MILLIKIN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING
2018-2019
Millikin University School of Nursing 2018-2019: the year in review IN THIS ISSUE
EDITED BY PROFESSOR BRENNA ELSTON
A Note from the Director by Dr. Elizabeth Gephart, Acting Director
Greetings from the School of Nursing faculty and staff! It is hard to believe but another year has come and gone and the 2018-2019 academic year has come to an end. It has been a wonderful year with many memories for both students and faculty. Professor LeAnn Rhinehart joined the nursing faculty in the fall of 2018. She is a certified Family Nurse Practitioner who brings her expertise in adult health nursing and her work as an advanced practice nurse to students in the graduate program. In January 2019 we did welcome our first five students into the new DNP Family Nurse Practitioner program. The DNP Family Nurse Practitioner program offers both a BSN to DNP option as well as a MSN to DNP option and either as full time or part time plans of study. This brings Millikin to 47 students in the DNP program overall, and 25 students in the Master’s Entry into Nursing Practice (MENP). We are very pleased to to share that the MENP graduates in 2018 again achieved a 100% pass rate for NCLEX. The graduate program continues to grow and to be a leader in graduate education at Millikin. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program continues to thrive as well. In 2018 the BSN student pass rate for NCLEX was 90%. Thanks to all of the hard-working faculty who have spent countless hours working on curricular improvements to help our students learn and achieve their professional dreams. The RN to BSN program recently announced the signing of an articulation agreement with Richland Community College to create a more seamless admission and transfer process that starts with admission to both programs with the first nursing class taken. We look forward to a closer working relationship both with Richland and their nursing students and to helping the healthcare community to employee higher numbers of bachelor prepared nurses the coming years. As we look to the coming year, the faculty will be engaged in the work of preparing for the return the accreditation visit of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) which is scheduled for March 2021. We will be reviewing all three nursing programs (BSN, MSN, and DNP) looking at our outcomes and considering areas of improvement. r ca We would like to take this time to say good-bye to two dear colleagues as they move on to new adventures. Professor Charlotte Bivens who has been our Nursing and Clinical Simulation Lab Coordinator for thec last 15 years will be leaving Millikin at the end of summer. Dean Deb Slayton who has been a leader of the School of Nursing and most recently Dean of the College of Professional Studies is retiring from Millikin after 39 years of dedicated service. Both of these wonderful professional nurses will truly be missed. Dr. Pam Lindsey will be acting as Interim Dean for the College of Professional Studies starting August 2019. Dr. Elizabeth Gephart will be acting as Director of the School of Nursing to cover Dr. Lindsey starting August 2019.
School of Nursing Events On several occasions throughout the year, nursing faculty and students join together to celebrate various accomplishments and promote lifelong learning.
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Performance Learning We believe that performance learning is key to becoming a successful nurse. In addition to learning in the classroom, students take that new information into various settings to obtain hands-on practice, including the simulation lab on campus, to area hospitals, and into the community.
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