University of Portland Students Raise Money To Install Fireplace At Long Term Care Facility

Two University of Portland juniors, nursing students Kelsey Jensen and Emily Mues, raised nearly $800 to install a new fireplace for Marquis Care at Powellhurst, a skilled nursing and long term care center. Powellhurst, located in Portland at 13033 SE Holgate Blvd., will host a ‘lighting ceremony’ for the new fireplace at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 23.

"Kelsey and Emily have done an excellent job putting this together to make a big difference in the everyday lives of many people,” said nursing professor Aaron Tabacco. “These astute student nurses were not only able to see possibilities to serve, but had faith to take action. I am incredibly proud of what they have achieved."

Jensen and Mues worked at Powellhurst as part of a class requirement during the fall semester of 2009. The pair was looking for methods to enhance the environment of care and noticed an out-of-code and unusable fireplace in the main dining room, which hosts all of Powellhurst’s meals and many of its activities. They began a fundraising drive and teamed with a local company, Fireside Co., to install a brand new electric fireplace in time to celebrate Christmas.

“The fireplace is going to make a huge difference,” said Powellhurst administrator Jennifer Hagen. “Everyone is extremely excited. The staff welcome the students and were happy to teach them, and soon realized how engaged the students were. There has been a great connection between the staff and students.”

The Powellhurst staff plans to place a plaque near the new fireplace to honor the University and its nursing students.

"Powellhurst is a small facility that often provides services to otherwise undeserved populations,” said Tabacco. “It is a joy to bring our student nurses to this facility to participate in such a place. Installing a new fireplace may serve as a symbol of the home and family environment here and the very warm feelings we share."

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Dr. Warner Selected to Chair New Task Force on The Essentials of Master’s Education for Advanced Generalist Nursing Practice

Dr. Joanne Warner has been selected to chair a new Task Force on The Essentials of Master’s Education for Advanced Generalist Nursing Practice. In September 2008, the AACN Board of Directors created the Task Force and finalized their charge. The task force will develop a document that delineates the essential professional nursing competencies that should be acquired upon graduation from a master’s program for advanced generalist nursing. Members will seek a wide range of opinions and feedback from representatives of higher education, professional nursing education and practice, and consumers in developing its recommendations. The new Master’s Essentials will address articulation of the entry-level generalist nurse to advanced generalist education and the advanced generalist to doctoral education, either the DNP or the PhD. Other Task force members include:  Linda Thompson Adams, Oakland University; Lynn Babington, Northeastern University (CCNE Liaison); Jean Bartels, Georgia Southern University; Joyce Batchellor, Seton Family of Hospitals; Patricia Martin, Wright State University; and David Reyes, Public Health – Seattle & King County Washington (Public Health Practice Liaison).

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Carol Craig Appointed as Associate Dean

The School of Nursing is pleased to announce the appointment of Carol Craig as Associate Dean for undergraduate programs effective October 20, 2008.

Dr. Craig comes to us from Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU), Klamath Falls School of Nursing (SON) where she was Director of Academic Programs. Carol directed the expansion of the Klamath Falls SON undergraduate program by 50%, raised over a half million dollars in community support for the nursing program, developed their simulation center and was a lead author on the School of Nursing’s strategic plan for the four OHSU campuses. Prior to OHSU, she was Co-Chair of the graduate program at Northern Arizona University and Project Director at the Flagstaff Community Free Clinic. She received her baccalaureate and master’s nursing degrees from the University of Alaska and a doctoral degree in nursing from the University of Colorado.

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University of Portland named nation’s “Best Nursing School for Men” by American Assembly for Men in Nursing

The University of Portland today was named the nation’s “Best Nursing School for Men” by the American Assembly for Men in Nursing. The award is being presented tonight to the University at the annual AAMN conference in New Orleans.

 “The University of Portland has been recognized for the significant efforts in recruiting and retaining men in the school and providing a supportive educational environment,” said Demetrius Porche, president of AAMN.

 Xavier Champagne, a senior nursing student from Tualatin, was chosen to represent the University in New Orleans to accept the award.

The University’s School of Nursing was cited for its growth in enrollment of male nursing students and graduates and its ongoing support for educating males in a field traditionally dominated by females.           

