And We’re Off!

For some, Intercession at the University means relaxing and unwinding. For our RoyalRNs, it means travel, service and learning. Safe Travels to our students and faculty as they travel to the Dominican Republic, Uganda, Ireland, New Jersey and locally around North East PA. Some students will learn about public policy, others will collaborate with agencies and health professionals to provide care and compassion. All of them will see the benefits of their Jesuit education and will see the University’s strategic plan of becoming Engaged-Integrated and Global in action!

Nursing Getting into the Spirit!

Our last faculty and staff meeting of 2018 brought some food, sweets and games. Being all together is rare as we are often in many different directions in the community, in clinical and in the classroom. Congrats to Dr. Hudacek and Dr. Culp who were the winners in the ugly sweater contest. Not only were they winners, they were twins…great minds really do think alike! Best wishes for all for a restful and peaceful holiday season. Here’s to a great break- and we will see you in 2018!

Dr. Mary Jane Hanson elected to CCNE leadership position

Dr. Mary Jane Hanson, PhD, CRNP, CNS, ACNS-BC, FNP-BC has been elected as the Vice Chair of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The CCNE is an independent accrediting agency that reviews and assesses the quality of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education programs and entry-to-practice nurse residency programs. Congratulations Dr. Hanson!

Congratulations to the Department of Nursing’s first Doctorate of Nursing Practice graduates!

Three students in our DNP program have successfully completed and defended their projects and will be awarded their Doctorate of Nursing Practice during the University’s Graduate Commencement in May. Congratulations to Dr. Andrea Mantione, Dr. Marjorie Hottenstein, & Dr. Melissa Rickard! A copy of each of their projects are available for view in the Weinberg Library. Well Done!

Scranton’s FNP program receives funds to improve rural health

UofS graduate family nurse practitioner program awarded grant to improve rural health
Jan. 2017, NEPA Business Journal
The University of Scranton’s graduate nursing program was awarded a federal traineeship grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Health Professions, for $348,500 for the 2016-2017 academic year. The grant funds will be used to support the educational preparation of graduate students in the University’s Family Nurse Practitioner Program (FNP). Through this grant, the majority of the FNP students at Scranton will have approximately 90 percent of their tuition costs paid this academic year.
The grant is designed to help Scranton FNP graduates improve the quality of rural health care, particularly in Northeast Pennsylvania, which as a region was ranked last by the University of Wisconsin Population Heath Institute (2015) when compared with the rest of the state, with regard to heath indicators and behaviors.
According to Mary Jane Hanson, Ph.D., professor of nursing and director of the Department of Nursing’s Graduate Program at the University and author of the grant, “the objectives of the traineeship grant are: to increase the number of graduates from our FNP program with a focus on rural health; promote competence among the graduates in the use of telehealth modalities; and cultivate expertise in inter-professional collaboration and teamwork. Our overarching goal is to increase the supply and expertise of primary care FNP providers for residents of predominately rural areas of Northeast Pennsylvania.”
Hanson said this region of the state is in desperate need of family nurse practitioners. “We have graduated more than 120 FNPs since we created the program in 1995 and nearly nine out of 10 of our graduates continue to live and work in Northeast Pennsylvania.”
Hanson said FNPs at Scranton are committed to serving in this region in part due the University’s Jesuit commitment to serving others. “Most of our graduates end up in the region because they enter the program with that passion for service,” Dr. Hanson said.
It is also a wise career move. Nationally, nurse practitioner was listed first in a 2016 USA Today article identifying five fast-growing jobs worth a career change, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting a 35 percent increase in employment for nurse practitioners through 2024. The annual median income for the role was listed as $98,190 in 2015.
Hanson also noted that the primary care family nurse practitioner program at Scranton has had a 100 percent first-time pass rate on the family nurse practitioner national certification examination since the program began more than 20 years ago.
Since 2000, the University’s Department of Nursing has received more than 3.5 million dollars from competitive federal grant programs through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

University of Scranton Designated as a Center Of Excellence in Nursing Education

The University of Scranton’s Nursing Program has been named a Center of Excellence by the National League of Nursing, placing the program as one of America’s best at fostering learning and professional development.

The National League for Nursing designated the University as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education, one of just 15 school- or hospital-based programs to earn the distinction for 2016. It was among seven first-time recipients of the honor.

The University will be recognized formally at the Organization’s 2016 Education Summit in Orlando, Florida.

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