B. Academic support services are sufficient to ensure quality and are evaluated on a regular basis to meet program and student needs

INSTITUTIONAL COMMITMENT AND RESOURCES

II- B. Academic support services are sufficient to ensure quality and are evaluated on a regular basis to meet program and student needs

Elaboration: Academic support services (e.g., library, technology, distance education support, research support, admission, and advising services) are adequate for students and faculty to meet program requirements and to achieve the mission, goals, and expected student and faculty outcomes. There is a defined process for regular review of the adequacy of the program’s academic support services. Review of academic support services occurs and improvements are made as appropriate.

PROGRAM RESPONSE

The University and the School have excellent support services that assist students and faculty to meet program requirements and to achieve the mission, goals and expected outcomes. Brief overviews are provided below and additional information can be found at the URL-s provided.

UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES

University Library Resources. The 6.7 million-volume University library system is considered by the Association of Research Libraries to be one of the leading library systems in the nation. The Health Sciences Library (HSL) http://www.hsl.unc.edu , situated less than a block from the School, is ranked as one of the top 10 health sciences libraries in the US/Canada and provides a complete range of information services including more than 220 different computer databases, over 345,000 volumes, 6,500 current journal titles, 6,600 microform titles, and 1,100 audiovisual resources. The HSL hours are Monday-Thursday, 7:30 am – 12:00 am; Friday 7:30 am – 7:00 pm; Saturday, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm; and, Sunday 11:00 am – to 12:00 am. A building renovation was completed in 2005, and the building now offers wireless connections, 30 and 13 seat computer classrooms, videoconferencing facilities and study rooms. A nursing faculty member and a nursing graduate student sit on the HSL Advisory Committee and the Library Liaison assigned to the School is a nurse as well as a librarian. A dedicated Nursing page

http://guides.hsl.unc.edu/content.php?pid=121037 offers links to topics such as: evidence-based practice, APA format, and the use of Refworks; while other guides and tutorials for health affairs students are located on the library’s web site http://guides.hsl.unc.edu/. Nursing faculty and the library liaison have worked together to: develop APA 6^th edition handouts and tutorial for nursing students; maintain the website describing nursing Global Health internships and service opportunities

http://guides.lib.unc.edu/content.php?pid=133526; development of tutorials for nursing students about plagiarism, copyright and PICO queries; and maintain the website about health externships and service opportunitieshttp://guides.lib.unc.edu/nursingexternships. Through campus subscriptions, students and faculty have access to 9726 health sciences journal titles; 805 of these are nursing periodicals, 438 of those are available electronically.

All incoming nursing students attend a required library orientation and undergraduate nursing students complete an online assignment as part of student orientation and/or NURS360:Concepts, Processes and Skills for Evidence-based Nursing. Distance education students in the RN-BSN option also receive orientation to library services and can access all library material electronically via a portal. Course integrated library instruction occurs in research classes at all levels. Several HSL produced tutorials are required in specific classes such as NURS360: Concepts, Processes and Skills for Evidence-based Nursing and NURS364: Nursing Care of Adults with Major Health Problems I (see syllabus in Resource Room).

Numerous students, faculty and staff meet with the liaison for research planning, searching skills, and other related assistance. For example, faculty workgroups have requested literature reviews related to their work and many graduate students meet with the liaison to discuss their literature review.

University Center for Faculty Excellence. The Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) provides University faculty support across the entire spectrum of faculty professional development. The CFE activities include:

New Faculty orientation, periodic workshops and seminars, an E-Learning resource center and assistance in the development of classroom materials. The CFE also provides support to graduate student teaching

assistants and fellows through a wide range of activities and resources including a Future Faculty Fellowship Program. The CFE provides: resources to individuals who wish to improve their effectiveness as instructors and mentors, support and guidance for designing, funding and undertaking successful research on campus, and advice and training for faculty members taking on campus leadership roles. More information on the CFE can be found at http://cfe.unc.edu/index.html.

Campus Health Services. On January 1, 2006 the former Student Health Service, Counseling and Psychological Service, and the Center for Healthy Student Behaviors (health education and wellness) merged into one unit that was re-named Campus Health Services (CHS), and includes Clinical Medicine, Counseling and Wellness, Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy, Women’s Health, Pharmacy, Laboratory, X-Ray, Immunizations and Allergy Clinic and many other services to keep UNC-Chapel Hill students healthy. CHS http://caps.unc.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=453&Itemid=48 provides ambulatory primary medical care, mental health services and wellness programs along with selected specialty services including obstetrics/gynecology, orthopedics, and dermatology to students, student spouses, postdoctoral fellows and spouses, former patients not currently enrolled but expected to return in the immediate future, and selected non-student patients seeking specialized CHS services.