“We are very proud that our efforts have yielded a 75 percent increase in the number of men enrolled in the School of Nursing over the past five years, and an 88 percent increase in the number of men graduating from the School of Nursing since 2003,” said nursing professor Chad O’Lynn. “These increases come at a time when male enrollment and graduation from baccalaureate programs nationwide have remained relatively flat over the same time period.”

O’Lynn praised the past efforts of the late Terry Misener, who passed away last year during his ninth year as the University’s dean of the nursing. Misener, according to O’Lynn, was instrumental in establishing an environment conducive to the recruitment and retention of male nursing students, the scholarship of men in nursing, and leadership and innovation of nursing education excellence.

Joanne Rains Warner, the current dean of nursing, said that the University will begin awarding grants this year from the School of Nursing’s Terry Misener Memorial Fund – “a bittersweet process of continuing the legacy of our remarkable past dean.”

The University also is pursuing grants for innovative strategies to attract and support men through nursing school and transition into professional practice. In addition, the School of Nursing’s Executive Committee has endorsed an explicit goal to foster the University of Portland’s “national recognition as a leader in supporting men in nursing,” according to Warner.

“Our commitment is sustained and ongoing,” she said.

The AAMN is a national organization designed to provide a framework for nurses as a group to meet, discuss, and influence factors which affect men as nurses.

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Leadership and Innovation Symposium 2008, Graded Simulations: Objective Evaluation of Clinical Performance

Welcome to an exciting day of learning! We have planned this symposium to provide theoretical and practical information on Clinical Assessment Simulations (CAS). This innovative use of simulation was developed to objectively evaluate clinical performance. Bedside clinical experiences are both unpredictable and random, making it challenging to objectively measure clinical performance against programs outcomes and standards of care. Simulation is an excellent strategy for direct observation and evaluation of affective, cognitive and psychomotor skills. Through the use of high-fidelity simulation, faculty and staff development coordinators are able to purposefully create and control realistic patient care scenarios with a focus on summative evaluation of learning. This symposium will define the concept of clinical assessment simulation and describe the processes for developing, refining, and implementing leveled clinical assessment simulations within both nursing programs and healthcare systems. We look forward to working with you to help operationalize this strategy in your own settings.

 At the completion of this symposium, you will be able to:

1. Discuss and reflect on the rationale and purpose of graded simulations.
2. Review theoretical frameworks and processes for designing and implementing simulations with a focus on evaluating student learning.
3. Utilize and evaluate a CAS grading rubric designed by the University of Portland for senior level BSN students in a medical/surgical course.
4. Discuss options for working with participants who demonstrate variable levels of competence.
5.  Reflect on CAS data and how this data informs curriculum/competency development.

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Joanne Rains Warner appointed as dean of University’s School of Nursing

University of Portland president Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., has appointed Joanne Rains Warner as dean of the School of Nursing, effective immediately.

Warner has served as interim dean since last June, following the sudden death of dean Terry Misener, who held that position since coming to the University in 1998. The appointment follows an extensive search to fill the vacancy.

Warner had been associate dean in the School of Nursing since January 2006 after joining the University faculty in August 2005.

“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Warner as our University’s newest dean,” says Beauchamp. “Since coming to the University more than two years ago, she has played a critical role in helping move our School of Nursing to national prominence.”

Warner is a nationally recognized expert in health policy with an extensive background in community health and nursing education. She previously served the Indiana University system as the dean at Indiana University East and then as graduate dean and director of the doctoral program at Indiana University School of Nursing.

Warner earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a master’s degree in medical-surgical nursing from the University of Iowa, and a doctorate of nursing science in health policy and health of community from Indiana University.

She is widely published in the areas of political competence, health policy and nursing education, and has extensive experience in obtaining funding for nursing education. She is a graduate of the Summer Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration at Bryn Mawr College and was a Public Health Primary Care Policy Fellow. Warner has received multiple awards for distinguished public service, which included her national leadership for the Friends Committee on National Legislation. She has been active in cross-cultural programs and in international teaching positions.

Warner attended a national gathering last fall of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in Washington, D.C., where the University’s School of Nursing was recognized for its innovations.

The University was cited for its Dedicated Education Unit Clinical Teaching Model and the Providence Scholarship Program to support an increased nursing workforce. Also cited were the University’s Clinical Nurse Leader program and newly created Doctorate of Nursing Practice program. AACN also applauded the school’s creative uses of simulation in both faculty development and student training.

