Undergraduate student Stay in Place order

U-M School of Nursing undergraduate students, faculty and staff,

Today, the Washtenaw County Health Department, in collaboration with the university, issued a 14-day Stay in Place order for our undergraduate students. We fully support this action, as it enhances protections for our students and the welfare of our community. The university is also implementing steps beyond the order out of an abundance of caution and to provide choices for students and instructors.

First of all, thank you to each of our students for your commitment to a public health-informed fall and return to campus. You have done so well to protect yourselves and your fellow students, as well as the faculty and staff members who are giving their all to get you through and on to future success.

The actions taken by the county health department and our university don’t emphasize all the successes. Thank you for all of the great work, kindness and care that you bring to the school every day.

Second, please know that your goals as a student are not derailed by the Stay in Place order. As undergraduate nursing students, you likely will not experience great changes in your program of study as the term continues. All of your classes that can be remote are already in place. Your faculty members continue to work to make sure you learn the skills, judgment and knowledge necessary for success regardless of whether the course is virtual or in person. Clinical courses and placements that require your in-person attendance on-site continue without change. We are wonderfully fortunate that our clinical partners, including Michigan Medicine and many others, fully support having students on-site and remain committed to your learning in the journey of becoming a nurse. 

In the event there is a modification to your current course format, your faculty members will be reaching out to you. If you do not hear from them, please plan to continue your courses, labs and clinicals in their current formats. Additionally, the Clinical Learning Center remains open for practice time. Please follow the processes already in place for reserving space during the designated times.  

Having said this, I recognize that being under a Stay in Place order is frustrating, inconvenient, lonely, saddening or any other adjective you could use to describe what you are feeling right now. Now, more than ever, with our new way of navigating life, it is essential that we engage in self-care throughout this time. Please remember there are resources here at the School of Nursing and at the university to help you engage in healthy self-care. 

You may also have questions related to student housing and myriad other topics that affect your student experience on campus. Michigan Housing can help you navigate those issues, and our Student Life team can direct you to resources for many other questions you may have.

I urge you to take the Stay in Place order very seriously and follow the extensive social distancing that is necessary to bring things to a better state. We will get through this together as a U-M School of Nursing community as we remain committed to one another and the patients and families we serve.  

Patricia D. Hurn, Ph.D., RN
Dean and Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing
Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
College of Literature, Sciences and the Arts

Dana Tschannen, Ph.D., RN
Clinical Professor
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, School of Nursing