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Blogs

Nursing News and Stories

By Author

Dana Brandorff

Dana Brandorff
Dana is the Director of Marketing and Communications for the CU College of Nursing.

Faculty

Contemplating the Past Can Help Nursing Faculty in the Future

A new editorial co-authored by a faculty member at the University of Colorado College of Nursing asserts the severe and growing shortage of nursing educators nationwide may be partially addressed with reflective practice, or taking the time to look back and assess results in order to consider alternative actions for the future. It’s a lesson in history. In 1973, author Robert Heinlein wrote “A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.”


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date August 07, 2023
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Alumni    Students    Scholarship    Hot Topic

10 Tips to Find and Earn Scholarships for Nursing School

University of Colorado College of Nursing 2023 BSN graduate Mark Domingo received a transfer scholarship when he applied and was accepted to Anschutz Medical Campus BSN program and was grateful for it. “It certainly helped defray some of the costs of college.”


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date July 24, 2023
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Students

Living the Dream

When Melissa Sanchez was 8 years old, her mother separated from her father and emigrated from Colombia, South America to Miami, FL with her four kids for a “better life, better future and better education,” says Sanchez. “The country is beautiful and lush but impoverished, crippled by corruption and guerilla warfare. And my mother did not see much of a future there for us.”


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date April 24, 2023
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Students    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

Major Molly Bried Embodies “Be All You Can Be”

For Active-Duty Army Major, single mother of two boys, and University of Colorado College of Nursing graduate student pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice and Master of Public Health degrees at Anschutz Medical Campus, Molly Bried exemplifies the US Army slogan “Be all you can be.”


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date April 18, 2023
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Alumni   

Alumna Blends Native American Healing Traditions with Western Medicine

“I knew at a young age that I wanted to be a doctor or a person who could help others heal,” says CU Nursing alumna Michelle Kahn-John, PhD ‘14, MSN ’00, who comes from a long line of medicine women and men from the Navajo (Diné) Nation, Big Water Clan (Tó’tsohnii) of Fort Defiance, AZ.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date November 28, 2022
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Students

Bioengineering and Nursing Students Collaborate to Test Devices, Improve Patient Outcomes

When University of Colorado College of Nursing student Rebecca Feldman was delivering hydromorphone through an intravenous drip to an injured patient, the new medical device she was using started flashing “Occluded! Occluded!” For a moment, she didn’t know what to do. Fortunately, it was just a test. Feldman was taking part in an exercise with other nursing and bioengineering students at the University of Colorado to test medical devices and improve healthcare.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date July 07, 2022
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Alumni

Adventures in Nursing -- From the Bedside to Behind the Scenes

Emily Reyes has been working in nursing informatics for several years but knew she needed to earn her master’s degree if she wanted to advance in her career. “Even though I was already doing the work, I needed more theory and evidence behind what I was doing to take on higher leadership roles,” says Reyes.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date June 01, 2022
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Students

For this Air Force Major, “Be All That You Can Be” Is Not Just a Slogan

Corrie Secord is the first to admit that her path to midwifery was a rambling one. “I was a senior in high school when 9/11 occurred and was already set up to enlist when it happened,” said Secord.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 24, 2022
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Students

Air Force Made Career in Nursing and Midwifery Possible

“On my first day of training, I couldn’t do a single push-up,” says Major Caroline Hill who at age 18 joined the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). Her introduction to the Corps was pure luck.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 19, 2022
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COVID-19    Faculty

Grand Rounds: The Value of Evidence During the Time of Global Pandemic

The March 2022 University of Colorado College of Nursing Grand Rounds presentation by Associate Professor Scott Harpin, PhD, MPH, RN, FNAP, tackled the topic of the Value of Evidence During the Time of a Global Pandemic. Dr. Harpin took the audience on a journey that made us question some of our beliefs about the science we have learned and lived during the last two years of the pandemic.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date April 12, 2022
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Alumni

Post-Baccalaureate Registered Nurse Residency

Fear. Trepidation. Excitement. All are natural emotions that nursing students face upon graduation. Doubting their readiness, many students ask themselves, “How am I ever going to be able to take on five patients at a time?”


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date March 24, 2022
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Alumni    Hot Topic

Grad Shares Tips on Getting Licensed Post Graduation

Christopher Battelli graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Colorado College of Nursing in December 2021. Before graduation, Battelli’s girlfriend was applying for admittance into fellowship programs and was accepted by Stanford Hospital in California. Their plan was to move from Colorado to California immediately after Battelli earned his BSN.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date March 21, 2022
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Alumni

Lifelong Learner Reinvents Herself as a Result of the Pandemic

“I always liked to study,” says University of Colorado College of Nursing alumna Noelle Dilgarde (DNP/MPH 2019, MS specializing in FNP 2014). But even for Dr. Dilgarde, earning a dual degree while working was a major challenge.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date March 07, 2022
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Students

Never Too Late to Learn

When Jasmin Valdez Eastman was five years old, she told her family she wanted to be a “baby doc.” As a first grader, she checked out all the birthing books at her school library. For her high school senior project, she compared midwifery versus obstetric care. “I guess you could say, I’ve always been obsessed with pregnancy and birth,” says Eastman. You think?


