Defining the Role of Nursing Amid Health Care Reform
Health care reform will dramatically change the way health care is delivered and financed in California. The California Institute for Nursing & Health Care (CINHC) has received a grant to take the lead in developing and defining the roles of nurses in this changing health care landscape, as it aligns exactly with CINHC's mission to transform the capacity of nurses to meet the evolving health needs of Californians. One part of the grant is to provide training in care coordination to nurses. CINHC is partnering with Western University of Health Sciences to offer a Care Coordinator Program beginning March 4, 2013. The Care Coordination Program prepares nurses to deliver and manage care, especially for vulnerable populations in both hospital and community settings across the care continuum. This program provides interactive seminars and preceptor-guided experiences over a 14-week period. Following the program, participants are intended to leverage these skills within their current or future positions.
WesternU nursing students attain 100 percent pass rate on the national RN Licensing board exam
Western University of Health Sciences Master of Science in Nursing Entry (MSN-E) students recently made history when all 50 entry-level nursing students passed the NCLEX exam to become a registered nurse (RN). The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) is an examination for the licensing of nurses in the United States. The 100 percent pass rate for these nursing students was a first in the eight-year history of the College of Graduate Nursing's (CGN) MSN-E program. The MSN-E program accepts students who have a bachelor's degree in non-nursing majors and have completed the required science prerequisites for the MSN-E program. Students complete four semesters of the pre-licensure training then take the NCLEX exam in December to become a registered nurse.
Call for Preceptors
The College of Graduate Nursing is interested in connecting with alumni who would be willing and are able to precept Family Nurse Practitioner students in their clinical rotations. We are interested in rotations in: Peds, Adult, Geri, Gyn and Obstetrics. Students can come through for 6 weeks or longer in a rotation—depending upon the limitations of the site. (e.g. My primary care clinical site requires a 1 year commitment of weekly sessions so that they benefit from an experienced student after the initial impacted learning curve—but any length of time is fine.) Even urgent care or skilled nursing sites are good for shorter rotations to build student skills and management techniques. At the site, students have to be able to take a history, do an exam, come to a diagnosis and create the management plan (job shadowing is not acceptable—we learn by doing!).
We are a Distance Program college and while the majority of our students are in Southern California, we have many students all across the country. DOs, MDs, NPs and Nurse Midwives have all mentored our students in the past.
Please consider giving back to our health care profession by mentoring those who will follow in your footsteps in the future. Please contact Diana Lithgow at dlithgow@westernu.edu if you are able to take a student in your clinical setting for any length of time!
Faculty News
Dr. Quannetta T. Edwards, CGN Associate Professor, FNP, WHNP, is a co-author of a recent article, "Integrations of Genomics in Cancer Care," published in a special genetics/genomics issue of The Journal of Nursing Scholarship (2013). This was an international and interprofessional collaborative effort with nurses and physicians from the National Institute of Oncogenomics, University of Sal Paulo, and Sao Paulo State University in Brazil and an advanced practice registered nurse in genetics from the City of Hope. As an adjunct to the article, contents of this work will also be one of a series of webinars coordinated by the National Institute of Health with a scheduled date for presentation of April 2, 2013.
Student News
MSN/FNP student Michelle Moricca's research article, "School Asthma Screening and Case Management: Attendance and Learning Outcomes," has been published in The Journal of School Nursing. Michelle will present her research at the National Association of School Nurses Conference in June 2013 in Florida.
Read the latest updates from the students themselves in the latest Student Government Association Newsletter.
Events
The WesternU Alumni Association hosted a dinner on Saturday, March 23 at the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa in Monterey during the California Association for Nurse Practitioners' Annual Conference. Nearly two dozen alumni, students, faculty, staff, and guests joined Assistant Dean Diana Lithgow to enjoy a complimentary dinner and a hosted bar.
April 18: WesternU's College of Pharmacy presents the Ray Symposium on campus. Dr. Patricia Crawford, RD, director of the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Center for Weight and Health at UC Berkeley, and a Cooperative Extension Nutrition Specialist, will present "Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention," at 5:30 p.m. in Lecture Hall 1 of the Health Education Center on WesternU's Pomona campus.
May 15: WesternU Alumni Networking Mixer, 7:00-9:00 p.m. at McCormick & Schmick's in Pasadena (111 N Los Robles). Meet up with other WesternU alumni and join us for an evening of complimentary appetizers, drinks and lively conversation. RSVP by May 10 to Austin Braunwalder.
May 15-17: WesternU's 32nd Commencement at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium
June 10: WesternU's 2013 Towne & Gown Golf Tournament, benefiting student scholarships, will be held Monday, June 10, 2013, at the Red Hill Country Club in Rancho Cucamonga.
July 13: Save the date to join your fellow alumni for complimentary drinks and snacks at WesternU's "Day at the Beach" in Malibu on Saturday, July 13, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
See a full list of upcoming events on the Online Alumni Events page.
For more information or to RSVP for these events, please contact the Alumni Office at (909) 469-ALUM or alumni@westernu.edu.
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