November 2008 Newsletter
President's Corner
I hope you had a chance to attend our first meeting of the year. On September 9th, amid hurricane warnings, 50 members met at Rue de Jean and heard an update on vaccines sponsored by Merck. It was a great meeting. Next month, on the second Tuesday of the month, our meeting will be at Anson's restaurant and the topic is, "Reconsidering Treatment of Late Life Depression", sponsored by Eli Lilly.
The invitation is now available to you on the website and I hope you will RSVP.
November 9-15 is National NP week and I congratulate all of you on the good work you do in your communities and for your patients. When I moved to Charleston 13 years ago there were no jobs in the Charleston area and I ended up driving 2 hours each way to work as a NP. Much has changed since then and Advanced Practice Nurses have earned a respected place in the Charleston area health care delivery system. Many practices and hospitals currently employ Advanced Practice Nurses. In this time of financial uncertainty I am thankful to be in a profession that continues to grow and allows for job security.
In the coming weeks I will send out a survey, including salary and LCAPN questions. I ask you to take a few minutes out of your busy day to answer the questions. Thank you and I hope to see you on November 11th.
Sincerely,Annemarie Donato
LCAPN President
Community Service
Coming soon
^Conferences
Coming soon
^Job Opportunities
- Imagine New England living at its best. A beautiful small New England Town in New Hampshire needs a Family Nurse Practitioner. This hospital-operated Family Practice clinic offers stability, a modest patient volume and an excellent compensation package. Take advantage of an easy drive to Boston for fun on the weekend. If you are curious to learn more, I'd be happy to share the details.
Contact: Mark Clayton
Ph: 866.782.9029 ext 5856 Fax: 800.220.4852
mark.clayton@comphealth.com
www.comphealth.com
Political Corner
College of Nursing dean authors ninth edition textbook
CHARLESTON, SC (October 14, 2008) – Gail W. Stuart, Ph.D., R.N., dean and distinguished university professor of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) College of Nursing, has published the ninth edition of Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing. Generations have been educated using this well-respected textbook since its initial publication in 1979. It has also been translated into six languages. The newest edition, from publisher Mosby Elsevier, continues the book's legacy of excellence and presents current guidelines for the practice of psychiatric nursing, along with the latest clinical research and the most up-to-date psychiatric drug information. Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing integrates a holistic biopsychosocial approach to psychiatric nursing care, emphasizing the full continuum of preventive, crisis, and rehabilitative nursing activities and the strong partnerships that psychiatric nurses form with patients and their families. This book also contains an expanded discussion of stigma, values, and ethical issues, consistent with the movement in the field to a Recovery Model of psychiatric care.
A key feature of the ninth edition is that it offers an innovative and complete educational package for students by providing chapter study notes, downloadable audio chapter summaries, and consumer videos on the Evolve Web site. Teaching resources have also been expanded on the Web site and include a bank of test questions, PowerPoint presentations, and audience response questions designed to stimulate class discussion and assess understanding of key concepts. The ninth edition of Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing is available at www.us.elsevierhealth.com.
College of Nursing selected for RWJF scholarship program
CHARLESTON, SC (October 7, 2008) – The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) College of Nursing is pleased to be among the first institutions in the nation to receive funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) through the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program. Grants provided through this competitive program will be used for scholarships to increase the number of students enrolled in MUSC's accelerated baccalaureate degree nursing program. This groundbreaking national initiative, launched by RWJF and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), aims to help alleviate the nation's nursing shortage by dramatically expanding the pipeline of students in accelerated nursing programs.
MUSC College of Nursing has been awarded $200,000 to allocate among 20 students in 2008-2009. Ten students who began in August were selected to receive the first round of scholarship dollars: Jared Carter, Aisha Choudry, Jonathan Edwards, Christopher Hock, J'Vonne Hunter, Tiffany Hunter, Nick Porter, Christopher Santos, Jennifer White, and Derek Martindale.
In the words of one of these students, Nick Porter, "The RWJ Scholarship is an absolutely amazing opportunity to encourage future generations of nurse leaders. I know we are all filled with pride to have been selected as scholars in this program, and this opportunity will serve to deepen our commitment to our school, our field, and the betterment of our community."
Through the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program, scholarships in the amount of $10,000 each will be distributed to entry-level nursing students in accelerated programs. Award preference is given to students from groups underrepresented in nursing or from disadvantaged backgrounds. This grant for scholarships will assist the school of nursing to leverage faculty resources and provide mentoring and leadership development to ensure successful program completion by scholarship recipients. "This program aims to safeguard the health of the nation by helping to ease the nurse and nurse faculty shortage," said RWJF President Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A. "This new initiative also will advance our strategic goal of promoting leadership in the health professions."
The RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program supports accelerated programs, which offer the most efficient route to licensure as a registered nurse for adults who have already completed a baccalaureate or graduate degree in a discipline other than nursing. Although enrollment in these programs has steadily increased over the past few years, many potential students are unable to enroll since already having a college degree disqualifies them for receiving most federal financial aid programs for entry-level students. The New Careers in Nursing scholarships address this problem, and will also address the overall nursing shortage, by enabling hundreds of students to launch their nursing careers through accelerated education.
The MUSC College of Nursing has an accelerated baccalaureate degree program, as well as master's and doctoral nursing programs. "We are exceptionally proud of our B.S.N. students as they come from a wide range of backgrounds and bring with them strong academic skills, as well as a commitment to the nursing profession. Our program has an outstanding retention rate of 95 percent and over half of our B.S.N. students continue their education and pursue a graduate degree," states Gail Stuart, dean of the College of Nursing.
By bringing more nurses into the profession at the baccalaureate and master's degree levels, the new scholarship program also helps to address the nation's nurse faculty shortage. Data from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration show that nurses entering the profession at the baccalaureate level are four times more likely than other nurses to pursue a graduate degree in nursing, which is the required credential to teach.
Additionally, the program targets the need to recruit students from groups underrepresented in nursing or disadvantaged backgrounds. According to the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice, diversifying the nursing profession is essential to meeting the health care needs of the nation and reducing health disparities that exist among many underserved populations.
AACN serves as the National Program Office for this RWJF initiative and oversees the grant application submission and review processes. For more information about this program, see http://www.newcareersinnursing.org.
College of Nursing wins approval to offer DNP degree
CHARLESTON, SC (October 08, 2008) – In a move to help shape the future of nursing education and practice, the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing has received approval from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education to begin offering the Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) degree as the highest level of preparation for clinical practice.
As a clinical practice doctorate, the D.N.P. is an alternative to a research focused doctoral program (i.e. Ph.D. program). Unlike a Ph.D. program in nursing, which prepares students for careers in research, the D.N.P. program is clinically focused, and graduates are experts in designing, implementing, managing, and evaluating health care and patient outcomes. D.N.P. graduates are prepared to lead in the highest practice and executive ranks in nursing. "As the only academic health sciences center in South Carolina, MUSC is very excited about opening this new program. In addition, the program will be offered online thus allowing nurses from a range of geographic locations to pursue a doctoral degree, said Gail Stuart, Ph.D., R.N., dean of the MUSC College of Nursing."
According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) there is a severe nurse shortage of doctorally prepared nurses. Of the three million nurses in the United States, fewer than one percent have a doctoral degree, and just over ten percent hold a master's degree in nursing. In South Carolina, of the 32,000 nurses, only one half of one percent have a doctoral degree, and just five percent have a master's degree in nursing. The D.N.P. program will facilitate the preparation of more doctorally prepared nurses and thereby increase the numbers of well prepared professional nurses to assume leadership positions in health care and nursing education.
Due to the increased complexity of health care, nurses need more education today in order to have better patient care outcomes in the future. Studies have shown that nurse effectiveness is closely related to the amount and type of education they receive, which in turn affects patient outcomes.
The D.N.P. program will be an online program and will open in fall 2009. It will have two points of entry: post-baccalaureate and post-masters. Upon completion of the program, students will receive both a master's and a doctor of nursing practice degree. The program will have three advanced practice tracks: Pediatric, Adult and Family. All graduates from these tracks will be able to sit for certification as a Nurse Practitioner. Those post-baccalaureate students who decide not to pursue the D.N.P. may exit the program with a master's degree. MUSC will continue the master's degree programs in nursing administration and nursing education. For more information about the program, visit the College of Nursing Web site at www.musc.edu/nursing or contact Felicia Wright at 843-792-4622 or wrightfe@musc.edu.
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the south. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC is home to over 3,000 students and residents, as well as nearly 10,000 employees, including 1,300 faculty members. The MUSC College of Nursing educates 350 students in baccalaureate, master's and doctoral programs. www.musc.edu/nursing.
^Meeting Invitation
Lowcountry Advanced Practice Nurses Dinner Lecture Series
Title: Reconsidering Treatment of Late Life Depression
Location: Anson's Restaurant,
12 Anson St., Charleston, SC 29401
Date: Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Time: 6pm cocktails & networking, 6:30pm dinner & lecture
Speaker: Dr. Hill, professor of psychiatry at UNC Chapel Hill, Director of Inpatient Services, Board Certified in Adult and Geriatric Psychiatry
RSVP: Susan Garro (susangarro@bellsouth.net) by Friday, November 7, 2008