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date December 13, 2021
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Students

Nursing Behind Bars: Christina Messer

When RN to BS student Christina Messer first graduated with her associate degree in nursing in 2013 it was the tail end of the recession. At the time, Messer was a full-time student and mother, and like many people she was struggling financially. “I was applying everywhere.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date December 10, 2021
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Students

Ever Since She Can Remember, Danyelle Gilbert Wanted to be a Nurse

As a native Coloradan and first-generation college student, Gilbert was encouraged by her mother to pursue higher education, but it was her eldest sister who was the reason she wanted to become a nurse.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date December 06, 2021
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Students    Vaccinations

Childhood Shaped His Perspective

Whether it’s learning to drive, graduating high school, or moving out, there’s a lot of freedom that comes with young adulthood. For Christopher Battelli, the transition from child to young adult meant the ability to make his own medical decisions.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date December 02, 2021
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Awareness    Special Interest

Dying with Dignity? Is it attainable even in a state where laws allow end of life options? My experience says no.

I had the privilege of being at the bedside for much of the time during my mother’s and sister-in-law’s passing. Unfortunately, not a lot has changed from Colorado to Iowa or in the nine years that have passed since my mother’s death and that of my sister-in-law.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date November 02, 2021
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Students

Adoptee. Reservist. Scholar. Student.

This two-part video showcases how University of Colorado College of Nursing student Gabriel Toepel’s life has been a series of unfortunate/fortunate events. But despite setback and “what ifs”, Gabriel’s positivity shines through.  


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date September 30, 2021
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Students

A Series of Unfortunate/Fortunate Events

Adopted at the age of two from a Japanese orphanage by American parents, Gabriel Toepel (born Tateshi Sakurai) was part of a military airlift in the 1990s. His adoptive parents were serving in the United States Navy and living in Japan at the time. Half Japanese and half Kenyan, Toepel was dropped off at Aikeikai Baby Home in Tokyo and subsequently adopted by the Toepels.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date September 14, 2021
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Students

Three CU Nursing students earn spots in VA Learning Opportunity Residency (VALOR) Program

For most college students, the summer between their junior and senior years is filled with part-time jobs and a break from school. But for three University of Colorado College of Nursing students — Dustin Bell, Jakob Nelsen, and Gabriel Toepel — their summer will be spent creating valuable working relationships, building a resume, and increasing clinical skills, clinical judgment, and critical thinking while caring for our nation’s veterans.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date June 22, 2021
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Students

A Call to Serve

From a young age, Colleen Waggoner, RN, BSN, has been fascinated with the complexities of our bodies, as well as our mind’s influence on our physical being. “For me, nursing is about using compassion, health expertise, and advocacy to promote wellness.”


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 17, 2021
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Students

Making it Possible for Others to Pursue Nursing

Brandie Galicia’s love of nursing began at age 11 when her mother was diagnosed with a rare congenital disease in which brain tissue extends into the spinal canal.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 14, 2021
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Students

Music to Her Ears – Helping patients and families cope with chronic illness and end-of-life care

Kerith Earlix spent more than 20 years as a music teacher and eventually owned her own music school. She took a few years off to raise her kids who are now 13, 14, 15 and 17. And then decided to do “something completely different.”


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 13, 2021
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Students

Get to know Island Girl Seiloni Sanft

Seiloni Sanft moved to Colorado with her family from Tonga fifteen years ago. The move from the Polynesian kingdom of more than 170 South Pacific islands was a bit of a culture shock for the seven-year-old.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 11, 2021
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Students

Military Legacy Pays Off

Coming from a military family, it’s no surprise that Andre Pacho, MS, RN, AGCNS-BC, CEN, TCRN, joined up as soon as he graduated from high school. The surprise is that he chose the Army, while his father, uncles, and brother are career Navy men.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 10, 2021
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Students

Like Grandmother, Like Granddaughter

For Iris Heidenfelder, nursing is in her blood. Her maternal grandmother, Katherine Peterson (now known as Katherine Enloe-Miller), was a diploma nurse and graduated from the Mercy Hospital Program in the 1960s.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 08, 2021
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Students

Nursing Journey Begins During '08 Recession

Danielle Perley decided to pursue nursing after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. “During her treatment, I got to know the nurses pretty well and appreciated the care she received.” Perley originally received a B.S. in Biology with a focus on genetics benchwork. “But after I got my degree, I couldn’t get a job due to the recession.” So, she pursued nursing and earned her second bachelor’s degree.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 05, 2021
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Faculty

Newly published article in the Journal of Professional Nursing states that racism keeps People of Color out of nursing profession

DENVER - A recent article by Susan Bonini, Ed.D., MSN, RN at the University of Colorado College of Nursing and published in the Journal of Professional Nursing, discusses the manifestations of whiteness and its effect on the profession of nursing.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date April 12, 2021
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Community    Faculty

Partnerships for Veteran & Military Health Conference Teaches Life Lessons for All

