NURSING News
2015 COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY School Marks Achievements of More Than 300 Students
On May 15 at the Eastman Theatre’s Kodak Hall, the School celebrated the accomplishments of 257 students who earned their bachelor’s degrees (185 from the Accelerated Programs for Non-Nurses and 72 from the RN to BS completion program) as well as 56 students who earned master’s degrees, and five who now hold post-master’s
certificates. The following Saturday, nine students graduated from the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and PhD programs at the doctoral ceremony.
Kathy Parrinello, RN, PhD, chief operating officer of Strong Memorial Hospital, delivered the keynote address, saying to graduates, “You are entering health care at a time of transformation. You will be there to shape it all.” During the ceremony, the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence was presented to Susan Ciurzynski, PhD, CNS, PNP, associate professor of clinical nursing, who directs the School’s Center for Lifelong Learning.
Eight Earn DNPs in Largest Cohort Yet Nearly a decade after the School’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program was created in anticipation of increasing complexities in health care, the largest cohort of DNP graduates walked the stage to accept their degrees. The eight graduates included an adult nurse practitioner, three pediatric nurse practitioners and four family nurse practitioners. The scope of their scholarly work ranged
from clinical initiatives to improve the care of hospitalized patients, to implementing child neglect screening and sleep apnea education programs in outpatient settings. In addition, their community-based initiatives included working with families coping with perinatal loss, and improving health care access for individuals re-entering the community after incarceration. “Doctoral preparation positions these nurse
practitioners to drive organizational change and lead innovative, interprofessional efforts to improve the delivery and outcomes of health care for individuals and populations,” says Lydia Rotondo, DNP, RN, director of the DNP program. “I’m eager to see how the DNP degree will support this talented and diverse group in their nursing careers.”
The 2015 DNP program graduates include Julie Gottfried, Pam Brady, Stephanie Brown, Robin Stacey, DNP director Lydia Rotondo, Desiree Branson, Amy Rama, Candi Capozzi-Jones, and Stephanie Zielinski.
To see additional 2015 Commencement photos, visit SON.rochester.edu.
NURSING . 2015 Volume I
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