Accomplishments & Goals

College of Nursing Accomplishments, 2021-2022

Organizational

• The college proudly awarded a total of 196 student scholarships in FY2021-2022 totaling $670,000, including $271,000 granted by the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation.
• US News and World Report Rankings and Certification Pass Rates:
  • RN-BSN Online Program: Ranked 4th in US, 2023
  • ABSN: Ranked 39th in US; 1st in SC, 2022
  • DNP: Ranked 23rd in US; 1st in SC, 2023
  • DNP Specialty Programs, First Time Pass Certification rates, 2022:
    • ANCC Family Nurse Practitioner: 100% (National: 87.60%)
    • ANCC Psych Mental Health NP: 100% (National: 87.45%)
    • ANCC Adult Gerontology NP: 100% (National: 82.01%)
• CON annualized NCLEX-RN first time pass rates continue to increase annually, from 91.45% in 2017 to 99% for 2022, exceeding the National 1st time pass rate of 82.68%. MUSC CON is in the top 1% for highest NCLEX-RN 1st time pass rates in the state of South Carolina.
• Recruited and matriculated the highest number (n=127) and most diverse incoming class of ABSN students (Fall 2021) in the history of the college, as we work to increase diversity of students as well as offset the growing nursing workforce shortage in SC.
• Dean partnered with other SC nursing leaders to advocate for nursing workforce funding. As a result, $10 million was allocated in the FY22-23 state budget for disbursement under the Nursing Initiative. Funds to be dispersed in Fall 2022.
• MUSC Board of Trustees approved (April 2022) renovation of the CON 1st Floor, which will support our plan to increase student enrollment and graduates who enter the nursing workforce. Convened a College Advisory Task Force to inform Phase I of the conceptual design, in consultation with the BOT approved architect, Rosenblum Coe Architects, Inc., and MUSC Director of Design, Engineering and Facilities.
• CON Finance & Administration team participated in extensive MUSC ERP build, design and testing sessions as well as generated reports and other deliverables as part of this process. This active engagement will positively impact CON’s readiness at go-live in October.
• Dean Weglicki continued to lead the college in implementing the 2020 – 2025 college’s Strategic Plan, Roadmap to the Future (approved by CON Assembly May, 2020).
• College expanded its efforts to support our strategic plan priorities focused on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) and approved the name change of the DEI Council to DEIB Council. Under the Council’s leadership we increased collaboration with community leaders by bringing them in as DEIB speakers to present at virtual monthly Diversity Open Talking Series (DOTS).

Education

• Partnered with the College of Charleston to begin piloting a new dual degree program whereby students will graduate with their BSN from MUSC CON and their BA in Biology from College of Charleston. Highly qualified College of Charleston students will be enrolled in the ABSN program in Fall 2024, as part of the dual degree program. The 2nd Cohort will begin in 2025.
• Overall 8% increase in student enrollment from 2017 to 2021. Total student enrollment for Fall 2021 was 614, inclusive of RN-BSN (n=26); ABSN (n=275); Psychiatric Mental Health Certificate (n=7); MSN (n=7); Post-BSN DNP (n=264); Post-MSN DNP (n=12); PhD (n=23).
• Student Population Diversity: The College has seen an increase in diversity of our students, from 18.6% (2019) to 23.36% (2021).
• All incoming ABSN students received Diversity and Inclusion training.
• All undergraduate and graduate students receive End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) training as part of their curriculum.
• First in the nation to offer a DNP Program in Palliative Care Across the Lifespan and continue to expand our footprint in palliative care across all our mission areas. Recognized as one of only five US Regional Centers of Excellence in Palliative Care Education.
• In 2021, 244 students graduated from our ABSN, RN to BSN, DNP and PhD programs. Graduates by degree/academic program this past year included: RN-BSN (n=24); ABSN (n=158); Psychiatric Mental Health Certificate (n=7); MSN (n=11); Post-BSN DNP (n=52); Post-MSN DNP (n=6); PhD (n=3).
• Faculty are working with our practice partners as we implement the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, new Competency-Based Essentials for UG and Graduate Nursing Education.
• The HRSA ANEW grant supported stipends for 18 MUSC CON DNP students for Year 5 – this grant provides support to advanced practice nurses who commit to employment in Medically Underserved, Health Profession Shortage, and/or Rural areas upon graduation. To date, 40/42 (95%) have secured employment in these targeted regions to meet the primary care health needs of those populations.
• Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program supported stipends for 4 students for Year 5.
• The HRSA Nurse Faculty Loan Program provided stipends for 10 MUSC CON students who are enrolled in either the PhD program or our post-Masters DNP program. This grant seeks to mitigate the growing shortage in nursing faculty.