Department of Disability Services. Students and faculty with disabilities are referred to the University’s Department of Disability Services’ (DDS)

http://disabilityservices.unc.edu/about-us/mission-statement.html for assessment and assistance. DDS assures that all programs and facilities of the University are accessible to all persons in the University community and develops programs and services that permit students to, as independently as possible, meet the demands of University life. Through DDS, the

University ensures that no qualified person shall by reason of a disability be denied access to, participation in, or the benefits of, any program or activity operated by the University. Each qualified person receives reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to educational opportunities, programs, and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate. This policy is consistent with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 [§29 U.S.C. 70 1. et. seq.] and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)

http://disabilityservices.unc.edu/about-us/our-policies.

University Learning Center. The Learning Center, located on south campus, has a variety of academic support services available to undergraduate and graduate student which include:

 Academic counseling for pre-nursing students

 Academic Success Workshops

 Academic Success Program for students with learning disabilities or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (LD/ADHD)

 Graduate test prep (GRE, GMAT, etc.)

 The Reading Center

Additional information on the various programs offered by the Learning Center can be found at http://learningcenter.unc.edu/services .

SCHOOL ACADEMIC SERVICES

Office of Academic Affairs. The Office of Academic Affairs (OAA)

http://nursing.unc.edu/son-departments/administrative/academic-affairs/index.htm coordinates the academic activities of the School and includes the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs (ADAA), three Program Directors (PDs) (BSN, MSN and PhD/Post PHD), two Clinical Sites Coordinators, Education Innovation Simulation Learning Environment (EISLE) director/staff and four office staff. OAA maintains course syllabi for all courses, course maps and clinical contracts for over 600 graduate and undergraduate clinical agencies. The Clinical Site Placement Coordinators work with PDs and course coordinators to identify, recruit and retain agency clinical placements for undergraduate and graduate courses. OAA is also responsible for academic advisement and student progression issues at all program levels.

In the undergraduate program, Academic Counselors (AC) (three faculty totaling 0.75 FTE and a graduate teaching assistant), supervised by the Director of Undergraduate Program, provide assistance to students regarding test taking, study skills, stress management and preparation for the NCLEX. The counselors also maintain a rigorous program of entry, content mastery and predictive testing. The ACs are available by appointment, meet with students in class at the beginning of the semester and maintain a website of useful tips and links to other resources http://nursing.unc.edu/current/academic-counseling/index.htm .

Throughout the semester, course coordinators refer students with academic difficulties to the counselors.

The School has a well-defined undergraduate curriculum. When students are admitted, their course plan is automatically outlined for them. Student advisement is not necessary for registration, but is linked to student progression issues. The Undergraduate Progression Review Board (UPRB) consists of the chair and two faculty members, meets at the end of each semester and reviews all students who did not achieve a C- or better in their nursing courses or who received the following: withdrew passing, incomplete, absent from final examination. The PD works with the student to enact the decisions and recommendations made by the UPRB, and develops and maintains individualized alternate study plans. The UPRB may refer students to the academic counselors, especially when they are placed on academic probation and to University resources. http://nursing.unc.edu/current/student-handbook/CCM3_030192.

In the Master’s program, each practice option has an advanced practice area coordinator (APA

Coordinator), who reports to the Master’s PD, and assigns faculty advisors to students as they enter the program. The faculty advisor meets with the student to develop a plan of study and to review/sign the plan each semester. The Master’s Progression Review Committee (MPRC) meets at the end of each semester and reviews students who receive Ls, Fs or multiple incompletes. The Master’s PD is responsible for communication with students regarding progression decisions http://nursing.unc.edu/current/student-handbook/CCM3_030280 .

