"The new standard of "Excellence" in Nursing and Health Studies...

The University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies is a "world class" center for healthcare education, scholarship and research. Our curriculum integrates evidence-based practice, simulated learning and real-world experience at the internationally acclaimed University of Miami Hospital and over 170 health and social service organizations throughout South Florida and the surrounding counties. Rigorous academic and clinical preparation is centered on providing excellence in the classroom and in the field. An impressive, 94% of our BSN candidates passed the NCLEX-RN in 2009. "Miami's dynamic cultural mix and our school's focus on high quality and culturally sensitive care prepares graduates to work in a variety of healthcare settings with diverse populations," according to Nilda "Nena" Peragallo, Dr.PH., R.N., FAAN, Dean and Professor, School of Nursing and Health Studies.

As one of the most devastating earthquakes in history hit Haiti, UM Nursing students were on the ground in the country as the University of Miami went into action to save lives. Over the past three months alone, our students, faculty and alumni-working side by side with the Miller School of Medicine's Project Medishare volunteered time and expertise to provide emergency medical care for thousands. "My roommate and I were talking when all of a sudden the whole building started shaking and we knew it was an earthquake," recalls Felipe Novoa, one of three students from the School of Nursing and Health Studies who traveled to Haiti through the school's international outreach program in January. Prior to the disaster, the students were in mobile healthcare clinics to sharpen their clinical skills while learning the importance of serving others who are less fortunate.

24 hours after the Magnitude 7.0 earthquake, our three students were required to return to Miami for safety reasons. Yet even on the flight home, the students utilized their UM training to work side-by-side under the guidance of UM medical teams to care for critically injured Haitian patients being transported to the University of Miami Hospital. "The three UM students were excellent, they didn't fall apart in the midst of a crisis; they were very resilient and showed a lot of professionalism," says Marie P. Chery, in country director of the Global Institute for Community Health and Development, University of Miami/Project Medishare.

For six decades, The University of Miami has set the standard of excellence in Nursing and Health Science education. Nursing education must remain flexible and innovative to meet the changing needs of society. The School of Nursing and Health Studies endeavors to develop clinical nursing and health science programs reflecting the changing nature of the profession. On the faculty level, The School of Nursing and Health Studies provides instruction from the nation's premier expert clinicians to develop an outstanding healthcare foundation. We offer a traditional and an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Health Science and RN-to-BSN programs.

Our Master's program is dedicated to students and faculty pursuing advanced degrees in nurse anesthesia, nurse midwifery, and practitioner specialties in acute care/adult and family nurse practitioner. The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) program is the only program in Florida to partner with a major international academic medical center.

UM's nationally acclaimed Doctoral program supports students and nurse scientists capable of conducting evidence-based research at the highest levels. The Doctor of Nursing practice (DNP) represents the newest advancement in the evolution of the nursing profession. To meet the critical demand for advanced nursing skills, The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is now calling for moving the current level of preparation for advanced specialty nursing practice from the master's degree level to the doctoral level by the year 2015. The University of Miami in December of 2009 graduated its first DNP class. Our DNP graduates are assuming leadership roles in major medical centers and research institutes around the world.

Today's School of Nursing and Health Studies graduates are better educated, possess more scientific knowledge and have unprecedented access to information and cutting edge simulators that weren't even on the drawing board five years ago. To be the leader in healthcare education, you need to make a commitment to excellence. At the University of Miami, "excellence" is more than a word in our rhetoric; it is the standard we live by in our teaching, research practice and mentoring. UM Nursing and Health Studies graduates will be the innovators and healthcare leaders of tomorrow who will impact healthcare for years to come. According to 2009 graduate Hazel Brown, "We're looking to bring a new level of critical analysis to the way nursing is practiced here and to develop the next generation of nursing leaders." For more information on the School of Nursing and Health Studies, please visit their website at www.miami.edu/sonhs.