THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR “FELLOW” NURSES
A PROMISING PARTNERSHIP By Kristyn Kent-Wuillermin
By Christine Aromando, M.A. ’06 Recently, the College of Nursing solidified a five-year articulation program in collaboration with Montclair State University (MSU)’s biology department, beginning in the 2012-13 academic year. It is a dual-degree program in which enrolled MSU students complete a B.S. in biology from MSU and earn an M.S.N. from Seton Hall University.
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hey are 1,900 of the most accomplished individuals in the nursing profession. They are also leaders and among the nation’s most highly educated citizens; more than 80 percent of these men and women hold doctoral degrees, while the rest have completed their master’s. Each day, they live their careers with a clear mission: to serve the nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis and dissemination of nursing knowledge. They are the members of the American Academy of Nursing. Founded in 1973, the Academy relies on its members, known as Fellows, to enhance health outcomes and the healthcare delivery system through their expertise, innovative solutions and partnerships. New Fellows are inducted each year at the Academy’s Annual Meeting and Conference. According to Joanne Disch, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, president of the Academy, the 2012 Class of Fellows included 176 new inductees. Seton Hall University College of Nursing currently boasts 22 alumni who have been inducted into the Academy, and several more faculty members including Dean Phyllis Hansell, Ed.D., R.N., FAAN, who was inducted in 2001, and Mary Ellen Roberts, D.N.P., R.N., APN, C, FAANP, FAAN, who was part of the 2012 Class of Fellows. What follows are highlights of some inducted alumni. Veronica F. Rempusheski ’75, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, FGSA, is the first nurse in South Carolina to receive American Nurses Association certification in gerontological nursing. Rempusheski conducted research with Linda Phillips, Ph.D., R.N., on decision-making in elder abuse and neglect that was published in Nursing Research in 1985 and was identified as a scientific breakthrough. She is currently the Jeanne K. Buxbaum Chair of Nursing Science at the University of Delaware. Richard Hader, M.S.N. ’87, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, has led the effort for Meridian Health to be the first health system in the country to receive the Magnet Award – the highest level of national achievement a nursing organization can receive from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. He is the senior vice president and chief nursing officer at Meridian Health, as well as editor-in-chief of Nursing Management. Robert G. Hess Jr., M.S.N. ’88, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, has done extensive research involving the development of the only current valid and reliable instruments that measure governance by professionals in healthcare organizations. Researchers, consultants and administrators have used these instruments to assess, implement and evaluate shared governance programs and to pursue
Magnet status in almost 200 hospitals and healthcare systems. He is currently executive vice president of global programming for Gannett Healthcare Group and leader of Gannett Education. Toni J. Sullivan ’62, Ed.D., R.N., FAAN, dean of the University of Missouri’s School of Nursing, achieved the ambitious design of a new model of senior health care called Aging in Place. She also co-chaired for over two years a statewide project in Missouri to develop collaborative practice guidelines for physicians and nurses, resulting in a book titled Collaboration: A Health Care Imperative. Mary Ann Christopher, M.S.N. ’82, R.N., FAAN, saw the Visiting Nurse Association Health Group grow from a twocounty provider to a statewide asset, developing a broad array of programs, including clinics for the poor and a mobile nursing program to the deinstitutionalized mentally ill. She is now president and CEO of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, the largest not-for-profit community-based home healthcare organization in the United States. She is also a Seton Hall University regent.
The agreement initially targets biology majors at MSU, who upon meeting admission criteria, can matriculate into the Master’s Entry – Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) program at Seton Hall. Once the process is streamlined, the schools anticipate enrollment from other science majors at MSU. The programs complement each other; enrollees are able to complete their undergraduate degree, earn their M.S.N. and become licensed as registered nurses in five years. Students complete their baccalaureate credit requirements – as well as their CNL prerequisites – at MSU, and then continue in the CNL program at Seton Hall. The CNL program prepares students for an advanced generalist role in nursing as they learn to improve safety and quality outcomes for patients
and to provide cost-effective care. Students are eligible to sit for the CNL certification exam during the summer prior to graduating. The two universities will also partner on research opportunities. The affiliation includes a Speaker Exchange Series in which faculty, staff and students present their research topics at both schools which, besides introducing students to diverse and engaging topics, also promotes dialogue among faculty and the opportunity to discuss shared research interests. So far, the speakers have included Diana Thomas, Ph.D., associate professor within the Department of Mathematical Sciences at MSU, who presented her research on body composition models for use within energy balance equations. Ann Marie DiLorenzo, Ph.D., professor of biology and molecular biology at MSU, shared her research on the effects of World Trade Center dust on cells grown in culture. The College of Nursing looks forward to cultivating this partnership with MSU as both universities continue to grow and evolve.
BUILDING A COMMUNITY-ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIP TO MEET
COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE NEEDS
Even with the impressive backgrounds of these esteemed individuals, becoming an Academy Fellow is no easy task. Jocelyn Cunic, the Academy’s membership manager, states that applicants undergo an extensive application and review process. Among other criteria, they must demonstrate significant contributions to nursing and health care, and they must be sponsored by two current Fellows.
By Eileen Toughill, Ph.D., R.N., APN, CNL; Judith Caruso, D.N.P., M.B.A., R.N., NEA-BC, FACHE; and Mary Ellen Roberts, D.N.P., R.N., APN, C, FAANP, FAAN
Being an Academy Fellow, says Sullivan, is enriching and provides a certain validation of your professional self. Hess echoes her sentiment: “Holding membership in the Academy gives you a certain status in the minds of nurses that just is not to be had through any other affiliation.” And what specific role can the Academy play in one’s career? For Hader and Christopher, it has allowed them to work with nursing leaders with invaluable experience and mentorship. Rempusheski muses on what the Academy has done for her particular research focus: “I’ve collaborated with nurse leaders in aging as a member of the Expert Panel on Aging, and I continue to be inspired by the passion and dedication of my colleagues.”
This community-academic partnership involves two SMA programs: the Urban Healthcare Initiative Program (UHIP), which works with faith communities in Newark and surrounding communities, and the Senior Housing Outreach Program (SHOP), which provides services for older adults living in low income housing in Bergen, Paterson and Essex counties. Through these programs, nurse practitioners lead interdisciplinary mobile assessment teams of nurses, social workers, medical assistants and outreach workers to create a healthcare home for at-risk individuals with chronic health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and respiratory disease. The team provides on-site primary care services, including assessment and testing, diagnosis, treatment and referral to necessary services. The overall goals are to reduce disparities in healthcare access and delivery, improve health outcomes and reduce cost of care.
Looking ahead, the Academy has four strategic goals that it will strive to achieve within the next few years, involving the advancement of evidencebased innovations, the influence of health policy, the promotion of knowledge development and the establishment of a policy-ready infrastructure. One might say that with such an impressive group of Fellows at the helm, the Academy is in a great position to achieve each and every one of them.
The UHIP and SHOP sites will be utilized as faculty practice and clinical sites for entry-intopractice and advanced practice students. It is anticipated that clinical nurse leader and doctoral students will participate in program development and research activities.
Seton Hall University College of Nursing, in a collaboration initiated by Dean Phyllis Hansell, is partnering with Salerno Medical Associates (SMA) to improve health care in the community.
As part of this partnership, College of Nursing faculty and students have also developed a 10-week health educational program for community leader volunteers. The healthcare series will be rolled out in Fall 2012 and will educate and empower community leaders to become disseminators of health information in their communities. Based on the Chronic Care Model of care provision and the self-efficacy theory, the community-academic program is designed to support health promotion, use of healthy behaviors and each patient’s ability to direct and improve his/her own health.
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