Web Site

www.nursing.uc.edu

Key Contact

Andrea R. Lindell, DNSc, Dean and Professor

Overview

Founded in 1889, UC’s College of Nursing was the first school in the country to offer a baccalaureate program in nursing, and received the first endowment ever given to a nursing program. In 2002 the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredited the college for a 10-year period, distinguishing it with 71 years of continuous accreditation.

The college currently has over 800 students, including undergraduate, graduate and PhD candidates, making it the 12^th largest nursing school in the United States in terms of student and faculty, according to U.S.News & World Report. The college is also in the top 6 percent nationally in terms of research funding it receives.

Mission

The College of Nursing, an integral part of the University of Cincinnati, has a mission and purpose consonant with that of the university. The faculty is committed to promoting program excellence and exerting influence in the delivery of community-focused health care by preparing beginning and advanced nursing practitioners to engage in practice, education, service and research.

The faculty is committed through its educational mission to: (1) the autonomy of professional nursing; (2) the preparation of professional nurses to function as an integral part of health-care delivery in a global society; (3) the integration of information technology into education programs and health care; and (4) the generation and application of theory and research for the advancement of nursing science.

The faculty advocates ongoing efforts to maintain the college’s mission as a leading college of nursing through furthering excellence in nursing education, by recruiting and retaining a diverse, high-quality student population and by attracting scholarly faculty with a broad base of expertise. The faculty is committed to the college’s mission as a research institution and as a community force providing leadership for meeting health-care needs.

Purpose

The purpose of the college is to provide education and service and engage in research and scholarship. A comprehensive approach to collegiate nursing education is manifested in the undergraduate, graduate and continuing education programs of the college. More specifically, the faculty aims to provide: (1) education to prepare beginning and advanced practitioners for diverse populations; (2) opportunities for advancing nursing science; (3) education for practicing nurses to maintain, improve and expand their competencies; and (4) service and expertise to the broader community of health-care consumers. Fulfillment of the purpose of the college occurs through consistent attention to the beliefs that the faculty holds about people, the environment, health and nursing, and nursing education.

Research

The UC Academic Health Center and College of Nursing strive to apply clinical research to real problems that can directly improve the health and well-being of surrounding urban communities. Our nurse scientists are designing and testing interventions to manage challenging health-care problems. They are forging ahead in three research areas that reflect our commitment to real-world issues: injury/violence, symptom management and substance abuse.

·  Injury/Violence: Investigators are exploring a variety of interventions, from reducing violence against nursing home assistants to testing a forensic technique used to identify injury after sexual assault.

·  Symptom Management: Researchers are particularly interested in interventions that ameliorate symptoms experienced during the treatment of chronic illnesses or disorders, such as managing cancer-related fatigue or reducing obesity.

·  Substance Abuse: Investigators are researching methods to reduce alcohol consumption by pregnant women and to decrease problem drinking and risky driving in emergency department populations.

Historical Highlights

1889     College of Nursing was established

1916     The college becomes the first school in the country to offer a baccalaureate degree in nursing.

1942     Became a charter member of the National League for Nursing, the national accrediting agency, and has maintained its accreditation since then without interruption.

1947     The first college of nursing to receive an endowed chair. A second chair was endowed in 1966, making the college the first to hold two endowed chairs during that period.

1968     Established a continuing education program, designated a Nursing Home Training Center by Ohio Department of Health in 1983.

1982     The college was one of 11 schools of nursing nationally to receive the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Teaching Nursing Project Grant for a full year funding period. The site was implemented at Maple Knoll Village and earned the college a Ross Laboratories Award for Leadership in Long-Term Care in 1987.

1984     Received the Ohio Board of Regents Executive Award to establish computer- assisted instruction for undergraduate students.

1986     Grant from the Helene Fuld Health Trust allows completion of the computer classroom and laboratory that began in 1984.

            Received the Area Health Education Center Special Initiative Award to establish an education network for professional nurses employed in caring for the elderly.

            Received an Advanced Nurse Training grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Nursing, to implement a master’s curriculum in oncology nursing.

1987     One of 15 institutions chosen by IBM to develop computer-assisted, interactive video for health sciences.

1988     Received an Advanced Nurse Training grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Nursing, to implement a master’s curriculum in gerontological nursing.

1990     Implemented a doctoral program in nursing and established a master’s program in nurse anesthesia.

            The Center for Nursing Research, cosponsored by the College of Nursing and University Hospital, was first established. An on-site facility was completed in 1992. Due to phenomenal productivity, it was officially named the Institute for Nursing Research in 1995 and includes the Center for Gerontological Nursing Excellence (GNE) and the Center for Addiction Research (CAR).

            Received a second Helene Fuld Health Trust grant to further develop computer- assisted learning.

1992     Established a joint master’s degree with the College of Business Administration to award dual MSN/MBA degrees.

1993     One of three universities in Ohio selected to participate in the Advance Practice Pilot Program.

1994     Became an affiliate of George Mason University’s World Health Organization collaborating site.

            Established a health initiative with Project Succeed for the Cincinnati Public School system.

1995     Established the Nurses in Advanced Practice Inc. (NIAP), a corporation of the College of Nursing, to provide nursing services on a contractual basis. One entity under this corporation is the Health Resource Center located in the Freestore Foodbank of Cincinnati. The center is staffed by faculty and students who see as many as 200 indigent clients each month.

2002     The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredited the college for a 10-year period, distinguishing it with 71 years of continuous accreditation.

2005     Received $2 million donation from Shirley Tashiro Burke, a 1948 graduate, to establish the Shirley Tashiro Burke Education and Research Fund in Nursing

Began offering two new master’s level distance-learning programs: nurse midwifery and women’s health nursing. Nurse midwifery students can also obtain dual certification by completing one additional women’s health nursing course and concurrent clinical experiences to become eligible for the women’s health nurse practitioner certification exam.

Received a $775,000 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to address the national faculty shortage. The grant will be used to recruit faculty members, provide additional courses to faculty and increase the number of courses offered to students both on campus and online.