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Welcome from the Dean
There is no greater time in history to be a nurse. With a U.S. President who believes in nursing and a healthcare system that is in the throes of reform, the future of healthcare is closely tied to the future of nursing and the UCLA School of Nursing is the face of the future.
The profession of nursing is a wondrous adventure. The people you will meet and the experiences you will have along the way will be unpredictable and amazing, fascinating and frustrating, heart-wrenching and inspiring.
There will be challenges. There are fundamental changes going on that are shaking the foundation of nursing practice. We have a population that is aging - and who will take care of the aging population? Nurses. We have a shortage of primary care physicians. Who can provide that same level of care? Nurse practitioners. With a finite number of dollars in the healthcare system, who will ensure that clinical care is delivered in a safe, patient centered way? Nurses.
But this is only part of the picture. The UCLA School of Nursing is at the forefront of pushing the scientific frontiers. Today the school ranks No. 4 in NIH funding, with nearly $14 million in annual research grants and contracts. We have nurses conducting behavioral, biobehavioral and basic science making inroads in the areas of cardiac disease, AIDS, Alzheimer's and cancer.
In the School of Nursing here at UCLA, we foster an atmosphere of learning and practice. We inform and enlighten. You will be instilled with a passion and a commitment to caring. We will offer you a choice of paths: healer, caretaker, researcher, administrator, teacher. But, no matter what path you choose, you will be an advocate and influencer. And, as a UCLA nurse, you are the future of healthcare.
I am proud to be the Dean of the UCLA School of Nursing - where we are reimagining and redefining nursing everyday.
Warmly,
Courtney H. Lyder, ND, ScD(Hon), FAAN
Dean and Professor
The Dean discusses why "Nurses are at the Forefront of Change" in Hospitals and Health Networks.