Research

• Submitted a total of 44 grant proposals: 34 Research, 5 Education and 5 Practice for a total of $25,584,483 million.
• In 2022, support 30 active funded grants with 17 CON faculty as Principal Investigators (PIs) for $5,676,882 in total grant funding across our research, education, and practice grants.
• CON was ranked 31st out of 85 by Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research in NIH funding among U.S. Colleges of Nursing in 2022.
• Active funding sources for the college’s research portfolio include:
  • National Institutes of Health (NINR, NCI, NHLBI, NIDA, NIAAA, NICHD, NIMH)
  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
  • Department of Crime Victim Assistance Grants and Violence Against Women Act (VOCA)
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
  • Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
  • The Duke Endowment
  • The David R. and Margaret C. Clare Foundation
  • SC First Steps South Carolina
  • Warren Alpert Foundation
• MUSC South Carolina Translational Research Institute (SCTR) awarded 1 CON faculty a KL2 career development award.
• Five CON Faculty provide leadership roles in SCTR (CTSA) including recruitment, special populations, technology (2), and community engaged scholars.
• Office of Research maintained a 100% post-award rating of ‘satisfied’ or ‘extremely satisfied’ in services received by CON faculty.
• Implemented the Research Advisory Council (RAC), which provides guidance and consultation to the Associate Dean of Research/Office of Research, the goals of which are to:
  • Provide ongoing development activities for promoting grantsmanship.
  • Match faculty team by themes and pillars for research, practice, education, and innovation projects within and outside of the CON to build collaborations around scholarly activities.
• Two CON research teams out of four finalists received MUSC Innovation Awards.
• Held inaugural CON Faculty Research Scholarship Day; faculty research and other projects were presented during an online symposium and fostered the collaboration of 3 new projects submitted for funding.
• Developing processes and systems to seamlessly facilitate remote grant submissions and maintain a high level of team communication. Previously used a web portal that became outdated and now plans are to implement a new submission process through use of Microsoft Teams.

Practice

• Continue to implement the 2020 MUSC Board of Trustees approved CON Practice Plan; with a focus this past year on establishing practice partnerships and agreements that include revenue cost recovery and revenue generation for CON faculty practice. Our ability to negotiate interprofessional practice agreements, with MUSC Hospital Authority and others, will also result in expansion of our educational and clinical learning environments for MUSC students enrolled in our ABSN and graduate practice programs (DNP).
• Practice priorities are focused on:
  • Telehealth
  • Substance use and abuse (opioids)
  • Mental Health - PTSD, depression
  • Trauma resilience and recovery programs
  • Palliative Care
  • Addressing Social Determinants of Health, Health Equity and Access
  • Promoting health and quality of life (adults and children) through Community Engagement partnerships in underserved and rural populations:
  • Pediatrics Healthy Steps, Zero to Three Years
  • PARTNERs; East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO); Fetter Health Care Network
• Faculty with expertise and certified in palliative care have strategically worked to expand our footprint in palliative care education through a strong partnership with the Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA) resulting in faculty and student clinical practice opportunities and education:
  • Partnered with MUHA to develop EB clinical interventions to alleviate suffering associated with serious illness
  • Expanded telehealth to provide PC support to those living in rural and underservices areas in SC
• DNP initiative launched to engage our faculty in valuable Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) discussions and critical conversations. This culminated in four DEI Student Pilot Project Capstone projects and presentations.
• The Office of Finance and Administration (F&A), in collaboration with the Dean, provided coverage for the Office of Practice, maintaining operations and advancing practice activities as the Associate Dean for Practice position was re-imagined to better represent practice, innovative engagement, and advocacy. Practice revenue increased by 87% from FY21 to FY22.
  • F&A led the renegotiation of existing contracts to increase cost recovery and support long-term sustainability of practice activities.
  • F&A audited accounts receivable, recovering >$90K in outstanding FY20 and FY21 revenue.
  • F&A facilitated the execution of new revenue generating agreements to support continued growth.

