Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing

351A Health Sciences Center,
(307) 766‑4312
FAX: (307) 766-4294
Web site: www.uwyo.edu/Nursing
Dean: Sherrill J. Smith
Assistant Deans: Paula Kihn, Janet Wilhaus

Professors:

PAMELA N. CLARKE, B.S.N. Wayne State University 1969; M.P.H. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 1971; Ph.D. Wayne State University 1983; Professor of Nursing 2003.

ANN MARIE HART, B.S.N. Medical College of Virginia 1991; M.S. University of Wyoming 1996; Ph.D. University of Colorado Health Sciences Center Denver 2003; Professor of Nursing 2015.

SHERRILL J. SMITH, B.S.N. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 1985; M.S. Wright State University 1997; Ph.D. University of Northern Colorado 2008; Professor of Nursing 2019; Dean of Nursing 2019.

Associate Professors:

REBECCA CARRON, B.S.N. Texas Christian University 1976; B.A. University of Wyoming 1997; M.S. 2006; Ph.D. University of Colorado 2014; Associate Professor of Nursing 2020.

JENIFER THOMAS, B.S. Colorado State University 1994; M.S. Avila University 2000; M.S. Colorado State University 2007; Ph.D. 2008; Associate Professor of Nursing 2016.

JANET WILLHAUS, B.S.N. University of Kansas 1985; M.S. Fort Hays State University 2008; Ph.D. Washington State University 2013; Associate Professor of Nursing 2020.

Clinical Associate Professors:

ESTHER GILMAN-KEHRER, B.S.N. University of Wyoming 1986; M.S. 1998; D.N.P. University of Colorado 2012; Clinical Associate Professor 2021.

NANCY MCGEE, B.S.N. University of Wyoming 2005; M.S. 2007; D.N.P. University of Northern Colorado 2014; Clinical Associate Professor 2020.

J’LAINE PROCTOR, B.S.N. University of Wyoming 2000; M.S. 2003; Certificate-PMHNP 2007; D.N.P. University of Northern Colorado 2014; Clinical Associate Professor 2020.

Clinical Assistant Professors:

NANCY “NIKI” EISENMANN, B.S.N. University of Nebraska Medical Center 2002; M.S. Nebraska Wesleyan University 2008; Ph.D. University of Missouri-Kansas City 2020; Clinical Assistant Professor 2020.

SHERRA ST. CLAIR, B.A. Humanities and Fine Arts University of Wyoming 1996; M.F.A. University of Michigan 1998; A.D.N. Laramie Community College 2014; B.S.N. University of Wyoming 2016; M.S. 2007; D.N.P. University of Wyoming 2019; Clinical Assistant Professor 2021.

Senior Lecturers:

Associate Lecturers:

K. David Bodily, Paula Kihn, Candace Stidolph

Assistant Lecturers:

Megan Beach, Ashley Lair, Christina Warren

Adjunct and Part-time Faculty:

Amy Aldrich, Nicole Alexander, Nikki Armstrong, Shelley Benson, Colleen Butler, Britni Camino, Carol Campbell, Robin Cole, Mary Cox, Denise Curtis, Robyn Curtis-Rice, Wesley Davis, Michelle Dowling, Sharon Farra, Jennifer Favilla, James Fleenor, Shelby Frost, Deborah Gaspar, Brian Gee, Julian Good, Grace Gosar, Pete Gosar, Sheriedan Grannan, Nancy Halsey, Jennifer Helmer, Jesse Henry, Michelle Hipsak, Barbara James, Dawn Jensen, Amy Johnson, Sunny Kaste, Melanie Kawulok, Katie Keller, Carol Kobulnicky, Cheryl Koski, Cory Lamblin, Kara Laughlin, Anthony Leonard, Sue Lowe, Katherine Miller, Jesse Morse-Brady, May Nara, Marcia Newell, Kristy Nielson, Brian O’Neill, Jennifer Oiler, Alicia Palazzolo, Sarah Penn, Collin Prince, Mary Ann Purtzer, Rasha Riad, Vickie Richards, Amy Robohm, Elizabeth DePrince Smith, Shawn Snyder, Nichole Taylor, Veronica Taylor, Cassie Terfehr, Joslyn Thompson, Kate Thompson, Teresa Thompson, Weldonna Toth, Jennifer Tryder, Jessica Warren, Cynthia Weber, Leah White, Wendy Wood Neeson, Wendy Wright