The first-ever Partnerships for Veteran & Military Health virtual conference is scheduled for April 23 – 24, 2021. With an emphasis on Inspiring a Community of Care and Connections, the conference includes nationally known speakers, panel discussions on topics ranging from PTSD to suicide awareness/prevention, and poster presentations.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date April 07, 2021
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Community    Faculty    Students

Program Helps Students as Much as the Seniors They Are Calling

“The nursing student connected so well with my mother that I requested she continue working with her even though a new cohort of students was supposed to take over,” said Natascha Palmer whose mother and father-in-law are both enrolled in the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus program that matches health care students with seniors.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date March 30, 2021
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Community

More People Choosing to Take Care of Loved Ones at Home Rather Than Long-Term Care Facilities

“COVID helped persuade me to take my mother out of a nursing facility and move her into our home with hospice,” said Debbie Mitchell, who transitioned her 96-year-old mother from Anthem Memory Care in Littleton, Colorado to a private home setting in March 2020, just as the pandemic was beginning to hit.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date March 17, 2021
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Alumni

The Millionaire Next Door

When Sue Mower was cleaning out her cousin’s room at an assisted living facility where she lived prior to her death, she opened a kitchen cupboard and saw rows and rows of tiny disposable paper cups used to dispense medications. “I had to smile. It was a curious habit, but typical Evelyn,” said Mower.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date March 08, 2021
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Students

CU Nursing Students to Present at NACNS Conference

Four students in the University of Colorado College of Nursing Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist master’s program are getting a taste of academic life by presenting research addressing commonly encountered problems in critical care settings. The students will present during the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) annual conference March 9 – 11, 2021 that is being held virtually.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date February 23, 2021
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Students

Crossroads leads to a change of direction

Like many nurses pursuing an advanced degree, Rafal Mirowski set his sights on attaining a nurse practitioner degree, specifically a DNP in adult-gerontology. After all, the NP degree is one of the most pursued advanced nursing degrees in America.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date January 25, 2021
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Students

Grandfather’s Stethoscope and Stories Spark Interest in Nursing

“My grandfather was a general surgeon, so I grew up around a medical mind and hearing his incredible stories,” said Renee Andrews. “I was probably two years old when Poppa Doc had me try his stethoscope for the first time. I was amazed when I could hear his heart beat so clearly.”


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date December 10, 2020
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Students

From numbers cruncher to nurse – how one UCAN student discovered her passion and a second career

For Antoanela Findlay, nursing was not her first career choice. “I was an accountant. I love numbers, but it is very impersonal, and there’s a lack of human connection that I craved.”


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date December 10, 2020
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Students

What do you do on Friday nights? One student helped premature babies fight for life

Most college students spend their Friday nights socializing and winding down from a long week of studying, not in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) cuddling babies.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date December 09, 2020
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Students

Hurricanes. Typhoons. Natural Disasters. When disaster strikes, who you gonna call? Lauren Ledford.

Lauren Ledford’s interest in natural disaster response began with a five-week search and rescue-training course in Colorado, and a stint coordinating an international program with pre-med students to Nicaragua.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date December 02, 2020
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Students

Fighting for the Underserved

Born in Georgia, E’Jaaz Abdulkabir moved to the Virgin Islands at the age of 9. “Living in St. Croix was like living in a small town – surrounded by water,” said Abdulkabir. Her father was a physician. In fact, he was the attending physician during her birth and delivered her at home. For Abdulkabir, nursing was familiar and comfortable; and home births normal.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date December 02, 2020
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Students

Compassion Without Fatigue

For Chris Griffin that is the question she posed during her PhD thesis presentation. A nurse at Children’s Colorado Hospital for the past 19 years, Griffin has had her share of intense heartache and joy. “We live these extremes every day. They aren’t fictional stories. They become a part of our consciousness and affect who we are,” said Griffin.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date December 01, 2020
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Research    Faculty

Suicide, Substance Use, and Homicide: Leading Causes of Maternal Death

Two CU Nursing faculty – Jessica Anderson and Brie Thumm – are members of the Colorado Maternal Mortality Review Committee, which was put into statute in May 2019 through the Maternal Mortality Prevention Act. The committee’s goals are to review causes of maternal deaths in Colorado and recommend ways to prevent such deaths in the future.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date November 30, 2020
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Research    Faculty

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Research

Infection with HIV is a chronic condition, requiring daily medication to suppress viral replication. Maintaining and adhering to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is extremely important in obtaining the best outcomes for person’s living with HIV (PLWH). Today, those living with HIV who adhere to a daily medication regimen have close to a normal life expectancy.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date November 21, 2020
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Alumni

Love and Legacy: How a blind date led to a major gift to CU

Not long before his accidental death in an airplane crash, Karen Padrick’s husband (Kevin) came to her and asked if she wanted to give a significant donation to the University of Colorado School of Nursing. It took Padrick by surprise. “I didn’t have to think long, but it hadn’t really occurred to me,” she said.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date November 17, 2020
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Faculty    Students

CU Nursing Student Gets Top Coach to Mentor Her. The Dean Himself.

