In response to the unprecedented public health crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, The University of Toledo is allowing more than 275 medical and nursing students the option of graduating early.

Students in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences and College of Nursing who have completed all course work, met their degree requirements and been approved for early graduation are eligible to receive their diploma starting as soon as April 17.

Students not graduating early will receive their diploma at UToledo’s previously scheduled virtual commencement ceremonies, which are May 9 for the College of Nursing and May 15 for the College of Medicine and Life Sciences.

The option for early graduation was approved Monday by The University of Toledo Board of Trustees with the support of President Sharon L. Gaber and Provost Karen Bjorkman.

“The College of Medicine and Life Sciences is committed to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Christopher Cooper, dean of the UToledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences. “We are proud of our graduating medical students that will be joining residency programs in our region and across our nation. These soon-to-be young doctors will play an important role in meeting people’s healthcare needs.”

In order for a fourth-year medical student to graduate early, they must also enter their residency program early. After receiving their diploma, they must apply for and receive a medical license in the state in which they will be practicing.

Nearly half of UToledo’s fourth-year medical students matched with residency programs in Ohio. Students also matched in some of the hardest hit states, including New York, Michigan and California.

Nursing graduates also have the ability to quickly begin practicing. The state of Ohio recently updated its regulations to allow newly graduated nurses to receive a temporary license before taking the national standardized licensure examination which has been delayed due to the pandemic. The state of Michigan has taken similar steps.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created a huge need for nurses, both in our region and across the country,” said Dr. Linda Lewandowski, dean of the College of Nursing. “Many of our students have expressed interest in getting out into the field ahead of the predicted surge to help relieve the strain on our healthcare system. These students are ready to practice now, and we’re proud of their eagerness to make a difference.”

The presidents of The University of Toledo and Owens Community College will sign a dual-admission partnership for nursing students at 8:30 a.m., Thursday, March 5, in Heritage Hall, Room 123.

The new program — the first of its kind in northwest Ohio — allows nursing students to jointly apply for admission at both Owens and UToledo, establishing a seamless pathway for students to earn an Associate in Applied Science degree in registered nursing from Owens followed by a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from UToledo.

“Creating pathways for student success is an important part of Owens’ strategic plan and we are excited for what this dual enrollment agreement with the University of Toledo means for our nursing students,” said Steve Robinson, Ph.D., president of Owens Community College. “This seamless pathway from an associate to bachelor’s degree will help remove another barrier to student success and we are proud to partner with The University of Toledo to make that happen.”

“This is a wonderful way to strengthen our relationship with Owens and provide even more opportunities for students in our region, ensuring their success in the workplace,” UToledo President Sharon L. Gaber said. “Having a baccalaureate degree increases opportunities for nurses, and it is important that we establish these types of partnerships to ensure individuals in our community have the strong educational foundation they need for a successful nursing career.”

The new dual-admission program is designed to give students a sense of belonging at both institutions, while providing unique opportunities and support throughout their education.

Advisers from both Owens and UToledo will work with students from the start to ensure they are taking the courses needed to complete both degrees. Students also will have the ability to participate in UToledo events and programming, and to take courses at UToledo while working toward their associate’s degree at Owens.

Upon completion of their associate’s degree from Owens, students have a guaranteed spot in the UToledo College of Nursing’s online R.N. to B.S.N. program, with no additional application or admission fee.

While a B.S.N. isn’t necessary for licensure, recent surveys from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing have found that more than 80% of employers strongly prefer job candidates with a bachelor’s degree. A number of studies also have shown patients who are cared for by nurses with higher levels of education have more positive outcomes.

The dual-admission program is open to new and continuing students at Owens. The institutions will begin taking applications on May 1.

The Student Nurses Association at The University of Toledo is aiming to register 1,000 potential bone marrow donors next week during a two-day blitz that could be the starting point for saving someone’s life.

The registration drive will take place Monday and Tuesday, April 15, and 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Thompson Student Union and Nitschke Hall on Main Campus, and in the Collier Building on Health Science Campus. Signs will be posted. The event coincides with National Donate Life Month.

Bone marrow transplants are often the best — and in some cases, only — treatment for a range of diseases, including blood cancers like leukemia and genetic conditions such as sickle cell anemia.

“We have been touched by people who have had these diagnoses,” said Shannon Rafferty, vice president of the Student Nurses Association. “We wanted to spearhead an educational program and register donors. You have the potential to save someone’s life by doing this.”

The Student Nurses Association is partnering with DKMS, an international nonprofit based in Germany, to conduct the donor drive.

Volunteers from the University’s College of Nursing will explain to potential donors how the transplant process works, guide them through a registration form, and take three quick cheek swabs.

The swabs are then sealed up and sent back to DKMS to be cataloged, with the results ultimately being placed on the Be The Match Registry operated by the National Marrow Donor Program.

