Giving Report: What’s New in Graduate Nursing at Otterbein
Posted Aug 24, 2022
Did you know the Department of Nursing graduate students, staff, and faculty have continued to be productive despite having lived through the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and now into the economic crisis? In addition to duties at Otterbein nursing faculty, clinical instructors, and graduate students have continued to work clinically on the front lines of healthcare throughout the pandemic while maintaining high-quality teaching, scholarship, advising, and service activities.
Student News:
This past spring, the Nursing Department was proud to announce:
- The first class of 19 DNP nurse anesthesia graduates from the BSN-to-DNP curriculum.
- The first class of three MSN psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner graduates from the BSN-to-DNP curriculum (see photo).
- The first class of three post-graduate certificate psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner graduates.
- The 75th Doctor of Nursing Practice degree was awarded from Otterbein.
Faculty News:
- Dr. Kacy Ballard, DNP, MSN, CRNA, serves as the program director, Otterbein University/OhioHealth Grant Medical Center Nurse Anesthesia Program.
- Dr. Deana Batross, DNP, RN, CNP, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC
- Earned a post-graduate certificate in the Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program and successfully passed the ANCC national board certification.
- Was elected Southeast regional representative,
Ohio Chapter, American Psychiatric Nurses Association.
- Dr. Deana Batross and Rajene Fox (PMHNP student) presented their paper, “Trauma, Mental Health and Co-occurring Disorders,” at a pre-conference workshop at the Annual Conference of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, Long Beach, CA.
- Dr. Sue Butz, DNP, RN, CCRN-K, is taking a fall sabbatical focused on reshaping the nursing degree programs to meet the new competency-based nursing educational standards.
- Dr. John Chovan, PhD, DNP, RN, CNP, CNS, PMHNP/CNS-BC, ACHPN
- Was promoted to professor.
- Continued to serve as a manuscript reviewer for the Computers Informatics Nursing Journal.
- Was elected vice president of the Ohio Council of Deans and Directors of Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Nursing Programs.
- Contributed to the Choose Ohio First Grant Program, aimed at increasing the number of individuals from underrepresented populations in math, applied mathematics, and nursing working in Ohio. Otterbein University was awarded $1,199,940 from the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
- Dr. Brian Garrett, DNP, MSN, CRNA, serves as the assistant program director, Otterbein University/OhioHealth Grant Medical Center Nurse Anesthesia Program.
- Dr. Kirk Hummer, DNP, MBA, CNP, FNP-BC, was promoted to associate professor (NTT).
- Dr. Regina Prusinski, DNP, RN, CNP, CPNP-AC, FNP-BC, gave a poster presentation, “Agreement in Nursing Identification of Low Cardiac Output Syndrome,” in the Pediatric Cardiothoracic ICU, at the 2022 National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exhibition in Houston. (See photo.)
- Dr. Regina Prusinski and Dr. Kirk Hummer were awarded $200,000 from the Nursing Education Grant Program to expand the number of family nurse practitioners in Ohio.
Service Anniversaries:
- Dr. Deana Batross – 5 years of service
- Dr. Kirk Hummer – 15 years of service
- Dr. Ruth Chavez – 25 years of service
Let us know what is going on with you, our alumni!
Cheers for an equally productive new school year,
John Chovan, PhD, DNP, RN, CNP, CNS, PMHNP/CNS-BC, ACHPN
Professor and Chair, Department of Nursing
Chief Nurse Administrator
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