Rising UMMC School of Nursing Dean Discusses Solutions, Strategies
Myriad challenges facing the Mississippi nursing workforce include the aging of the workforce—both clinical practitioners and educators, increasing complexity of patient care, the aging population, the exponential increase in knowledge and decision support available to practitioners and consumers, the need to focus on quality and evidence-based practice, and the maldistribution of nurses, according to Kim Welch Hoover, PhD, RN, recently named dean of the University of Mississippi School of Nursing.
“The UMMC School of Nursing is addressing these challenges by creating and sustaining innovative programs to provide for the healthcare needs of Mississippians,” said Hoover. “We currently have traditional programs for the more traditional learner, but also have programs that allow others to pursue second careers after having already received a bachelor’s degree and allow online access to tracks of study. We have a number of graduate programs, nurse practitioner, doctorate of nursing practice and PhD in nursing, to fill the need for advanced practitioners, nurse educators and researchers. Our undergraduate and graduate curricula focus on teaching our students how to ask the right questions, find the appropriate information to answer those questions and then, to make the right decisions based on that information.”
Hoover received her nursing degree from Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe in 1985 and spent nearly a decade working as a staff nurse and clinical manager, followed by a decade teaching in Natchez. She earned her master’s degree in nursing and doctoral degree in clinical health sciences from UMMC and has been a faculty member of the School of Nursing since 2003.
In her role as associate dean, Hoover oversaw faculty- and student-generated research and grants, facilitated all evaluation-related activities and directed the PhD in Nursing program. In 2007, she was awarded a three-year Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellowship.
For more than seven years, Hoover was instrumental in building the Mississippi Office of Nursing Workforce, which is among the nation’s most active and widely cited nursing centers. She has served as project director, director of research, and as a research consultant. Her work has included the annual collection, analysis and dissemination of comprehensive nursing workforce data for Mississippi. Hoover, who serves on the State Health Data Advisory Committee, is often sought as a data consultant at the state, regional and national levels.
“To provide for needs across Mississippi, including rural areas, we collaborate with all baccalaureate and higher degree nursing programs in the state to educate geriatric and psych mental health practitioners,” she said. “Additionally, we make available funding for students who agree to return to rural or underserved areas upon graduation. We work with our service partners and other disciplines to form partnerships to better educate our students in today’s complex and challenging healthcare environment.”
Most recently, Hoover authored “The Politics of the Nursing Workforce” in Mason, Leavitt, & Chaffee's Policy and Politics for Nursing and Healthcare (2006). The year before, she co-authored two chapters in Nursing Workforce Development: Strategic State Initiatives, which won the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award in both history and public policy and professional development and issues categories.
“No matter which direction healthcare reform takes for the nation and Mississippi, we know we need more primary care providers,” said Hoover. “Unfortunately, there’s a current shortage of primary care physicians that appears to be growing worse. The medical community in Mississippi can help fill that gap and improve access and quality of care by continuing to work collaboratively with nurse practitioners and other healthcare providers to form effective healthcare teams for every area of our state.”
Hoover, who has won numerous research and leadership awards, is active on state and national committees and maintains memberships in the American Nurses Association, Academy Health, American Organization of Nurse Executives, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Southern Nursing Research Society, Phi Kappa Phi and the Council for Advancement of Nursing Science.
“Dr. Hoover has demonstrated the vision, creativity, intellect and collaborative spirit that are essential to lead the School of Nursing in this period of challenge and opportunity. In particular, she has continued to build on the tradition of a close working partnership between the School of Nursing and the professional nurses and nursing leadership in our health system,” said Dr. James Keeton, vice chancellor for health affairs.
Policy and Politics for Nursing and Healthcare, Nursing Workforce Development: Strategic State Initiatives, American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year, Dr. Helen Turner.
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