Creating a Healthier Society
through Nursing Research,
Education, and Practice
Ellen Olshansky, DNSc, RN, WHNP-BC, FAAN
Professor & Director, UC Irvine Program in Nursing
Science
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Objectives
S Key concepts that are foundational to nursing
S Describe the Program in Nursing Science at UC
Irvine, including vision, mission, and strategic goals
S Discuss how UCI Program in Nursing Science is
contributing to the health of the public through
several initiatives and the scholarship of the faculty
Foundations of Nursing
S Evidence-based/scientific healthcare practice
S Focus on environment
S Holistic health, understanding mind-body connection
S Family and Community health; health promotion
S Concern with public health: poverty, civil rights and voting
rights, housing reform = social determinants of health
S American Hospice movement was started by Florence Wald
Changing Demographic: Men in
Nursing
S Though men represent only 5.8% of the U.S. nursing
workforce, the percentage of men in baccalaureate and
master’s nursing programs are 10.4% and 8.9%,
respectively.
S In doctoral programs, 7.1% of students in research-
focused programs and 10.2% of students in practicefocused programs are men.
How Did UCI’s Program in
Nursing Science Get Here?
S A Compelling Case for Growth, January 2007: Report of the
Advisory Council on Future Growth in the Health Professions:
S Recommended substantial growth in nursing education
programs at UC
S Focus on graduate education as well as on BSN education
with the intent that undergraduate students will not only
contribute to alleviating the nursing shortage at the bedside,
but will also go on to earn graduate degrees in nursing (to
contribute to alleviating the nursing faculty shortage as well)
Ensuing Challenges
S Severe budget cuts in the state of California
S $100,000,000 donation to UC Davis in July 2007 from the
Betty Irene Moore Foundation to establish a School of
Nursing
S Academic Nursing is new to UC Irvine, creating the
challenge (and opportunity) to develop increased
understanding and awareness of who we are
S Overcoming some of the negative stereotypes of nursing
Meeting the Challenge
S Approved in 2006 by the UC Board of Regents and the
California State Board of Nursing
S First cohort of students matriculated September 2007
(these students were in their 3rd year of study because
they were transfer students from other majors at UCI)
S CCNE accreditation for BSN program April 2009
S First BSN graduates June 2009
Meeting the Challenge (cont)
S Masters in Nursing program approved by UC Board of
Regents in 2009 and by California State Board of Nursing
S First class of MS students matriculated September 2009
S CCNE accreditation for MS program anticipated April 2011
S Anticipate our first graduating class of MS students in June
2011
S PhD proposal is developed and currently under review
Our Faculty
S 7 tenure/tenure-track faculty
S 5 full-time clinical faculty
S 4 part-time clinical faculty
S ~20 part-time clinical instructors
S Recruiting for 2 tenure-track faculty
UC Irvine Nursing Students
Program in Nursing Science
Vision and Mission
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UCI Program in Nursing Science, through its integrative, collaborative,
and relational approach, will contribute to excellence in nursing and
healthcare delivery/clinical practice, scholarship, policy, leadership to
improve the health of the Orange County communityand beyond.
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We emphasize community engagement, collaboration, and
compassion as we teach our students to:
S deliver integrative/holistic nursing care to our citizens in our myriad
communities that is founded on scientific evidence and human
caring,
S contribute to the scholarship of nursing through scientifically based
translational research that is disseminated widely, and
S become leaders in health policy, education, research, and
healthcare delivery
Goals of UCI Nursing Science
S Full partners with our colleagues in other healthcare
disciplines and colleagues in other fields
S National/international leaders in nursing and healthcare
S Contribute to alleviating the nursing shortage and nursing
faculty shortage
S Engagement in the community; community health
S Promote cutting-edge translational research
S Become a School of Nursing
What is Academic Nursing?
S Relationship with biomedical community
S Relationship with social sciences, social ecology,
humanities, law
S National Institute of Nursing Research/NIH
S American Association of Colleges of Nursing
S American Academy of Nursing
S Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science
Specific Initiatives at UCI
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Suzanne Leider Lecture Series
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Symposia Series on Optimal Healing/Integrative Health
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Mentoring Program for Students
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Gardening and Healthy Eating Program
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Association for Advancement of Nursing Science & Research
(AANSR)
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UniHealth Grant – Clinical Nurse Educator Program (CNEP)
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Global collaboration: Taipei, Switzerland, Korea, Poland
Initiatives (Cont)
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Development of Nursing Alumni Association
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Development of Sigma Theta Tau International Chapter; Alpha Tau
Delta
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UCI Flu Clinic
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Active participation in ICTS (funded by NIH CTSA Award)
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UC Nursing System-wide collaboration
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UCI Nursing Science Center for the Advancement of Women’s Health
Faculty Accomplishments
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Sarah Choi KL2 award from UCI’s NIH-funded Clinical Translational
Science Award (Institute for Clinical Translational Research)
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Alison Holman – Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty
Scholar; post-traumatic stress, genetics
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Jill Berg – honored as community researcher through the ICTS in
2010 – asthma in the Latino community
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Ruth Mulnard – runs clinical trial research on Alzheimer’s Disease;
Assoc Director of ICTS
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Jung-Ah Lee – studies prevention of deep vein thrombosis
Faculty Accomplishments
(cont)
S Lorraine Evangelista – prevention of heart failure
S Ellen Olshansky – women’s health across the lifespan;
community based research; qualitative research
S Susan Tiso, Susanne Phillips, Camille Fitzpatrick, Karen
Deck, Beth Haney – maintain practice as nurse
practitioners
S Maureen Movius, Bernadette Milbury, Kathy Saunders –
studying simulation as a clinical educational tool
We are Prepared to Meet the
Challenges Ahead!
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Stay focused and motivated
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Work as a team
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Work with our inter-disciplinary
colleagues
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The Gallop Poll every year since
1999 except after 9/11 (when
firefighters were voted most
trusted), has found nurses to be
the most trusted profession