Monday, 7 April, 2008

Gail L. Withers, Pratt Community College Dean of Nursing and Allied Health has earned the designation Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) after successfully completing a rigorous certification examination developed and administered by the National League for Nursing.
The NLN’s CNE program has conferred new visibility and stature upon the academic nursing community, long overdue, said Dr. Beverly Malone, CEO of the NLN. “Through the certification program, we have made clear to the ranks of higher education that the role of nurse educator is an advanced professional practice discipline with a defined practice setting and demonstrable standards of excellence,” she commented. In years to come, she added, it is hoped that certified nurse educators will command higher salaries and be first in line for promotions and tenure.
No doubt influenced by family members in the nursing profession, including her mom, grandmother, and aunts, Withers got her first taste of nursing by being a Candy Striper as part of Girl Scouts. At age 14, she took the Nurse Aide course offered at the local hospital. Although too young to take the state certification exam (you had to be 16), she was hired to work at Kiowa County Memorial Hospital, where she ended up working for 10 years; as a nurse aide working evenings & weekends through high school & college then the last two years as a Registered Nurse.

“I really feel fortunate to have gotten my ‘base’ in nursing at a rural hospital. Although working in a rural hospital was somewhat overwhelming, handling all levels of patients, including ER & OB, it certainly taught me a variety of skills, most importantly delegation and prioritization. I worked with some of the best nurses at Greensburg,” Withers said.

Through the insight of her mom, after graduating from Greensburg High School, she enrolled in the BSN program at Fort Hays State University.

“Mom had started nursing school in the 50’s when you couldn’t even date & be in nursing school. She met my dad at that time and instead, went to work as a nurse aide in Greensburg. She returned to nursing school to complete an LPN then RN while raising me and my two brothers,” Withers said. “As healthcare needs seemed to be moving toward all RNs needing a BSN, she encouraged me to start with that.”

Withers completed a BSN in May 1987. In 1989 she took a position in the OB department at Pratt Regional Medical Center in Pratt and remained employed there until 2007 also working in the medical/surgical and community care departments.

In addition, in January 1991, Withers began employment at Pratt Community College as nursing faculty. Through 10 years of teaching a variety of nursing didactic, skills and clinical in each nursing course, Withers continued to demonstrate her love for maternal-newborn nursing.

“I think both my passion for maternal-newborn nursing and my continued clinical practice in the area greatly enhanced my teaching. I especially loved teaching students during OB clinical. Even if that area of nursing was not their favorite, they appreciated the delicacy and the joy of helping bring a new life into the world,” Withers said. In 1994, Withers completed a Master of Science of Nursing Degree in nursing education, as well as completing requirements for licensure as an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner: Clinical Nurse Specialist in Maternal-Newborn Nursing.
In 2004, what started out as an agreement to serve as Interim Dean of Nursing & Allied Health when the past Dean left due to health reasons, turned into a full-time administrative position.

“I always tell students, stay open to any career possibility. When I first started in nursing practice, I had narrowed my focus to nursing practice until I was observed mentoring new nurses and asked to apply to teach,” Withers said. “Once there, I found I really liked that aspect of nursing. I was happy in each role of nursing, as new doors opened, I wasn’t afraid to walk through them and I have no regrets in doing so. That is one of the great things about a career in nursing, there are so many options to choose from.“

In addition, Withers has helped influence nursing education policy at both state and national levels, most recently through positions on the Kansas Nursing Attrition & Clinical Collaborative Task Force, the Kansas State Nurses Association Council on Education, the program chair of the Kansas Council of Associate Degree Nurse Educators, and as serving as an Ambassador for the National League for Nursing. As if all of that wasn’t enough, Withers also plans to begin work toward a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Organizational Leadership degree this fall at the University of Kansas.

“I took the CNE exam to be a role model for nursing faculty I supervise. I have encouraged them to take the exam, but thought if I took it (and passed!) they would realize that it was something they too could achieve,” Withers said.

Withers lives in Pratt with her husband Mitch and three boys, Curtis, Colin, & Drew. She is the daughter of the late Cecil and Arlene Scronce of Pratt and the sister of Gary Scronce of Maringouin, Lousianna.
The newly certified nurse educators reflect the spectrum of their academic colleagues in the United States*:
• Thirty-four percent hold doctoral degrees; the remainder master’s degrees
• Forty-six percent teach in baccalaureate or higher degree programs; 40 percent in associate degree programs; 9 percent in diploma programs; and 5 percent in practical nursing programs
• Sixty-one percent hold the rank of assistant professor or higher: 16 percent are full professors; 22 percent, associate professors; and 23 percent, assistant professors
• Thirty-six percent have more than 15 years experience as academic nurse educators.
With nearly half (46 percent) projected to retire within the next decade and nearly three-quarters (72 percent) within 15 years, replacing them is of grave concern, noted NLN president Dr. Elaine Tagliareni. “We must encourage more nurse faculty to prepare for certification as nurse educators so that our nursing schools can be staffed by academicians of the highest caliber. Only in this way can excellence in nursing education be ensured for another generation.”
The NLN unveiled the CNE program in 2005, with 174 passing the examination that first year – an 85 percent pass rate – representing 45 states and the District of Columbia. As of December 31, 2007, a total of 827 nurse educators, representing every state, have earned the CNE credential nationwide with an overall pass rate of 83 percent.
The nursing programs at Pratt Community College continue to grow under Withers’ direction. With allied health courses, cooperative agreements for EMT/Paramedic courses, traditional ADN nursing options at Pratt and Winfield and an LPN to RN Online program the program is a trend-setter in community college nursing. For more information about the program, please contact the college nurse recruiters at 620-450-2257.
*Demographic data reflects those who took the examination 9/28/05 through 12/31/07.