USA Grad School News - August Update

At a time when the US population is increasingly diverse and quality patient outcomes and patient safety are hot topics in health care, Pace University’s Lienhard School of Nursing has won a three-year federal grant of nearly $1 million to enhance its new doctoral program in the areas of cultural competence and evidence-based practice. According to Lienhard Dean Harriet R. Feldman, the changes will help keep Lienhard “a step ahead of the rest” in the burgeoning national effort to make sure students are prepared to address the needs of diverse populations using the best available evidence. The award comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under its Advanced Education Nursing Grant program. The grant will help provide curriculum enhancements for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program that Lienhard announced this spring. The enhancements will focus on increasing student and faculty expertise in the areas of cultural competence and evidence-based practice improvement. The DNP program is intended to educate students’ to reach the highest level of clinical practice in nursing. Currently, all enrolled students are Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs). The first class of 24 enters this fall. Lienhard’s FNP program is ranked ninth in the nation by US News & World Report. • Both DNP faculty members and students will get additional training in cultural awareness and sensitivity, producing what has come to be known as “cultural competence.” • Instruction will expand in delivering primary care that draws on scientific evidence, one aspect of “evidence-based practice,” or EBP. The training will focus especially on vulnerable groups. Feldman co-edited a recent book on the subject with Lienhard graduate chair, Rona F. Levin, “EBP is based on the idea that nurses can contribute to the development of a scientific base for nursing practice by critiquing and questioning standard guidelines, treatments and outcomes. It empowers nurses on the front lines to fix problems.” Team leaders. National healthcare accrediting bodies including The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and The Joint Commission are urging healthcare organizations to assess their capacity to meet patients' cultural needs not only with training, but with such care components as language services, religious and spiritual care, and special diets. "This focus of this grant will help distinguish our Doctor of Nursing Practice program from the others. And the skills of cultural competence and evidence-based practice are what employers tell us they are looking for,” said Feldman. Added Joanne K. Singleton, Ph.D., the Director of the FNP-DNP program and the Project Director for the grant, “Our students will be challenged to learn how to design, deliver and lead interdisciplinary primary health care teams in developing and implementing culturally-competent best practices. We expect our graduates to make significant contributions to the overall health of our nation, which will include addressing national health disparities.” About the Lienhard School of Nursing: With classrooms and laboratories in culturally diverse urban and suburban settings, Pace University’s Lienhard School of Nursing is committed to innovation and excellence in education, research, and practice in primary health care. It has nearly doubled in size over the last five years, and now has more than 700 students enrolled in baccalaureate and master’s degree programs, all approved by the New York State Education Department and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Lienhard partners with communities to foster human growth and dignity and provide primary care, and is devoted to preparing individuals, families, and communities at local, national, and international levels to meet health care demands now and in the future. Professional education at Pace University: Since 1906 Pace University has offered professional education that combines liberal arts with practical experience and the advantages of the New York metropolitan area. A private university, Pace has campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York. It enrolls more than 13,500 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in its Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lienhard School of Nursing, Lubin School of Business, School of Education, School of Law, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.