History
The College of Nursing is an autonomous unit of The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) and has a history dating back to 1898. The first public hospital in Memphis was established by an act of the Tennessee Legislature in 1829. Twelve years later, this small hospital meant for river travelers was replaced with a facility that was used as a military hospital during the American Civil W ar. It later became the Memphis City Hospital.
Memphis Training School for Nurses was chartered September 28, 1887, at a time when nursing education in the United States was still in its infancy. It was one of the first schools of nursing in the South and was the first in the Mid-South. In December 1887, the school accepted its first student, Lena Clark Angevine, who is now known as Tennessee’s pioneer nurse. In 1898, a new city hospital along with the Nursing School of the Memphis City Hospital opened at 860 Madison Avenue, and the Memphis Training School for Nurses closed.
The medical staff of the hospital petitioned the Mayor to appoint Mrs. Lena Angevine Warner Superintendent of Nurses at the new nursing school. In 1913, the hospital became the teaching center of the College of Medicine of the University of Tennessee. In 1920, the Memphis General Hospital became a university hospital by contractual agreement when the University of Tennessee College of Medicine accepted responsibility for the medical care of the patients. In 1926, the University of Tennessee School of Nursing was created, and on November 9, 1926, the City of Memphis and the University of Tennessee entered into a contract governing the operation of the Memphis General Hospital by the College of Medicine. The University began operation of the School of Nursing in June 1927. In July 1949, the School of Nursing became an autonomous unit within the University.
In September 1950, the newly established Baccalaureate in Nursing (BSN) Program admitted 26 students. In 1972, the Master’s program was developed and admitted students for the 1973 summer quarter. The PhD in Nursing began August 1988. The BSN program was held in abeyance in December 1997 allowing the College to focus entirely on graduate education. This focus provided the opportunity for development of the practice doctorate to meet future needs of an increasingly complex healthcare environment in Tennessee and the nation. The first students in the practice doctorate entered July 1999. The Doctor of Nursing Science (DNSc) degree designation for the practice doctorate transitioned to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in 2005, in accordance with national trends.
In August 2003, the UTHSC and Methodist Healthcare of Memphis announced a unique partnership between the health system and the university’s College of Nursing. The purpose of this partnership was to enhance delivery of nursing care by offering the full range of educational opportunities in nursing including an entry-level bachelor’s degree in nursing, continuing with the master’s degree, and concluding with the doctoral degree. Students entered College of Nursing programs at all levels of nursing education (BSN, MSN, DNP, and PhD) in July 2005. UTHSC received approval to open an entry level master’s Clinical Nurse Leader and post-BSN master’s CNL program in 2008 and the first professional entry students were admitted to the MSN-CNL program in June 2009 and graduated May 2011. Post-BSN/MSN-CNL admission to the DNP program occurred Fall 2009. The last advanced practice entry class at the master’s level graduated December 2011. In 2014, the College of Nursing offered a post-graduate certificate program in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner for nurse practitioners who are certified in another specialty and seeking a second certification in adultgerontology acute care.
The College of Nursing provides innovative education, patient care, and research programs throughout Tennessee and the Mid-South. Most degree programs in the College use state-of-the-art technology to bring nursing education to students in East Tennessee, rural W est Tennessee, and across the midsouth. The faculty and staff deliver cutting-edge clinical services in many different locations. The faculty and students bring the science of caring to the daily lives of their patients. The internationally renowned research programs of the faculty advance the frontiers of knowledge in several areas.
Information taken from: From Diploma to Doctorate: 100 Years of Nursing Education by E. Dianne Greenhill, RN, BS, EdD, and Professor Emeritus
Mission
The mission of the College of Nursing is to prepare nurse leaders and to advance science to meet the health needs of the people of Tennessee, the region, and the nation through education, research, clinical care and service.
Vision
To serve as the leading state and as a national nursing resource to transform the nursing profession and the health of people through education, research, practice, and service.
Values
The College of Nursing’s values are:
- A culture that creates, supports, and promotes innovation while honoring our traditions
- Sense of community and teamwork within the College, with our colleagues, and with our strategic partners
- A community that enhances scholarship and promotes diversity
- Professional and personal accountability
- Respectful, open, and transparent communication and collaboration
- Professional and intellectual integrity
- Shared respect for faculty and staff contributions
College of Nursing Philosophy
The philosophy of the College of Nursing is consistent with the goals and mission of UTHSC. The College philosophy focuses upon the nature of the PERSON, ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH, and NURSING. The faculty believes that the PERSON is a unique integrated being that is continuously evolving. Each person has the right to participate in making decisions that affect his/her health and to accept or refuse healthcare within the context of safety to society.
The faculty views ENVIRONMENT as all conditions influencing the life and development of the person. The health of individuals, families, and communities is affected by these conditions.
HEALTH is viewed as a dynamic state arising from a process of continuous change in the person and environment. The faculty views the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health as a complex phenomenon involving the shared responsibility of the person, healthcare providers, and society. Faculty view nursing as stated in the second edition of Nursing’s Social Policy Statement (ANA, 2003), “NURSING is the protection, promotion and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (p.6). Nursing must provide leadership in influencing the organizational, social, economic, legal, and political factors within the healthcare system and society. “These and other factors affect the cost, access to, and quality of healthcare and the vitality of the nursing profession” (p.6).
