Office of Communication and Public Affairs

Fit at 50 and On Call for the Future
Donna Shoemaker

No longer a cyclical blip, the nursing shortage will loom for the next two decades. The average nurse is in her mid-40s (and yes, about 95 percent are women). Meanwhile, nursing faculty members are in demand, Baby Boomers are aging and cost-cutting measures are compounding the workplace issues nurses face.

“A program likes ours is absolutely critical,” emphasizes M. Louise Fitzpatrick, Ed.D., R.N., FAAN, dean of Villanova University’s College of Nursing. When she became dean in 1978, undergraduate nursing programs everywhere were oversubscribed. Today, she notes, “Times have changed.”

As the College proactively meets those changing times, it remains steadfast in its aims. Its goals include graduating superbly prepared individuals who are ethically oriented; who can provide nursing leadership in a global society; who exemplify a spirit of service, social justice and altruism; and who benefit from Villanova’s liberal arts and Augustinian traditions. “We want an educated person first,” the dean affirms.

That’s been the case for even longer than the College’s official five decades. In 1932, Villanova began to offer liberal arts courses for R.N.s who had graduated from hospital-based schools. After World War II, the trend was for nursing education to be based at colleges and universities. Villanova’s College of Nursing formed in the early 1950s, and in 1953 admitted its first full-time undergraduates. Those 10 young women had another distinction as well: They were the first coeds at Villanova.

Right from its founding, the College has been creating “a sense of community,” Fitzpatrick observes. She takes special pride in seeing former students “reflect on their liberal arts education and the foundation it provided for life, as well as the quality of instruction and the value system that has taken them far.”

Those five decades of change have shaped a College with a healthy outlook today.

The College’s strengths place it in a favorable position to address the need for qualified nurses. While continuing to provide its core undergraduate programs, it will increase its focus on innovative graduate education—all part of keeping pace with trends in the field. One new approach is the BSNExpress program for college graduates who later opt to go into nursing. In May, the first cohort of 32 will begin this 14-month concentrated program. The Jefferson Health System will fund up to 24 scholarships for those who commit to full-time jobs with the Jefferson Health System Hospitals following graduation. The dean is delighted by this new partnership.

In 2002, the Villanova University Board of Trustees approved the establishment of a doctoral program in nursing, contingent upon funding. As the program develops, it will fit hand-in-glove with a special strength of the College: preparing the faculty members entrusted with educating future nurses.

That need for nurses extends around the globe. Over the years, the College has increased its opportunities for international students to come to campus, as well as for Villanovans to study and experience nursing abroad. Sophomores can study at the University of Manchester. One favorite opportunity for Nursing students is a service trip to Chulucanas, Peru. Among the countries that have turned to Villanova to educate nurses are the Sultanate of Oman, Jordan, the People’s Republic of China, Japan, Botswana, Taiwan and Lebanon.

Villanova’s Nursing students see their chosen career as offering a greater level of holistic interaction with patients, whether in a nursery or a nursing home, a suburban hospital or an inner-city clinic (90 percent choose acute-care settings for their first job). They can look forward to high levels of autonomy and responsibility, higher salaries and a very favorable hiring outlook.

“I love how nursing is a multitude of things. It’s so interdisciplinary,” sums up Janelle Facchino, a senior who transferred from the University of California at Santa Barbara. One of the College’s top students, she has been honored with several scholarships.

“When I look at a patient,” Facchino says, “I like to look at everything—emotional well-being, social background, family, their medications, what they’re going to do when they get home.”

Facchino sees herself as the “intermediary between the patient and the physician.” She isn’t bashful about questioning residents and physicians when she thinks they might not know the patient’s situation well, although she’s careful to confer first with a nurse, since she’s still a student. “If I don’t get an answer, I go to the next level, for there has to be teamwork. Everyone’s here for the patient,” she says.

Graduate student Jessica Wetzel, R.N., ’00 Nur. found an ideal way to combine her fascination with psychology and her commitment to children’s health. Wetzel, who is studying to be a pediatric nurse practitioner, finds it especially satisfying “helping families of injured children in a time when they really needed help, to really listen to them.”

Bridgette Carter, also a senior, set about exploring health-care career paths while in high school. Watching neonatal nurse practitioners in action, she decided that “nursing’s definitely for me.” She has set her career course on pursuing a master’s degree and a doctorate, working in a neonatal intensive care unit and gaining experience in family practice and women’s health issues. She has put her minors in psychology and Spanish to good use by participating in community health projects in the Dominican Republic. And with several friends, she led a tutoring program for inner-city children in Philadelphia.

As a director of the National Student Nurses’ Association, Carter has been elected to a leadership role among her peers across the country. On campus, she serves as president of the Undergraduate Nursing Senate. In thinking about how nurses are much in demand now, she has noticed that even when hospitals use hefty signing bonuses to attract R.N.s—$10,000 isn’t unusual—“you can’t just go chasing dollar signs. You have to look at the entire package,” she observes.

Says Facchino about the College of Nursing, “Our program is very supportive; we tutor each other and we’re mentors for underclassmen. In nursing, we all know we’re going to get jobs!”

