About Orvis School of Nursing

Strategy 1.

Prepare diverse nursing graduates with equitable outcomes through high-quality programs while increasing enrollment.

• Promote a diverse and inclusive community through recruitment, programs, and outreach
• Provide exceptional undergraduate and graduate programs taught by diverse and qualified faculty committed to student success and professional preparation
• Recruit a high-achieving, inclusive student body committed to ongoing academic and professional development
• Offer flexible choices in instructional delivery formats to meet the changing needs of undergraduate and graduate students
• Prepare students for personal and professional success by providing a broad evidence-based education with an emphasis on health promotion and self-care
• Recognize and promote the core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion and increase investment in and commitment to the diversity of the student body, faculty, and staff
• Leverage faculty and staff to increase awareness of commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at student recruitment events
• Assess current initiatives to identify opportunities for recruitment
• Create a holistic program that addresses financial and mentorship opportunities to support recruitment and retention
• Increase endowments and grants to support and retain students from underrepresented populations by financially
• Provide support to neurodiverse students, faculty, and staff
• Collaborate with DRC
• Establish regular meetings and dialogue
• Educate faculty and students on services provided
• Establish internal and external collaborative interprofessional relationships that support diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Collaborate with other departments and schools within the University.
• Collaborate with healthcare institutions and organizations.
• Collaborate with professional nursing organizations.

Directional outcomes/metrics

• Full reaccreditation of all programs by CCNE.
• Formalize the OSN Faculty Mentorship program to support ongoing academic and professional development at all levels.
• Provide and develop high-quality graduate programs taught by diverse research-active faculty.
• Increase the number of research-active faculty.
• Ongoing needs assessment for faculty and staff.
• Explore the possibility of developing a Ph.D. or DNP/Ph.D. program.
• Identify resources to support the holistic undergraduate admission process.
• Expand outreach within and outside of the university community.
• Provide education about the growing need and subsequent career opportunities for healthcare workers in Nevada communities.
• Ongoing evaluation of curriculum revisions according to the AACN essentials.
• Develop formal relationships and activities with the student resource center.
• Incorporate personal health and wellness content throughout the curriculum.

Strategy 2.

Recruit and retain diverse research faculty, scholars, staff, and students.

• Recruit, retain, recognize, and promote world-class research faculty and staff with diverse backgrounds at the OSN
• Increase OSN student scholarships at all degree levels.
• Designate workload allocation for academic faculty to ensure professional development.

Strategy 3.

Integrate values of diversity, equity, and inclusion into core processes.

• Include representation from the OSN Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee on faculty and staff searches and Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on faculty searches
• Increase DEI-related research and publication collaboration between faculty and staff with two or three collaboration initiatives
• Add diversity, equity, and inclusion components to staff and faculty annual performance reviews
• Revisit the School's values to ensure its alignment with a commitment to diversity
• Increase access to interest groups for distant faculty and students
• Integrate diversity into the curriculum throughout the undergraduate and graduate courses

Strategy 4.

Ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion are evident in education, research, scholarship, practice, and service activities.

• Establish a designated funding source for the OSN Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
• Create an annual event focused on diversity, inclusion, and equity for all OSN stakeholders
• Revise all course syllabi to include teaching strategies and pedagogies that are inclusive of diverse populations
• Establish an annual research award honoring those who advance diversity through scholarship
• Use faculty relationships to expand service and facilitate other learning opportunities that engage diverse populations in underserved and underrepresented communities
• Apply for federal grants and other funding for DEI initiatives
• Participate in the University of Nevada, Reno Cultural Diversity Summit held annually
• Achieve recognition for the School's DEI effort and initiatives at the national level
• Provide learning experiences abroad for nursing students
• Promote the internalization of the School and curriculum through programs, research, activities, and international collaborations

Strategy 1.

Streamline the School's business operations and implement standard work expectations for routine procedures

• Ensure transparency in position scope and accountability with equitable workload assigned
• Reallocate resources to improve fiscal responsibility and efficiency while supporting the needs of faculty and students

Strategy 2.

Invest in physical and technological infrastructure within the OSN.

• Invest in technologies and business spaces to support future service delivery and increase student enrollment
• Secure endowment funds to support additional faculty positions.
• Advocate for reanalysis of the appropriateness of student fees.

Strategy 1.

Lead in generating and disseminating nursing knowledge through the utilization of ongoing research and collaboration with industry partners.