Office of Admissions and Student Services. The Office of Admissions and Student Services (OASS) http://nursing.unc.edu/son-departments/support/admissions-student-svcs/index.htm recruits students to the nursing programs, provides pre-admission counseling, and processes applications and admissions. OASS includes the Director; three Associate Directors [undergraduate admissions, graduate admissions and compliance]; the School’s Registrar; three office staff; and two graduate teaching assistants who assist with recruitment. Once students are enrolled, OASS provides continuing support for registration, enrollment management, student credentialing, administration of school-based financial aid, and administrative support for student governance organizations. OASS staff ensures that students are compliant with all health and safety requirements, coordinate a professional/career development program, and coordinate special events such as new student orientation, Family Day and School Commencement. This office is the repository for student permanent file archives.

Education Innovation Simulation Learning Environment. Support for student clinical skill development is provided by the Education Innovation Simulation Learning Environment (EISLE). EISLE is designed to be a safe learning environment that simulates a clinical setting. EISLE is staffed by a Director, two RN staff and four to seven graduate teaching assistants. The EISLE provides undergraduate students repetitive opportunities to practice skills, clarify uncertainties, and gain confidence in the performance of assessments and interventions prior to application with clients. Graduate students have clinical lab sessions guided by APRN faculty to learn advanced practice skills. The Human Patient Simulators provides simulation experiences for graduate and undergraduate courses. Simulators include: METI Human Patient Simulator, METI Emergency Care Simulator, METI man, METI Baby Simulator, METI Pedia Simulator and an older METI Pedia Simulator; Gaumard Noelle and Baby Hal, Laerdal vital simulator, and Laerdal Virtual I.V.

Simulator for adults and pediatric patients. An electronic health record system, Neehr Perfect ®, allows students to chart cases in real time, prescribe, enter diagnostic codes and order/receive lab values.

Office of Multicultural Affairs. The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) http://nursing.unc.edu/son-departments/support/multicultural-affairs/index.htm is composed of the Director, Administrative Assistant and three part-time faculty mentors (10% each) who work with minority and male students. OMA also provides curriculum resources regarding diversity issues. The Director serves as a consultant regarding teaching strategies for providing culturally sensitive care and may be contacted about individual situations students, staff and faculty encounter related to diversity issues.

Office of Research Support and Consultation. The Office of Research Support and Consultation (RSC) http://www.unc.edu/depts/rsc/ facilitates research endeavors of faculty, students, and post-doctoral fellows.

The RSC provides consultation in the areas of research design; measurement; statistical analysis including advanced techniques such as structural equation modeling, mixed models, analysis of complex data structures, qualitative analysis and use of qualitative software; preparation/processing of research grant proposals; editorial assistance; a bi-weekly research seminar series and statistical methods short courses.

The RSC distributes information on funding sources, research conferences, and publishes a newsletter, which highlights grant and conference opportunities, research news, and faculty research activities. RSC is staffed by the Associate Dean for Research, a Director, two staff, three statisticians and faculty mentors.

Biobehavioral Laboratory. The Biobehavioral Laboratory (BBL)

http://nursing.unc.edu/research/bbl/index.htm assists students and faculty in the use of minimally intrusive biobehavioral measurement techniques, developing knowledge and skill to devise or adapt methods to better understand the nature of chronic illness, and provides opportunities for researchers to participate in interdisciplinary research projects. Research currently supported by the laboratory include studies of stress, pain, and immunity; cardiovascular fitness, nutritional and metabolic status and functional markers; sleep, biological rhythms and neurocognitive responses; and infant feeding behaviors. The facility includes a biological laboratory, sleep laboratory, and an instrumentation development and testing area. Recent additions to the BBL include the genomic laboratory for tissue-cell culture and cell-gene research, an epigenetics laboratory to support studies of the role of DNA methylation in breast cancer development, and a behavioral observation suite and a monitoring room with video recording and editing software.

Information & Instructional Technologies. Information & Instructional Technologies (IIT) provides technological services and works collaboratively with the University’s Information Technology Services (ITS) http://its.unc.edu/ITS/about_its/index.htm, a campus organization providing centralized, core technology infrastructure and services. University ITS services include: e-mail and calendar, learning management software (Blackboard and Sakai), listservs, evaluation of courses and teaching (Digital Measures), Voice Thread and Elluminate, and centralized web publishing services. The School’s IIT provides in-house support for desktop computers, student computer labs, consultation on technology purchases, development and support of database applications, classroom support, exam and quiz creation and scanning (utilizing Scantron), classroom capture (using Echo 360), graphics and presentation support and videoconferencing support. IIT staff includes a Director and twelve specialized staff.

