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UMSON’s Gourley Awarded Dr. Peg E. Daw Nurse Faculty Recognition Award in Recognition of Excellence, Innovation, and Leadership
March 7, 2024
Baltimore, Md. - Bridgitte Gourley, DNP ’08, FNP-BC, assistant professor and director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) specialty at the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) and co-director of the University of Maryland, Baltimore Center for Interprofessional Education, has been awarded the Dr. Peg E. Daw Nurse Faculty Recognition Award in recognition of excellence, innovation, and leadership. Deans and directors of Maryland nursing programs may nominate one nurse faculty member for the one-time $10,000 award annually.
The award is part of the Nurse Support Program (NSP) II, a statewide initiative funded by the Health Services Cost Review Commission and administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). Previously named the Nurse Faculty Recognition Award, it was renamed this year in memory of Daw, DNP, RN-BC, CNE, FAAN, who significantly contributed to and made an impact on nursing and health care throughout the state of Maryland as the MHEC NSP II grant administrator for 12 years.
Gourley was recognized for demonstrating excellence in “Engagement in the Nursing Program and Employing Institution,” one of five categories for recognition.
“Dr. Gourley is the consummate faculty instructor, leading innovation and modeling the way through her own service and practice,” wrote Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD ’11, MS ’05, BSN ’04, NNP, FNAP, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing, in a letter of nomination. “She relishes her role as a teacher and holds herself accountable for helping to ensure the success of her students. At the same time, she also understands how to hold her students accountable for doing the necessary work to become clinically competent, caring, and compassionate nurse practitioners.”
Gourley joined the UMSON faculty in 2000 as a clinical instructor after receiving a Master of Science in Nursing, with an FNP specialization, from the Johns Hopkins University; she had previously received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in Community Health from Johns Hopkins. In 2006, she became a member of the first class of the newly launched DNP program at UMSON, and upon completion of her doctoral degree in 2008, she was promoted to assistant professor. A year later, she began serving as the FNP specialty director.
The specialty has consistently ranked within the top 10 nationally for public schools of nursing in U.S. News & World Report’s “America's Best Graduate Schools.” In the 2023 edition, the FNP specialty was ranked No. 1 in the nation among all public schools of nursing out of more than 600 accredited nursing schools surveyed.
Gourley has been at the forefront of the growth of UMSON’s FNP program, now the largest specialty area within the DNP program, accounting for approximately 27% of the total DNP enrollment of more than 600 students. She has overseen the expansion of the FNP specialty to UMSON’s Universities at Shady Grove (USG) location as the principal investigator on a $1.6 million NSP II project grant; this has enabled the specialty to prepare additional students from western and southern Maryland who graduate and practice in medically underserved regions of the state. Gourley has recruited a diverse and collegial faculty who practice and precept students and she has creatively expanded practicum options that focus on caring for underserved populations in Maryland. These include academic-practice opportunities in rural and urban areas, hospital partnerships, and faculty practices and practicum opportunities in Head Start and Early Head Start Clinics in Baltimore City, and in Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, and Frederick counties.
Her success in managing the specialty and providing state-of-the-art coursework is demonstrated by graduates’ 100% pass rate on the FNP certification exams, and it is acknowledged by her colleagues across the country through invitations to present at national education programs for advanced practice nurses and to serve on special interest groups. Her expertise is recognized by her UMSON peers; she is now the senior member of the DNP Faculty Development Committee and the Specialty Directors Nursing Essentials Workgroup that is engaged in restructuring the curriculum to meet the new American Association of Colleges of Nursing competency-based standards.
In recognition of her work, Gourley received the 2020 University of Maryland School of Nursing Distinguished Service Award. She is also a prior recipient of the School’s Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award.
Gourley is known among her colleagues for her willingness to step up and take on the complex tasks and the roles that require heavy lifting to get the job done; it is no surprise that her teaching workload and committee work far exceeds that of her peers, Ogbolu wrote. “However, her greatest gift is her ability to execute at the highest of standards while maintaining a light touch, providing perspective, and injecting humor and a sense of fun as needed, and through this combination to create an environment that allows students, faculty colleagues, and all those she engages with to relax into the hard work of pursuing excellence.”
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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling nearly 2,000 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.
McElroy Named Associate Dean for Baccalaureate Program at the University of Maryland School of Nursing
March 4, 2024
Baltimore, Md. - Kathleen “Katie” McElroy, PhD ’16, MS ’10, BSN ’98, RN, CNE, associate professor, has been named associate dean for the baccalaureate program at the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON). She had served as the interim associate dean since June 2023.
As associate dean, McElroy is responsible for facilitating innovative program development and the integration of technology to shape the educational experiences of bachelor’s-level students. She also works to develop partnerships with other academic institutions and health care organizations to assist with the transition of transfer students and students who are graduates of associate degree nursing programs.
UMSON’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is ranked No. 3 (tied) among public schools and No. 10 (tied) among all nursing schools nationwide by U.S. News & World Report. This past fall, UMSON admitted 220 entry BSN students, its largest class ever, between its Baltimore and Universities at Shady Grove (Rockville, Maryland) locations, reflecting the School’s commitment to responding to the demands of health care at a critical time of substantial nursing shortages.
