(Greenwood, S.C., May 21, 2019) Ten graduate nurses employed by Self Regional Healthcare received their Master’s degrees through a partnership between Self Regional and Lander University to train Certified Nurse Leaders (CNL’s).
Lisa Smith, Amy Logan, Virginia Dean, Josh Eidson, Stephanie Ahn, Debra Hill, Portia Bluford-Briggs, Stephanie Lewis, Tonya Williams and Jessica Kelly received their Masters degrees as the inaugural Lander Clinical Nurse Leader program class.
Pictured from left to right: (Back row) Portia Bluford-Briggs, Virginia Dean, Josh Eidson, Stephanie Ahn, Stephanie Lewis; (Front Row) Jessica Kelly, Amy Logan, Lisa Smith, Tanya Williams, Debra Hill.
In the midst of the country’s nurse shortage, local institutions like Self Regional and Lander University have developed innovative programs to meet the challenges of staffing highly skilled nursing teams around the clock. The two organizations designed a Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) role that current SRH Registered Nurses are eligible to fill upon obtaining their Master’s Degree and Board CNL Certification.
CNL’s have trained to provide clinical leadership for bedside care and can also oversee the safe and effective delivery of high quality care by all other nursing staff. Additionally, they promote patient-centered care, improve patient outcomes, collaborate with physicians and assure proper coordination of care throughout the healthcare system.
Lander University provides a classroom setting and competent graduate nurses, while Self offers high quality collaborative practice settings, preceptors and pays for the SRH employed nurses graduate education.
Dr. Holisa Wharton, Dean of the School of Nursing at Lander University, and Dr. Linda Russell, Sr. Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Self Regional Healthcare, formed the partnership knowing CNL’s will assist in providing high quality, cost-effective care to our community, as well as mitigating the nursing shortage by supporting and retaining bedside nurses.
“We are very proud to recognize the first ten CNL Master’s Degree Prepared Nurses at Self Regional,” said Linda. “These Clinical Nurse Leaders are very important to our patients and our organization because they not only provide care, but serve as educators and patient, nurse and physician advocates. CNL’s are a vital resource to the healthcare of our community.”
If you would like to learn more about becoming a Self Regional Healthcare CNL, please call (864) 725-5002.
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About Self Regional Healthcare:
Self Regional Healthcare is a not-for-profit, regional referral hospital that provides care to residents of Greenwood, Abbeville, Laurens, Saluda, McCormick, Edgefield and Newberry counties. Services include prevention and wellness, acute care and tertiary care services including cancer care, neurosurgery, heart and vascular surgery, NICU, orthopedics and genetics. Self Medical Group is its employed physician affiliate network.
