CELEBRATIONS & EVENTS

College Named among Nation’s Best Schools for Male Nursing Students

UC College of Nursing has received the American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN) 2021 Best Schools for Men in Nursing Award. A third-time award recipient, the college is one of only nine schools nationwide honored for efforts to recruit and retain men in nursing.

The latest accolade follows the college’s national recognition as a seven-time recipient of the prestigious INSIGHT Into Diversity Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award for our extensive recruitment and retention efforts of students, faculty and staff, as well as continued leadership support for diversity and inclusion.

“Your history, consistency, quality and commitment to creating an inclusive environment for men who are becoming professional nurses is noteworthy,” stated the award letter, signed by AAMN Recognition Review Committee Chair Bonnie Schmidt, PhD, RN, CNE. “You should be very proud of your work and the work of your leadership team.”

According to the AAMN, the purpose of the award is to recognize a nursing school or college that has put forth significant efforts in recruiting and retaining men in nursing, in providing men a supportive educational environment and in educating faculty, students and the community about the contributions men have made and continue to make to the nursing profession.

Reviewers of the college’s award application concluded that UC met or exceeded all areas of the evaluation, including recruitment activities, climate assessment, chapter activities, strategic planning and percent of male students admitted over the past three years.

“What makes our recent diversity and inclusion recognitions even more meaningful is knowing that, together, we are fostering an environment where differences are recognized and appreciated, so we all can thrive,” says Denise Gormley, PhD, RN, FNAP, the college’s interim dean.

The college was formally recognized in the 46th Annual AAMN Conference awards presentation on Oct. 21, 2021.

Rebecca Smith is This Year’s AAMN Outstanding Student Award Winner

The award is given annually to a nursing student who makes a “substantial and commendable contribution” toward the organization’s objectives on a local, regional or national level and requires three letters of recommendation from clinical instructors or professors.

Smith joined UC’s AAMN chapter during her freshman year. She has since served in leadership roles for the group, including as secretary for the 2019-2020 academic year and as president for the 2020-2021 academic year. As chapter president, Smith frequently reached out to the broader male nursing community to organize events that fostered professional inclusion and empowerment. Also a member of the national AAMN chapter and many other organizations, including the National Student Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau International – Beta Iota Chapter and Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society, she serves as a UC College of Nursing dean’s student ambassador and on the college’s Committee for Equity and Inclusive Excellence.

“I’m trying to provide the education needed to help male nurses,” Smith says. She often challenges stereotypes about men and women in nursing. “People think men aren’t as caring and that providing care is a woman’s job. Men can care. Women can care. Men can be tough. Women can be tough. We’re all in this together.”

In a letter of support for Smith, Gordon Gillespie, PhD, DNP, RN, FAAN, professor, associate dean for research and director of the PhD program, and Jeff Trees, DNP, FNP-BC, CNP, coordinator of the college’s onsite family nurse practitioner programs, wrote, “We have found Rebecca to be highly motivated and enthusiastic about nursing and the impact she can make as a registered nurse.”

Rebecca Smith, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing student in UC’s College of Nursing and past-president of UC’s AAMN chapter, with Ryan Gehringer, also past-president of UC’s AAMN chapter, at an AAMN national conference

College Lauded for DEI Efforts, Tech Integration

For the seventh Health year in a row, the Professions College of Nursing has received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from 2021 ® INSIGHT Into Top Colleges for Diversity Diversity magazine in recognition of its lasting, sustainable initiatives that increase educational opportunities for talented and diverse students and contributing to graduating a nursing workforce that reflects the diversity of the country’s population. The college’s initiatives to support this range from established partnerships with local high schools that serve a large percentage of underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities and economically disadvantaged students to the adoption of holistic admissions strategies that incorporate personal student characteristics to augment grade point average and test scores and the implementation of programs that support students during their college experience.

The college also supports a wide variety of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts outside of the admissions process. Its Committee for Equity and Inclusive Excellence sponsors several events throughout the year, providing awareness and a platform for discussion among college faculty, staff, students and alumni. In addition, Ann Gakumo, PhD, joined the college in October as the Greer Glazer Endowed Chair in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The position represents one of the first of its kind nationwide in a nursing school.

The College of Nursing again has been designated an Apple Distinguished School. The recognition is given to schools considered by Apple as centers of innovation, leadership and educational excellence that use technology to inspire creativity, collaboration and critical thinking. The college is the only nursing college in the country to receive this honor four times.

Preparing nurse leaders to provide the best care for all patients in the ever-changing and complex reality of health care has required the college to continue transforming the way faculty and staff teach and the way students learn. As the college transitioned back to in-person instruction in fall 2021, faculty and staff remained focused on engaging curriculum and innovative, active learning strategies that incorporate virtual and augmented reality.