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Department chair's welcome

Peggy Opitz

 

 

As 2012 draws to a close, all of us in the Department of Nursing have a great deal to rejoice over and to be thankful for.


 

We moved into the Health Sciences Building in May 2012 and are excited about the learning enhancements that the new building has brought to both faculty and students. This 87,000 square foot building is home to the Department of Nursing, Department of Social Work, and biology laboratories. For students in the Department of Nursing, this facility includes a 14,500 GSF state-of-the art Clinical Learning Center (CLC).  The CLC simulates a hospital setting, as well as a home setting, and is fully equipped for students to practice clinical nursing skills at all levels of nursing practice. It consists of cutting-edge technology in simulation education that is housed within seven individual laboratories: Basic Care, Advanced Care, Pediatric, Maternal/Newborn, Psych/Mental Health, Health Assessment, and the Brenda A. Brooks Home Simulation Apartment. Each lab is thoroughly equipped to provide simulated learning experiences related to healthcare situations that may occur with diverse clients of various cultures across the lifespan. Multiple observation rooms facilitate the video capturing for streaming and recording of simulation activities. The CLC also has a seminar room, housing a flat screen television allowing students to view a variety of educational media, as well as a 48-seat classroom.  Ms. Martha Hepler, MSN, RN  joined us as Director of the Clinical Learning Center in July.

It is with great pleasure to report that all of our May 2012 pre-licensure BSN nursing graduates passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) on their first attempt. The May 2012 graduates join the May 2011 graduates with a 100% pass rate.  The Department of Nursing’s first-time pass rates have increased every year since graduating its first pre-licensure BSN class in 2007.


The Department opened the Discover Nursing: Living, Learning, Leading Community (DNL³C) for new freshmen pre-nursing majors in August 2012.  Participating in the communitycreates a unique opportunity for nursing majors to live, network, and study together in an engaging and supportive academic and social environment. At the present time there are 117 freshmen participating in the community.

Our RN-BSN Bridge Program partnerships continue to grow.  In 2012, the Department of Nursing signed articulation agreements with the following community colleges: Robeson Community College, Sandhills Community College, Richmond Community College, Southeastern Community College, and Brunswick Community College.  The agreements will help ease the transition for graduates of the community college’s registered nursing (RN) program into UNCP’s Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) program.  Together we are doing our part to help meet the national goal of 80% of all nurses holding a minimum of a BSN by 2020.


Our first cohort of RN-BSN students at Scotland Health Care System in Laurinburg graduated in December.  During the fall our first cohort of RN-BSN students at FirstHealth of the Carolinas in Pinehurst began classes.
Along with our nursing educational partners from Robeson, Sandhills, Richmond, and Southeastern Community Colleges, the Department of Nursing has established the SouthCentral RIBN (Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses) Collaborative. The SouthCentral RIBN Collaborative is one of six collaborative projects across the state of North Carolina. The RIBN Collaborative is a statewide educational partnership between community colleges and universities to dually enroll students in a seamless four-year nursing curriculum as another pathway to meet the goal of significantly increasing the proportion of BSN-prepared nurses in North Carolina by 2020.  Funding for the statewide project is being supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.


All of the required documents for a MSN of Nursing degree program were submitted to UNC General Administration during 2012.  At this time the program proposal is going through the formal UNC General Administration approval process.  We are hoping to receive approval of the program early in 2013.  If approved, we anticipate admitting students and offering the first classes in fall 2013.


The Department of Nursing has had a year of many successes and much promise for the future.  I wish you all the best during the New Year and hope you will join in the excitement as the Department of Nursing strives for even greater accomplishments in 2013.



Barbara B. Synowiez, PhD, MSN, RN
Chair and Professor

Updated: Wednesday, January 2, 2013

 
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