Letter from the Dean: Spring 2022
Dear Friends,
It is a pivotal time to be a nurse.
It is an honor and a privilege to be a Pirate Nurse.
It has been a remarkable experience to watch the ECU College of Nursing respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This once-in-a-lifetime event has not only transformed our profession in many ways, but it has also shown the world how vital nurses are in the knowledge, skill, compassion and tenacity that are crucial to excellent patient care. Nurses all over the globe proved their fortitude day in and day out, and through it all, nursing as a profession has not only survived but thrived. The College of Nursing is no exception; we have continued to see progress and excellence in classrooms and healthcare settings as we worked together to navigate this health crisis.
Certification and licensure rates for 2021 are high — the Accelerated 2nd Degree BSN program, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialty, the CNS Adult Gerontology specialty, Nurse Midwifery, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Anesthesia and Doctor of Nursing Practice-Family Nurse Practitioner program and the Adult Gerontology Primary Care NP program have each earned 100% pass rates on their certification/licensure exams. Additional key indicators are heartening as well; our students are embracing the rigor of our programs. Our alumni are serving in leadership positions they began preparing for right here at ECU.
These upward trends are encouraging; right now, it’s more important than ever to boost and maintain robust enrollment numbers. We must stay the course in educating and preparing new nurses for the new normal in health care and to fulfill the critical needs of the work force.
It is fitting, then, that 2022 is the Year of the Nurse Educator. The National League for Nursing has deemed this year as a celebration of those who are not only great nurses, but great educators. The essential role of these mentors, instructors, professors and other educators during the pandemic cannot be overstated, and I would like to take a moment to thank our College of Nursing faculty and our alumni who are nurse educators. You are a critical part of our profession, and we appreciate your talents and efforts in preparing others for their journeys in nursing.
And to each of you: I could not be prouder of the students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the ECU College of Nursing than I have been over the past two years of the pandemic — and during my tenure as dean. There are few things more rewarding and remarkable than watching those around you learn and grow and contribute to the knowledge and growth of other Pirate Nurses. I have had that pleasure countless times, and while this is my last message to you in Pirate Nurse Notes before my retirement this summer, I will no doubt continue to observe and cheer on the individual and college-wide successes that each of you achieve.
I am pleased to share with you that there are several excellent candidates being considered as the next dean of the ECU College of Nursing. I am confident the college will be in good hands.
It has been an honor to serve as dean of my alma mater, and it has been one of the greatest triumphs of my life to serve alongside each of you. Our profession and our love for caring for others — and educating the future of our profession — brought us together.
May your dedication to service and your commitment to excellence make the future of the ECU College of Nursing even brighter.
Warmest regards,
Sylvia T. Brown, EdD, RN, CNE, ANEF Dean & Professor