College of Nursing & Health Care Professions

Funny how being unable to attend classes in person for six months makes them that much more appealing. Whether they were returning to GCU or fresh out of high school, students were eager to resume the classroom experience this week. “It’s completely different being here as a student,” said one freshman. “It’s a big, amazing school, and there’s a completely different atmosphere than most colleges.”

Dr. Katherine Fetter, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Lead for the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, communicated with her learners so well, a colleague wanted to see it for herself. But that isn’t the only way that Fetter has bucked the trend — check out what happened when she rode a bull.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, not everyone knew why communities need public health professionals. “As a result of the pandemic, more individuals, communities and organizations will be asking, ‘How can we improve? How can we be better prepared?’” said full-time Public Health faculty member Danielle Henderson. “Public health professionals will have the answer.” The College of Nursing and Health Care Professions has the answer, too, when it comes to educating the next generation in the field. It recently added its Bachelor of Science in Public Health to its degree offerings, which already included the Master of Public Health.

The plan for the fall semester was all set, but then the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly worsened in Arizona. Undaunted, the GCU task force that had been working so diligently since February pivoted with one simple goal: They want the University to be part of the pandemic solution.

GCU alumnus Joey Hermosillo powered through like he usually does. He took a few Ibuprofen for a headache, then headed to Banner University Medical Center in Phoenix, where he’s a charge nurse in the Trauma/Surgical Intensive Care Unit. But by the middle of his shift, he didn’t quite feel like himself and, a few days later, he found out he tested positive for COVID-19. All he could think of was getting back to work so he could continue to do what he does best — help his patients.

A global pandemic didn’t stop the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions from helping its graduate students — all working nurses — move one step closer to completing their master’s degrees. The college worked hard to make the three-day summer residencies for Family Nurse Practitioner and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner as COVID-19-safe as possible. Despite the current health climate, “Most of the students said, ‘I’ll still be there,'” said Stephanie Herrick Kays, Graduate Simulation Coordinator.

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.