Words: 650
Faculty Interview Kathleen S Jasinski HSN 548 October 17, 2011 Dr Mary Dowell Faculty Interview Mount Carmel College of Nursing (MCCN) was founded in 1903 by the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross. The College offers a traditional four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), an 13-month accelerated degree program for those individuals who already have a baccalaureate or other advanced degree, a registered nurse (RN) to BSN completion program, and an RN refresher course. The RN to BSN course is an online course.
The advent of online learning has opened new avenues for nurses who are unable to attend traditional classroom courses. Online learning reflects the changes that technology has enabled (Stanley & Dougherty, 2010). The College has four Master’s tracks: Adult Health, Nursing Education, Nursing Administration, and Family Nurse Practitioner (Mount Carmel College of Nursing, 2011). Catherine Mauer-Baack, MS, RN-BC, CNS (Katie) is an Assistant Professor and coordinates and teaches Caring Health Practices for the Older Adult (Catherine Mauer-Baack, personal communication, October 12, 2011).
This is a senior level required course that is eight weeks long, has classroom lectures and two eight-hour clinical weekly. The students experience the clinicals in a variety of settings, including several community agencies, long-term facilities, and long-term psychiatric facilities. Katie is responsible for determining which nursing students are able to think and function professionally in clinical experiences (Tanicala, Scheffer ; Roberts, 2011). Patient safety is important in all clinical settings, and the students need an understanding of safety in all settings.
As the age of patients increase, an understanding of the older adult is necessary (Miller, Van Son, Cartwright, ; Allen, 2010). Objectives of the course include the ability to incorporate age specific valid and reliable tools to assess functional, physical, cognitive psychological, and spiritual status of the older adult, and the ability to implement critical thinking related to aging issues. Another important skill for the senior nursing student is recognizing and implementing health promotion and wellness across all settings and ages (Stanley ; Dougherty, 2010).
The course is designed to utilize several learning avenues for processing and integrating the information. This practice allows for students with different learning styles to understand and develop necessary tools to succeed in nursing practice (Stanley ; Dougherty, 2010). Besides written exams, the students are responsible for a web assignment, a formal paper on ageism, a community project, and several interviews with older adults (Course Syllabus, 2011). Incorporating several learning opportunities allows the students to become active learners.
Katie’s educational background is an MS, RN-BC, CNS. She obtained this position with her MS, CNS. The working model in nursing schools has MS-prepared instructors teaching undergraduate, PhD- prepared instructors teaching undergraduate and graduate courses (MS), and BSN prepared instructors teaching Licensed Practical Nurses and nursing assistant classes. The College of Nursing at Mount Carmel has appropriate numbers of PhD and MSNEd- prepared staff to provide appropriate supervision during clinical experiences.
The Mount Carmel College of Nursing is one of the largest programs in central Ohio. The long history and reputation in the central Ohio area have placed the program in the forefront of providing excellent nurses. The creative use of various experiences provides the graduates with opportunities that will impact their practice in any setting. The loyalty of Katie and the other staff keeps the College of Nursing on the forefront in the central Ohio area. References Miller, L. L. , Van Son, C. R. , Caartwrigght, J. C. & Allen, T. L. (2010 May).
Enhancing the capacity to teach Gerontological nursing: A faculty development project. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing Mount Carmel College of Nursing, 2011. www. mccn. edu. Stanley, M. J. C. & Dougherty, J. P. (2010 November). A paradigm shift in nursing education: A new model. Nursing Education Perspectives. 31(6): 378- 380. Tanicala, M. L. , Scheffer, B. K. & Roberts, M. S. (2011 May-June). Defining pass/fail nursing student clinical behaviors phase I: Moving towards a culure of safety. Nursing Education Perspectives. 32(3): 155-161.