be highly visible on the university’s Health Science Campus and will be a nucleus for where the nursing community—students, faculty, staff, alumni, partners and stakeholders—come together to collaborate on making a positive impact on the future of nursing and healthcare.
SIDEBAR
60TH ANNIVERSARY HERITAGE OF DISTINCTION ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
To commemorate its 60th Anniversary, the College of Nursing seeks to raise $1 million to establish the Heritage of Distinction Endowed Scholarship Program. The goal is to generate enough earnings from the endowment to provide $60,000 in scholarships every year for deserving nursing students in need.
Up to 60 nursing students could benefit from this endowment with minimum awards of $1,000. With challenging economic times and the reduction of state support, these philanthropic gifts will help nursing students realize their dreams of receiving a an MSU degree.
? To participate, contact the College of Nursing at (888) 771-363.
Author’s note: Jill Vondrasek, ’92, directs the strategic marketing and communications initiatives for the College of Nursing. She is also working on MSU's early adopters team to implement the new Cascade Content Management System for Nursing.msu.edu.