VCU School of Nursing leads the way in nursing education

By Malorie Burkett

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing has experienced dramatic growth in both enrollment and research funding over the past decade. And now the school is moving forward to meet the demands of a growing and ever-changing field.

“The faculty of the School of Nursing has been very responsive to the needs for increased numbers of new nurses by increasing the enrollment in programs that lead to the graduation of new nurses,” said Nancy Langston, Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Nursing.

According to Langston, the School of Nursing has been able to maintain and increase graduation numbers of new nurses even during times when other programs were seeing reductions in numbers of applicants to their schools.

The school maintains and expands enrollment by developing new programs that appeal to college graduates as well as to traditional-age students. In addition, School of Nursing faculty members are contributing to the development of the science that supports the practice of nursing.

Some activities include partnering with the VCU Health System’s nursing services to enhance the quality of clinical services and the quality of nursing and clinical education. In addition, the school provides outreach education for nurses who graduate from associate or hospital-based programs to obtain their bachelor's degrees.

“I think that the earmark of any profession is its ability to add to the body of knowledge of the profession and to develop professionals who integrate that knowledge into their practice,” said Carol Crosby, R.N., vice president for patient care services and chief nursing officer. 

“The increased focus of the VCU School of Nursing over the past several years on the creation and dissemination of new knowledge in the field of nursing is amazing,” she said.

In June 2005, VCU officials broke ground on a $17 million, state-of-the-science School of Nursing education building. Not quite two years later, the School of Nursing faculty and staff have moved into their new space located at the corner of Leigh and 11th streets.

The new nursing teaching and research facility replaced the former nursing education building on Broad Street that was built as a dormitory in 1928. The new facility includes research space, a clinical learning center with human patient simulators, a community outreach nursing center and large classrooms and faculty offices.

In the new facility, students will learn on sophisticated human-patient simulators that can be programmed both to show symptoms of certain conditions and diseases and to respond to various interventions, such as medication. Students in the 150-seat auditorium will be able to watch other students working on the simulators and use hand-held devices to indicate whether they agree or disagree with a particular intervention.

 “Our clinical learning centers will facilitate our moving forward in interdisciplinary education by providing a venue where our students can engage in simulated care situations before having to work together in the complex environment of the hospital,” said Langston.

“Every aspect of the school is on an upward trajectory - whether it is our enrollment, our research, our alumni and friend support of the school, or our national reputation,” she said.

The School of Nursing will hold an official grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, April 27. For more information about the school and its programs, visit http://www.nursing.vcu.edu/about.shtml.