Review of Adequacy of Academic Support. Adequacy of academic support is reviewed annually during the budget process with input from the ADAA and PDs and each time program changes are initiated. For example: 1) in 2004-06 when the Baccalaureate Enrollment Expansion Plan (BEEP) was being planned, OAA, OASS and IIT leadership and staff were part of the planning process and provide input regarding personnel needs, most of which were funded; 2) as the MSN enrollment has increased over the past 5 years, the Graduate Clinical Sites Coordinator position has increased from 0.75 to 0.90 FTE. Student input into the adequacy of academic support is obtained through the Dean’s Student Advisory Committee (DSAC) every six months and the PD’s meetings with student groups at various times throughout the year, and student participation on program executive committees.

26 II-C. The chief nurse administrator:

 is a registered nurse (RN);

 holds a graduate degree in nursing;

 is academically and experientially qualified to accomplish the mission, goals, and expected student and faculty outcomes;

 is vested with the administrative authority to accomplish the mission, goals, and expected student and faculty outcomes; and

 provides effective leadership to the nursing unit in achieving its mission, goals, and expected student and faculty outcomes.

Elaboration: The chief nurse administrator has budgetary, decision-making, and evaluation authority that is comparable to that of chief administrators of similar units in the institution. He or she consults, as appropriate, with faculty and other communities of interest, to make decisions to accomplish the mission, goals, and expected student and faculty outcomes. The chief nurse administrator is perceived by the communities of interest to be an effective leader of the nursing unit. The program provides a rationale if the chief nurse administrator does not hold a graduate degree in nursing.

PROGRAM RESPONSE

Budgetary, Decision-Making and Evaluation Authority. Kristen M. Swanson, RN, PhD, FAAN, Alumni Distinguished Professor and Dean of the School, is a member and active participant in the University Council of Deans. Dean Swanson’s curriculum vitae can be found in Appendix II.2. The position of Dean of the School is at an administrative level equivalent to the deans of other schools and has equivalent budgetary, decision-making and evaluation authority.

Consultation with Communities of Interest. The Dean consults with the communities of interest through regular communication with CCNE and North Carolina Board of Nursing (NC BON); meetings and communication with the Chief Nursing Officers of clinical facilities that serve as clinical sites for students;

meetings with directors of the School Foundation Board twice a year; and meetings with the Alumni Board once per year. Dean Swanson also participates in faculty meetings, hosts School wide gatherings, visits with alumni across the country, and participates as an ex officio member in the Faculty Executive Committee (FEC) Program Executive Committee meetings. Dean Swanson has hosted several meetings specifically for the purpose of disseminating information regarding cuts to the School budget. The Dean guest lectures in undergraduate and graduate classes at least twice per semester at the invitation of course coordinators and hosts the DSAC meeting once each semester with student representatives from all program levels. She currently serves as president of the NC Nursing Deans Council and through that mechanism remains in contact with fellow nursing deans throughout the State.

Effective Leader. Dean Swanson is a leader in nursing scholarship and education; a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing; an alumnus of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Executive Fellow

program; and an internationally regarded nurse theorist and nurse scientist. Prior to her appointment at UNC-Chapel Hill, Dean Swanson was the University of Washington (UW) Medical Center Term Professor in Nursing Leadership as well as Professor and Chair of the Department of Family and Child Nursing at the School of Nursing at UW. She served on the UW faculty for 25 years and department chair for nine years.

She was recently elected President of the NC Deans Council and has forged a collaborative role with UNC Hospital nursing administration, serving as Associate Chief Nursing Officer for Academic Affairs. She serves on the Quality Board for UNC Hospital, attends Medical Executive Committee meetings, is a member of the University Committee on Centers and Institutions and recently served on the search committee for the Vice Chancellor for Budget and Planning.

Recently Dean Swanson established the Budget Planning and Communication committee consisting of faculty, staff, and administrators to guide budget decisions. She called for a discussion in the MEC about continuance or suspension of the WHNP option and asked that all faculty involved in that program be invited to the discussion. Prior to publicly announcing suspension of admissions to the WHNP option, she personally contacted the three lead faculty. Dean Swanson widely communicates decisions and rationale for those decisions. With regards to budget reduction decisions, she provided rationale in ad hoc school assemblies, via emails to communities of interest, and interviews with local and national media. Dean

In document The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill SELF-STUDY REPORT. Presented to the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (Page 36-43)