Loyola Nursing Professor Receives Recognition for Innovative Teaching Model

MAYWOOD, Ill. -- Dr. Pamela Andresen, associate professor of Health Promotion Nursing at Loyola University Chicago Marcella School of Nursing (MNSON), has been recognized with a Certificate of Excellence from the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research (APTR) for her efforts to advance the teaching of prevention, population health and public health.

The APTR singled out Andresen’s case study, which she developed through the Healthy People Curriculum Taskforce’s (HPCTF) Successful Practices Project. Andresen's case study examines the curriculum at the Niehoff School of Nursing in conjunction with undergraduate nursing students’ experiences at the school’s community-based, faculty-managed nursing center, Loyola University Nursing Center (LUNC).

Andresen reports that spending time at the LUNC allowed students enrolled in the baccalaureate nursing program’s senior level community health nursing course to serve their community as they received quality educational experiences.

“The LUNC is an innovative, cost-effective model for delivering health education to a large network of community organizations,” Andresen said. “In addition to health teaching at community sites, nursing students provide over 1,000 home visits annually to chronically ill adults living near Loyola's Lake Shore campus."

Andresen’s case study is available on the APTR Web site, aptrweb.org, so that others can read about the benefits of this teaching approach.

The APTR is a professional organization dedicated to improving prevention education and research. Members of the organization have the opportunity to collaborate with other individuals and institutions to seek new or improved ways of educating health-care professionals.