University of Minnesota School of Nursing Grad Gets Nation's Top Test Score - Again
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (April 2006) - For the second consecutive year, a graduate of the University of Minnesota's School of Nursing obtained the highest score in the nation on the national certification examination administered by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board.
Wendy Clagett Kochevar received the top score on the 2005 exam, which had a pass rate of 77 percent among the nearly 600 pediatric nurse practitioners who took it nationwide. Kochevar completed the School of Nursing's pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) graduate program in December 2004. In 1988, Kochevar earned her master's at the University of Minnesota with a specialization in Child-bearing and Child-rearing Family Nursing.
A native of Mason City, Iowa, Kochevar has served in several pediatric nursing positions at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, since 1981, and recently accepted a position as a pediatric nurse practitioner in otolaryngology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio.
"I was thrilled when I got the news," Kochevar said. "The University of Minnesota clearly provided the preparation I needed to be successful."
The top national scorer on last year's exam was Alexis Maciej, also a 2004 graduate of the School of Nursing's PNP program, specializing in the Children with Special Health Care Needs area of studies. Maciej currently works as a PNP in oncology at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, in Minneapolis.
"We're very proud of Alexis and Wendy," said Associate Professor Linda Lindeke, Ph.D., RN, CNP. "Their accomplishment on the PNP exam shows we are truly attracting the best and brightest students to the School of Nursing."
The pediatric nurse practitioner area of study is one of 17 available to students in the School of Nursing's master's program. It incorporates theory and clinical courses to prepare students to provide comprehensive care to children with special health care needs and their families. Coursework includes nursing theory, moral/ethical issues, research, child assessment, management of childhood illnesses, and health policy. Upon completion, students are eligible to take the pnp certification examinations offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center or the National Certification Board of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and Nurses.
The University of Minnesota's School of Nursing, ranked among the nation's top nursing schools, is a leader in improving health care through research, education, and service. Its nationally and world-renowned scientists discover practical health care treatments and solutions people can use today to improve their daily lives. The oldest continuing university-based school of nursing in the nation, it now has a combined undergraduate and graduate enrollment of approximately 850 students.
The school educates 55 percent of the faculty in Minnesota's public and private nursing schools, advanced practice nurses, and nurses who can assume leadership positions.
The School of Nursing is part of the Academic Health Center, one of the most comprehensive facilities for health professionals in the nation, fostering interdisciplinary study, research, and education. For additional information on the University of Minnesota's School of Nursing, go to www.nursing.umn.edu .
# # #
University of Minnesota School of Nursing Receives $1.5 Million Grant
A $1.5 million federal grant will help the University of Minnesota School of Nursing intensify its focus on interventions that protect, maintain, and restore health from infancy to old age. Since nursing focuses on helping people and families stay healthy in the context of their own communities and environments, nurse scientists are leaders in this field of research. The National Institute of Nursing Research, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, made the five-year award.
The grant supports nurse scientists conducting pilot studies that explore new avenues to health, such as the use of acupuncture to maintain regular heartbeat after heart surgery, and meditation and relaxation to help couples cope with breast cancer. Other projects will help school nurses prevent student obesity and assist individuals with mild cognitive impairment and their families. The grant will also enable new scientists to add to their repertoire of research skills, including methods and statistical techniques for conducting longitudinal studies.
The program will be guided by senior faculty in the school's new Center for Health Trajectory Research, directed by Jean Wyman, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN. "The grant means the school can take a major step forward in contributing to the University of Minnesota's goal of becoming one of the world's top three public research universities," said Wyman. "It's exciting time for our research program."
The University of Minnesota School of Nursing, ranked among the nation's top nursing schools, is a leader in improving health care through research, education and service. Its nationally and world-renowned scientists discover practical health care treatments and solutions people can use today to improve their daily lives. The oldest continuing university-based school of nursing in the nation, it now has a combined undergraduate and graduate enrollment of approximately 850 students. The school produces 55 percent of the faculty in Minnesota's public and private nursing schools, advanced practice nurses and nurses who can assume leadership positions. The School of Nursing is one of seven schools and colleges in the Academic Health Center, one of the most comprehensive facilities for health professionals in the nation, fostering interdisciplinary study, research and education.
# # #
Nursing Resources
For information on a career as a licensed practical nurse and nursing education visit the National League for Nursing, and the National Association for Practical Nurse Education and Service. Information on licensing requirements for nursing and home health aides, and lists of State-approved nursing aide programs are available from State departments of public health, departments of occupational licensing, boards of nursing, and home care associations. Information about employment opportunities may be obtained from local hospitals, nursing care facilities, home health care agencies, psychiatric facilities, the Minnesota Board of Nursing, and local offices of the State employment service. For a list of accredited clinical nurse specialist programs, visit the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists. For information on nursing schools and lists of accredited programs in other states visit one of the following websites: Nursing Schools in Nebraska, Arkansas Nursing Degrees , Nursing Schools in Iowa and Kansas Nursing Schools.
The information on Minnesota-Nursing-Schools.com is for general informational and educational purposes only. Minnesota-Nursing-Schools.com makes no representation that the information is accurate, reliable, complete or timely.