GAMECOCK
The CONnection News and Views from the University of South Carolina COLLEGE OF NURSING
SEPTEMBER 2014
Academic Year off to a Booming Start! We have officially welcomed the Class of 2018 to the College of Nursing. Along with our new freshmen, new upper division students, and new graduate students, our numbers are expanding and we are off to a booming start this academic year. In fact, we have the highest enrollment on record for the College of Nursing! On top of these achievements in recruitment of high quality students into our programs, we are enjoying momentous successes in the quality and excellence in our academic, practice, and research agendas. Our master’s and post-master’s enrollment continue to grow. However, our largest increase is in our doctoral programs – with 72 students currently enrolled in either the DNP or PhD programs. Our latest nurse practitioner board pass rates continue to exceed national and state averages, and our graduates are highly preferred among state, regional, and national employers.
Inside This Issue Students Corner..................2-3 Upcoming Events................3 Alumni & Development......4-5 Faculty & Staff Notes.........6-7 Viana McCown.....................8 NO LIMITS............................9
Send Inquiries or Newsletter items to: Jan Johnson jnjohnso@mailbox.sc.edu
We are holding our undergraduate recruits to a limited enrollment, due to clinical site availability and hospital based training requirements for the upper division. Despite this, the demand for our program, along with the admitting SAT and GPA scores, continues to rise with our national reputation by US News & World Report top ranking, excellent NCLEX pass rates, and nationally recognized faculty. I proudly share that the graduating BSN class of 2014 have earned the accolades for the highest pass rate in the history of the expanded BSN program, with 96.6% pass rate. USC continues to graduate the largest number of BSN students in the state (230-240 per year), and have higher pass rates than comparator programs of this size (in the country). These data speak volumes to our outstanding students, our faculty/staff, and our clinical partners—all of whom are invested in Carolina nurses’ success. You will be reading about our successes with research funding, and I want to particularly highlight Drs.’ Culley, Elk, and Adams with their recent NIH funding awards. Dr. Hein will be inducted into the American Academy of Nursing in October, and faculty and students are receiving notices on a daily basis about awards, newly accepted publications, podium, and poster presentations at national/international conferences. Our students are experiencing success with competitive scholarship funding, notable internships, and scholarly opportunities around the world. The Children and Family Health Care Center (our nurse managed primary care clinic) is at a high demand among families in the region and continues to grow. There is no better place than the USC College of Nursing! I hope to see everyone at the 50th anniversary of the Viana MCown event on October 17th where we will celebrate our successes, embrace our history, and continue to envision our future! Jeannette O. Andrews PhD, RN, FAAN j.andrews@sc.edu
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