Emeriti:

Pamela D. Larsen, Mary E. Burman, Beverly McDermott, Holly Miller, Mary Anne Purtzer, Susan H. Steiner, Beverly Taheri-Kennedy, Fay W. Whitney, Norma Wilkerson

The Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing (FWWSON) has well established B.S.N, M.S., and D.N.P. programs based upon national nursing education standards.

Mission

The FWWSON educates, conducts research and provides service and practice to improve, protect and promote health.

Accreditation and Membership

The baccalaureate and graduate programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

The baccalaureate program (Basic BSN, BRAND) is approved by the Wyoming State Board of Nursing (WSBN). Graduates of the Basic BSN and BRAND options are qualified to apply for admission to the national licensing examination: NCLEX. Graduates of the DNP Program are eligible to take the national certification exams as a nurse practitioner.

Technical Standards for Admission

All nursing students must be able to perform the essential functions of a nurse, including observation/sensory motor; communication; psychomotor; intellectual-conceptual, integrative and quantitative; and behavioral and social attributes. Please refer to the “Technical Standards for Admission”, including information on reasonable accommodations, on the school’s website: http://www.uwyo.edu/nursing/programs/technical-standards-for-admission.html.

Background Checks Requirement

Students enrolled in clinical training programs within the College of Health Sciences are placed in educational and clinical settings where highly vulnerable clients such as minor children, individuals with disabilities, and/or the elderly, are routinely served. These clinical/ practice training sites (including schools, hospitals, pharmacies, and other university sites) routinely require criminal background checks for all students who engage in clinical activities. Therefore, background checks shall be required on all applicants to programs in the College of Health Sciences prior to admission into their prospective program.

Students applying for admission into the nursing major component of the BSN Program, the MS Program, and the DNP Program will be notified by the FWWSON at the time of any admission offer the process for completing the required background check. Previous background checks (e.g. CNA Certification, LPN or RN Licensure) are not acceptable to fulfill this expectation. The results of the background check may determine final admittance to the program.

Students may also be required to update the criminal background check. Each clinical training site will be informed that students have passed a background check prior to placement at that site; some sites may require a more current background check. Clinical agencies may bar a student access to their facility for clinical experiences based on the results of the background check. If faculty and staff are not able to place the student in an alternative setting, the student will not be able to complete the program. In addition, students seeking readmission into the program are required to complete a new background check. Students are responsible for the costs associated with the admission background check and any other background checks that may be required.

Drug Screening Requirement

Drug screening may be required by some clinical training sites. Students will be notified by the FWWSON should this be an expectation of them. Students may incur charges for this screening and will be notified of such at that time. Drug and/or alcohol testing for any student can be requested by the FWWSON.

The Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing provides a curriculum based on the solid foundation of a general studies program. University students are individuals who come with learning preferences, different experiences, varied goals, and therefore, have unique learning needs. The primary responsibility of faculty is to empower students to become self-directed learners. Active learning is a teaching/learning partnership.

Health Insurance Requirement

Health insurance coverage is a requirement of the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing for participation in any clinical rotation. It is the responsibility of the student to obtain and maintain coverage for ALL clinical rotations. Students will be notified by the FWWSON should this be an expectation for them as well as timing for completion of the FWWSON Student Verification of Health Insurance Form.

