College of Nursing

Seek innovative clinical internships and partnerships for undergraduate and graduate learning

Remodeling of the CON Simulation Lab was completed in spring semester of 2007. An open house was held to share news of this innovative learning lab and a fundraiser was held via a baby shower announcing the arrival of SimBaby who joined the College’s family of computerized medical manikins.

Encourage undergraduate- and graduate-level clinical internships in underserved U.S. communities and international sites

With grant funding and networking coming from Provost Initiative funds (grant written by Dr. Jambunathan), a pilot community health clinical was held in January 2008 in Chennai, India. With Patti Vanderloop as the clinical instructor, eight traditional undergraduate students completed their clinical hours within the Indian culture and healthcare system. Initial evaluation was positive with recommendations to continue the experience.

Explore feasibility of collaborative efforts with UW colleges and Wisconsin technical colleges in local and neighboring communities

Building on the successful model in Wausau “Step Ahead” program, a similar program is proposed for the Lakeshore communities with the following partners: Lakeshore Technical College, UW-Manitwoc, UW Oshkosh and UW-Sheboygan.

Provide community clinical experiences for all students that build cultural competency and address priorities of Healthy People 2010

Rich clinical opportunities, simulations and case studies (reflecting cultural diversity and health disparities) were integrated into every semester of the Traditional BSN, ACCEL BSN, BSN@home and Graduate Program.

Expand assessment strategies to meet benchmarks of excellence as students progress through curriculum (use of standardized tests)

Testing in the Traditional BSN and ACCEL BSN were unified under one testing company, ATI. Preliminary feedback from students and faculty is positive. Pass rate for first-time takers of the N-CLEX RN licensure exam continue to exceed the Wisconsin State Board for Nursing standard across programs.

Click here to read last year's report.