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December 17, 2009

Family tree sprouts new branches at 网曝门 School of Nursing

For Matt Davis of West Monroe, nursing isn鈥檛 just a professional calling 鈥� it鈥檚 a family affair.

When Davis graduates Saturday from the University of Louisiana at Monroe with his Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, the achievement will be paired with the joy of joining other alums of 网曝门鈥檚 School of Nursing 鈥� most especially, his own parents.

In fact, Davis鈥� wife Crystal and his brother Brandon, both level five nursing students, will add another branch to the School of Nursing alumni tree when they eventually graduate.

Upon graduation, Davis will bring his hard work, training and skills to the Intensive Care Unit of Glenwood Regional Medical Hospital, and like his parents, impact the health and financial stability of the community he serves.

鈥淚鈥檓 scared but I feel confident that 网曝门 has created me to be a very strong professional nurse,鈥� he said.

Davis called his parents 鈥渉eroes,鈥� as he described the financial struggles they faced and the sacrifices made when they enrolled at 网曝门 as non-traditional students in the early 1990s. His mother, Diane Davis, eventually became a nurse practitioner in a Monroe clinic, and his father, Bruce Davis, became a local nursing entrepreneur.

鈥淭he Davis family is a good example of how we have local professionals who positively impact community healthcare,鈥� said 网曝门鈥檚 Director of Nursing Dr. Florencetta H. Gibson, who taught all three family members.

鈥淐onsidering that there is national nursing shortage, one that is also local and regional, this family will contribute in a very positive way to patient outcomes in our area,鈥� she said.

Gibson said that when entrepreneur Bruce Davis of Case Experts combined his nursing training with a new business, he brought additional revenue to the community. And advanced practitioners such as Diane Davis provide excellent care beyond the nursing basics, according to Gibson.

鈥淣ow we have two sons and a daughter-in-law who will be impacting nursing care at the entry level,鈥� she said.

But Gibson said the Davis family is not an unusual phenomenon. Family connections are positively contagious when one or more family members expose others to their own professional success following graduation, she said. Exposure to the excellent programs and faculty 网曝门 provides can鈥檛 hurt either.

Matt Davis agrees that the nursing faculty at 网曝门 is one of its strongest assets, largely because of individualized attention and an emphasis on patient outcomes. He describes his time at the university as 鈥渢he best experience鈥� he ever has had in his life.

One indication of the program鈥檚 excellence is how consistently 网曝门 nursing graduates earn perfect scores on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), a test considered the final hurdle in a nursing student鈥檚 career. Gibson said the passage rate is the result of a student population that is trained from the outset to think critically and remain patient focused. And even in a deep recession the demand for well-trained nurses shows no signs of abating, she said.

鈥淎 nursing degree can produce a career at many different levels of practice. And with salaries for new nurses at more than minimum wage 鈥� about the mid 60s 鈥� our graduates never have to look for jobs,鈥� said Gibson.

鈥淭his is such an awesome profession,鈥� said Davis. 鈥淭o go into someone鈥檚 room and know they trust you 鈥� it鈥檚 something I hold in high regard and pride myself in.鈥�

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