Undergraduate Study

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program

Expected Student Learning Outcomes

At completion of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, graduates will be able to meet the end of program student learning outcomes:

Minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
Advance nursing practice related to patient care technologies, information systems, and communication devices that support safe nursing practice.
Achieve optimal individual, family, group, community, and population outcomes guided by clinical reasoning and appraisal of evidence of best practice.
Demonstrate effective leadership through heightened self-awareness to empower others in the attainment of optimal patient outcomes.
Use mutually respectful communication, collaboration, and leadership skills within interprofessional teams in the management of care in diverse, complex, global, and dynamic healthcare systems.
Participate as a nursing professional in the development and implementation of healthcare policy, finance, and regulatory entities, including local, state, national, and global healthcare trends.
Provide patient-centered care by reflecting on the uniqueness of an individual patient’s background, personal preferences, culture, values, traditions, and family, which promotes optimal health outcomes by involving patients and families as they make clinical care decisions.
Demonstrate respectful, efficient, safe, and well-coordinated transitions of the patient through all levels of care.
Provide respectful, efficient, safe and well-coordinated patient-centered care to populations by reflecting on beliefs, values, attitudes, and practices.
Model professionalism with consistent demonstration of core values evidenced by nurses working with others to achieve optimal health and wellness outcomes in patients, families, and populations by wisely applying principles of altruism, excellence, caring, ethics, respect, communication, professional engagement, lifelong learning, and accountability.
Encourage evidence-based health promotion and make a positive contribution to immediate and long-term health status, through the provision of education to individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations that encourages healthy behaviors and choices, prevention of disease, protection from preventable illness and disastrous emergencies.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program Options

The Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing offers a baccalaureate program with three options to obtain the BSN degree:

Basic BSN - a four-year, on-campus BSN option for the student who wishes to become a registered nurse at the baccalaureate level.
BRAND (Bachelors Reach for Accelerated Nursing Degree) - an accelerated BSN outreach option for the student who has already achieved a previous non-nursing baccalaureate degree and who wishes to become a registered nurse at the baccalaureate level.
BSN Completion - two online BSN options (ReNEW and RN-BSN):

ReNEW (Revolutionizing Nursing Education in Wyoming) - an online BSN option for the student or graduate of a Wyoming community college ReNEW nursing program who wishes to become a baccalaureate-prepared nurse.
RN-BSN - an online BSN option for the graduate of a non-ReNEW associate degree or diploma nursing program who wishes to become a baccalaureate-prepared nurse.

Please refer to the appropriate BSN program option section that follows below.

Graduate Study

The Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing offers two graduate programs leading to: 1) a Master of Science (M.S.) degree and 2) a Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) degree.

Master of Science (MS) Program

The MS program of study is for nurses who desire to become nurse educators or nurse leaders in any academic or health-related setting. The program mission is to prepare transformational learners and leaders to advance nursing education and practice, thus, addressing the complexities in the 21st century healthcare system. Core curricular concepts woven through the curriculum include transformation, communication, interconnected global perspective, outcomes orientation, and rural population health.

Expected Student Learning Outcomes

MS graduates are prepared to ensure better care, better health, and lower costs through their knowledge, skills, and abilities to:

Lead change for quality care outcomes; implement safe, quality care to diverse patients in a variety of settings and roles;
Apply teaching/learning principles to the design, implementation, and evaluation of growth in individuals or groups in a variety of settings;
Build and lead interprofessional care teams;
Design innovative nursing practices;
Translate evidence into practice;
Promote a healthy work environment for sustainability of the work force.

Master of Science (MS) Program Concentrations

The Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing offers a masters program with two concentrations to obtain the MS degree:

Nurse Educator - a two and a half-year, online MS concentration for the registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) who desire to become nurse educators.
Nurse Leader - a two and a half-year, online MS concentration for the registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) who desire to become nurse leaders.

Please refer to the MS program section that follows below.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree is the new standard for advanced practice nursing education. The DNP program is open to registered nurses with a minimum of a baccalaureate degree in nursing from a program nationally accredited by CCNE or NLNAC.

Expected Student Learning Outcomes

DNP graduates will:

engage in evidence-based practice to optimize health outcomes;
engage in leadership activities to promote excellence in rural health care.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program Concentrations

The Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing offers a doctoral program with two concentrations to obtain the DNP degree:

Family Nurse Practitioner (FMY) - a three-year, DNP concentration for the registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) that prepares students for careers in rural primary care.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PSH) - a three-year, DNP concentration for the registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) that prepares students for careers in rural psychiatric mental health care.

Please refer to the appropriate DNP program concentration section that follows below.

Programs

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Master of Science

Nursing, M.S., Nurse Educator/Nurse Leader Concentrations

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Courses

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