SU Nursing offers ‘premier’ curriculum

 
Southern University School of Nursing is ranked number one among the best nursing schools in Louisiana after being awarded the Nightingale Award for the second time. ​
“I’m delighted,” said Cheryl Taylor, Dean of SU School of Nursing. ”I feel that Southern University is getting the recognition that it deserves.”
Taylor went on to say that the school of nursing has always been an outstanding program and has a lot of fantastic features that many people would not be aware of if it had not won the award.​
The School of Nursing currently has three programs and starting Fall 2012 there will be a fourth degree program, a Doctorate in Nursing Practice.​
“Primarily we have one goal for our students; that they develop themselves, become excellent practitioners, outstanding scholars, and that they contribute to improving the health care of the nation,” Taylor said.  
The school of nursing is only 26 years old which offers not only a bachelors’ but a masters’ as well and will be the only Nursing school in Louisiana that offers a Ph.D. ​
Shatara Hafford a current nursing student discussed the lessons she learned in her program.
“The most important thing that I’ve learned while attending the school of nursing is that if things will not be given to you, you have to earn it and strive to be the best,” Hafford said. 
The school of nursing gets approximately 200-250 applications a semester and of those applications 80-85 are accepted into the program.​
“I chose to come to Southern because it is a family tradition. I come from a line of nurses, I have an aunt who graduated from the nursing school and she is very successful,” nursing student, Cidnae Ballet said. “Our nursing school is the top nursing school in Louisiana. I want to learn from the best.”​
The School of Nursing offers the opportunity for nursing students to get mentored in their future profession. Taylor reflected on her training from her mentored experience.​
“Being mentored had a greater impact on me than my formal educational ​experiences,” Taylor said. ”My mentors helped me face and overcome obstacles, learn organizational and individual behavioral dynamics, discover my gifts and talents, learn and grow from my mistakes and most of all realize the power of loving and being loved.”​
In addition to the classes, the nursing building has a clinic on the third floor. The clinic serves women, infants and children including low-income women and their newborns; working to promote their nutrition and overall health.  
“We want to improve the health care of the country but we’re starting right here by producing the best nurses, conducting research, and and doing innovative things to improve the quality of health care,” Taylor said.​
They aim to improve patient care access and delivery while reducing the cost of health care.​​
The nursing program has a lot of diversity attracting students from places across the country.
“People come to Southern University school of Nursing not just from Louisiana, but from all over,” Taylor said. “A lot of our students are from Louisiana but some of our students come from all across the country.”​​
Taylor addressed the need for healthy nurses due to the responsibilities of the profession of nursing.
“Part of our responsibility as nurses is to take care of ourselves. We have to take care of our physical and mental health. Taking care of others all the time while not taking care of ourselves is not healthy, we strive to promote health and that starts with us,” Taylor said.