School of nursing news
Q&A with Dean Hurn
Jan 30, 2020The rollout of the U-M School of Nursing “We Dare” branding was one of the first major initiatives you implemented in 2020. Why was it such a priority for you to start the new year?
Dean Patricia Hurn: There are more than 900 nursing schools in the country, so for the U-M School of Nursing to attract the diverse and talented students, faculty and staff necessary to sustain the level of excellence we have worked very hard to achieve, it was clear to me that we needed to develop unified branding. Prospective nursing students have more educational choices than ever before, so it’s imperative... Read more
We Dare to Shape the Future
Jan 30, 2020For Lauren Underwood (BSN ’08), health care and politics were always part of the same conversation. At 33, she is the youngest African American woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is the first woman, first person of color and first millennial to represent Illinois’ 14th District. She’s been called a rising star in the Democratic Party and was recently listed on Time magazine’s “100 Next” list of influential people who are shaping the future. But at the heart of it all, Lauren Underwood is a nurse.
The politics of the professionIn fall 2018, Underwood... Read more
Measuring and improving cancer care: Nursing leads the way
Jan 27, 2020Written by: Christopher R. Friese and Alex J. Fauer
The challenge is daunting: The latest statistics suggest that nearly 1.8 million Americans will receive a cancer diagnosis in 2020 and over 600,000 will die from cancer in the same period. Despite impressive advances in cancer detection and treatment, far too few Americans receive high-quality, evidence-based cancer care, according to a National Academy of Medicine report. Even more concerning is that outcomes are often worse for members of racial/ethnic minorities, rural residents, individuals facing poverty,... Read more
We Dare to immerse students in clinical learning
Jan 20, 2020How do you create a culture around clinical simulation?
In 2015, when the University of Michigan School of Nursing opened its new building at 426 N. Ingalls St., it also unveiled the state-of-the art Clinical Learning Center (CLC). The center would be a high-tech hub for clinical simulation, boasting advanced training technologies and skills labs that bring students directly into a real-world clinical setting.
The CLC was designed to help nursing students at every level hone their clinical skills in an environment that replicates what they will encounter in the... Read more
We Dare to reimagine nursing education
Jan 15, 2020How do we bring a top-ranked nursing education into the digital space and make the Michigan difference more accessible?
The University of Michigan School of Nursing’s new online master’s programs are student-centered and faculty-driven, distinguished by an enhanced focus on connectivity. Students now have the opportunity to earn their MSN in the Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and Leadership, Analytics and Innovation specialties through a newly developed digital education curriculum.
These specialty programs were... Read more
We Dare to elevate the nursing profession
Jan 15, 2020When Olga Yakusheva’s mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she made an observation that would change her career. During multiple hospitalizations in her hometown of Almaty, Kazakhstan, her mother’s outlook, behavior and health status changed depending on who was in the room.
“The differences with nurses was noticeable day to day,” said Yakusheva. “When a certain nurse was taking care of her, my mother seemed to have better blood pressure and she felt better, slept better and ate better.”
The opposite was true with another nurse.
“She was a good nurse and... Read more
We Dare to inform health care policy
Jan 15, 2020How can we use research to reshape policy and transform the way we care for vulnerable populations?
Most adults ages 65 and older rely on Medicare. This population is living longer than ever before, and doing so with more chronic illness and functional limitations. Assistant Professor Geoffrey Hoffman, Ph.D., MPH, is using his research on falls, caregiving and hospital readmissions to push for policy change and rethink the way we provide care to older adults.
Hoffman’s analyses show systemic concerns. He estimates that Medicare spends $10 to $20 billion per year on falls... Read more
We Dare to strengthen women's health care
Jan 15, 2020How does a nurse make a difference in their community?
Growing up in Flint, Nafisah McClendon, MSN, CNM, FNP-BC, realized she wanted to be a nurse, but her own pregnancy sparked a passion to become a nurse-midwife. She came to the University of Michigan driven by a desire to help women in the city she calls home.
As McClendon studied to become a nurse at the University of Detroit Mercy, midwifery wasn’t a career path she ever considered. But when she found out she was pregnant, something changed.
“Once I got pregnant, it sparked something, and I decided if I’m... Read more
We Dare to achieve our best
Jan 15, 2020Where would you go to pursue your passion?
BSN student Hayley Flores grew up hearing stories of the dedicated NICU nurses who provided lifesaving care to her brother when he was born prematurely. She came to the University of Michigan from Santa Clarita, California, to pursue the dream of becoming a NICU nurse herself.
“I’ve always looked up to nurses, and understanding the impact they’ve had on my family made me want to become one,” Flores said.
Flores also draws inspiration from her father. Raised in poverty by a single mother, he became an educator and has... Read more
U-M School of Nursing faculty members contribute to award-winning book on evidence-based practice
Jan 14, 2020A new book co-authored by Rhetaugh G. Dumas Endowed Professor Marita Titler, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, has received third place in the American Journal of Nursing’s 2019 Book of the Year Awards in the Advanced Practice category. The book’s contributing authors include U-M School of Nursing Clinical Assistant Professor Barbara Medvec, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Clinical Associate Professor Christine Anderson, Ph.D., RN, and Michigan Medicine’s Director of Nursing Research, Quality and Innovation Leah Shever-Doletzky, Ph.D., RN.
“Evidence-based Practice for Nursing and Healthcare Quality,” published by... Read more
