Becoming Part of the Solution

The department is led by UNI’s chief academic nurse administrator, Nancy K. Kertz, Ph.D., FNP-BC. Kertz brings more than 18 years of experience leading and developing nursing education programs and has played a strategic role in obtaining state and national accreditation, developing curriculum, and forming partnerships with clinical experience providers and future employers of UNI graduates.

I am very honored to be part of the UNI family and to work alongside our talented faculty and staff to transform nursing and health care, now and into the future,” Kertz said. “Our mission to prepare graduates who are clinically focused and practice-ready while instilling a proficiency in situational awareness and clinical reasoning is critical in today’s health care environment.

Preparing the next generation of nursing professionals

Nursing is a special calling. Ranked by Gallup as the most trusted profession in America for 20 years running, nurses are the front line of patient care and the backbone of a healthy society.

In many hospital settings, patients interact with nurses more than any other care provider. Yet, a critical shortage of these vital caregivers — both in Iowa and across the country — has been compounded by the strains of the pandemic, the demands of an aging population and greater access to health care.

Through UNI’s new BSN degree, the university is uniquely positioned to help meet this growing demand.

The six-semester program offers a stand-alone nursing degree that complements UNI’s suite of health programs, such as pre-medicine, kinesiology, gerontology and public health.

Students in the program will get to study in the renovated Innovative Teaching and Technology Center. This new home for the Department of Nursing and Public Health will include spaces dedicated to practice-based nursing education in an environment that models clinical settings. Hybrid labs will facilitate active learning simulations and hands-on experience.

Throughout the 2023-24 school year, Kertz and the nursing program team, which includes Assistant Professor of Practice Jimmy Reyes, Ph.D., DNP, AGNP, RN, FRE, and Academic Coordinator of Nursing Education Carrie Hollerud, MSN, RN, have been reaching out to prospective students and meeting with health care stakeholders across the state.

“These partnerships will help our future students participate in many engaging and interactive clinical experiences with qualified and proficient clinical faculty,” Reyes said.

Reyes, who is a nurse and nurse practitioner, has helped refine the BSN plan of study and develop engaging courses for the program. He also currently conducts screening clinics among under-served and under-resourced communities in the Des Moines area with the assistance of community health workers and UNI students.

Reyes plans to transform this work into a hands-on learning opportunity available to students in the nursing program.

“I look forward to working with students in the community to facilitate care among many undeserved and under-resourced communities and populations in Iowa,” he said. “I also look forward to working with students who have a passion for research, legislation, global health and public health nursing. There are so many great opportunities in nursing, and

I want to share what I have learned so far in my 20-plus years of nursing experience.”

He added that because UNI promotes a culture of flexibility, creativity and success, the Department of Nursing and Public Health has a real opportunity to provide students with an array of experiences within the classroom, clinical settings and labs.

“Students can look forward to a great and challenging nursing program,” he said. “We have made sure to include many interactive courses where students can apply the knowledge they learn in the classroom to the simulation or skills laboratory. Students will also work with many clinical instructors who may provide additional support and guidance as they transition to becoming registered nurses.”

For Kertz, the chance to help provide a student-focused education to future nurses is exciting.

“UNI has an exceptional history in offering undergraduate and graduate programs, and the university is dedicated to meeting the workforce needs of Iowa,” Kertz said. “As an Iowa citizen, I felt compelled to be a part of the solution in addressing the nursing workforce shortage in the state, and nursing program development is a passion of mine. This program will contribute to the education of nurses, which will in turn assist in increasing the number of nurses in Iowa.”
 

Public health degree inspires professionals to lead healthier communities

While the public health degree at UNI isn’t new, the shift to being offered through the Department of Nursing and Public Health opens opportunities to grow.

“Partnering with nursing and the other programs in the School of Health and Human Sciences is a better fit in terms of what our students learn, what we prepare them for, and the research that faculty are engaged in,” shared Associate Professor of Public Health Disa Cornish. “I am thrilled about the new opportunities that students will have to work across disciplines and engage with other students and faculty who are interested in similar career and research paths.”

Cornish explained that the shift happened as UNI engaged in a deliberate process of academic positioning over the last few years. Creating more connections between programs related to the health sciences was a priority.

“The public health faculty got to be part of the decision-making process regarding where we were housed, and joining with the nursing program made so much sense,” she said. “In public health we are focused on prevention and population health. Nursing students also spend time learning about population health and the importance of preventive care. There is a natural fit with the progression of what students learn in the two programs from prevention to treatment.”

The public health program includes a major, minor and multiple certificates for students to investigate a specific topic more in-depth, such as global health, women’s health or corporate fitness.

Susan Roberts-Dobie, professor of public health, shared that the public health major attracts a wide variety of students, but they all tend to have an “I want to make the world a better place” mindset.

“For one student that may translate to international work with refugees, for another student that may be a dream of helping residents in an assisted living facility be more healthy and active, and for another student a dream of keeping the local water supply clean,” she said. “One benefit of a generalist public health degree is that we focus on the core skills of public health, so the degree is transferable from one population to another. An alum may work with childhood nutrition for a period of time but has the skills to pivot to another topic like substance abuse prevention.”

Roberts-Dobie noted that according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, careers in public health are projected to increase 18% in the next decade.

“The health of our nation depends on these workers, and demand is growing, but in addition to being a career field, public health is also a mindset of seeing opportunities to prevent illness and injury, so we are always thrilled when students from other fields choose public health as a second major or a minor,” she said. “That creates an opportunity for us to train people in other career paths to look at problems through a public health lens.”

Ultimately, through the new Department of Nursing and Public Health, UNI is putting health at the forefront.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF NURSING & PUBLIC HEALTH