HSC NEWS - UT Health Science Center San Antonio

NAC luncheon highlights School of Nursing accomplishments

Posted: Tuesday, May 15, 2012

(Left to right) School of Nursing Dean Eileen T. Breslin, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, visits with Nursing Advisory Council member Jennifer Moriarty and Roy C. Campbell III, chair of the Methodist Healthcare Ministries Governing Board.
(Left to right) School of Nursing Dean Eileen T. Breslin, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, visits with Nursing Advisory Council member Jennifer Moriarty and Roy C. Campbell III, chair of the Methodist Healthcare Ministries Governing Board.

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By Rosanne Fohn

A special welcome from a simulation manikin named Pat set the tone for the 29th annual Nursing Advisory Council (NAC) luncheon. The event May 9 showcased the many accomplishments of the School of Nursing at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio.

At the top of the list is the construction of a 7,000-square-foot simulation center on the sublevel of the School of Nursing. This center will provide state-of-the-art clinical education for students from the Health Science Center schools of Nursing, Medicine and Health Professions, as well as for health care partners across the city. A dedication for this center will be held on June 13.

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A video featuring faculty, staff and students gave School of Nursing donors and friends an inside view of the simulation center. The center is a mock hospital with 13 programmable simulation manikins like Pat that will provide realistic scenarios health professionals will likely encounter in bedside care, such as difficult childbirths, patients with psychiatric issues and a burst appendix.

School of Nursing Dean Eileen T. Breslin, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, also highlighted other major achievements of the year that include:

Receiving approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to initiate the first Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree program in South Texas, beginning in the fall
Increasing the undergraduate student body by 20 percent to meet the need for nurses in the region. This was accomplished by accepting more students into the traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and initiating an accelerated bachelor’s degree program for students with a degree in another field.
Creating dedicated education units and clinical emersion programs through strong clinical education partnerships with Methodist Healthcare System and soon the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, Audie L. Murphy Division, to increase the number of highly trained bedside nurses.


President William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP, (right) visits with Nursing Advisory Council emeritus member Barbara Wulfe.

Partnership key to success
Dean Breslin thanked the Nursing Advisory Council for its partnership in making these goals a reality. “In June 1983, (Dean Emeritus) Dr. Patty Hawken formed the Nursing Advisory Council, and over the years it has grown to nearly 80 active and emeriti members. In this council we have a national model of how the community can support nursing schools, ultimately resulting in higher-quality patient care. I want you to know how much I value this relationship and that I have made presentations at national conferences on the great relationship that we have,” Dean Breslin said.

The NAC serves as a voice in the community for improved health care. Members help keep legislators up to date on health care issues; contribute funding and seek other sources of financial support for School of Nursing initiatives; and act as good role models of leadership in the community, she said.

“We have a wonderful School of Nursing and a remarkable group of members on the Nursing Advisory Council. I am honored to serve as chair,” said Gregg Muenster. He noted that the NAC is committed to its role of helping to provide better patient care. “Nurses are shaping the future of health care within the community,” he said. “As a community, we truly hold in our hands the opportunity to build a future that makes lives better.”