Valdosta State University College of Nursing. Dean s Notes. September 2010

Transcription

1 Valdosta State University College of Nursing Dean s Notes September 2010 A comment on the times, Life in the College of Nursing is certainly a balancing act. This year I propose we focus on strategies to make our work more efficient, more effective, more enjoyable, more rewarding. Helping each other, taking time to say thank you and good job!, looking for the positive, and being fearless in the face of uncertainty will be guiding my thoughts and hopefully my actions. Thank you all for helping me to be a better person each day. STATUS of the COLLEGE undergraduate students graduate students 3. New proposals for revised Nurse Practitioner Track, Clinical Nurse Leader Track and revised RN-BSN track in process 4. Faculty certifications in advanced practice, as Clinical Nurse Leaders, and as Certified Nurse Educators advance 5. Project Health Link Grant receives continued funding 6. Students are active in VANS, raising funds to attend convention this year 7. New Building funding approved 8. Preparing for accreditation visit spring Highest level of scholarly activity, publications, presentations, grant writing 10. Second cohort of Behavioral Health Program 11. Refined the document, Nurse Educator Competencies 1

2 RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 1. Recent thefts of electronic equipment in the College have necessitated increased vigilance and caution. a. Please take care to secure all offices and classrooms when not occupied. b. Any absence of equipment or supplies should be reported to Ms. Gunn immediately; do not assume that the equipment has been removed for servicing. RESOURCES 1. All tenure track faculty are encouraged to consider applying for Faculty Reassignment/Release Pool funds to support scholarly work in spring Applications must be submitted to the Dean for ranking by September 10. QUALITY Dr. Jim Humphrey and Ms. Arlene Corbitt were certified as Clinical Nurse Leaders this summer. Dr. Jim Humphrey, working on a Strategic Initiative Award, completed the proposal for the Clinical Nurse Leader Track this summer. Dr. Jim Humphrey served as the representative from the CON on the VSU Campus Academic Programs Review Committee. Dr. Selen Lauterbach s paper, In the Eye of the Storm has been accepted for presentation at the International Advanced Qualitative Methods Conference in Vancouver in October. She is currently working on a book chapter on qualitative research methodologies examining longitudinal phenomenological inquiry. Dr. Debbie Weaver has been invited to participate as an expert on simulation for the USG Faculty Development program September 10. Congratulations to Dr. Maura Schlairet and Dr. Melissa Benton on the research grant award to study the effect of age on outcomes of a resistance training program in breast cancer survivors. 2

3 Dr. Melissa Benton had her abstract, Effect of Single-Set Resistance Training on Quality of Life in Older Adults with COPD accepted for oral presentation at the 25 th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation October Dr. Anita Hufft had her abstract, Manipulation: Identification and Nursing Response in Victims and Perpetrators accepted for oral presentation at the International Association of Forensic Nursing October Dr. Anita Hufft was selected to serve on the planning committee for the AACN Baccalaureate Conference, fall Faculty are encouraged to submit abstracts to present. Dr. Anita Hufft received $66,000 to study behavioral health workforce needs related to client states and discipline-specific competencies in Georgia. She is being assisted by Dr. Linda Floyd. Ms. Michelle Ritter provided leadership to the Clamydia Project of the NP Students at the VSU Student Health Center. Ms. Arlene Corbitt received a Faculty Research Grant supporting her data collection in the study of the motivation and experience of men as nursing students. Dr. Maura Schlairet received IRB approval to study clinical judgment and critical thinking in beginning nursing students. Ms. Jennifer Quam, SDS student who graduated summer 2010, was selected to attend the IHI Leadership Institute in Boston summer She was provided partial support from the CON. Dr. Linda Floyd was elected Secretary to the statewide Regional Planning Board Leadership Council. She also represents Lowndes County at the statewide Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Leadership Council. Dr. Melissa Benton was approved as a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. I believe she is the only nurse in that distinguished organization! Mr. Myron Faircloth has continued political networking efforts on behalf of the CON, advanced practice nurses, and health access issues of the uninsured in Georgia. 3

