Message from the Dean of Nursing

Patricia A. Holden-Huchton, RN, DSN, CNE
Dean of the College of Nursing
Texas Woman's University

With great pleasure, I announce the approval of the Lifelong Learning-Continuing Nursing Education (LL-CNE) Provider Unit by the Texas Nursing Association (TNA) and American Nurses’ Credentialing Center Certification of Approval (ANCC COA) in the Fall of 2008. As the largest college of nursing in Texas, we have over 13,000 alumni who have been educated to embrace lifelong learning. In addition, the majority of Registered Nurses are encouraged to pursue lifelong learning by their employers. The establishment of the LL-CNE is designed to meet the current and future needs of Registered Nurses to pursue professional development. The LL-CNE provider unit has the ability to  develop extensive, comprehensive LL-CNE courses for professional advancement, license renewal,  or specialized training for the Associate Degree nurse, the Baccalaureate Degree nurse, the Master’s Degree nurse, or the Doctorate Degree nurse.  The research conducted by the faculty forms a foundation to ensure an evidence-based LL-CNE program which meets the target audience needs. Content areas will feature, but not be limited to, the nursing faculty’s areas of research, which include women’s health, chronic and behavioral health, health systems and quality patient outcomes, and strategies for educating nurses. Appropriate content experts that represent the assessed needs of a target audience will be identified from the Denton campus, the Dallas-Parkland campus, and the Houston campus based on the recommendations of the Nurse Planner on each campus. In addition, various experts from a multitude of health care agencies, as well as qualified nursing alumni from the Texas Woman’s University College of Nursing, may be invited to be content experts to present an LL-CNE activity.

Our future plans include offering self-directed LL-CNE (online course), presenter-directed LL-CNE (participant attendance), provider partnerships with professional associations, corporate partnerships, conferences, institutes, non-degree courses, nursing grand rounds, webcast and iPod downloads, and certification LL-CNE programs. We are excited about the potential for development of LL-CNE Provider Unit events in response to the learning needs of Registered Nurses and our alumni.

College of Nursing faculty members have the opportunity to participate in the growth of the LL-CNE Provider Unit as Nurse Planners, target audience representatives, or content experts. Everyone is encouraged to identify your specific area of expertise for participation with the LL-CNE Provider Unit. I look forward to the growth and success of our new LL-CNE Provider Unit.