Kitty Schnese, a certified registered nurse anesthetist and director of anesthesia for WestCare Health System in Sylva, works with Western Carolina University nursing student Lance Greer. Schnese is among a group of Western North Carolina health care managers who say they see a need for WCU’s new online master’s degree program in nurse administration.

With $825,000 in federal funding over the next three years, Western Carolina University is starting a new online master’s degree program to help nurses gain the necessary skills for management roles in health care facilities and to prepare them to work in today’s environment of increasing cultural diversity.

The program, with classes beginning this fall through Western’s School of Nursing, will be the first in North Carolina to offer a master’s degree in nurse administration entirely online. The initiative, called Leadership Education for Administration at a Distance, is made possible by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Pat Ashe, a registered nurse and interim vice president of nursing at Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville, sees a definite need for such a program. “Given the option, I think the majority of nurses who feel under-prepared will welcome this opportunity,” said Ashe, a veteran staff nurse who successfully moved into management. “If they have the chance to take courses online and study on weekends and evenings, it becomes a possibility for people who are working full time.”

Kitty Schnese, a certified registered nurse anesthetist and director of anesthesia for WestCare Health System in Sylva, agreed. “Doors open to nurses skilled in management,” said Schnese. “You can get the jobs if you can handle them, but it’s much better to be prepared, if the courses are available.”

In addition to a focus on teaching management skills, the LEAD program includes a unique emphasis on preparing graduates to work with medically underserved populations and rural communities, said Judy Mallory, WCU associate professor of nursing and director of the program.

“While nurses in this program are training as administrators, they also will be developing a set of skills that will increase their ability to work effectively with cultural differences among groups such as Cherokee, Hispanic, rural Appalachian and increasingly aging populations,” said Mallory. “We believe this will improve both the quality of service and health outcomes for all patients.”

Robinson “Rob” Myers, chief nursing officer at Cherokee Indian Hospital, is glad to see LEAD’s emphasis on cultural diversity. “If you look at nurses in administrative and manager positions, the percentage of minorities is very low, and the percentage of those who are master’s degree-prepared is very small, both locally and nationally,” said Myers, an Osage Indian and a registered nurse with a master’s degree, who served for 27 years with the U.S. Public Health Service providing services to several tribes before moving to Cherokee.

Mary Harmon, a registered nurse and director of peri-anesthesia nursing at Mission Hospitals in Asheville, said she wishes Western’s new program had been available earlier in her career. “You have to have caregivers in leadership roles who can guide people in their work,” Harmon said. “It’s difficult for leaders to guide others if they don’t understand how to deal with diverse populations themselves.”

The online nature of the LEAD program will mean it can serve nurses and populations in geographically and culturally diverse areas, said WCU’s Mallory. “Our unique program emphasis on culturally and linguistically appropriate services, along with a strong business administration focus, will significantly impact rural and underserved areas of the nation,” she said. “We anticipate our graduates will feel comfortable practicing in rural and underserved areas, and will seek employment opportunities in management at these sites upon graduation.”

Western is accepting applications for the 2008 fall semester through Friday, Aug. 22. Applications for the 2009 spring semester are due by Oct. 15. For information, contact Glenda Fuhrmann at (828) 670-8810, extension 222, or Judy Mallory via e-mail at jmallory@wcu.edu. Apply to the program at www.wcu.edu/graduate by clicking on ApplyNow.

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Last modified: Friday, Aug. 22, 2008