Given all the work that deans do, it is unusual for one to take it upon himself to provide clinical oversight and precept a student. The University of Colorado College of Nursing Dean Elias Provencio-Vasquez tends to do the unexpected. “We were thrilled when Dean Eli offered to precept a student during our flu clinic,” said Director of the Campus Health Center Emily Cheshire, DNP.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date October 30, 2020
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Students

Not Lost in Translation

As a child, Ashley Chacon Percival became her family’s interpreter; helping her Spanish speaking parents navigate the health care system. At 8 years old, she was accompanying them to medical appointments, interpreting and translating for them, and when her father suffered a stroke she attended his specialty appointments with him.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date October 26, 2020
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Press Releases    Faculty

CU College of Nursing Announces a New Scholarship to Encourage Diversity of Students Pursuing Midwifery Degrees

AURORA,Colo. (Oct. 9, 2020) – The University of Colorado College of Nursing faculty, in celebration of the Year of the Nurse-Midwife and National Midwifery Week, recently established the CU Nursing Midwifery Diversity Scholarship, specifically to provide support to diverse students who are from geographic areas and socioeconomic backgrounds that are historically underrepresented.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date October 14, 2020
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Faculty

Serendipity

“I don’t know if we each have a destiny, or if we’re all just floatin’ around accidental-like on a breeze. But I, I think maybe it’s both.” -- Forrest Gump, 1994

At 10 years old, Crystal (Constantine) Masterson was described as determined. A child of the ‘70s and ‘80s, she was influenced by the Cold War. Suffering from recurring nightmares about nuclear war since the age of five, Masterson begged her mother to let her walk across the U.S. in 1986 in the Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament (GPM).


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date October 09, 2020
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Faculty    Students

Never Too Late to Pursue Your Dreams

Jessica Cumley’s journey to midwifery began 12 years ago with the birth of her son. “It was the most empowering experience I have ever had. I loved my care so much that I wanted to become a midwife and share that with others,” she said. Now enrolled in the University of Colorado College of Nursing Midwifery program and 32 weeks pregnant, Cumley wonders why it took her so long.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date October 07, 2020
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Patient Care    Community

Labor of Love: CU Nursing Celebrates Nurse Midwifery Week

“I love being pregnant. When I say that to most women, they look at me as if I’m crazy,” said expectant mother Abby Zamora. For Zamora who is on her fifth pregnancy, having babies is the “most wonderful experience.” And that’s why she decided to become a surrogate. “I wanted to do this for another family,” said Zamora.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date October 02, 2020
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Press Releases    Community    Faculty

Military Veteran’s Community Resource Guide Compiled to Help Improve the Health of This Unique Population

AURORA, Colo. (Sept. 17, 2020) – Knowing where to turn for help is challenging for anyone. For military veterans it can be even more difficult than for the general public. A new resource guide compiled with the help of the Veteran and Military Healthcare Area of Excellence at the University of Colorado College of Nursing will help.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date September 17, 2020
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Community    Clinics

CU College of Nursing to Offer Drive-Up Flu Shots

AURORA, Colo. (Sept. 2, 2020) – The University of Colorado College of Nursing and its nurse practitioner-led clinic at Belleview Point will be offering drive-up flu clinics Sept. 23 and Oct. 7.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date September 04, 2020
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Students

CU Nursing Master’s Student Uses Front Line Experience with Coronavirus as Basis for Capstone Project

“In May and June I felt my whole world tumbling,” said CU Nursing master’s student and nurse manager Stephanie Lee. An iLEAD (Innovation in Leadership and Administration in Nursing Health Care Systems) master’s student, Lee was entering her final course in the specialized track, when coronavirus hit.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date August 18, 2020
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Faculty    Alumni    Students

Alumna Recognized by National Association of Hispanic Nurses with Latino Legacy Award

CU Nursing alumna Ruby Martinez, PhD, RN, was recently awarded the 2020 Latino Legacy Award from the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN). Each year at the national conference, NAHN recognizes one member who has contributed to the nursing profession with commitment to advancing the health in Hispanic communities and to lead, promote and advocate the educational, professional, and leadership opportunities for Hispanic nurses. Like many national conferences, this year’s NAHN conference was held virtually in July due to coronavirus.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date August 13, 2020
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Students

Business Woman. Entrepreneur. Mother. Active Volunteer. Soon-to-be Nurse.

