In the News
Nurse.com
Monday January 28, 2008
Community College of Philadelphia's Tagliareni Elected President of NLN
by Marina DeScenza WalkerNursing education has always been a passion for Elaine Tagliareni, RN, EdD, a professor of nursing at Community College of Philadelphia (CCP).
She studied the role of the nurse educator in community colleges for her doctorate from Teachers College at Columbia University. And for more than 25 years, she has been a faculty member at CCP.
"I would never want to give up direct contact with students," says Tagliareni, who is also the Independence Foundation Chair in Community Health Nursing. "It keeps me current and helps me understand their needs."
Teaching also brings Tagliareni closer to the members of the National League for Nursing (NLN). "Faculty across the country see me as one of them, standing with them in life as a teacher," she says.
In September, Tagliareni began a three-year term as president of NLN. She is the first community college educator to serve in this role. She says she hopes support from fellow faculty will strengthen her position as she works to unify the group.
Commitment to diversity
NLN, the oldest nursing education organization in the country, represents all entry points to nursing through its nearly 23,000 members, including practical nurse, diploma and associate-, baccalaureate- and graduate-degree educators. Its mission is to foster quality and excellence in nursing education to build a strong nursing workforce.
"I am thrilled to be president because of NLN's value placed on all levels of entry," she says. "Multiple entry points to the profession allows for greater diversity in background and values."
Ten years ago, the NLN discontinued its practice of assigning members to councils based on the nursing degree programs they taught. Tagliareni says the NLN's shift in structure demonstrates a commitment to diversity within the nursing profession. The many forms of nursing licensure allow for a multitude of career paths.
"We want to move away from entry to practice as an essential issue," she says. "The emphasis should be on academic progression to strengthen the career ladder in nursing." She cites current trends in education: 21 percent to 25 percent of nurses with associate's degrees go back to school for a bachelor of science in nursing, while 20 percent to 25 percent of nurses with BSN degrees go on to get a master's in nursing.
Colleagues in learning
Tagliareni teaches in the associate degree nursing program at CCP, which is an NLN-recognized Center of Excellence(see sidebar). CCP's nursing program focuses on support for students, service to the local community and scholarship through evidence-based practice.
One of the program's unique features is its co-learner philosophy, an approach to teaching developed by the late Em Bevis, RN, EdD, FAAN, a faculty member at Emory University, and Jean Watson, RN, PhD, FAAN, a faculty member at the University of Colorado at Denver. The goal of Bevis' and Watson's Caring Curriculum is to create an atmosphere in which faculty and students are colleagues in learning.
Faculty employ strategies, such as allowing students to call them by their first names, that give students "clues that we want to see them succeed," says Tagliareni. The program boasts an 80 percent retention rate across the curriculum.
About 92 percent of CCP graduates obtain jobs in the Philadelphia area, which Tagliareni points to as proof of service to the community. "Students don't always have a career when they come," she says. "We build a professional approach to career advancement through service to others."
Nurse.com
Jan. 28, 2008
Nursing Program Cited as Center of Excellence
In 2004, Community College of Philadelphia’s Department of Nursing was among the first three schools to receive the National League for Nursing’s designation as a Center of Excellence. The college received the three-year designation again in 2007.Modeled after the Magnet status awarded to hospitals by the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center, this NLN initiative acknowledges schools of nursing that demonstrate excellence in one of the following categories — Creating Environments that Enhance Student Learning and Professional Development; Creating Environments that Promote the Pedagogical Expertise of Faculty; and Creating Environments that Advance the Science of Nursing Education. CCP was cited for its sustained efforts in the first category.
KYW-Radio
Posted: Sunday, 27 January 2008 8:08AM
College to Host African-American Book Fair for Children
by KYW's Karin PhillipsA book fair that specializes in African-American children's books opens next weekend in Center City Philadelphia.
Vaness Loyd-Sgambati is founder of the African American Children's Book Project, a nonprofit organization that works to present the best in African American children's literature:
"The book opens up a world of opportunities."
Lloyd-Sgambati says authors of a more moderate form of literature will be featured at the book fair: "There was a lot of concern about books that were a little bit over the top, especially in urban fiction. And the response to the concerns from educators and parents, there are publishers who are running a campaign to present books that will be engaging and enlightening."
The African American Children's book fair runs from 1pm to 3pm Saturday in the Gymnasium of the Community College of Philadelphia.