Roadmap to the Future

2020 – 2025 Strategic Plan

Academics

Overarching Goal: Cultivate competent and compassionate nurse leaders to meet the needs of diverse populations in a dynamic, global society.

Continue to transform nursing education

• Assess all programs systematically using national and specialty standards for quality, significance, and sustainability.
• Reinforce student-centered learning across programs and accessible teaching methods.
• Recruit and cultivate excellent students who are representative of the diverse groups.

Use innovative strategies to increase access to pre-licensure and advanced nursing education

• Achieve faculty excellence in pedagogy and curriculum design.
• Impact nursing education through active policy involvement and dissemination of MUSC program outcomes.
• Assess nursing education program growth and new program development opportunities.
• Increase scholarships and external funding to support students and program development.

Develop nurse leaders who excel in an interprofessional environment utilizing an evidence-based approach

• Provide interprofessional learning activities through coursework and clinical experiences.
• Educate and mentor students who are prepared to serve on boards,

Practice

Overarching Goal: Develop sustainable practice models that support faculty and student professional development.

Create sustainable practice models by identifying partners

• Establish practice partnerships with other South Carolina colleges of nursing (Clemson, USC) for state practice/policy direction.
• Meet with potential internal and external partners to explore new and expand existing partnership opportunities.
• Conduct a comprehensive financial analysis.
• Formalize contractual agreement with partners.

Create sustainable practice models by recruiting practice faculty with support of grant funding

• Determine employment positions for individuals functioning within the practice models.
• Recruit and hire appropriate positions as needed.
• Initiate a formal onboarding process by establishing the policies and procedures to include credentialing and malpractice requirements.

Research

Overarching Goal: Generate and advance scientific knowledge in nursing and health sciences.

Continue to grow diverse research portfolio and funding sources to position the college as a leader in knowledge generation and its translation

• Build a research infrastructure that promotes discoveries, innovation, and leverages existing university resources.
• Hire key positions to engage in grantsmanship for all research faculty as budget variability allows.
• Align research faculty mentors with existing mentorship model to advance development and scholarship for junior and mid-career researchers; formalize model with mentor champion.
• Strengthen partnerships and cross-fertilize programs, MUSC-H, and outside entities for collaborative funding and leverage resources. Meet with key stakeholders and MUSC-H and beyond to establish a strategic approach.
• Invest in internal funding (pilot projects) opportunities and develop efficient processes for progressing new and high-risk, high-reward projects, as budget allows.
• Develop a workforce of nursing and health sciences researchers by recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty to optimize research capacity.
• Increase extramural funding, in particular National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding 30% in three years.
• Maintain top 30 ranking in NIH funding

Promote focused areas of research and scholarship excellence for growth and investment

• Identify research clusters, expertise, and subsequent teams in areas of excellence: symptom science/self-management, health services research, behavioral health, technology-enhanced interventions, community and patient engagement, palliative care, and implementation science.
• Identify innovations and entrepreneurial opportunities and promote its advancement toward

Organizational Environment and Culture

Overarching Goal: Ensure a culture and environment within the college that actualizes the values of the organization integrity, innovation, impact and inclusivity.