	Villanova Magazine - Winter 2003 Edition
Homepage Back Summer 2003 Archives	Villanova Magazine - Winter 2003 Edition
Homepage Back Summer 2003 Archives		Fit at 50 and On Call for the Future Donna Shoemaker No longer a cyclical blip, the nursing shortage will loom for the next two decades. The average nurse is in her mid-40s (and yes, about 95 percent are women). Meanwhile, nursing faculty members are in demand, Baby Boomers are aging and cost-cutting measures are compounding the workplace issues nurses face. “A program likes ours is absolutely critical,” emphasizes M. Louise Fitzpatrick, Ed.D., R.N., FAAN, dean of Villanova University’s College of Nursing. When she became dean in 1978, undergraduate nursing programs everywhere were oversubscribed. Today, she notes, “Times have changed.” As the College proactively meets those changing times, it remains steadfast in its aims. Its goals include graduating superbly prepared individuals who are ethically oriented; who can provide nursing leadership in a global society; who exemplify a spirit of service, social justice and altruism; and who benefit from Villanova’s liberal arts and Augustinian traditions. “We want an educated person first,” the dean affirms. That’s been the case for even longer than the College’s official five decades. In 1932, Villanova began to offer liberal arts courses for R.N.s who had graduated from hospital-based schools. After World War II, the trend was for nursing education to be based at colleges and universities. Villanova’s College of Nursing formed in the early 1950s, and in 1953 admitted its first full-time undergraduates. Those 10 young women had another distinction as well: They were the first coeds at Villanova. Right from its founding, the College has been creating “a sense of community,” Fitzpatrick observes. She takes special pride in seeing former students “reflect on their liberal arts education and the foundation it provided for life, as well as the quality of instruction and the value system that has taken them far.” Those five decades of change have shaped a College with a healthy outlook today. • Its graduates number almost 6,000. • The undergraduate student body has grown to 400 and the graduate student body to 153. • Villanova nurses are highly recruited in the tri-state area, where more than half have chosen to work. • About 15,000 nurses and other health-care professionals have taken part in the very popular Continuing Education program. • The M.S.N. program launched 20 years ago has branched out into specialties that are much in demand. It is consistently ranked among the top graduate nursing programs nationally by U.S. News & World Report. • The expertise, scholarship and leadership of the faculty and administration have been recognized nationally and internationally. Of the 41 full-time and 10 part-time faculty members, all hold master’s degrees, most have their doctorate and many conduct funded research. They consult for the Food and Drug Administration, Operation Smile and the American Cancer Society, as well as other organizations. Strategies to ease the shortage The College’s strengths place it in a favorable position to address the need for qualified nurses. While continuing to provide its core undergraduate programs, it will increase its focus on innovative graduate education—all part of keeping pace with trends in the field. One new approach is the BSNExpress program for college graduates who later opt to go into nursing. In May, the first cohort of 32 will begin this 14-month concentrated program. The Jefferson Health System will fund up to 24 scholarships for those who commit to full-time jobs with the Jefferson Health System Hospitals following graduation. The dean is delighted by this new partnership. In 2002, the Villanova University Board of Trustees approved the establishment of a doctoral program in nursing, contingent upon funding. As the program develops, it will fit hand-in-glove with a special strength of the College: preparing the faculty members entrusted with educating future nurses. That need for nurses extends around the globe. Over the years, the College has increased its opportunities for international students to come to campus, as well as for Villanovans to study and experience nursing abroad. Sophomores can study at the University of Manchester. One favorite opportunity for Nursing students is a service trip to Chulucanas, Peru. Among the countries that have turned to Villanova to educate nurses are the Sultanate of Oman, Jordan, the People’s Republic of China, Japan, Botswana, Taiwan and Lebanon. Students as leaders Villanova’s Nursing students see their chosen career as offering a greater level of holistic interaction with patients, whether in a nursery or a nursing home, a suburban hospital or an inner-city clinic (90 percent choose acute-care settings for their first job). They can look forward to high levels of autonomy and responsibility, higher salaries and a very favorable hiring outlook. “I love how nursing is a multitude of things. It’s so interdisciplinary,” sums up Janelle Facchino, a senior who transferred from the University of California at Santa Barbara. One of the College’s top students, she has been honored with several scholarships. “When I look at a patient,” Facchino says, “I like to look at everything—emotional well-being, social background, family, their medications, what they’re going to do when they get home.” Facchino sees herself as the “intermediary between the patient and the physician.” She isn’t bashful about questioning residents and physicians when she thinks they might not know the patient’s situation well, although she’s careful to confer first with a nurse, since she’s still a student. “If I don’t get an answer, I go to the next level, for there has to be teamwork. Everyone’s here for the patient,” she says. Graduate student Jessica Wetzel, R.N., ’00 Nur. found an ideal way to combine her fascination with psychology and her commitment to children’s health. Wetzel, who is studying to be a pediatric nurse practitioner, finds it especially satisfying “helping families of injured children in a time when they really needed help, to really listen to them.” Bridgette Carter, also a senior, set about exploring health-care career paths while in high school. Watching neonatal nurse practitioners in action, she decided that “nursing’s definitely for me.” She has set her career course on pursuing a master’s degree and a doctorate, working in a neonatal intensive care unit and gaining experience in family practice and women’s health issues. She has put her minors in psychology and Spanish to good use by participating in community health projects in the Dominican Republic. And with several friends, she led a tutoring program for inner-city children in Philadelphia. As a director of the National Student Nurses’ Association, Carter has been elected to a leadership role among her peers across the country. On campus, she serves as president of the Undergraduate Nursing Senate. In thinking about how nurses are much in demand now, she has noticed that even when hospitals use hefty signing bonuses to attract R.N.s—$10,000 isn’t unusual—“you can’t just go chasing dollar signs. You have to look at the entire package,” she observes. Says Facchino about the College of Nursing, “Our program is very supportive; we tutor each other and we’re mentors for underclassmen. In nursing, we all know we’re going to get jobs!”