In December 2018, Rasmussen College celebrated its first护理硕士(MSN) students becoming graduates. This was a big moment for the students, the College and the MSN faculty.

The program’s department chair, Mary Englert, is one of those proud faculty members. Englert anticipates many more MSN graduates, as the College is working towards growing and expanding the program. Currently, the MSN program offers two specializations,Nursing Education and Nursing Leadership and Administration. Englert explains that both of these specializations are in-demand and can set graduates apart upon graduation.

“We design our course projects to be simulations of things that students will face out in the real world,” Englert states. “Our curriculum design process is very unique and really sets students up for success after they graduate.”

Real-world concepts are infused into every course, which comes naturally to the faculty members, as the majority of the program’s instructors work full-time clinically in addition to teaching.

Prior to teaching, Englert was a registered nurse working in acute rehabilitation. Then, after becoming a nurse practitioner, she worked in surgery, wound care and primary care. Her first exposure to teaching was when she was asked to precept for a nurse practitioner student at her alma mater, Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a preceptor, she acted as a professional mentor to a student and provided individual attention to the student through their program. She loved being a part of the individual’s educational journey and began seeking opportunities to teach as an adjunct instructor. Finally, Englert made the switch to teaching full-time in 2013.

Englert says her favorite part of teaching is “reaching students through online programs that otherwise may not have gone back to school because they are working full-time. I love being part of their journey as online students.”

In addition to teaching courses, Englert is the department chair of the program and was involved in the accreditation process with theCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)as well as continuing to ensure the courses are well designed for students.¹

“I enjoy offering support to faculty,” she says. “I also like ensuring the quality of the courses. I like being able to oversee that quality and making sure we are giving the students the best experience possible.”

由于她开始教学，Englert对课堂外的医疗领域的兴趣没有遭受过。2019年2月，Englert，她在护理领域中的两个同事开始了一个研究项目。他们各自对患者的整体营养和健康感兴趣。这种兴趣将它们沿着通过社交媒体传播对个人的健康和营养信息以及护士可以在这次谈话中插入这种谈话的路径。

首先，该研究旨在用于文章。然而，英格尔特的合作伙伴之一知道他们可以在他们的研究中展示他们的会议。2019年10月，妇女介绍了他们的研究国家护士LED护理联盟Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Their presentation was called “Nurses’ Use of Social Media for Nutrition Health Promotion.” Englert explains that their work is not done and that they continue to meet regularly to further their research and piloting social media interventions around health promotion and nutrition.

Englert foresees a future where nurses are running social media pages that allow for live videos where nurses can interact directly and provide reliable information to their patients.

Englert explains that even though her specific research isn’t found in any of the courses being taught at Rasmussen, the program does cover the crossover between the healthcare system and social media. Whether that be students making their own professional LinkedIn pages in an early onset course, or students learning about the impact of Twitter on health policy, the College’s program understands that social media plays a growing role in the nursing profession.

Rasmussen College MSN计划将继续扩大并为护士提供更大的受众，寻求进一步的教育。“我们很高兴能够发展这个计划，”Englert国家。“这是MSN计划中真正令人兴奋的时刻。”

¹The Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing degree programs at Rasmussen College are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
655 K Street, NW, Suite 750
Washington, DC 20001
202-887-6791.