VALDOSTA, GA – Between Sunday, Nov. 10, and Saturday, Nov. 16, VSU will celebrate National Nurse Practitioner Week, a time “to celebrate the wonderful work of nurse practitioners across the nation, build awareness around the critical role of the nurse practitioner, and remind lawmakers of the importance of allowing nurse practitioners to practice to the full extent of their experience and education,” said Dr. J. Myron Faircloth, an assistant professor in VSU’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences and a board certified family nurse practitioner.
VSU’s Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Program prepares advanced practice nurses as primary care providers to manage the health of individuals and families from 13 years of age and up. The program places an emphasis on health promotion, illness prevention, and management of acute and chronic illness; provides leadership; and promotes use of evidence-based practice in the delivery of quality health care services for adults and their families. Graduates are prepared to be recognized as advanced practice nurses by the Board of Nurse Examiners and to take certification exams. VSU was authorized by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia to offer a nursing program in 1967, effective fall quarter of 1968. Development of the program was facilitated by a request from the leaders of Pineview General Hospital, which later became South Georgia Medical Center, for help preparing registered nurses for the region.
The College of Nursing and Health Sciences at VSU offers several different academic programs, including bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing. The Master of Science in Nursing degree prepares students for advanced nursing practice and to be leaders in the nursing profession. VSU offers three advanced nursing tracks of study: an Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Program, a Clinical Nurse Leader Program, and a Family Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program.
VSU’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences is currently located in S. Walter Martin Hall, 1300 N. Patterson St., but will relocate to the new Health Sciences and Business Administration Building at the intersection of Patterson Street and Pendleton Drive in the spring. Call (229) 333-5959, visit http://www.valdosta.edu/colleges/nursing-and-health-sciences/ or email nursing@valdosta.edu to learn more.
Source: Valdosta State University Press Release
