December 13, 2006

Nurses Complete St. Ambrose-Genesis Program

DAVENPORT, Iowa — A cohort of 22 nurses with Genesis Medical Center is the first to complete a program designed to enhance patient care by increasing the nurses’ clinical reasoning skills and cultural sensitivity among staff and toward patients, thereby also increasing nurse retention and satisfaction.

The 12-credit certificate program is a collaboration between St. Ambrose University and Genesis Medical Center that is funded through a five-year, $723,600 U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration grant. The grant, awarded in August 2005, allowed St. Ambrose to establish a 12-credit certificate program in clinical reasoning for associate level GMC nurses in targeted patient care areas.

Graduation ceremonies will be held Thursday, Dec. 14 at 8 a.m. at the Adler Education Center on the lower level of the Genesis Heart Institute.

"As a result of going through the program, I am better at organizing my thoughts and writing down those thoughts more concisely,” says Matthew McClimon, charge person in GMC’s Cardiac Catheterization Lab. “The classes helped me to reflect on my nursing practice and look more closely at care from the patient's perspective.''

Mary Clarke, director of nursing practice, research and innovation at GMC, believes that, as the nurses take what they have learned back to their units, other nurses in the department will benefit as well.

"Genesis’ patients are benefiting from the improvement in critical thinking and decision-making skills. In addition, these nurses now have 12 hours of college credit toward their bachelor’s degree.”

“This program is a perfect example of how a partnership between a university and the health care industry benefits all,” says Delores Hilden, professor and chair of the St. Ambrose Nursing Department. 
“In securing this grant, St. Ambrose and Genesis have brought tax dollars back into the local community for improved patient care.”

For more information, contact Hilden at 563-333-6076.

###