More than two-thirds of patients requiring a bone marrow transplant must look outside their immediate family to find a match, making international registries crucial to pairing willing donors to individuals in need of a transplant.

That was the case for a family friend of Patricia Sopko, an instructor in the College of Nursing and advisor of the University’s Student Nurses Association chapter.

The 16-year-old girl needed a bone marrow transplant after a blood cancer diagnosis. A match was found in the United Kingdom and an infusion was done in the States, but the cancer recently came back. She’s currently awaiting another match for a second bone marrow transplant.

Rafferty, a senior working toward a bachelor of science degree in nursing, said that personal connection was one reason the group decided to make a priority of registering new donors. They did their first drive last year during Relay for Life, collecting about 100 new donors.

Next week’s effort is one of the largest initiates they’ve undertaken.

“Volunteering is a huge thing our board believes in,” Rafferty said. “That’s one of the reasons we went into nursing — we have a passion to help people in our community. We’re trying to make a change.”

The group will again be sharing the story of Sopko’s friend to illustrate the need for donors and the potential impact they could make. While people on the registry can’t specify a wish to donate to a specific individual, the fact that so many are prepared to help is encouraging to those waiting on a life-saving donation.

“It made a huge difference for my friend’s daughter,” Sopko said. “It was like we were fighting for her life. She felt so much more hopeful seeing people were willing to do this.”

The University of Toledo College of Nursing improved its place in the U.S. News & World Report list of the top graduate nursing programs in the country.

The recently released 2019 Best Graduate Schools edition lists the master’s program in nursing at 183, up 20 spots from the previous year, and the doctor of nursing practice program is ranked for the first time.

“The significant increase in rank for both our MSN and DNP programs reflects our college’s growing visibility, the quality of our faculty and the increasing excellence of our students,” said Dr. Linda Lewandowski, dean of the UT College of Nursing.

U.S. News ranks programs on criteria such as acceptance rate, GPA, student-faculty ratio and grant funding, among other indicators. Contributing factors to the UT College of Nursing’s increase in the rankings are attracting more highly qualified applicants, graduating more students and strong certification exam pass rates, Lewandowski said.

Graduate training for nurses is building momentum due to the increased complexity of patient care, national conversations about quality and patient safety, and shortages in nursing personnel. In response, UT has added two additional nurse practitioner track specialties — adult gerontology primary care and psychiatric mental health.

UT’s Post-Baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice Program was the first such program in the state when the Ohio Board of Regents approved it in 2012. It is designed to take nurses with a bachelor of science in nursing to the highest level of clinical practice and position them as leaders in the health-care field.

The University of Toledo’s third post-election forum since President Donald Trump was elected focuses on the topic “Our Bodies, Ourselves in the Time of Trump” and implications of repealing the Affordable Care Act.

The free, public event to discuss health care, reproductive rights and LGBTQA+ issues is 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13 at the Kent Branch Library, 3101 Collingwood Blvd.

“Based on actions thus far and the 2016 presidential campaign, we know the Trump Administration will be approaching all three of these areas of policy with a different perspective from the previous administration,” said Dr. Ally Day, assistant professor in the disability studies program at UT. “Our forum is designed to address changes and questions community members may have in relation to larger policy and their own health-care options.”

Featured speakers include:

• Karen Hoblet, UT associate professor of nursing
• Robert Salem, UT clinical professor of law and chair of the Equality Toledo Board of Directors
• Anita Rios, Ohio NOW
• Hillary Gyuras, community education manager for Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio
• Sarah Inskeep, regional field manager for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio
• Katie Hunt Thomas, disability rights attorney for The Ability Center of Greater Toledo

The event is sponsored by the UT College of Law and the School for Interdisciplinary Studies in the College of Arts and Letters.

The mayor of the City of Toledo and area church leaders will join The University of Toledo to kick off a “Campaign Critical” fundraiser to support scholarships for African American students in the health professions.

The initiative is lead by the President’s Committee for African American Recruitment, Retention and Scholarship Support, or PCARS, which was formed in 2006 to enhance the recruitment and retention of African Americans in the fields of health sciences, which include medicine, pharmacy, nursing and physician assistant.

A kickoff event for the fundraising campaign will be 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23 at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, 1502 N. Detroit Ave., with UT President Sharon L. Gaber, Toledo Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson and the Rev. James Willis of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church.

The committee’s goal is to increase the number of African-American health-care workers in the Toledo region as an important part of the solution to address the health-care needs of African Americans in the community.

Additional religious leaders active in PCARS who will join Pastor Willis in support of the initiative at the news conference include: the Rev. Cedric Brock of Mount Nebo Missionary Baptist Church, the Rev. Waverly Earley of Wesley United Methodist Church, the Rev. K. David Johnson of Third Baptist Church, the Rev. John Walthall III of Mount Ararat Missionary Baptist Church and Sister Virginia Welch of St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church.

