October 8, 2015
Basic BSN student Michelle Duay checks her textbook before testing her skills in a
UW School of Nursing laboratory. Students learn the basics through coursework and
application of skills in the Clinical Simulation. Community partners provide hands-on
experience in the real world to reinforce what students have learned in the classroom
and help them transition into practice after graduation. (UW Photo)
The University of Wyoming Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing has named clinical agencies
in Casper, Rock Springs, Saratoga and Sheridan as community partners.
The “Community Partner" awards recognize clinical agencies that work with the school
to educate the next generation of nurses. This fall, the awards are presented to Mountain
View Regional Hospital in Casper, which works closely with the Basic BSN program;
Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County in Rock Springs, involved with the Bachelors
Reach for Accelerated Nursing Degree (BRAND) program; Sheridan College and Whitney
Benefits, working together with the RN/BSN Completion Program; and Saratoga’s Platte
Valley Medical Clinic, P.C., which opens its doors to UW’s Doctor of Nursing Practice
students.
Mountain View Regional Hospital (MVRH) is the "Basic BSN Community Partner of the
Year" for 2015. The staff at MVRH provides rich learning experiences for the UW students.
“Staff members are flexible, easy to work with and always try to accommodate the interests
of our students,” says Holly Miller, coordinator of the Basic BSN Program. “Always
thinking of the students’ needs, MVRH provides leadership opportunities as well as
chances to polish interviewing skills. This spring, MVRH personnel came to Laramie
to hold job interviews with our senior students and mock interviews with our junior
students. MVRH also has generously provided assistance and financial support for the
Marcia Dale Aspire Scholars program students.”
Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County (MHSC) in Rock Springs is the "BRAND Community
Partner" of 2015. Truly seeking after the BRAND students, this agency and clinical
personnel are “very pro-student and pro-UW,” says Candace Tull, BRAND program coordinator.
BRAND student Lydia Kindred praises the clinical experience at MHSC: “This wonderful
facility is dedicated to producing skilled and compassionate nurses. I feel so lucky
to be learning in a facility that cherishes my education so highly.”
Sheridan College and Whitney Benefits share the RN/BSN Completion Program 2015 Community
Partner Award. Whitney Benefits instituted an endowment at Sheridan College to enrich
nursing and nursing education in the community. The endowment established a collaborative
between UW and Sheridan College through appointment of an endowed nursing chair, providing
face-to-face advising and academic support for those students pursuing the RN/BSN
Completion degree. An endowed nursing chair at a community college is a unique arrangement,
serving as the model for future endeavors to facilitate RN to BSN education statewide.
Platte Valley Medical Clinic, P.C. (PVMC) is the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Program Community Partner for 2015. PVMC shares a decades-long relationship with UW
in providing outstanding clinical experiences to family nurse practitioner students.
“Experiences included rural clinic visits, house calls, after-hour emergency calls,
practicing with limited resources, lack of specialty services and practicing as a
patient-centered medical home,” says DNP student Shawn Snyder. “The whole experience
was an excellent learning opportunity, and allowed me to gain a greater understanding
for rural primary care and an idea of how I would like to model my own future practice.”