4 Dr. Melissa Benton and Dr. Maria Whyte published their article, Progressive Resistance Training During Pregnancy: A Case Study Dr. Maura Schlairet published the article, Needs of Older Cancer Survivors in a Community Cancer Care Setting in the Journal of Gerontological Nursing. Ms. Kayla Good, VSU Nursing Student, was recognized for outstanding performance while assigned to the Partnership Health Clinic. Dr. Brenda Dyal was selected as a Scholar in the STTI Nurse Faculty Mentored Leadership Development Program. Ms. Arlene Corbitt and Mr. Jamie Holland received reassigned time for faculty scholarship from the Academic Scholarship Pool funds for fall PERFORMANCE 1. Special recognition to our graduates; our summer SDS seniors received accolades from the Sylvia Rayfield NCLEX Review instructor for their good behavior, ability to engage and ask good questions just being good students! Thank you faculty, for instilling professional behaviors! 2. Faculty members are requested to submit hard copies of their course grades, including the NUMBER GRADE each term. This will allow the archiving of interval level data and allow more in-depth analysis of performance indicators. THANKS. 3. Rates of student response to the electronic Student Opinion of Instruction (SOI) have declined. Please remind, encourage, support your students to complete these forms. Our tenure track faculty really need this documentation. Any suggestions for boosting participation are appreciated! Please access information at: 4. Thanks to Dr. Delane Flowers, Dr. Susan Wold and Dr. Brenda Dyal for taking on overload teaching assignments to cover teaching loads vacant due to Dr. Temple s leave, and reassigned time of Jamie Holland and Arlene Corbitt. 4

5 5. Administrative Charges to the CONFO Committees this year: a. NAC i. Propose revised RN-BSN curriculum track ii. Propose policies related to PLA iii. Recommend strategies for evaluation of clinical performance in the BSN program iv. Review academic program information on CON website and recommend changes and/or updates. b. Graduate Faculty i. Curriculum 1. Consider proposals for certificate programs in gerontological nursing and educator track 2. Propose CNL and revised NP curricula 3. Conduct/revise/complete needs assessments a. Family nurse practitioner b. Doctor of Nursing Practice c. A&P i. Implement CAS; recommend strategies for evaluation of system ii. Implement evidence-based admissions standards for basic BSN, SDS and RN-BSN program. iii. Standardize reports from Administrative Coordinator needed for decision making and policy development (decision grids) present to CONFO in April 2011 iv. Review CON website for all information related to admission criteria and process; progression and graduation information. d. FDPT i. Recommend dates for submission of Promotion and Tenure documents, dates for faculty forum on promotion and tenure, and dates for faculty scholarship day for inclusion on master calendar for spring 2011, summer 2011 and/or fall 2011 by end of September, ii. Collaborate with chair of CE Committee to recommend strategies for the evaluation of Professional Development (CE) programs for faculty in relation to mission and goals. 5

6 iii. Recommend professional development programs needed for junior and tenure track faculty. iv. Organize files for folder in CON Faculty Blazeview site to assist faculty in preparation of P&T dossier, links to relevant materials and examples of acceptable and exemplary faculty dossier contents. Include a timeline for advancement through ranks. v. Propose strategies to evaluate faculty clinical performance in practice. vi. Recommend whether we should consider a proposal for clinical (non tenure track) ranks in the CON. e. Program Evaluation i. Schedule focus groups for assessment of feedback from communities of interest, including alumni and employers. ii. Recommend dates for Faculty forums for 2011 by end of September, iii. Recommend changes or additions for the CON website and Blazeview on program evaluation. Confirm that summary data from all assessments done in Evaluation Plan are posted on Blazeview. f. Faculty Affairs i. Nominate faculty for teaching, service and scholarship excellence awards, collaborating with nominees to prepare dossiers. Assist in solicitation of support letters and other documents, etc. ii. Recommend internal CON awards, criteria and selection process for faculty recognition. iii. Review and recommend any needed changes to Faculty Handbook, especially in areas of advising. iv. Explore strategies to promote a healthy and productive workplace. v. Review faculty resources and sections of the CON website. g. Student Affairs i. Recommend strategies for collecting information from students on preferred strategies and environment for learning. 6

