SCHOOL OF NURSING. The School is engaged in a systematic expansion of enrollment that will

Transcription

1 SCHOOL OF NURSING EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The School is engaged in a systematic expansion of enrollment that will span from 2003 until 2012, with projected growth from 500 students to 700 students. However, it should be noted that the 5% budget cuts may preclude the progression for enrollment expansion due to the need to reduce the use of part time clinical faculty. Enrollment as of fall 2007 is 655 and continued growth is planned for all programs in response to the national nursing and nursing faculty shortage. Because additional faculty in nursing are needed, the School will increase the size of the PhD program and will continue to cultivate its Doctor of Nursing Practice program which began in The latter program is designed to prepare nurse specialists at the level of a clinical doctoral program. There is a national goal of preparing more highly skilled clinical nurses who can both give and lead care. This goal has led the school to begin a program, called the Clinical Nurse Leader program, for college graduates to enter nursing at the master s level. In addition to enrollment growth, and the addition of two new degree programs, two key elements will be increasingly emphasized in all programs.. These elements include: (1) increased attention to diversity in the educational programs and in the composition of the student body and faculty and, (2) more opportunities for students and faculty to participate in global learning and Commission/Schools/Nursing/November

2 service experiences. Growth and program innovation will require construction and renovation of space, increased numbers of faculty and staff, as well as expansion and increased sophistication of technology. In order to meet our expansion goals, it is estimated that 6 faculty, 3 staff and 15 graduate teaching assistants (GAs) need to be added by Staff responsibilities for the new positions would include financial aid, information technology, diversity recruitment, retention of students, and support of faculty. Finally, an increase in GA positions would engage graduate students in both the teaching and the research missions of the School while engaging them in systematic mentoring by faculty. Additional scholarships and fellowships will be sought from private and institutional sources. While responding to the nursing shortage through increased enrollment, the School will simultaneously increase its research productivity. Increasing the intensity of the School s research environment by fulfilling the goals of additional tenure track faculty and staff positions will lead to greater research funding in a more complex, collaborative, interdisciplinary, multi-site, and competitive environment. In order for this to occur, space will be renovated to support the effective work of research teams comprised of faculty, staff, and students, and the infrastructure to support research will increase in terms of personnel, such as tenure track faculty, research faculty, statisticians, research scientists, and staff who can move the agenda forward. This expansion will contribute to the University s success in the recently submitted Clinical Commission/Schools/Nursing/November

3 Translational Science Award (CTSA) proposal, which mandates interdisciplinary research collaboration. TWO-YEAR PLAN The two year plan will include a significant focus on educational programs and service. Specifically, the School will implement the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program and, over time, migrate the current specialty master s programs into the DNP. This is part of a national move to have specialty education in nursing be part of a practice doctoral program. The DNP will decrease the size of the current master s program as the new doctoral program grows. Secondly, the School will increase enrollment in the new Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) Program. This program is designed to prepare nurses in the provision and leadership of clinical care. Enrollees hold an undergraduate degree in a field other than nursing, and this program replaces our previously successful Second Degree Program. The original clinical partner for this program has been the Medical Center, and this relationship has been strong, vital, and effective. In order to increase enrollment in the program, we will engage additional clinical partners since the clinical supervision provided by the facility is essential. The Medical Center will remain a vital and strong partner. In addition, the faculty will determine the feasibility of adding a 5 th -year Clinical Nurse Leader option for graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. The purpose Commission/Schools/Nursing/November

4 for these changes in programs and enrollment are to be at the forefront of new educational options in nursing in the US and the world while contributing to the education of new nurses and nursing faculty. Thirdly, the School intends to shape curricula to meet several social and health care needs. Curriculum changes include: 1) increasingly using technology in teaching and research, for example simulation, distance learning, virtual teaching and research environments 2) providing service-learning, clinical experiences in the U.S. and internationally, and enabling students to provide service to underserved populations while expanding their own nursing and health care knowledge. In order to meet the educational, and service goals of the School, space will be expanded. The School will construct and occupy the Claude Moore Nursing Education Building in May 2008 and will renovate McLeod Hall, the current home of the School. The McLeod Hall auditorium was renovated in the summer of The completion of these projects will enable the School to increase enrollment, provide space for more faculty and staff, and expand and more appropriately configure research and educational space. Another area of emphasis in the next two years will be on scholarship and research funding. The goals here are to: 1) increase extramural research funding by increasing the number of proposals funded and the size of the tenure-track Commission/Schools/Nursing/November

5 faculty; 2) expand the funding for research faculty and provide more support to those who can develop successful proposals; 3) design space to support research teams; 4) obtain funding to engage students as active members of research teams; and 5) increase the number of multi-site projects (as well as interdisciplinary teams). The School can accomplish these goals by further developing the research infrastructure and by providing the organizational and administrative support necessary for the success of more complex projects. During the next two years the School will expand and further develop its current Center for Rural Health Research. At present, this Center is federally funded as an exploratory Center. Since over 20% of people in the US live in rural areas, and there is a sizable rural population in Virginia, the School chose rural health care research as an area that would differentiate us from other schools. This interdisciplinary center has developed relationships with various rural communities in order to contribute to improving the health status of residents of those areas. These relationships include both education and research intended to help nurses and other health care providers more ably meet the many needs of the populations they serve. Specifically, changing systems of health care delivery, developing clinical interventions adapted to resources and needs of rural hospitals, clinics and health departments requires research to inform the nature of the changes. Improving quality of health care, ensuring patient safety and contributing to overcoming socioeconomic barriers will contribute over time to overcoming disparities in health care quality for rural people. The goal is for Commission/Schools/Nursing/November

