A combination of cutting-edge technology and old-fashioned community-building make Maryville’s Catherine McAuley School of Nursing a sought-after destination for students drawn to health care.
A combination of cutting-edge technology and old-fashioned community-building make Maryville’s Catherine McAuley School of Nursing a sought-after destination for students drawn to health care.
Maryville offers nursing degrees in five concentrations at the bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate and certificate levels to help meet an escalating need. According to the American Nurses Association, nursing is one of the fastest-growing occupations. By 2030, the U.S. health care field will demand more than 275,000 additional nurses.
Few other areas of employment impact as many people, according to Mykale Elbe, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, director of the MSN/NP programs and assistant professor of nursing.
“Anyone who goes into a health care setting will interact with nurses,” Elbe said. “They are those first-line health care providers who pick up on information that could save a life.”
Today’s nurses and nurse practitioners work and learn in a world unimaginable to past generations. Technology gives Maryville’s undergraduate students unique opportunities to deal with medical crises in real time through programmable mannequins. The nursing program’s seven mannequins can exhibit shortness of breath, elevated heart rate and other signs common to a number of conditions including heart attack and stroke.
Through a microphone, instructors can make mannequins “talk” to convey slurred speech or declining cognitive abilities. Sessions can be recorded, allowing valuable information for the debriefing process. “Where we talk about what went wrong, what can we do better — that’s where the magic comes in,” Elbe said.
During the past two years, lack of access to clinical sites because of COVID-19 has ramped up the importance of simulated patient care in academics. It’s also revolutionized learning in other ways. Nursing training now includes the practice and ethics of telehealth along with new coding and billing practices related to virtual care. The pandemic is also changing the way the program is taught. This fall, the nursing master’s program transitions to a fully online curriculum.
But something that hasn’t changed through the pandemic is the program’s personal touch. Chris Johnson, quality management coordinator with Providence Portland Medical Center, will complete the nurse practitioner program in December. Johnson said that especially given Maryville’s online platform, Elbe and other professors have a keen understanding of the importance of one-on-one communication. “If you have a question, they will be there for you,” Johnson said.
Johnson appreciates how instructors provide the flexibility working students need. “They’ve made themselves available late in the evening and on the weekends,” Johnson said. “And it’s not just an email response; if you need a phone call, they will do that even if it’s after 9:00 p.m.”
Elbe is happy to go the extra mile because she loves what she does. She entered the field of nursing with a passion for taking care of patients. As an instructor, she also helps students — and they help her.
“I think I learn just as much from students as they learn from me,” Elbe said. “Teaching fulfills my passion to learn, while also making a difference.” The relationship between Maryville’s students and instructors doesn’t end at graduation, Elbe said. One former student asked Elbe to talk through several job offers to determine which position would be the best fit. “And then afterward, she sent me her employment contract and asked, ‘Hey, can you just look over this?’” Elbe said. “And I was glad to help.”
Others ask for help with their resumes. Many come back to Maryville to teach at undergraduate and graduate levels. “We have a building, working relationship with our nursing alumni,” Elbe said. “We are lifelong colleagues.”