Volunteering is in Carrie Brouillette’s nature. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the nursing student has marshaled her neighbors to donate fabric and created a mini assembly line to make cloth masks. “My mother is an incredible seamstress. So I measured and cut, and she sewed,” said Brouillette. The two churned out about 600 cloth masks in their makeshift in-home manufacturing facility! And that’s not all. Brouillette also volunteered at a homeless shelter with the intent of learning how to be a better nurse.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date August 10, 2020
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Alumni

Alumna Builds International Online Community to Combat Burnout and Support Nurses

After graduating from CU Nursing with a BS in 2012, Cat Golden worked at Children’s Hospital Colorado and then Children’s Hospital of Michigan. “I was on the peds path and worked nights,” said Golden.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date July 30, 2020
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Research    COVID-19    Faculty

Grand Rounds – COVID-19 Hot Topics

CU Nursing’s July Grand Rounds presentation was a joint effort between Drs. Figaro Loresto and Scott Harpin and highlighted different ways the two harnessed their backgrounds and skills to make a difference during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, Loresto and Harpin asked themselves what they could do to help in the pandemic – one from a research perspective and the other from a “bedside” and public health perspective. Their unique skill sets have helped and continue to help fight the epidemic in myriad ways.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date July 20, 2020
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Students

The “Right Stuff”

In 2015, Josh Simpson’s world stopped. Soon after the birth of his youngest daughter, his 33-year-old wife received an earth-shattering diagnosis -- breast cancer. Originally misdiagnosed as clogged milk ducts, the diagnosis came after she switched doctors, and a subsequent biopsy. “I can’t tell you how many times people have said that you don’t typically get breast cancer while breastfeeding. One thing I discovered is that there is no normal with breast cancer,” said Simpson.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date July 16, 2020
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Faculty

Dr. Kerry Peterson Appointed as CU Nursing’s Psychiatric Mental Health Endowed Professor

Kerry Peterson (PhD, DNP, MSN, BSN) was appointed to CU Nursing’s Psychiatric Mental Health Endowed Professorship. Previously held by Dr. Mary Weber, the appointment was reviewed by a group of faculty who made the recommendation and approved by Dean Provencio-Vasquez.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date July 02, 2020
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Community    Faculty    Students

White Coats for Black Lives – A Movement, Not a Moment

Since George Floyd’s killing at the hands of police on May 25, and the senseless deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor and others, the country has been struggling with how to support the Black community while demanding change. One thing is clear – something seems different than all the other protests and events that have preceded it. The protests are larger, more vocal, more frequent, diverse, and persistent.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date June 25, 2020
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Innovation    Campus Life    Faculty

System to Improve Student Experience, Progression and Tracking Allowed for Rapid Response During Pandemic

Many academic institutions – especially those in the healthcare field – were caught off guard during the coronavirus pandemic. The challenge for the University of Colorado College of Nursing wasn’t just a matter of social distancing and moving classes to remote learning. It was ensuring our students also obtained the clinical hours required by the State Board of Nursing to graduate.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date June 22, 2020
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Students

Grandmother’s prediction puts student on nursing path

As Liz Phelps opened her book bundle from CU College of Nursing, she began to cry. An unexpected gift from the College and the Alumni Association was included with her books – a stethoscope. “When I opened the stethoscope and saw the note I, to be honest, immediately started to cry. The fact that nurses who once stood in my shoes would be willing to lend a hand to their future colleagues made me proud of this profession that I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to enter into,” said Phelps.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date June 17, 2020
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Students

Nursing students address common issues in critical care practice and provide solutions in published articles 

Two students in the University of Colorado College of Nursing Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist master’s program, Cailly Haning and Cassie Lang, recently published articles about their experiences addressing commonly encountered problems in critical care settings –  from oral hygiene with stroke patients to controlling postoperative pain. Haning, MSN, RN, ACCNS-AG, CCRN, and a critical care nurse at Swedish Hospital analyzed hospital-acquired infections due to poor oral hygiene after a stroke. Lang, MSN, CNS, ACCNS-AG, CCRN, a critical care clinical nurse specialist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center looked at harnessing a variety of pain management therapies after surgery (acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cold and music therapy) to reduce overall opioid consumption.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date June 11, 2020
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Campus Life    Students

Class of 2020 – Coronavirus Impacts Spring Commencement

The impact of coronavirus on our students has been far reaching. Clinics and inpatient facilities where our students typically complete their clinical hours shifted their focus to caring for coronavirus patients and suspended training.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 28, 2020
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Students

Out of Africa

Seventeen years ago, Eaba Dechasa arrived in America from Ethiopia with his family. His father was a geologist. His mother a teacher. The Dechasas came to America through the Diversity Immigrant Visa program (also known as the visa lottery), which provides up to 50,000 immigrant visas each year. Drawn from random selection among all entries, the visas are awarded to individuals who are from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. Distributed among six geographic regions, no single country can receive more than 7% of the available DVs in any one year.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 18, 2020
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Students

A Legacy of Caring

Born into a service-oriented family with strong roots in pediatric cardiology, China Opland knew from a young age that her path would focus on giving. Her maternal grandmother Francine Leca, the first female cardiac surgeon in France, founded Mécénat Chirurgerie Cardiaque in 1996 –  an organization well known throughout the world for providing free heart surgery to children in need.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 15, 2020
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Students

Student Persevered in Spite of Cancer Diagnosis

Sara Schwartz had a bumpy start to her nursing degree. Notified 14 days prior to the start of orientation that she was accepted into CU Nursing, she drove to Colorado from California. “I was homeless for a week and planned to live in my car,” she said. Fortunately, she met a girl during orientation whose family allowed her to live in their basement. 


