To address nursing staff shortages, OpenStax, a nonprofit educational initiative of Rice University, in partnership with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), is creating the first Open Nursing Education (ONE) Summit. The two organizations are building upon their shared goal of addressing staffing shortages by reducing financial barriers for nursing students while facilitating discourse around important issues faced by the field.
This free, two-day, virtual event will bring together industry experts, nursing education leaders, instructors and administrators to address critical issues in nursing education while exploring the effective integration of openly licensed nursing resources.
"We are proud to partner with OpenStax at Rice University to help provide valuable resources for nursing education, meeting the growing demand for nurses and health professionals across Texas, and more importantly, reducing the cost of higher education in this field," said THECB's Deputy Commissioner of Academic Affairs and Innovation David Troutman. "The Open Nursing Education Summit serves as a much-needed platform for collaboration and innovation in nursing education."
Taking place Feb. 27-28, the ONE Summit will provide attendees the opportunity to learn from prominent figures in nursing education and gain insights into leveraging openly licensed resources, including the upcoming eight-textbook nursing series by OpenStax and THECB. The upcoming textbook series will cover the following courses currently taken by approximately 300,000 students each year in the U.S.: Fundamentals of Nursing, Maternal-Newborn Nursing, Medical-Surgical Nursing, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing, Community-Population Nursing, Pharmacology, Clinical Nursing Skills and Nutrition.
"The Open Nursing Education Summit takes place at a pivotal time for nursing education," said Anthony Palmiotto, director of higher education for OpenStax. "By uniting industry experts and education leaders, we aim to support nurse educators and leaders in their goal to prepare the next generation of nursing professionals."
Attendees can choose from among 13 sessions covering a wide range of topics, from the upcoming nursing education textbook series to effective National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) writing. Notable speakers include:
- Emerald Charity Bilbrew, Fayetteville Technical College
- Donna Paris, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing
- Laura Wallace, Mercer University
- Amy Giles, Baylor University
- Denise Neill, Texas A&M University-Commerce
- Cynthia O'Neal, UT Health Science Center-San Antonio
- Rebecca Puchkors, Baylor University
- Bridget Carey, Holy Family University
- Jessica Palozie, University of Connecticut
- Maren Reinholdt, University of Rochester
The ONE Summit is made possible through support by the THECB and is free for all attendees. Instructors can earn certificates indicating their participation, which may be used for continuing education and related credits in compliance with institutional or state regulations.