• Leverage the Academic-Practice Partnership with Renown to promote original, translational, and interdisciplinary research.

Strategy 2.

Provide rich clinical experiences that allow students to develop higher-level clinical reasoning skills that translate knowledge into practice.

• Develop targeted high-fidelity simulations for each level of the traditional BSN program.
• Develop and refine simulation opportunities for graduate students in all tracks.
• Collaborate with clinical agencies to optimize clinical opportunities.
• Collaborate with community agencies to maintain and secure new student clinical placement opportunities.

Strategy 3.

Diversify research showcase and funding sources.

• Increase philanthropic support by maintaining solid relationships with OSN alumni and donors
• Foster partnerships with other NSHE institutes for collaborative funding and resources
• Explore and expand traditional funding sources

Strategy 4.

Continue to advance research efforts through interprofessional collaboration.

• Ozmen Institute for Global Studies
• Nevada State Office of Rural Health (UNR SOM)
• Sanford Center for Aging
• Guinn Institute

Strategy 5.

Expand existing programs by developing innovative nursing education strategies to meet the diverse needs of Nevada.

• Develop interprofessional outreach program with Public Health, Social Work, and Medicine
• Increase enrollment in undergraduate and graduate programs to accommodate additional qualified students
• Strengthen the simulation program to complement hospital-, clinic-, and field-based learning opportunities to allow for increased program enrollment.

Strategy 1.

Contribute to UNR's Carnegie R1 status through excellence in research quality and value.

• Implement the role of Associate Dean of Research and Innovation.
• Increase the number of tenure-track faculty employed at the OSN.
• Promote and showcase faculty's research accomplishments at local, state, regional, national, and international venues.
• Encourage non-tenure track faculty to engage in scholarship opportunities, and support workload allocation to scholarship.

Strategy 2.

Identify targeted research areas for continuous investment and growth.

• Emphasize the relevancy of targeted research areas of excellence.
• Develop the following research areas of excellence:
  • health determinants science (aging, ethnic minority/vulnerable population health, and biobehavioral & biopsychosocial research)
  • nursing leadership
  • data & systems science (informatics, health technologies, digital health, and data elements)
  • precision science (prediction of symptom susceptibility, disease occurrence & progression, and clinical innovation)

Strategy 3.

Build a robust infrastructure to establish OSN's position as the leader in nursing research and innovation.

• Expand faculty mentorship and research development under the guidance of the Associate Dean of Research and Innovation.
• Collaborate with researchers outside the OSN on research projects.
• Strengthen research-focused infrastructure (UNR & OSN), including policies, regulations, technology, human capital, and funding.

Strategy 1.

Improve environmental sustainability by digitalizing the business process to minimize the use of paper and printing.

Strategy 2.

Emphasize environmental sustainability and its impact on population health in the curriculum.

Strategy 3.

Utilize community-based learning opportunities to educate the public on environmental safety as it related to health.

Strategy 1.

Engage and work with government, community, and industry leaders to explore current issues and trends in local and global health.

• Develop and adopt a unified concept and vision for the OSN's public engagement
  
• Appoint a "community partner representative" to coordinate community partnerships both locally and across the state
• Develop additional diverse clinical sites to accommodate a growing program
• Create global health partnerships and placement opportunities for students at both the undergraduate and graduate level
• Leverage the OSN Nursing Advisory Board consisting of the Dean and community leaders.
• Engage OSN alumni in OSN activities within and outside of the University

Strategy 2.

Disseminate information and services on current issues of health, wellness, and best practices to improve the health of our community and the world.

• Promote and continue the Mae Orvis Healthcare Symposium
• Poster and/or podium presentations at community, state, regional, national and international organizations.
• Publication of research through manuscript development and writing educational columns in journals and magazines.

Strategy 3.

Create a national reputation for the Orvis School of Nursing and UNR through community engagement, formal/informal presentations and events, representation on nursing and healthcare committee boards, and additional related activities.

• Support nursing faculty and students' presence in community-based activities, conferences, and other events.
• Assume community leadership positions in community, state, regional, national, and international nursing and healthcare organizations
• Strengthen Alumni relations

Strategy 4.

Maximize the marketing effort to strengthen OSN's reputation and improve its national and global brand recognition.

• Increase online and social media coverage
• Engage in community event sponsorships
• Partner with community stakeholders on various initiatives
• Develop marketing strategies to increase student enrollment in undergraduate and graduate programs.