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 13, 2020
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Students

Adoption Leads to Compassion and a Calling

All he wanted was a plastic toy car. At 4 years old, that was what Josh Harrington wanted and he was going to get it.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 13, 2020
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Students

Second or third career, but who’s counting?

For 15 years, Bill Martchenke was a high school and middle school teacher. A devoted teacher, he regularly worked 12-14 hour days. When his wife became pregnant with their first son, he couldn’t justify it any longer and got a job working for Kaiser Permanente in their electronic medical record (EMR) department training nurses on the system. After supporting the hospital for five months, “I recognized nurses had the greatest job in the world and why wasn’t I doing this?”


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 12, 2020
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Students

Helicopter Pilot Comes Full Circle to Become a Nurse

Eleven years ago, Erika Vaske was on a two-year waitlist to get into a nursing program. “A lot of my inspiration came from my mom, who has been a nurse’s aid for over 35 years,” she said. For Vaske, the wait was “interminable.” So she chose another path -- changed majors and earned a bachelor’s degree in social work.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 12, 2020
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Students

Proud Papa

Originally trained as a physical therapist in her homeland of Germany, Sabs Sheppard chose nursing after moving to the U.S. 12 years ago. After working with nurses for years, she realized that the profession more closely aligned with her goals and ambitions to work in critical care. 


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 12, 2020
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Students

Bias Lives Anywhere

Pam:  So, uh, Greg. How’s your job?
Greg:  Um, good, Pam. Thanks for asking. I recently got transferred to triage.
Dina: Oh, is that better than a nurse?
Pam: No, Mom, triage is a unit of the E.R. It’s where all the top nurses work.
Greg:  Well—
Pam:  No, they do.
Jack: Not many men in your profession, though, are there, Greg?
Greg:  No, Jack, not traditionally.
Jack:  Mm-hmm.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 12, 2020
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Students

A Dreamer before Dreamers

Arriving in the U.S. at age 4 from Colombia, South America, Kay Maldonado knew when she graduated from high school that challenges would lie ahead.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 12, 2020
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Students

Mental Health Struggles Lead to a PhD in Caring Science

Struggling with depression as a teenager, Rachel Johnson came to a pivotal moment in her young life.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 11, 2020
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Alumni

Second Film Festival Installment Highlights Nurse Practitioners

The second installment of CU Nursing’s Virtual Film Festival showcased a giant in nursing – Loretta Ford, (EdD ’61, MS ’51, BSN ’49) – with the documentary titled Loretta Ford: A Disruptive Innovator. Soon to be 100 years old, Dr. Ford proves that age is just a number. 


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date April 23, 2020
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Community    COVID-19    Students

Serendipity

When Captain Taylor Allen, BSN, RN, arrived in Denver in March for an internship with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) before entering CU Nursing’s Master’s program, she never thought her army experience would be in demand. Boy was she wrong.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date April 20, 2020
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Press Releases    COVID-19    Clinics

Sheridan Health Services Receives More than $500,000 to Help in Coronavirus Relief Efforts

AURORA Colo. (April 9, 2020) – Sheridan Health Services, a University of Colorado College of Nursing nurse-led clinic in the Denver metro area, recently received $584,045 from the federal government as part of its Health Center Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Funds, administered by the Health Resources & Service Administration (HRSA).

Please see full press release:
Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date April 15, 2020
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Alumni

CU Nursing Hosts First-Ever Virtual Film Festival

The nationwide novel Coronavirus pandemic was the impetus for CU Nursing’s Virtual Film Festival and “Fireside chat”. Consisting of four documentaries/videos over five weeks, the Festival was the brainchild of alumna and former faculty member Sue Hagedorn (PhD ‘95).


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date April 14, 2020
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Community    COVID-19    Students

Nurse’s Action Gets Results

When CU Nursing PhD student Brittni Goodwin, MSN, RN, realized there weren’t enough N95 masks for her colleagues at area hospitals, she went to work to get the needed supplies. Like many health care professionals, Goodwin felt the need to help co-workers who were being stretched so intensely during the Covid-19 outbreak. “It’s a bit like survivor’s guilt. I felt I wasn’t doing enough,” said Goodwin.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date April 13, 2020
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COVID-19    Alumni

Running Toward Danger

For Oriana Cruz, CU Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner alumna (FNP ’18), she is one of those rare breeds who run toward danger. And run she did --- all the way to ground zero in New York City. “When I heard about the need in New York, I signed up with Krucial Staffing, a traveling nurse company based out of Kansas,” said Cruz. She was deployed almost immediately to Elmhurst Hospital.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date April 10, 2020
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Faculty    Alumni    Students

Join CU Nursing and Seedworks Films for a Virtual Film Fest

Please join us for a virtual film festival, presented by CU Nursing and Seedworks Films.

Similar to a book club, participants are encouraged to watch one of the following documentaries and then join us via Zoom Sundays at 3 p.m. (MST) for a lively chat hosted by Sue Hagedorn, PhD, RN, FAANP, FAAN. These "fireside" chats will include special guests Drs. Loretta Ford, Ginny Pepper, Jean Watson, Ms. Karen Zink and Dixie Melton, and Daniel Weinschenker. You're not going to want to miss it!


