Creating a Healthier Society through Nursing Research,

Education, and Practice

Ellen Olshansky, DNSc, RN, WHNP-BC, FAANProfessor & Director, UC Irvine Program in Nursing Science

Objectives

Key concepts that are foundational to nursing

Describe the Program in Nursing Science at UC Irvine, including vision, mission, and strategic goals

Discuss how UCI Program in Nursing Science is contributing to the health of the public through several initiatives and the scholarship of the faculty

Foundations of Nursing

Evidence-based/scientific healthcare practice

Focus on environment

Holistic health, understanding mind-body connection

Family and Community health; health promotion

Concern with public health: poverty, civil rights and voting rights, housing reform = social determinants of health

American Hospice movement was started by Florence Wald

Changing Demographic: Men in Nursing

Though men represent only 5.8% of the U.S. nursing workforce, the percentage of men in baccalaureate and master’s nursing programs are 10.4% and 8.9%, respectively.

In doctoral programs, 7.1% of students in research-focused programs and 10.2% of students in practice-focused programs are men.

How Did UCI’s Program in Nursing Science Get Here?

A Compelling Case for Growth, January 2007: Report of the Advisory Council on Future Growth in the Health Professions: Recommended substantial growth in nursing education

programs at UC Focus on graduate education as well as on BSN education

with the intent that undergraduate students will not only contribute to alleviating the nursing shortage at the bedside, but will also go on to earn graduate degrees in nursing (to contribute to alleviating the nursing faculty shortage as well)

Ensuing Challenges

Severe budget cuts in the state of California

$100,000,000 donation to UC Davis in July 2007 from the Betty Irene Moore Foundation to establish a School of Nursing

Academic Nursing is new to UC Irvine, creating the challenge (and opportunity) to develop increased understanding and awareness of who we are

Overcoming some of the negative stereotypes of nursing

Meeting the Challenge

Approved in 2006 by the UC Board of Regents and the California State Board of Nursing

First cohort of students matriculated September 2007 (these students were in their 3rd year of study because they were transfer students from other majors at UCI)

CCNE accreditation for BSN program April 2009

First BSN graduates June 2009

Meeting the Challenge (cont)

Masters in Nursing program approved by UC Board of Regents in 2009 and by California State Board of Nursing

First class of MS students matriculated September 2009

CCNE accreditation for MS program anticipated April 2011

Anticipate our first graduating class of MS students in June 2011

PhD proposal is developed and currently under review

Our Faculty

7 tenure/tenure-track faculty

5 full-time clinical faculty

4 part-time clinical faculty

~20 part-time clinical instructors

Recruiting for 2 tenure-track faculty

UC Irvine Nursing Students

Program in Nursing ScienceVision and Mission

UCI Program in Nursing Science, through its integrative, collaborative, and relational approach, will contribute to excellence in nursing and healthcare delivery/clinical practice, scholarship, policy, leadership to improve the health of the Orange County communityand beyond.

We emphasize community engagement, collaboration, and compassion as we teach our students to: deliver integrative/holistic nursing care to our citizens in our myriad

communities that is founded on scientific evidence and human caring, contribute to the scholarship of nursing through scientifically based

translational research that is disseminated widely, and become leaders in health policy, education, research, and healthcare delivery

Goals of UCI Nursing Science

Full partners with our colleagues in other healthcare disciplines and colleagues in other fields

National/international leaders in nursing and healthcare

Contribute to alleviating the nursing shortage and nursing faculty shortage

Engagement in the community; community health

Promote cutting-edge translational research

Become a School of Nursing

What is Academic Nursing?

Relationship with biomedical community

Relationship with social sciences, social ecology, humanities, law

National Institute of Nursing Research/NIH

American Association of Colleges of Nursing

American Academy of Nursing

Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science

Suzanne Leider Lecture Series

Symposia Series on Optimal Healing/Integrative Health

Mentoring Program for Students

Gardening and Healthy Eating Program

Association for Advancement of Nursing Science & Research (AANSR)

UniHealth Grant – Clinical Nurse Educator Program (CNEP)

Global collaboration: Taipei, Switzerland, Korea, Poland

Specific Initiatives at UCI

Initiatives (Cont)

Development of Nursing Alumni Association

Development of Sigma Theta Tau International Chapter; Alpha Tau Delta

UCI Flu Clinic

Active participation in ICTS (funded by NIH CTSA Award)

UC Nursing System-wide collaboration

UCI Nursing Science Center for the Advancement of Women’s Health

Faculty Accomplishments

Sarah Choi KL2 award from UCI’s NIH-funded Clinical Translational Science Award (Institute for Clinical Translational Research)

Alison Holman – Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar; post-traumatic stress, genetics

Jill Berg – honored as community researcher through the ICTS in 2010 – asthma in the Latino community

Ruth Mulnard – runs clinical trial research on Alzheimer’s Disease; Assoc Director of ICTS

Jung-Ah Lee – studies prevention of deep vein thrombosis

Faculty Accomplishments (cont)

Lorraine Evangelista – prevention of heart failure

Ellen Olshansky – women’s health across the lifespan; community based research; qualitative research

Susan Tiso, Susanne Phillips, Camille Fitzpatrick, Karen Deck, Beth Haney – maintain practice as nurse practitioners

Maureen Movius, Bernadette Milbury, Kathy Saunders – studying simulation as a clinical educational tool

We are Prepared to Meet the Challenges Ahead!

Stay focused and motivated

Work as a team

Work with our inter-disciplinary colleagues

The Gallop Poll every year since 1999 except after 9/11 (when firefighters were voted most trusted),  has found nurses to be the most trusted profession