DNP student's vaccination class project gets put to use in East Texas

Fort Worth, TX

12/1/2009

By: Kelly Freeman, Schieffer School of Journalism

Entire school districts closed down, hand sanitizer sold by the gallon, disinfecting wipes filling shopping carts by the dozen, drugstore shelves were empty where Lysol used to sit in compact rows — these were all common scenes when the H1N1 influenza virus hit North Texas earlier this year.

One TCU Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences student had an influential hand in stymieing this disaster by creating a plan to thwart the disease for her community.

Dr. Jennifer Jones began her capstone project in TCU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program with research and literature studies without realizing how her project would help form a vaccination plan for with the aggressive H1N1 virus. Her project began when she saw a need for an evidence-based influenza vaccination specifically tailored for industrial and business entities in Longview, Texas.

After viewing the seriousness of influenza-based illness firsthand she “decided vaccination was the best practice to prevent influenza death.” She completing her project in February 2009 and presented to the board in March.

Only a few weeks later the H1N1 virus hit Texas. With her influenza plan showing such impeccable timing her popularity soared in both the medical and general community. She said, “my timing could not have been better.” Since then she has been working to fine-tune her pandemic plan for the city of Longview.

What does this hard-working woman do when she isn’t saving patient’s lives? Well, she is a meat-and-potatoes kind of girl. She finds loud and fast music irresistible and her iPod has anything from Clash to Kings of Leon. She is always ready for an adventure, and of course, loves an adrenaline rush. That is unless it includes heights and then, well she likes to keep her feet on solid ground.

For her, it is that one heart- stopping moment when she feels God uses her to save a patient’s life that is the ultimate adrenaline rush. This one moment, when she is helping someone she may never know or meet face to face, is when all the hard work, time and effort she has put into her career ultimately pays off.

To experience the rush of saving a fellow human being’s life is something not many of us can truly comprehend or much less experience in our lifetime. However, Harris nursing students are saving lives and making an impact before they set foot out of the classroom.

Dr. Susan Weeks, associate dean of Harris College said, “Our Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students are currently practicing advanced practice nurses. They are immersed in the complexities of a very challenging healthcare system. The DNP projects allow them to use a structured, systematic format to address the many issues that are in need of change.” In contrast a Ph.D. degree focuses on research, while a DNP degree has a specific practice focus.

Dr. Jones chose TCU for many reasons, including TCU’s stellar reputation as well as the structure of the program, which allowed her to continue working full time as well as “exploring areas of nursing she was passionate about. “ She describes the professors and administration here as “helpful and encouraging.”

The Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences has more than 800 undergraduate students and 250 graduate students. In the past 56 years, the school has enjoyed substantial growth with new programs and a steady enrollment increase since it opened in 1946.

In 2002, the School of Nurse Anesthesia was added to the program. With students such as Dr. Jones working to implement preventative medicine practices, the Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences is certainly preparing students to meet real world challenges, such as a vaccination plan for the H1N1 virus, before they even step out of the classroom.