College of Nursing & Health Care Professions

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.

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.