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The University of Portland’s School of Nursing Receives Two National Awards

The University of Portland School of Nursing received two of six national awards that were presented this week at the semi-annual meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in Washington, D.C

The first honor bestowed on UP was the Innovations in Professional Nursing Education Award that was inspired by Terry Misener, the University of Portland’s nursing dean who passed away last summer.

Innovations cited include the University’s Dedicated Education Unit Clinical Teaching Model, and the Providence Scholarship Program to support an increased nursing workforce. Also cited were the University’s Clinical Nurse Leader program and newly created Doctorate of Nursing Practice program. AACN also applauded the school’s creative uses of simulation in both faculty development and student training.

“To receive AACN’s inaugural award for innovation was a high honor,” noted interim nursing dean Joanne Warner, who accepted the awards. “It was fitting to celebrate Terry as a brilliant sparkplug for these innovative ideas, and equally important to honor the courageous team of faculty and staff who provide the engine to accomplish them.”

UP School of Nursing also received the AACN/Hartford Institute Award for Exceptional Baccalaureate Curriculum in Gerontologic Nursing. Accepting this award were nursing professors Karen Cameron and Casey Shillam, who provide leadership in the School of Nursing’s Client Partner Project.

“The project introduces beginning nurses to older adults and strengthens geriatric content in our courses,” says Warner. “Other schools want to replicate this model of elder client partners as ‘first teachers.’ Accepting these prestigious awards was a proud moment for UP.”

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Dedicated Education Unit: An Innovative Clinical Teaching Model Symposium

We are pleased to report that the DEU National Symposium held July 22, 2007; was a great success! What a proud day for the School of Nursing; Approximately 100 nurse educators and service providers attended from all across the nation….Alaska to Georgia to New York to California and places in between….to hear the story of our partnership in education and service. Feedback included statements like: “great job”, “valuable day”, “It went too quickly, I could have listened for hours more”, “Well worth the trip”, “Congrats on a creative and well organized approach to clinical teaching. The day was dedicated to Dean Terry Misener, and we could tell his fingerprints were all over the origin and fostering of this fabulous model. We could feel Terry smiling and loving it.

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The School of Nursing Mourns the Passing of Dean Terry Misener

Terry Misener, Dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Portland since 1998, passed away on May 30, 2007.  We thank you for the many expressions of sympathy received over the loss of our Dean. Dean Misener's memorial was on June 4 in Christ the Teacher chapel on the University of Portland campus. Faculty, staff, students, and family and friends gathered to remember and celebrate the life we called Terry Misener.

Originally from Iowa, Dr. Misener began his nursing education with a diploma from the Broadlawns Polk County Hospital School of Nursing in Des Moines in 1964. He obtained a BSN from the University of Colorado in 1966 and became a Family Nurse Practitioner after completing a Master’s degree at the University of California (Davis) in 1973. His Ph.D in Nursing Science was from the University of Illinois in Chicago. Dr. Misener was a veteran of 22 years in the Army Nurse Corps, having retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Dr. Misener’s life was full of many outstanding achievements and awards. He was a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and former president of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). In 1994, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioners bestowed on him their Outstanding Teacher Award. In 2003, he received the prestigious Luther Christman award from the American assembly for Men in Nursing to honor his lifelong work to promote nursing as a non-gender specific profession. Dr. Misener was nationally known and respected among nursing educators for his creativity, visionary thinking and promotion of excellence in nursing and health care. He was the Chair of AACN’s national steering committee for the Clinical Nurse Leader program. This past academic year he spearheaded a successful proposal to initiate a DNP program here in the School of Nursing, one of the first of its kind in the nation.

Formerly married, he leaves a son and 3 grandchildren, as well as his mother and two sisters. He loved traveling the world and enjoyed cooking and experiencing all kinds of foods. His guiding presence, humor and wit, and the wisdom of his many years experience will be much missed by faculty and students alike.

We thank you for the many expressions of sympathy received over the loss of our Dean. On Monday, June 4 at 2:00 pm in Christ the Teacher chapel on the University of Portland campus, we will gather with family and friends to remember and celebrate the life we called Terry Misener.