6 this center to become in 6 to 10 years a center for global rural health research and education. SIX-YEAR PLAN Educational Programs & Service The School will continue the development of new programs and program expansion while synthesizing education, research, and public service with service learning, global health, care of the underserved, cultural competence, and diversity. Research Funding and Faculty We will stabilize the composition of the faculty in the face of a national faculty shortage and a large expected retirement rate over the next ten years, by increasing by 10% per year the number of faculty who hold 12-month contracts. Since more of the School s academic programs are on a 12-month schedule, this will increase the availability of faculty both to carry out the academic mission and to engage in research on a consistent basis. Also, as more faculty secure a consistent stream of research funding, they can be moved to 12-month appointments by covering their summer support for a minimum of 3 years. This will be accomplished by moving 10% of the faculty per year to 12-month positions supported by summer session payments, research funds, and addenda funds. Commission/Schools/Nursing/November

7 A major goal during this period is to complete the renovation of McLeod Hall so that the quality of the space in that building is equivalent to that in the Claude Moore Nursing Education Building. We hope to design and renovate the 4 th and 5 th floors, to provide state-of-the-art research space to support the work of the research centers. This project is in the design phase and funds are being raised for its completion. Support of essential features such as a sprinkler system and upgraded heating and air-conditioning are being supported by University funds. To build on the research goals, we will recruit four senior faculty (of the six mentioned on page 1) with distinguished research and teaching careers in areas of priority for the School. The expertise of these faculty should be consistent with School areas of strength, which will grow and develop with their expertise: cancer, gerontology, rural health, mental health, complementary therapies, and the areas designated for growth (cardiology and public health). We must expand our research infrastructure and achieve concomitant greater success in extramural funding. TEN-YEAR PLAN Big Idea 1 The most critical area for growth within the School relates to research. Our academic programs have a long and distinguished history of quality, and we intend to continue building on that quality while continuing to be innovative. Commission/Schools/Nursing/November

8 We also hope to begin new programs when opportunities exist and discontinue programs as priorities change. We must, however, become a more research intensive school. To do this we plan to build the senior ranks of the School with accomplished scholars who have significant research productivity and who can mentor junior faculty and students to help them become effective teachers and researchers. We will also transform what has historically been known as the Center for Nursing Research into the Research Center for Health Quality, Health Policy and Health Outcomes. A considerable amount of the research of current faculty falls into these areas. These areas are important for improving health care and have national funding priority. Specifically, The Research Center for Health Quality, Health Policy and Health Outcomes mission is to conduct nursing research related to promoting wellness aimed at: (1) informing the delivery of high quality care; (2) informing health policy and (3) improving health outcomes. By improving the quality and continuity of care among providers in different settings and along the continuum of healthcare, as well as through ongoing client follow-up and longitudinal studies, needed clinical and system interventions to facilitate successful patient self-care and community care will be developed. A particular focus is on improving health status and health care for underserved, rural, and/or minority populations through cost effective nursing and technology interventions and system improvements. Commission/Schools/Nursing/November

9 Collectively the School of Nursing includes experienced researchers conducting studies in the areas of health promotion, prevention of violence, cardiovascular risk reduction, mental health, oncology, aging, rural health, history, policy and in complementary and alternative therapies funded largely by NIH and other funding sources. The new center will provide overarching support for the integration and further development of nursing research and researchers to facilitate greater synergy and contributions towards promoting health, preventing disease and ensuring high quality care throughout the health care continuum of settings of care delivery. Because nurses work in every health care agency and in every community, the development of better nursing and health care clinical and system interventions can be disseminated and delivered through nurses. This will allow for more rapid transmission of research based care improvements into practice settings. Goals: This center will integrate and support the research in the School of Nursing and will facilitate the leadership by faculty in the SON of interdisciplinary research teams incorporating University wide expertise and collaboration. Commission/Schools/Nursing/November

10 The center will provide educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to be involved with faculty in evaluating health care outcomes and in developing strategies and interventions to improve health care delivery. Faculty and students will evaluate the cost-effectiveness (cost in relation to effectiveness of health outcomes) of nursing interventions and care. Research findings and implications for changes in clinical practices and in system delivery will be disseminated through conferences, workshops, and other communications. Big Idea 2 Since the development of substantial funded research is our major priority, our second goal is to build upon our current Center for Rural Health Care Research by creating a Center for Global Rural Health. This new center would be home to both service learning educational projects abroad and in the US as well as research. Goals: The center would expand attention to and understanding of the health care needs of a diversifying world while providing global service learning opportunities. Commission/Schools/Nursing/November

11 An initial aim is to develop sites for student learning, service work, and research that are part of an overall University plan and in which sustainability over time could be expected. The Center would be interprofessional since we ardently believe that when students from varying backgrounds and experiences learn together, the ways in which they practice throughout their careers is enriched. Likewise, when faculty teach and conduct research together they both learn new ways of working and also serve as role models for students. School of Nursing s Executive Summary RE 2-6- and 10-Year Plans in Support of the Commission on the Future of the University Commission/Schools/Nursing/November