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date April 03, 2020
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Alumni

Palliative Care Certificate Helps Alum Land Dream Job

“I’ve been in nursing for 37 years and this was by far the best thing I’ve ever done,” said Debbie Roditski, NP, about earning her Palliative Care Certificate from CU Nursing in 2017. 


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date March 25, 2020
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Education    Students

CU Nursing ranked #8 for Nurse Midwifery program and top 10% for Master’s in Nursing

Aurora, Colo. (March 19, 2020) -- The University of Colorado College of Nursing has received a #8 placement for its Nurse-Midwifery program, and a top 10% ranking for its Master’s in Nursing program, according to U.S. News & World Report. The Master’s program was ranked against 578 programs, while the Nurse-Midwifery program was compared 36 programs throughout the country. In addition, the Doctor of Nurse Practitioner program ranked #48 out of 319 programs, placing it in the top 15% of DNP programs. The 2021 rankings were released on March 18.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date March 19, 2020
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Alumni

What we can learn from the past to deal with coronavirus

From typhoid to smallpox to the Spanish Flu, we’ve had no shortage of epidemics in the US in the last 100 years and no shortage of nurses to help care for the ill. Now, it’s the coronavirus. Precautions were simple 100 years ago – isolation, bloodletting, inhaling steam and ice baths. But not very effective. In some ways, we’ve come a lot farther and in others, we are resorting to the same tried and true methods of containment. Digging deep into the CU Nursing archives at the Anschutz Medical Campus uncovered a real-life account of a nurse who helped battle the Spanish Flu of 1918 and survived one of the most devastating pandemics in history.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date March 11, 2020
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Faculty

Faculty Member Credits Post-Graduate Certificate with Where She is Today

“As an oncology nurse who grew up to be a palliative care nurse provider,” Heather Coats had her feet firmly planted in two worlds – oncology and hospice. Flitting back and forth between the two for years, “Nothing truly fit until I discovered palliative care,” said CU Nursing’s Assistant Professor Coats, PhD, MS, APRN-BC.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date March 06, 2020
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Faculty

Nurse-Midwifery Program Gives Birth to Forty Years of Firsts

With one of the largest academic nurse-midwifery practices in the U.S., CU Nursing’s midwifery enterprise leads the nation in midwifery education, patient care, and research. From a 100% first-time AMCB licensing pass rate of our latest cohort of students to helping birth more than 1,500 babies annually, the program has many achievements to be proud of in its 40-plus year history. 


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date February 21, 2020
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Alumni

Never Give Up

“At 13, I dropped out of school to take care of my siblings because my mother was extremely ill and my father left us,” said Yolande Ngounou, BSN ’19. A native of Cameroon (a Central African country), Ngounou recalled her childhood. “It was my job to help my family. I loved school so much, but I had to give it up.”  


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date February 13, 2020
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Students

Colorado Daredevil Graduates

“I grew up racing mountain bikes and cross country Nordic skiing in Eagle,” said Clare Baker. The two sports took their toll on Baker’s body. 


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date January 02, 2020
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Campus Life    Students

“The details of my life are quite inconsequential…very well, where do I begin?”

Teacher. Waiter. Insurance Agent. Yoga Instructor. Massage Therapist. CNA. And, soon-to-be nurse. If it seems as if Alex Wilson has led an interesting life, you’d be right.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date December 12, 2019
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Students

Turning Point

“Nursing kept calling me and I finally answered,” said Christopher Heftka. After 13 years as a professional ski patroller and a stint as a firefighter, Heftka made the tough decision to switch to a nursing career.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date December 11, 2019
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Community    Faculty

CU Anschutz grant will train students to prescribe drugs that fight opioid addiction

​Attacking the opioid epidemic tops the priority list for tomorrow’s medical professionals. Now, thanks to a $450,000 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant, our nurse practitioners can help make a difference as soon as they graduate. Read more, and see what our own Scott Harpin has to say about it.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date November 21, 2019
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Alumni

School nurse Marnie McKercher pursues her dream while expanding her role

Aurora Public Schools’ Lead School Nurse Consultant Marnie McKercher (aka Margaret McKercher) graduated in May 2018 with a Doctor of Nursing Practice and a master’s in Public Health from CU. As a nurse in one of the most diverse school districts in Colorado, McKercher wanted to enhance her role while forwarding the mission of improving student health.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date September 10, 2019
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Alumni

Disease detective finds her niche

Erin Blau (’17 DNP/MPH)  was first exposed to the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) program with the CDC while she was pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Nursing degree at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.