Align existing and grow additional organizational resources

• Pursue new, diversified revenue streams to support and advance teaching, research, scholarship, practice, and service missions.
• Conduct annual evaluations of revenue generation and expenses of all programs.
• Grow awareness and cultivation of the Faculty Excellence Project; increase funding by 10-15% each year to support faculty and staff recruitment, development, and retention.
• Develop and cultivate funds to support a Faculty Talent Retention endowment with a target of $50,000 in year one and at least $5,000 in expendable funds raised annually towards a $100,000 endowment in three years.
• Develop a five-year hiring plan that considers succession planning and cross-training; build and strengthen infrastructure to support programs and departments.
• Partner with MUSC-H to create succession planning to facilitate a faculty educator pipeline.
• Grow the faculty practice plan and revenue generation through strategic faculty hires, including two or three positions as budget allows; submit state and federal grant proposals to support faculty practice needs in Charleston and S.C., solicit of gifts for emerging faculty practices.
• Develop strategies to increase matriculation in programs and classes with low enrollment.
• Work with donors and board volunteers to secure gifts and endowments to support two distinguished faculty positions.
• Begin preliminary planning and solicit donor support for redesign of the building’s first floor.
• Develop an IT equipment and software tracking plan to ensure regular maintenance and replacement of IT resources.
• Ensure the college workforce shares in the maintaining the fiscal viability of the college and our processes.

Embody respect for individual perspectives, inclusivity, and belonging for all

• Build a community of respect, inclusivity, and belonging among faculty, staff, students, alumni, and partner stakeholders.
• Develop traditions to celebrate and acknowledge employee successes; support diversity, inclusivity, and equity programs and opportunities; ensure all communication efforts respect inclusivity; foster an inclusive environment for employees to thrive and work together in a supportive, open, and respectful environment; recruit and retain a diverse workforce.
• Establish a social events committee to increase opportunities for social interaction.
• Highlight accomplishments of faculty and staff in print, electronic communications, and social media.
• Share college priorities and accomplishments with MUSC colleagues, community partners, regional and national groups, and professional stakeholders.
• Highlight student engagement, events, activities, achievements, and leadership in communications; nurture growth of Student Nurses Association and Student Government Association; encourage participation on standing committees and Sigma Theta Tau, Gamma Omicron at-Large Chapter.
• Establish ‘care groups’ for undergraduate students upon admission.
• Develop systematic processes to update web, print and electronic communication materials (including listservs).

Generate development, mentorship, and experiential opportunities for faculty, staff, and students

• Increase support of faculty and staff development and career advancement through annual goal setting and planning;
• Encourage enrollment in targeted programs; support time allocation from approved budget projections.
• Assign mentors to new faculty and staff; evaluate program annually.
• Continue to cultivate donors and seek new funding opportunities; increase funding by 5% each fiscal year to support scholarships for URM students, students from rural areas,
  and Ph.D. and graduate students enrolling in new programs.

Strategic Plan 2020-2025

College of Nursing Accreditation

The baccalaureate degree program, master's degree program, and Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the MUSC College of Nursing are accredited by:

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
655 K Street NW, Suite 750
Washington, DC 20001

Phone: 202-887-6791

Undergraduate Program

The Undergraduate Program is fully approved by:

South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation Board of Nursing
Synergy Business Park
Kingstree Building
110 Centerview Drive, Suite 202
Columbia, SC 29210

Mailing address:
P.O. Box 12387
Columbia, SC 29211-2367

Phone: 803-896-4550
FAX: 803-896-4525
https://www.llr.state.sc.us/

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Track

The Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track of the masters program is fully approved by:

National Certification Board of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and Nurses
800 South Frederick Avenue, Suite 104,
Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4150.

Phone: 888-641-2767
FAX: 301-330-1504
https://www.pncb.org