School of Nursing: Inspiring History, Exciting Future

“As a nurse, we have the opportunity to heal the heart, mind, soul and body of our patients, their families and ourselves. They may not remember your name, but they will never forget the way you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou

The groundbreaking for a new home for our School of Nursing earlier this week had many thinking ahead to the bright future of nursing and the many opportunities for our nursing students. This historic event was also a time to reflect on the school’s storied history and the impact it has had on the health care landscape in Mississippi.

Seventy-five years ago, Gov. Fielding Wright signed House Bill 291, which created the state’s first baccalaureate nursing program in Oxford. Originally a department within the School of Medicine, the nursing program moved to the Medical Center campus in 1956. Nursing gained “school” status in 1958, a decade after its birth.

The number of lives touched by care from UMMC nurses is incalculable. For 75 years, our nursing program has educated the nurses who have cared for generations of Mississippians, from infants to elders, and the care is continuing today and into the future.

Mississippi leaders once again have put the state’s full resources to bear to help address the significant health care needs in the state, appropriating $55 million in 2022 to give the School of Nursing a new state-of-the-art facility. Mississippi, like nearly all states, is experiencing a significant shortfall in the nurse workforce, and our elected officials’ commitment to this project will directly have a positive impact on that need.

In this new home, the School of Nursing will do what it has always done: educate nurses who will care for Mississippians and train the next generation of nurses. This year, the School of Nursing had 416 graduates. Total enrollment for the coming academic year is expected to be around 820.

Those numbers are expected to rise as much as 25 percent after the opening of this new nursing education facility.

At this pivotal moment, I’d like to thank Dr. Julie Sanford, who departs as dean of the School of Nursing today, and Dr. Tina Martin, associate dean for administration, who will serve as interim dean as a national search for the school’s next dean begins in earnest.

While UMMC’s nursing program has a rich history of service to celebrate, the School of Nursing’s most exciting days are here, and its best days are ahead. It’s been said that nurses are the heartbeat of health care, and I couldn’t agree more. I’m proud of the work our nursing school does to educate nurses of the highest quality. It’s exciting that we will soon be able to produce more of this needed resource, which will be immeasurably helpful in the journey toward A Healthier Mississippi.