“I studied overseas and received a tremendous amount of rural nursing training. I fell in love with the role of the public health nurse, and that was it for me,” said Blau, who solidified her career choice by interacting with EIS officers during the dual degree DNP/MPH program at CU.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date August 26, 2019
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Press Releases    Community    Clinics

CU Center for Midwifery Longmont readies for move

AURORA, Colo. Aug. 22, 2019) – CU Center for Midwifery Longmont with Centura Health – Longmont United Hospital , a move aimed at ensuring that its families — who span Larimer, Weld and Boulder counties — continue receiving the patient -centered care they expect.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date August 22, 2019
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Alumni    Students

Like Grandmother, Like Granddaughter

For Iris Heidenfelder, nursing is in her blood. Her maternal grandmother, Katherine Peterson (now known as Katherine Enloe-Miller), was a diploma nurse and graduated from the Mercy Hospital Program in the 1960s. Encouraged by a physician, Enloe-Miller applied twice to the University of Colorado School of Nursing’s Nurse Practitioner program and graduated in 1971.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date August 08, 2019
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Press Releases    Faculty

New book aimed at closing critical gap in doctor of nursing practice programs

Groundbreaking. A “must-read.” Written to change the way the DNP thinks. Those are descriptions of a new book created by CU Nursing faculty. Students, clinicians and instructors: Look for “Leadership and Systems Improvement for the DNP,” which releases on Aug. 1.​


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date July 15, 2019
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Students

Get to Know Marvin Mendez

Honors student, rollerblader, snowboarder, and soon-to-be nurse, Marvin Mendez recently presented research at the Western Institute of Nursing (WIN) Conference.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 20, 2019
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Students

Get to Know Martha Grubaugh, PhD

According to Grubaugh, obtaining her PhD was a lesson in endurance. “Life happens and you need to go with the flow.” And “go with the flow” is what Grubaugh did during the nearly five years it took to earn her PhD. 


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 20, 2019
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Students

Wanderlust: “Not all who wander are lost” – J.R. Tolkien

Ian Overton decided to become a nurse after a decade of adventuring and one escapade that brought him close to losing his foot.

An expert mountaineer, explorer, rock and ice climber, Overton said, “Through climbing, everything makes sense in the world. The chaotic environment slows down.”


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 19, 2019
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Community    Faculty    Alumni    Students

Salute the Nurse in Your Life During Nurses Week!

The University of Colorado College of Nursing and student nurses are encouraging the community to celebrate the nurse in your life during the month of May. Nurses Week runs from May 6 – May 12, which was the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. CU Nursing students appeared on CBS 4 Saturday morning to showcase the profession of nursing and some of the activities they have planned for the week including a 5K fun run at the Anschutz Medical Campus Sunday, May 5, and community blanket making for patients at Children’s Hospital on May 9th.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date May 06, 2019
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Community    Faculty

Senior-based technologies and the perception of active older women

A study conducted by Assistant Professor Blaine Reeder, PhD, and co-authored by Catherine Jankowski, PhD, on older women's perceptions of technology found that more active older adult women prefer wearable sensors for themselves and smart home sensors for their older parents.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date April 25, 2019
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Education    Faculty    Students

Learning Technique Brings Hollywood to the Classroom

Textbooks are no longer the primary source of education in the classroom. CU Nursing includes traditional lectures, simulations, practical clinical experiences, and physical transformations of faculty into patients.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date April 05, 2019
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Community    Faculty    Students

Burn survivors help nursing students learn about the power of being non-judgmental

For burn survivors, Wayne Winkler and Shannon Bennett, participating in Dr. Teresa Connolly’s Nursing Care of the Adult Patient with Complex Care Needs class is a way for nursing students to become better nurses while giving back to those who helped them during recovery. For the students, understanding the physical and mental pain, anguish, and guilt associated with their condition is key to treating patients with compassion and empathy – essential elements in helping patients heal.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date March 11, 2019
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Alumni

3 Questions for Kim Pierce, first African-American to graduate from Doctor of Nursing Program

Interview between Kim Pierce, the first African-American graduate from the CU College of Nursing’s DNP Program in 2009, and Dana Brandorff, Director of Marketing & Communication.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date February 19, 2019
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Education    Faculty

5 Reasons Why Nursing School Accreditation Is Important for The Future Of Nursing Schools

As the top nursing school in Colorado, maintaining our standards through the process of accreditation helps us to improve our programs, prepare more high-quality future nurses, and provide the best nursing education. Every 10 years, CU Nursing must undergo the accreditation process that is conducted by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) to maintain our programs and status as a nursing school. Preparing for an accreditation involves faculty and staff comprehensively in institutional evaluation and planning review, and creates a culture of continuous improvement and quality improvement


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date January 11, 2019
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Campus Life    Education

Renowned Futurist and Medical Economist Jeff Bauer to Visit CU Anschutz

Internationally recognized, independent health futurist and accomplished writer Jeffrey C. Bauer, PhD, will be in Colorado Feb. 4-5 to highlight his life-long work about health care and the new realm of possibilities for nurse practitioners and other qualified non-physician practitioners who are qualified to provide health care without supervision by physicians. Ever since his book, “Not What the Doctor Ordered” hit newsstands 25 years ago, Dr. Bauer has been in demand as a featured speaker at national conferences presenting the topic of enduring health reform and discussing ways to improve the medical marketplace.


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date January 03, 2019
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