After one last round of faculty input, administrators have completed a final draft of the next strategic plan for the Duke University School of Nursing.
The proposal will stress improved communication and "a reinvigorated focus on technology" in order to enhance the role the School plays within Duke's medical community, said Dr. Catherine Gilliss, vice chancellor for nursing affairs and dean of the School of Nursing.
Once approved, the plan will provide a framework for the next five years.
The current draft proposes to expand academic programs and focus on recruiting faculty primarily devoted to research and teaching, but will also target others to aid in local and global health efforts.
Gilliss said new technologies, including human patient simulations and state-of-the-art information processing tools, will serve as teaching and research mechanisms.
"On campus, we're looking at possible collaboration with engineers," she said.
In recent years, the School of Nursing has seen unprecedented growth among faculty and students, leading to the construction of the School's new 60,000-square-foot teaching and laboratory facility.
The building's central location near Duke Clinic and Duke Hospital will allow for growth within the School and improved interaction with the at-large health community upon its completion this fall.
"We know there is a national need... for basic nurses and a very serious shortage at the level of faculty," Gilliss said.
She added that today, at the competitive level, academic programs in nursing emphasize translational research-the conversion of research discoveries into practice-more than ever.
Administrators also hope the five students in the school's new Ph.D. program, along with accompanying faculty, will contribute to a national need for more research scientists in the field of nursing once the program commences this fall.
"The Ph.D. program will move them to the top tier, whereas without this program they were around the 25th [school at the national level]," said Molly O'Neill, chief strategic planning officer and vice president for business development and vice chancellor for Medical Center integrated planning.
Gilliss said she hopes the Ph.D. program will spark a trend of enhanced collaborative research between the School of Nursing and other medical programs, particularly in the area of nursing services.
The plan also calls for the expansion of other programs like the School's existing master of science and bachelor of science in nursing degrees.
"I think the school is very well positioned to be competitive at the national level," O'Neill said. "With the support of the School of Medicine, the University and the health system, [the School of Nursing] can do great things."
Steve Veres contributed to this story.
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