Nursing Education fund impacts patient care

At Gundersen, our Nursing Professional Framework supports more than 2,100 nurses. Our nurses are encouraged to pursue professional development, so they can, in turn, provide the best level of care to patients. Each year, the Foundation receives more than $100,000 in nursing education requests, but unfortunately, with only about $23,000 in funds available, we can only fulfill a fraction of these requests. That's why the Nursing Education Fund is currently one of our priority funds.

How the fund is used

Our Nursing Education Fund provides support for a variety of projects and initiatives through the Department of Nursing for professional development of staff nurses such as:

• Educational opportunities for staff to enhance their clinical skills
• In-house continuing education programs
• Specialty training
• Healthcare conferences and seminars
• Nursing Fellowship program
• Guest lecturers and more

As a nurse educator in the Department of Nursing, Jeremiah Galván, RN, knows first-hand the importance of nursing education and the benefits derived from the Nursing Education Fund. He explains:

Earlier this year, Gundersen Medical Foundation supported a two-day joint workshop for Critical Care and the Department of Nursing. Ongoing process improvements and positive changes have resulted from this training. This valuable learning experience covered important topics such as adult teaching principles, competency development, self-awareness, generational differences and more.

The Foundation grant helped ensure that new nurses are taught with the highest degree of professionalism and empathy which, in turn, helps them be the best nurses they can be. We rely on the Foundation and the support of donors to ensure we can continue to offer quality education and training opportunities.

If you would like to thank or honor a special Gundersen nurse, please consider a gift to Gundersen Medical Foundation for the Nursing Education Fund. It serves as an expression of your gratitude for compassionate care you or a loved one may have received, while it helps Gundersen continue its legacy of fostering great nursing care.