Orlando, FL – The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) today presented its prestigious Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Educator of the Year Award to Kathleen M. White, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. The Award recognizes an NACNS member for outstanding professional achievement as a CNS educator. It acknowledges the recipient’s excellence and innovation in preparing CNSs and in implementing the NACNS Statement on CNS Practice and Education.
White developed an innovative CNS capstone practicum in which students work with an interprofessional team to perform a clinical outcomes, performance improvement or quality improvement project. Recent projects have included analyzing hospital-acquired infection rates; reviewing rates of induced labor and factors that influence them; improving hospital readmission rates; and analyzing culture of safety data. The course consistently receives highest marks from former CNS students, who report that through it they have gained transferrable skills and knowledge that have helped them improve nursing care and advance their CNS role in the organization.
White was a member of a research team that conducted a systematic review of the literature to evaluate the safety, quality and effectiveness of the advanced practice registered nurse roles. The study revealed that hospitals with CNSs have lower length of stay costs associated with their patients, and that CNSs are associated with lower rates of complications for patients.
“For her dedication to providing her students with the skills and experience they need to excel as CNSs, we are delighted to present Dr. White with the CNS Educator of the Year Award,” said NACNS 2014 President Les Rodriguez, MSN, MPH, RN, ACNS-BC, APRN. “Through her innovative approach to course design to her research supporting the CNS role, Dr. White has gone above and beyond in ensuring CNS education is of the highest quality.”
White holds a PhD and an MSN from the University of Maryland. She earned her BSN at the University of Cincinnati.