More than 20 years ago, I was among the lucky UVA faculty members who helped develop Virginia's first-ever Clinical Nurse Leader master’s program

one of the first such programs in the country.

Like any new endeavor, it was big, sometimes unwieldy, occasionally delicate work that involved dreaming big and thinking strategically. We developed new graduate courses designed to infuse nursing knowledge and skills and sharpen students’ ability to think critically, manage change, use evidence to improve outcomes, and, of course, lead.

Borne out of the national call for more nurses to occupy a broader array of leadership roles, the CNL gave us a new way to educate nurses from outside the profession’s traditional bounds. And while CNL-specific roles are still more the exception than the rule in most health systems, UVA Health is leading the way for other health systems as it seeks to tap CNLs’ special skills that improve both human- and dollars-and-cents capital. Our lead story, “New CNL Hires Show the ‘Why,’” brings the effort into focus.

Summer at the School has been lively, though many of our returning students have been away, to arrive this weekend and begin class on Aug. 27. The newest cohorts of Accelerated BSN and Clinical Nurse Leader master’s students have been here since May, busy with classes and their first clinical rotations. We celebrated four faculty promotions, welcomed three new professors and several staff, and put the finishing touches on a 10-year strategic plan, which we're unveiling at a Welcome Back meeting on Aug. 26, developed a new a BSN to DNP pathway program, and finalized our School's reorganization. We’re excited for our students' return and anticipate a robust admissions season. 

As the last part of summer rolls in, I wish you the best, and, as always, thank you for reading VNL.

Be well,

Marianne Baernholdt, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN
The Pew Charitable Trusts Dean, UVA School of Nursing
Dean of Professional Nursing, UVA Health