NSU Horizons Spring/Summer 2008

19 horizons Patricia Dittman, R.N., M.S.N., Ph.D., CDE, graduate program director and assistant professor of nursing. In 2007, another master’s degree-level program was initiated to emphasize the importance of systems thinking in health care environments. Its creation was the result of a $250,000 grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida to start a Health Systems Leader- ship track. This track incorporates the latest American Nurses Credentialing Centers’ Magnet and the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations requirements. Those wishing to become nurse educators at the university level can matriculate in NSU’s Ph.D. in Nursing Education program, launched in 2007. Like the master’s degree program, the four-year doctoral program is offered only online. Emphasizing nursing research and higher education leadership in nursing, the doctor of philosophy in nursing education program is designed for students who want to educate future nurses or further nursing education as nurse scientists. One of the reasons why there is a shortage of nurses, Whitehead points out, is because of a critical shortage of professors and instruc- tors who teach nursing students. An increase in nurse educators will prepare more nurses for the health care industry. NSU’s nursing programs not only prepare students for health care careers, they also provide students with opportunities to make a difference in the community. Since 2003, NSU nursing students have been involved in the annual Glades Rural Education Awareness and Community Health (REACH) Fair and the Hendry/Glades Community Health Fair. The REACH Fair, a collaborative effort between HPD and other medical associations, is an interdisciplinary retreat focused on exposing students and faculty members to the practice of health care in rural areas. Nursing students, for example, have the chance to deliver health care services to the underserved migrant popula- tions of Belle Glade, Clewiston, and the surrounding area. They also promote health education and disease prevention. “The REACH Fair provides access to health care services to a population who otherwise would have no access to care,” said Peggy Davis, R.N., M.S.N., M.A.Ed., NSU assistant pro- fessor of nursing. “The fair also gives young people exposure to careers in health care, especially nursing. It’s a great benefit to the community.” Beyond the REACH Fair, nursing students have undertaken other community projects as part of the curriculum. In the fall of 2007, NSU nursing students attended a two-day training seminar called Tobacco Prevention and Interventions. Following the forum, they visited local elementary schools and educated more than 1,000 sixth graders about the negative effects of tobacco. NSU student-nurses also collaborate with the Area Health and Education Centers in a statewide effort to reduce teen- age smoking and tobacco use. During each holiday season, the senior class organizes a special food drive for the Cooperative Feeding Program of Broward County. The food and donations come pouring in, making a huge difference for the local homeless population. “One student even had the heart to make sandwiches and cookies with her family and distribute them on Christmas Eve at the Cooperative Feeding Center,” said Mary Ellen Mitchell- Rosën, R.N., M.S.N., assistant professor of nursing. Some students volunteered their time teaching health classes at a Fort Lauderdale charter school located in an economically challenged area. They dedicated six hours a day, teaching stu- dents good nutrition and hygiene. “I have wonderful students, faculty mem- bers, and a support staff who go the extra mile to make a difference in the community,” Whitehead said. The road ahead for the NSU Nursing Department looks bright because of support from top NSU and HPD administrators. Ray Ferrero, Jr., J.D., NSU president; Fred Lippman, R.Ph., Ed.D., HPD Chancellor; Richard E. Davis, Ed.D., PA-C, dean of the College of Allied Health and Nursing; and others across the university have demonstrated a strong commitment to nursing education, according to Whitehead. Their involvement has made it possible for the department to develop quality, innova- tive nursing programs. “Our goal now is to focus on making something good even better,” Whitehead concluded. n doctoral program community outreach Diane Whitehead, R.N., B.S.N., M.S.N., Ed.D., associate dean of nursing KEN MA IS NSU’S SENIOR PUBLIC RELATIONS COORDINATOR.