Darton Health Professions Foundation sponsors Albany State faculty at conference

Carlton Fletcher, The Albany Herald, Ga.
·3 min read

Mar. 5—ALBANY — Albany State University faculty attended and presented at the 2023 Georgia Association of Nurse Educators, "GANE" conference recently. Their attendance was made possible by the Darton Health Professions Foundation, which sponsored 15 nursing professors to attend the conference at Young Harris.

"We were so excited to participate by investing in the attendance at this conference and sponsored an ad highlighting our next continued education course," Randae Davis, the Foundation's executive director, said in a news release. "It is an awesome opportunity to support ASU educators who presented to their peers, knowing that some of what is gleaned will be utilized throughout the state.

"Educators and students collaborating to educate educators and increase student learning is a phenomenal opportunity and a great investment. We have sponsored attendance before, but it was usually just a few professors. This year was different because they weren't just attending. They were delivering instruction that will impact other educational institutions."

ASU staff were selected to make presentations at the conference.

"Thanks to the generosity of the Darton Foundation, 15 individuals were sponsored and able to attend," ASU interim Nursing Chair Andrea Dozier said. "We were selected to do two presentations, and we were excited and proud of our faculty for their accomplishments."

Each year nurse educators in Georgia convene at the GANE conference to share and learn about innovative ideas and emerging practices that help them better prepare and improve learning opportunities for nursing students. However, this year Albany State University faculty presented to other educators and their peers.

"One of our most exciting presentations was the Interpersonal Education Collaborative of a Pilot Simulation," Dozier said. "This presentation was the result of a collaboration between Albany State University and Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. It connected multiple fields of health professions students with health care providers to increase educational opportunities and prepare students for a career in the health care system. It facilitated interpersonal educational opportunities at Phoebe Putney's simulation lab and created academic partnerships among faculty, professionals and students."

The collaboration was documented in various formats, including video, and had four goals leading to improved student success: It facilitated student success in entering the health care work force; it empowered stewardship to enhance learning across multiple disciplines to promote teamwork and increase enrollment; it fostered partnering with a local health care facility to promote learning and competitiveness, and it promoted faculty development and education to engage interprofessional educational learning for students.

"This is certainly something that we believe will be replicated throughout the state because of this pilot program," Sarah Brinson, dean of the College of Darton Health Professions at ASU and a Darton Foundation board member, said. "The opportunity to share our outcomes at the GANE conference was phenomenal."

The other highly anticipated presentation was utilization of SWOT analysis at a programmatic and educational level to promote growth and improvement. (SWOT is a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis.) The presentation highlights the use of SWOT analysis in a systematic way to address and improve practices in varying areas, including administrative, department, program, and personnel at an educational institution.

"SWOT is used by corporations and within many community improvement organizations throughout the United States," Dozier said. "It allows for effectively assessing gaps that may prevent growth and improvement. Using this proven method on a smaller scale at educational institutions allows for a systematic approach to change instead of making ineffective repetitive revisions that can lead to burnout and dissatisfaction."

"We have a duty to constantly improve how we deliver instruction as student learning styles change," Brinson added. "We must prepare nurses for life-long learning and give them more than book knowledge. If not for the Darton Foundation, we would not have been able to send everyone who worked so hard on these projects. We are so grateful for their continued investment in our students, faculty and programs."

For more information on how to partner with ASU in additional collaboratives, contact (229) 500-2239. To support the Darton College of Health Professions or student scholarships, visit Dartonfoundation.org.