The School was among the first in the nation to launch an entirely revised BSN curriculum for incoming students last fall, in alignment with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education, an updated framework for nursing education using a competency-based approach. The curriculum responds to the Essentials’ direction for curricula that respond to the changing face of health care, necessitating updates to how nurses are prepared; in that vein, the BSN curriculum includes courses focusing on evidence-based practice, public and community health, social determinants of health, disease prevention, and palliative care. Two recent clinical practice initiatives with the University of Maryland Medical System — the Practicum to Practice Partnership and the Academy of Clinical Essentials — provide students expanded and advanced clinical opportunities.
McElroy brings considerable clinical experience to her role, having served for more than 13 years in a variety of settings, including as a registered nurse in the labor and delivery, high-risk antepartum, postpartum, and newborn nursery units at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Prior to her appointment as interim dean, McElroy served as vice chair of the Department of Family and Community Health beginning in 2021. She is involved in UMSON’s Community and Public Health Environmental Initiative and has served as the principal investigator on a $750,000 grant from the Maryland State Department of Education providing for the statewide expansion of this program. In 2019 - 20, she was selected as an UMSON Dean’s Teaching Scholar. In 2020, she received the University of Maryland School of Nursing Excellence in Teaching Award for Undergraduate Education. She is also a recipient of the University of Maryland Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Doctor of Philosophy Graduate.
McElroy is a three-time degree recipient from UMSON, having earned her PhD, her Master of Science degree in Community/Public Health Nursing, and her Bachelor of Science degrees from the School. She also earned a Certificate in Environmental Health from UMSON.
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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling nearly 2,000 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.
Gutchell Appointed Chair of Department of Partnerships, Professional Education, and Practice at the University of Maryland School of Nursing
February 29, 2024
Baltimore, Md. - Veronica Gutchell, DNP ’13, RN, CNS, CRNP, has been appointed chair of the University of Maryland School of Nursing’s (UMSON) Department of Partnerships, Professional Education, and Practice (PPEP).
Gutchell had served as the interim chair of PPEP since July 2023, succeeding Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD ’11, MS ’05, BSN ’04, NNP, FNAP, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing, upon Ogbolu’s appointment as dean.
PPEP, one of UMSON’s five academic departments, has a mission to support focused programs, all of which capitalize on the synergy of partnerships and collaboration, that advance the School’s strategic mission and goals. It comprises faculty who direct programs for both internal and external partners, including students, patients, and external constituents.
The department encompasses a broad array of organizational units, including the Clinical Simulation Labs, the Standardized Patient Program, the Institute for Educators, the Office of Global Health, and the Office of Professional Education, as well as the Governor’s Wellmobile Program, which offers mobile, nurse-managed primary health care to underserved and uninsured populations in Maryland while providing important learning opportunities for nursing students. PPEP also offers the Global Health Certificate and the Teaching in Nursing and Health Professions Certificate.
As chair of PPEP, Gutchell leads departmental faculty members in UMSON’s tripartite mission of education, research and scholarship, and service. PPEP faculty teach in their area of expertise across the School’s programs of study, and they engage in research, quality improvement, and program development in practice and education through supporting national and global initiatives for professional nursing advancement.
Gutchell joined the School of Nursing in 2013 as an assistant professor in the Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health. Since September 2022, she has served as director of the Wellmobile Program, having served previously as a nurse practitioner and faculty member within that program.
In addition to her extensive experience as a nurse practitioner on the front lines of care delivery to vulnerable populations and overseeing student learning, Gutchell brings important project management skills and a commitment to collaborative leadership to her new role.
Gutchell’s work has focused on employing health policy and evidence-based information to remove barriers from and expand access to advanced practice registered nursing in Maryland and nationally. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from UMSON, a Master of Science in Nursing with a specialization in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing from Russell Sage College in New York, and a post-master’s Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Binghamton University in New York. She also holds a Global Health Certificate from UMSON. Committed to shared governance, Gutchell served for four years as chair of UMSON’s Faculty Council and is currently serving as an UMSON representative on the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Faculty Senate. She was also recognized with the School of Nursing Alumni Association Outstanding DNP Graduate Award.
Prior to joining UMSON, Gutchell had more than two decades of clinical experience, including extensive service at then-Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., as a nurse practitioner. She subsequently served as head nurse for the Clinical Breast Care Project and at the Albany Medical Center Hospital in New York.
Gutchell was a 2017 fellow in UMSON’s Nurse Leadership Institute and a 2015 graduate of the Future Leaders Program of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Her service to the nursing profession includes holding positions of president-elect, president, and past president of the Nurse Practitioner Association of Maryland. She was an elected Maryland representative to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and recipient of the 2014 AANP State Award for Excellence. Within the School of Nursing, she has served as secretary, chair-elect, chair, and past chair of the Faculty Council and currently serves as an UMSON representative to the Faculty Senate for the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling nearly 2,000 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.
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