The Academic Leader Judy Honig, associate dean for academic and student affairs at Columbia Nursing and pediatric nurse practitioner, calls herself a “lifelong learner.” She has an impressive collection of degrees that attest to her dedication to educational advancement: She is a registered nurse, certified pediatric nurse practitioner, and pediatric primary care mental-health specialist, and has two doctorates, one in nursing practice and one in education. “I think I got a new degree every five years,” she said only half-joking. Still, Honig felt that something was missing. Ultimately, it came to her: a doctoral degree for nurses like herself who weren’t interested in becoming hospital administrators, health policy experts, or researchers but instead wanted to attain the highest level of expertise in clinical practice. “Clinical practice is what centers me, it’s the reason I went into nursing,” said Honig. “Had there been an option for a clinical doctorate, I would have taken it.” That Columbia Nursing now offers such an option is due in no small part to Honig’s commitment and passion. She played an integral part in the design and implementation of the school’s doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree. And she served on two national task forces charged with defining the essential competencies for graduates of a clinical doctoral program. Columbia Nursing admitted its inaugural class of 20 nurse practitioners into the DNP degree program in 2004—the first such program in New York and one of only a handful in the nation. “It took a long time for us to get members of the university’s senate to understand our program because it was a degree no one had ever heard of,” said Honig. Although the concept of a DNP had enthusiastic support from many physicians and university colleagues, there were a few dissenters. “One guy stood up in a meeting and said, ‘I don’t understand why nurses need doctorates. Who’s going to take away my wife’s bedpan?’” As much as she loves her “little pediatric practice,” Honig continues to spend much of her time envisioning and shaping the future of nursing education. She was instrumental in developing Columbia Nursing’s new accelerated Master’s Direct Entry program for non-nurse college graduates. Starting in 2016, students will follow a curriculum that emphasizes cultural competency, the importance of evidence-based practice, and care coordination—all of which will better prepare them for the demands of a continually changing health care world. Honig sees education as “super-important” in providing the chances to advance and grow over her long career. “When I decided to go into nursing, I never thought I’d be where I am now,” she said. “There have been many points in my career where I had to make a decision or a choice, and I think nursing offers these opportunities to expand in new directions.” Through her dedication to nursing education, Honig is providing similar opportunities to the next generation of nurses.
Judy Honig Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs
Fall/Winter 2015
Columbia Nursing 13