Teaching with the Best of Them

Hopkins Named “Center of Excellence” in Nursing Education

NLN CEO Beverly Malone (left) and President Cathleen Schulte (right) present the center of excellence award to Hopkins nursing faculty Diane Aschenbrenner, Sharon O’Neill, and Pam Jeffries.

It’s official: Johns Hopkins is among the best places in the world to get a nursing education. The National League for Nursing (NLN) has named the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education, bestowing an additional honor on a 120-year legacy of outstanding nursing education and practice.

“All of our creative teaching ideas, support, and best practices paid off for us to gain this recognition,” says Pamela R. Jeffries, PhD, RN, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. “Our real success, though, is educating skilled, thoughtful nurses—and fostering a curiosity that they will carry throughout their careers.”

According to the NLN, schools designated as a Center of Excellence “demonstrate sustained, evidence-based, and substantive innovation in the selected area; conduct ongoing research to document the effectiveness of such innovation; set high standards for themselves; and are committed to continuous quality improvement.” Johns Hopkins earned recognition in “Creating Environments that Enhance Student Learning and Professional Development,” one of three designated areas of excellence.

“Each and every one of our faculty colleagues helped to make this happen,” says Associate Professor Anne Belcher, PhD, RN, who directs the Office for Teaching Excellence. “We’re constantly evaluating our teaching strategies and looking for new, innovative ways to help our students learn and excel.”

The Center of Excellence award was given at the National League for Nursing Education Summit on Friday, October 1 in Las Vegas. Dedicated to excellence in nursing education, the National League for Nursing includes nurse educators, education agencies, healthcare agencies, and interested members of the public.