7 ii. Collaborate with VANS to increase membership and activity. iii. Collaborate with Honor Council (Dr. Floyd) to review and recommend changes to Honor Code and issues related to academic and/or professional misconduct. iv. Summarize activities and recommend resources needed to successfully conduct open houses and other marketing and PR events with prospective students and their families. v. Recommend scholarship recipients for before May 1, vi. Review the student relevant sites on the CON Website. h. Continuing Education Committee i. Implement, evaluate and report on two CE programs ii. Complete and submit application to GNA to be CE Provider i. Budget Advisory Group i. Propose strategies to balance budget and maintain productivity and effectiveness. ii. Recommend priorities for allocation of discretionary funds in the CON. POLICY UPDATES 1. Reminder Travel Related Reminders: a. While we are not currently using the PeopleSoft TAUTH for travel, the expenses module to be filed when returning from professional travel is accessed at: INSS/?cmd=login b. Travel authorization is required in advance of travel unless you have standing authorization for travel, which is applicable only to travel within the state of Georgia. c. The car cost/flight comparison is required for every traveler, regardless of the source of the funding for the travel. 2. Effective immediately, all students placed at Tift Regional Medical Center will be required to submit a copy of their immunization and TB records at the beginning of their clinical rotations. 7

8 3. Spring and summer 2011 master calendar and academic schedule is currently being developed. Please send any recommendations to me as soon as possible. Be ready to proof the drafts that come your way! 4. Student Permission Form for the retention of student work (needed for our CCNE Self Study) are available on the faculty website. Please use in conjunction when retaining examples of student work. 5. Reminder: Faculty and staff are not permitted to use state resources for personal gain. a. Inform the dean of any outside work while you are on contract as faculty b. All materials developed in your role as faculty are the property of VSU and should not be used for work at another institution c. Consultation, provision of services, etc. for compensation using state property or resources is not permitted d. If you are not sure ask me! 6. Effective Fall 2010, all undergraduate students are limited to five course withdrawals (W) grades for their entire enrollment at VSU. This does not apply for a student who withdraws from all classes in a semester before midterm. 7. Any employees who drive on institutional business (including travel to meetings and clinical sites) are subject to complete the Motor Vehicle Training, available on the Blazeview site. Effective September 1, 2010, Clinical Nurse Specialists are recognized as ARNP s across all specialties. EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES 1. I have requested Tuesday, December 14 as the next CNL Certification Exam date. I will update you as soon as I have confirmation. 2. The 2010 Nursing Faculty Conference will be held from 830 to 430 on Friday, September 10 webcast via WIMBA from GCSU. This is a wonderful opportunity to access nursing educator continuing education at no cost! 3. Carla Berg, PhD, a researcher from Emory, will be recruiting VSU students to participate in a study of ehealth Smoking Intervention. Please encourage students to participate if invited. 4. Thanks to Dr. Melissa Benton, who will be representing VSU at the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Committee meeting at the Board of Nursing on September 8. 8

9 A NOTE ABOUT CLASS CANCELLATION Each faculty is empowered to use their best judgment regarding the necessity of canceling a class due to extenuating circumstances such as inclement weather. Such closings are warranted when a faculty is unable to get to class because of conditions where they live, or in the case when a majority of students are unable to get to campus due to conditions where they live. In addition, there may be times when the designated clinical location for one group is open and another is closed due to weather or emergency events at the clinical site. Additionally, there may be times when inclement weather or an emergency closes the university, but students at remote clinical sites are able to continue the clinical day uninterrupted because those conditions are not occurring at that site. Procedures: You should initiate a phone tree to contact students regarding individual class cancellations. Please do not post signs in Martin Hall. This tends to send the message that the entire college is closed, confusing and causing anxiety among the students. Any postings should be done by the administrative staff and the Dean and the Associate Dean need to be informed in case there are questions from students or from central administration. The only time the College of Nursing is closed is when the university is officially closed, or by direction of the Dean. The Dean s Calendar Date Traveling to Purpose Responsibility 9/24 Atlanta PMHN Collaborative with GSU and MCG 10/7-11 TBA Forensic Nurse Core Curriculum Meeting (Tentative) Stephen Stephen 10/26-29 Pittsburgh IAFN Scientific Assembly Stephen 10/30-11/4 Washington, DC AACN Meeting Stephen 11/17-21 Orlando, FL AACN Bacclaureate Conference Stephen 9