College of Nursing & Health Care Professions

GCU graduate Branden Murphy was appointed to the Nevada Board of Nursing at age 32. But that’s hardly his most impressive credential — he and his wife, Kristine, have adopted three children who have complex medical conditions.

There is one overarching factor in how GCU administrators and faculty are judged: Did their students get good jobs after graduation? It is the true meaning behind the University’s “Find your purpose” slogan. “It’s the passion to serve our students that our faculty and staff have,” Provost Dr. Hank Radda said, “which makes them willing to dive in, shepherd and advise students toward their ultimate career goal.”

From remote graduation parties to a graduation ceremony on Zoom to a social-distance-minded graduation dinner al fresco from a parking lot across from a Texas Roadhouse, GCU’s Lopes found a way to celebrate even though they couldn’t be together on campus for Commencement.

As part of their training, nursing students spend time shadowing nurses at hospitals and other health care facilities . But COVID-19 changed all that. With students at home, where they have no access to clinical training or to the immersive simulation lab, the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions faculty came up with some distance-learning solutions, including virtual clinical simulations, training videos and even escape room activities.

Theresa Killingsworth, Principal of Westwood Elementary School and a 2008 GCU graduate, never expected to be inducted into the GCU Hall of Fame. But Dr. Kimberly LaPrade, Dean of the College of Education, said the honor is richly deserved. Killingsworth’s guiding hand has been key to Westwood becoming a GCU Academic Excellence site.

Pascale Lee, Lead Faculty, B.S. in Health Care Administration for the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, like to keep it real for Health Care Administration students by using real-world scenarios in her classes. But she has a lot of other things going on, too: She’s a mom, she loves dogs and, away from campus, she works with youths who are struggling with drug addiction.

The Homecoming festivities wouldn’t be complete without the induction of some very special Lopes into the GCU Hall of Fame, scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday in the GCU Arena Hall. Making a difference in the lives of future generations was a common theme for this year’s group of inductees, professionals who have spent their careers doing just that.

Teen dating violence affects 1.5 million young people in America, which is why the University’s HOSA Future Health Professionals chapter thought it was important to partner with the New Life Center and bring a panel to campus for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Representatives from Bloom365, one-n-ten, the New Life Center and GCU on Thursday spoke about the red flags to teen dating violence, how to help those experiencing it, the difference between unhealthy and healthy relationships and more.

Dr. Anthony “Tony” Paterniti of the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions is a longtime authority about Florence Nightingale and has given numerous presentations about the founder of modern nursing. His collection of Florence Nightingale items is so impressive, it’s on display in Texas. The focus of his teaching methods is simple: “I consider myself a partner with each student in the class,” he said.

GCU’s prelicensure nursing students turned in another strong performance on the NCLEX, the standardized national exam nurse-hopefuls must pass before they are allowed to begin working in the field. They finished 2019 with a 96.67% first-time pass rate, which bests 2018’s 91.5% first-time pass rate. “We never remain stagnant or complacent,” College of Nursing and Health Care Professions Dean Dr. Lisa Smith said of the college’s latest achievement. “We’re always looking to make improvements to further the success of program outcomes and to ensure our graduates are workforce ready.”