Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing Strategic Plan
Dear alumni, community members, faculty and friends,
The Dr. Ezekiel R. Dumke College of Health Professions Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing at Weber State University is an integral part of a well-known student-focused university in the northern region of Utah.
The Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing has embraced a vision to be dynamic and innovative, to elevate nursing-care quality and to expand the educated nursing workforce in Utah, the nation and globally. WSU prepares students and graduates to be leaders in the delivery of quality, compassionate patient care.
The Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing faculty's combined expertise and work ethics are reflected by scores on the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX), high-technology innovative teaching strategies and the ability to offer quality education at a distance through online delivery models.
The Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing has designed a Strategic Plan with support from alumni, students, community, clinical partners and an advisory board. The plan is guided by development of an educated projection (vision) of future students, educational resources and strategies, patient profiles and health care in general.
- 1. Innovative Programs to Meet Consumers' Care Needs
To address changes in consumers' health-care needs, WSU Nursing faculty are engaged in major reform for both undergraduate and graduate programs.
This has resulted in the development of innovative new nursing curricula.
Linked to the university's tripartite missions of teaching, research and service, these enhancements are designed to:
- Increase student mastery of an expanding body of knowledge
- Ensure safe performance of complex clinical interventions
- Critically analyze problems and utilize credible research in planning and/or implementation
- Educate students in a manner that ensures ethical practice and patient safety
- Motivate the transition of students from one level of nursing education to the next
Currently in the process of development are the following initiatives:
- Educational options for students holding associate’s or baccalaureate degrees prior to entering nursing
- A graduate nursing program to aid in the alleviation of a projected severe nursing faculty and leadership shortage
- Use of state-of-the-art technology to motivate knowledge acquisition and clinical performance
- Simulation incorporating ethical decision making, interventions for life-threatening patient problems and interdisciplinary approaches to health care
Future Goals
- Promotion of undergraduate research
- Acquisition of technology which enhances individual and/or group student learning
- Initiation of a campaign to identify a sponsor for the Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing
- Development of a think tank: Individuals educated in various health care related professions, as well as nursing, will guide in the refinement and progression of the Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing's strategic plan.
- 2. Knowledgeable Faculty Recognized as Experts in the Expanded World of Nursing and Nursing Education
To address current demands and future challenges in the specialty of nursing education, faculty must be self motivated to work individually and in teams focused on new educational strategies, technology and state of the art nursing care.
Application of this knowledge will assist faculty to prepare students for excellence in patient care. To be recognized as exemplary, faculty requires knowledge of up-to-date information and certification and support from educational administration, the community, health care providers and colleagues.
Currently in the process of development are the following initiatives:
- Monetary support for faculty seeking doctoral degrees
- Promotion of a global perspective of nursing and health disparities by offering educational opportunities for nursing students and faculty that promote the understanding of cultural diversity
- A collegial environment which promotes and recognizes scholarly work
- Faculty development workshops
Future Goals
- Establishment of a Nursing Center of Excellence
- Resources and motivation for faculty to become certified as nurse educators (CNE) through the National League for Nursing (NLN)
- Ongoing program revisions to meet the challenges and demands the profession of nursing will face through the next decade and beyond
- 3. Expanded Partnerships and Collaborations
WSU and the Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing have strong records of collaborations and/or partnerships which enhance program goals and ensure quality nursing care to individuals and communities. Such partnerships provide opportunities for working nurses to advance levels of education through programs of study which are recognized by receiving accreditation. Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing partnerships provide growth opportunities for nurses and nursing in rural and metropolitan areas; without collaboration and partnerships, nursing vacancies are often difficult to fill, leaving individuals with health issues without proper care.
Currently in the process of development are the following initiatives:
- Expansion of partnerships to deliver nursing education to communities in need
- Development of partnerships which enrich faculty knowledge of consumer diversity and global health disparities
- Promotion of partnerships which provide unique learning opportunities for nursing students, especially with community health issues
- Collaboration with technical centers and community colleges, enabling the advancement of educational opportunities for nursing students which increases the number of registered nurses
- Establishment of partnerships which provide both service and educational opportunities
- Research focused on evidence-based nursing education and designing models for delivery of nursing education
Future Goals
- Establishment of a global partnership to stimulate intellectual curiosity and expand student and faculty knowledge of world health issues and, most importantly, motivates students/nurses to serve patients whose life circumstances have positioned them to be unable to afford basic health care.
- 4. A Teaching/Learning Environment Which Stimulates and Motivates Students
Student success, being a critical outcome of the learning environment, is paramount to the purpose, goals and mission of the Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing.
Student success is based on established educational outcomes but is enhanced when the environment promotes creativity, scholarly achievement and honors academic integrity. Other critical components of the learning environment include: dedicated, qualified faculty and students with a passion for the profession of nursing, administrative competence, quality clinical experiences, learning assignments designed to promote critical analysis with utilization of research and adequate resources.
Currently in the process of development are the following initiatives:
- Recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty
- Recruitment and nurturing of high-achieving students
- Designing learning experiences which target critical analysis, problem solving and evidence-based solutions
- Technologies which support the simulation of life-saving decision making and advanced skill intervention
- Advanced online instructional technology which allows for increased student and faculty interactions
- Development of interdisciplinary activities which broaden the nursing student's perspective in patient care
Future Goals
- Investigation, analysis and implementation of strategies (activities) that promote or enhance student success
- Student workshops which showcase nursing in a global context and health issues relevant to the future
- Establishment of a cadre of consultants to guide, evaluate and provide outside perspectives to faculty and administration
- Development of faculty focus groups to identify state-of-the-art instructional strategies, seek out research related to specific strategies, organize a plan of implementation and evaluate outcomes
- Organization of a plan for application of evidence-based nursing research which disseminates the results of the scholarly work conducted by faculty
- 5. Additional Resources and Revenues
Many of the plans and goals previously outlined will only be achieved by the acquisition of resources and revenues outside the Utah State system.
Funding through grants and gifts will transpire when such sources recognize the quality of purpose and the exceptional benefits to both students and consumers. Requests for monies must be critically analyzed, carefully constructed and utilized in the most ethical, conscientious manner possible.
Currently in the process of development are the following initiatives:
- Faculty currently enrolled in doctoral degree programs through a federal grant
- Additional programs in progress to increase the number of registered nurses through a corporate gift
- Incorporation of a new technology program for online graduate students to increase student/faculty interaction through institutional funding
- Establishment of a new corporate partnership to assist in alleviation of shortage in numbers of registered nurses and provide unique clinical opportunities
Future Goals
- Expansion of Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing programs
- Increase donor awareness of the Strategic Plan
- Seek cooperative partners whose resources will enhance Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing program operations
- Seek out and acquire grants which promote the strategic plan
