Nursing School Among Sponsors of National Nursing Conference in Pittsburgh

The School of Nursing is among the sponsors of the 39th annual meeting of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF), which will be held in Pittsburgh from April 11-14.

More than 600 NONPF members—educators whose focus is to prepare nurse practitioners—from nursing schools across the nation are expected to attend the conference. The School of Nursing is sponsoring the Diversity Dialog, an important gathering at each annual NONPF conference.

Achieving diversity has long been a primary goal for NONPF, according to Dr. Leni Resick, clinical professor and holder of the Noble J. Dick Endowed Chair in Community Outreach. The Diversity Dialog and reception will take place at the August Wilson Center, a way of showcasing African-American art and culture. Along with an interactive discussion, it will feature presentations and a tour of the center. Dr. Mary Ellen Glasgow, professor and dean of nursing, along with all of the members of the nursing faculty who teach in the nurse practitioner program, will attend the event.

In addition to sponsoring the Diversity Dialog, members of the nursing faculty will give a poster presentation as well as a seminar about DUSONburgh, an innovative teaching tool created at the School of Nursing. DUSONburgh, an acronym that combines Duquesne University School of Nursing with “burgh,” is a virtual city used primarily to help undergraduate and graduate students acquire an understanding of important concepts in community-centered primary care nursing.

The residents of DUSONburgh have names, demographic traits and other characteristics. Their wellbeing, collectively and as individuals, shows the effect of the environment, genetics, income, mental health and access to health care services and other critical variables.

The fictitious community provides a controllable context where many pieces of a community health problem can be altered in order to suit learning goals, Resick explained. “DUSONburgh allows us to put all this together in the context of social justice,” she said. “And we can make it as hard or as simple as we want.”

According to Resick, because DUSONburgh was developed for the computer, it has been an important part of the school’s nurse practitioner program, which is one of the first in the nation to be offered online.