NEW: Dean RIC’s School of Nursing Attends Event with First Lady
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Rhode Island College’s School of Nursing will join the ranks of hundreds of others in educating nursing students on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the coming years.
Jane Williams, dean of RIC’s School of Nursing, is one of only 20 nursing deans nationwide invited to attend the event, held at the University of Pennsylvania. Williams will be present at the Joining Forces White House event with First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, and will also participate in a Nursing Leadership Summit.
Today First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden will announce a commitment from nurses across the country eager to serve our veterans and military families as well as they have served us. In a broad, coordinated effort, more than 150 state and national nursing organizations and over 500 nursing schools including Rhode Island College’s School of Nursing have committed to further educate our nation’s 3 million nurses so they are prepared to meet the unique health needs of service members, veterans, and their families.
“Whether we’re in a hospital, a doctor’s office or a community health center, nurses are often the first people we see when we walk through the door. Because of their expertise, they are trusted to be the frontline of America’s health care system,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “That’s why Jill and I knew we could turn to America’s nurses and nursing students to help our veterans and military families get the world-class care that they’ve earned. It’s clear from today’s announcement that the nursing community is well on its way to serving our men and women in uniform and their families.”
In 2008, RIC’s nursing school and the Providence VA Medical Center were chosen to participate in the national VA Nursing Academy, a four-year program that partners VA health care with top nursing schools in the nation to provide skilled nurses to care for the rising number of aging and returning veterans.
This partnership has resulted in, among other initiatives, an expanded focus on veteran health issues in the nursing curriculum, a 10-fold increase in student clinical learning with the veteran population, simulations that address the unique needs of veterans, and quality improvement models and microsystem redesign to prepare nurses to work effectively and efficiently to care for veterans.
“I’m honored to represent Rhode Island College in this extraordinarily important effort to educate our nurses about the critical and distinctive health care requirement of veterans and their families, said Jane Williams, dean of RIC’s School of Nursing, who will be one of only 20 nursing deans nationwide invited to attend the event. “Our partnership with the Providence VA Medical Center has been an integral part of RIC’s effort to prepare our nurses for the challenges of caring for former and current service members,” Williams added.
