Belmont’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) was recently granted full accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education’s (CCNE) Board of Commissioners. The University began its Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) to DNP program in the fall of 2012 with 5 students. In the fall of 2013, the Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) to DNP program was launched. In the fall of 2014, the programs together totaled 28 enrolled students.

With the first graduating class in May 2014, Belmont has seen great success with both DNP tracks. 75 percent of these graduates were invited to present their scholarly project, a required portion of their degree track, at a national meeting of nurse practitioners.

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Belmont University School of Nursing was well represented in a new slate of officers elected recently by the Tennessee Nurses Association (TNA) at their annual assembly.  Dr. Sandy Murabito, Assistant Professor of Nursing, was selected as the President-elect for organization’s governing body.  In addition, Tracy Wilson, Instructor of Nursing, was elected to the nominating committee and senior nursing major Daniel Maison was elected president of the Middle Tennessee Association of Student Nurses.

“This is wonderful recognition for nursing at Belmont,” said Dr. Cathy Taylor, Dean of the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing.  “I have no doubt Ms. Wilson and Mr. Maison will excel in their new roles, and Dr. Murabito will provide the strong leadership the TNA presidency demands. She is an experienced advocate and will prove to be a worthy champion for Tennessee nurses.”

“This year’s meeting ushered in a new strategic direction for the Association,” claimed TNA President Frances Sills. “Each of these members bring experience and passion for the nursing profession and I am confident they will guide this organization to new levels of excellence.”

Dr. Murabito will serve as President-elect until next year’s assembly in October and then serve as President for 2015-2016.

At the recent annual meeting of the Tennessee Nurses Association held in October in Murfreesboro, Drs. Donna Copenhaver and Sandy Murabito, both assistant professors in the School of Nursing, presented their work on nursing leadership and management simulation for undergraduate students.

They shared their experiences teaching critical thinking practices for delegation, prioritization and patient safety decisions, utilizing the newly released Standards of Best Practice in Simulation published by the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation (INACSL).

School of Nursing instructor Sara Camp gave a peer reviewed presentation of her work on end of life simulations for undergraduate nursing students at the National League for Nursing Technology Conference held in Nashville in October. She will also present aspects of this work at the Tennessee Simulation Alliance Conference in November.

“Helping students learn to provide holistic care at the end of life is a priority in nursing education. Opportunities for students to learn deeply about this may not present themselves in routine clinical rotations. Simulation creates a powerful opportunity for this learning to take place. Our students have received tremendous benefit from the end-of-life simulations and I’m so pleased that Ms. Camp is disseminating this work.” said Associate Dean of Nursing, Martha Buckner.

With an emphasis on experiential learning, Belmont’s School of Nursing provides students with the opportunity to participate in human simulation labs. For Nursing Instructor Sara Camp’s Adult Health II students, this meant taking part in an End of Life lab that simulated the death of a patient, with a volunteer acting as a grieving family member.

When the participating students arrived, they were aware of their patient, Lisa’s, prognosis. Equipped with her report, they were tasked with guiding Lisa and her family member through her final stages of life. As Lisa’s heart rate and pulse slowed, the volunteer family member’s questions sped up. Similar to what would occur in a hospital setting, students were responsible for providing care and comfort for the patient, while assisting the family during a particularly challenging time.

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Belmont University’s School of Nursing hosted a pre-conference as part of the ninth annual National League for Nursing Technology conference in Nashville in October. Participants from around the nation filled one of Belmont’s simulation labs for a presentation on the School’s integration of an academic electronic health record across the curriculum.

Professors Sarah Tarr, Jean Blank and Dr. Jamie Adam engaged the sold-out audience in hands on learning including selection, use and integration of the technology.

“Electronic health records (EHRs) have the potential to mitigate error, streamline processes and improve communication across the spectrum of health care. Meaningful use of EHRs in chronic and acute care is a major priority in the U. S. health system today. Our faculty have been early adopters of this technology in the classroom, lab and clinical areas and our students and their future patients are the beneficiaries of this work,” said Associate Dean of Nursing Dr. Martha Buckner.