Every day nurses play a significant role in the nation's healthcare, and this week the nation is celebrating the profession as part of the American Nurses Association annual National Nurses Week celebration.
National Nurses Week is celebrated May 6, which is National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale. The purpose of this week is to highlight the many ways nurses work to improve healthcare. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly three million nurses are in the workforce.
"When we focus on the profession at this special time of year, we not only bring attention to all the good that nurses do in serving others but we help the community to understand the profession," said Ruth Corey, DNP, APRN-BC, FNP, RN and executive director of Lipscomb University's School of Nursing. "The hope is; this awareness will build trust and confidence in the nurse who often touches their lives when they are the most vulnerable." Corey, who worked as a nurse prior to her career in higher education and is also a licensed nurse practitioner, said nurses and the practice of nursing is central to the function and purpose of all healthcare settings in the continuum.
Many see nursing as a way to serve others. Corey said nursing fits well with Lipscomb's emphasis on serving others and vocational mission. "Nursing is a culture of giving. It never stops. It's not about getting at all - it's all about giving. This is why I am so excited to be a part of Lipscomb, a university that exemplifies the culture of giving," she said.
Lipscomb University's School of Nursing offers a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing program for traditional undergraduate students and transfers. Students have the opportunity to "practice before they practice" in an on-campus facility that includes a state-of-the-art, high fidelity patient simulation lab. In the Health Sciences Simulation Laboratory, students experience health conditions covering the entire lifespan from premature babies to the elderly. Twenty-three computerized patient simulators provide realistic health scenarios and respond to a student's interventions. Student nurses are also trained in bedside health care informatics and in the use of medical equipment. The lab is equipped to be able to triage real patients in the event of a crisis.
"The Lipscomb University School of Nursing is a program built for the future of healthcare," said Corey. "Our program is designed to equip our students with the skills they need to adapt to the ever-evolving technological advances in the field. We are always looking at what is on the horizon so we are preparing our students for what is coming next."
Another hallmark of Lipscomb's nursing program is teaching Christ-centered nursing care that includes opportunities for students to participate in medical mission trips and international educational experiences. Student nurses learn from faculty who are highly trained in all clinical and specialty areas, who also serve as academic advisors and mentors, looking out for the individual needs and goals of each student. With Lipscomb's location in Nashville, the healthcare capital of the nation, students complete nurse preceptorships and residency programs at some of the country's top medical institutions.
The program holds accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing and has received multiple superior ratings from the Tennessee Board of Nursing at its regular site visits. The program's 2017 graduates have a 95.3 percent pass rate on the NCLEX licensure exam and 100 percent job placement.
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