Professional nursing is a science and an art. The science of nursing requires that nurses study, explore, and research nursing and related knowledge areas. From these areas nurses develop and test nursing theories for the improvement of nursing practice and healthcare. The art of nursing requires that nurses use knowledge gained from the humanities, arts, and sciences as the foundation for acceptance and appreciation of clients’ values. Nursing care requires sensitivity as well as critical, logical, and analytical thinking to effect changes in clients and the healthcare system.
EDUCATION for professional nursing practice includes a sound theoretical knowledge base to support experiential learning. The faculty believes that the educational process facilitates continuing personal and professional growth. The intent of the educational programs is to focus on the learner with active participation of the student in the learning process. Education is a life-long process with the commitment of the learner to establish patterns of continued inquiry.
Biography of the Dean
Wendy M. Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-Bc is the Dean and Ruth Neil Murray Endowed Chair in Nursing in the College of Nursing. Dr. Likes has over 20 years’ experience in nursing including bedside nursing, advanced practice nursing, teaching, research, and administration. Dr. Likes assumed the Interim Dean role July 2014 and was appointed permanent Dean in June 2015. She continues to practice in and serve as the Executive Director for the Center for HPV and Dysplasia at UT Medical Group. She is a three time alum of UTHSC CON, having obtained her MSN in 1999, her DNSc, in 2004, and her PhD in 2009. Her research and clinical interest is in women’s health and lower general tract disease. Her research has been funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research. Dr. Likes joined UTHSC CON as in 2005 and was tenured in 2011. She has served as a Vice-Chair, Chair, and Associate Dean in the CON prior to her appointment as Dean.
Administrative Structure of the College
The College of Nursing is led by the Dean, three associate deans, one assistant dean, and one chair. The college functions as one department. The Office of Academic & Student Affairs provides the administrative bases for education programs and is responsible for programs, budget, teaching workload (in collaboration with the Chair), and student recruitment. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs oversees administration of policies related to academic and student affairs. The Associate Dean of Evaluation and Effectiveness leads evaluation and accreditation efforts of the college. The Assistant Dean for Business/Finance oversees fiscal matters of the college. The Chair fosters faculty development and determines allocation of workload for teaching, research, service, and clinical care. The Associate Dean for Research will lead research endeavors of the college.
Organization of the Faculty
All full-time, appointed faculty in the College of Nursing are members of the College of Nursing Faculty Organization. The president and committee members are elected by the faculty. Standing committees include: Collegiate Promotion and Tenure Committee, Curriculum Committees, Admissions Committee, Progression Committee, Executive Committee, Evaluation Committee, Awards and Honors Committee, Practice Committee, and Bylaws Committee. The Organization normally meets four times per year or more often as business may dictate. It serves as an advisory group to the dean and provides faculty input on curriculum, academic policies, other items of interest to the faculty and the dean as well as providing educational seminars of interest to faculty.
In addition to the full-time and part-time faculty of the College of Nursing, faculty members from other UTHSC colleges teach in the College of Nursing. The faculty selects, instructs, examines and promotes students in the college; it organizes and maintains the curriculum in consultation with and with the consent of the Dean. The list of nursing faculty including academic credentials, degrees with conferring institutions, and faculty rank is provided at the end of the nursing section of this catalog.
Nursing Alumni Association
The UTHSC College of Nursing Alumni Association represents more than 5,200 UTHSC graduates and is an integral part of the University of Tennessee National Alumni Association. With the partnership between Methodist Healthcare of Memphis and the UTHSC College of Nursing, almost 4,000 additional graduates from the Methodist School of Nursing joined the College of Nursing Alumni to participate in the Nursing Alumni Association activities. Alumni serve on several college committees where alumni representation is appropriate and advantageous to the future of the College of Nursing.
Location and Facilities
The College of Nursing’s administrative and faculty offices are located on the tenth, ninth, and fifth floors of the 920 Madison Avenue Building in Memphis, Tennessee. The General Education Building, also located on the UTHSC Memphis campus, houses the nursing simulation and skills lab and serves as the primary classroom instruction site. Additional lab and classroom space is located on the fifth floor of the 920 Madison Avenue Building. Students in the BSN, MSN, and DNP programs may also gain experiential learning through practice experiences in clinics and hospitals throughout the state of Tennessee as well as other states in proximity to where students reside.
Accreditation
The University of Tennessee is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree programs in the UTHSC College of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), One DuPont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 887-6791. The Nurse Anesthesia concentration of the DNP program is also accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA), 222 S Prospect Avenue, Park Ridge, IL 60068, (847) 655-1160. The BSN program and the MSN program are approved by the Tennessee Board of Nursing, 227 French Landing, Suite 300, Heritage Place Metro Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37243, (800) 778-4123.
Program Modification Statement
The faculty of the College of Nursing reserves the right to make changes in curriculum, policy and procedures when, in its judgment, such changes are in the best interest of students and the College of Nursing. Ordinarily, a student may expect to receive a degree by meeting the requirements of the curriculum, as specified in the catalog currently in force when they first enter the college, or in any one subsequent catalog published while they are a student. However, the College of Nursing is not obligated to fulfill this expectation, or to offer in any particular year, a course listed in the catalog.
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