Media Coverage
WTOL 11 (Feb. 24, 2016)
13 ABC (Feb. 24, 2016)

Christi Paul, anchor of CNN New Day Weekends and HLN’s Daily Share, will address graduates at The University of Toledo’s fall commencement 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 19 in Savage Arena.

The UT graduate and Bellevue-native, who also will receive an honorary degree during the ceremony, will address more than 2,000 candidates for degrees, including 138 doctoral candidates, 556 master’s candidates and 1,372 bachelor’s candidates.

This marks the first University of Toledo commencement for President Sharon L. Gaber.

Christi Paul

“From her time at UT to her successful career at CNN, Christi Paul has devoted her life to thoughtful curiosity, learning, and helping others with the power of information,” Gaber said. “She has been at the forefront of many major news stories of our time. The award-winning journalist and advocate for women and children is an inspiring voice who will offer a passionate message to our graduates and guests.”

The national journalist graduated from UT in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication degree with a focus on broadcast journalism.

“I’m humbled and honored to give the commencement speech and so grateful to UT, the professors who helped me grow, the staff who guided me to solid internships, and the friends I made along the way,” Paul said. “I will always credit UT for giving me my springboard into the journalism arena.”

Paul has covered many high-profile events throughout her distinguished career, including President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, Hurricane Sandy, and the Casey Anthony murder trial. She was in the anchor chair walking heartbroken viewers through the early hours of the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School and Virginia Tech.

Prior to joining CNN and HLN in 2003, Paul worked as an anchor and reporter in Phoenix, Ariz., and Boise, Idaho. The Idaho Press Club honored Paul for her series about a brave four-year-old girl who underwent a five-organ transplant. Paul began her career at WDTV in Clarksburg, W.Va.

The wife and mother of three also is passionate about helping children. Along with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Paul is co-founder of the “Find Our Children” series that airs on HLN. Viewers have helped bring home 35 missing kids as a result of the news profile segments. The center honored Paul in 2012 with its prestigious Hope Award for her efforts to make the world a safer place for children.

Paul serves on the National Advisory Council for the One Love Foundation, which works with teens to help end dating violence. Paul also serves on the Advisory Board for When Georgia Smiled that helps victims of domestic violence and sexual assault find healing, safety and joy.

UT recognized Paul in 2006 as an Outstanding Alumna of the former College of Arts and Sciences.

The fall commencement ceremony will recognize graduates from the Colleges of Adult and Lifelong Learning, Business and Innovation, Communication and the Arts, Judith Herb College of Education, Health Sciences, Languages, Literature and Social Sciences, Medicine and Life Sciences; Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; and Social Justice and Human Service.

Other college specific commencement ceremonies taking place are:

• College of Engineering: graduate commencement 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17; undergraduate commencement 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. Both ceremonies will be held in Nitschke Auditorium.

• College of Nursing: 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18 in Nitschke Auditorium.

For more information, visit utoledo.edu/commencement.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Dec. 19, 2015)
The Blade (Dec. 20, 2015)

The University of Toledo College of Nursing, in cooperation with Bowling Green State University Firelands College, will host an Open Forum for Registered Nurses Tuesday, Oct. 16, from 2-5 p.m. in Cedar Point Center conference room 1004 at BGSU Firelands in Huron.

Prospective students are welcome to stop by from 2-5 p.m. to meet with nursing representatives from the UT College of Nursing and BGSU Firelands.

The open forum is for registered nurses (RNs) interested in pursuing the RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and RNs with bachelor’s degrees interested in achieving Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degrees with majors in advanced practice, education or clinical nurse leader. UT is pleased to offer a new Post-Baccalaureate to DNP program (BSN to DNP) with majors in Family Nurse Practitioner and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.

Graduate certificates are offered for RNs with MSN degrees. A person with a bachelor’s degree who is not a nurse and wants to become an RN is invited to explore the MSN Graduate Entry Clinical Nurse Leader program. A Post-Master’s to Doctor of Nursing Practice (MSN-DNP) program also is offered jointly with Wright State University.

Undergraduate courses in the nursing major are offered online with a variety of learning experiences. Nursing advisors are available at the UT Health Science Campus in Toledo and BGSU Firelands in Huron. The baccalaureate program is offered as a consortium with UT and BGSU. All of the Master of Science in Nursing courses are offered at the UT Health Science Campus, with an online option for some core courses. The BSN to DNP program is offered as a combination of classroom and web-assisted/online courses. The MSN to DNP program utilizes distance learning technology.

For more information about the Open Forum for Registered Nurses or nursing programs in general, contact UT’s College of Nursing at 419.383.5810 or admitnurse@utoledo.edu, or the BGSU Firelands nursing office at 800.322.4787 or 419.433.5560, ext. 20668.