Columbia University School Of Nursing

The School of Nursing is one of the schools at Columbia University in New York City. It stands as one of the oldest nursing schools in the nation.

History

The School of Nursing was founded in 1892 with Anna C. Maxwell serving as its first director. In 1956, the school became the first in the country to award a master's degree in a clinical nursing specialty. At Columbia University, the emphasis on clinical scholarship is appropriate due to collaboration of the School of Nursing with other professional schools in the environment. The School of Nursing shares the Health Sciences Campus with the School of Public Health, the School of Dental and Oral Surgery, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons. With such collaboration, richness and diversity is added to the educational experience of students at the School of Nursing. The school has built a tradition of clinical excellence by having clinical partnerships at over 200 clinical practice sites throughout New York City. The School of Nursing also has affiliations with three major medical centers: New York-Presbyterian, Mt. Sinai, and St. Luke's-Roosevelt.

Academics

The school offers a combined BS/MS and nine master's specialities. A PhD degree is also offered as well as the doctorate of nursing practice [DNP] which was developed by the faculty of the School in 2004. The additional competencies embodied in this degree were based on the experience and outcomes research of the clinical faculty. It is the first 'advanced advanced' direct patient care involving the comprehensive care of a panel of patients across sites and over time in the whole country.

As clinical evidence is both built from and applied to practice, Columbia University’s School of Nursing provides its students with the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) program, in order to achieve evidence-based practice (EBP). The ACNP program was reconfigured to incorporate both theoretical and practical skills to foster an EPD approach to clinical care. The 47-credit masters ACNP program consist of core courses, supporting sciences, and specialty courses. Core courses and supporting sciences for all nurse practitioners include physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, introduction to primary care, advanced physical assessment, genetics, health and social policy, and theory and research. The ACNP specialty instructive courses accommodate 24 of the 47 credits. These instructive courses include Diagnosis and Management of the Acutely III Adult 1 and 2 and ACNP Role Integration. In addition, students take 3 of 4 possible intensive courses. These are focused 1-credit courses available to all practitioners and are offered in the following areas: nutrition across the lifespan, interpersonal violence, behavioural health care for advanced practice, and management of advance practice. For practical experience, ACNP also offers 4 specific clinical courses that provide a total of 720 hours of clinical time.

Highlights

Since its inception, more than 9,000 nurses have graduated from the School of Nursing due to solid clinical training and work experience in community, hospital, and home settings. It is the first nursing school to have awarded a master’s degree in clinical specialty. The School of Nursing was the first to be elected a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for International Nursing Development in Advanced Practice. It is the only nursing school whose faculty is deeply involved in collaborative practice with physicians at an academic medical center. In 2006, the School of Nursing won Computerworld Honors Award for Sybase Mobile Solution, by developing the personal digital assistant (PDA)-based system to replace the existing paper-based student clinical logs for Nurse Practitioners (NP).

Architecture

On October 24, 2013, Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) announced to build a new home for the Columbia University School of Nursing. A new seven story-building will be located on existing Columbia property at the corner of W. 168(th) Street and Audubon Avenue, at the east end of the CUMC campus. Designed by the award-winning architectural firm FXFOWLE, the new building will have an interior of 68,000-square-foot, providing 65 percent more space than the school’s current location. It will feature a network of flexible, technologically advanced spaces that accommodate various styles of teaching and learning, as well as places for socializing and relaxation. The new building also features spaces for research, a sunlit atrium lobby, a café, and a flexible event space. One highlight of the building will be a state-of-the art simulation center to help students master complex clinical techniques in a safe, educational environment. The simulation center will have a variety of health-care settings, such as a mock in-patient room, exam room, critical care unit, and an operation room. It will also include three teaching skill labs, which will give students the opportunity to perfect clinical procedures. Construction is expected to begin late 2014.

References

External links

• Official website
• Columbia University School of Nursing on Twitter