Below are reports from the College of Osteopathic Medicine and the College of Health and Human Services.

From the College of Osteopathic Medicine

For the past three years in a row, the College of Osteopathic Medicine (TUNCOM) is proud that it has surpassed the incoming enrollment of any medical school in the history of the state of Nevada, enrolling 78 students its first year, 108 its second year, and 134 students this past fall. TUNCOM’s third year medical students have begun their first official clinical rotations.

In partnership with Valley Hospital Medical Center and under the auspices of Touro University Medical Education Consortium (TUMEC), TUNCOM began an American Osteopathic Association (AOA)-approved residency program in July. Twenty-six primary care residents are participating in a program with three separate residencies - a traditional rotating internship, an internal medicine residency and a family medicine residency. This program is a first step in helping meet the shortage of healthcare providers in Nevada. The College hopes to expand the Graduate Medical Education program to 90 to 100 residents over the next three years. In addition, Valley Hospital Medical Center and TUMEC have received permission to begin the first dermatology residency in Nevada. TUN is a member of the Governor's Commission on Medical Education, Research and Training and is positioned to make policy affecting future healthcare education in the Nevada.

Dean Mitchell Forman recently received the President's Award from the Clark County Medical Society at their banquet, and the Hero in Health Award for Healthcare Education from the Nevada Business Journal. See “Touro in the News” Additionally, Las Vegas Life magazine added him to "The In List" as an "Up & Comer." These honors reflect upon how Touro University-Nevada and our faculty and administration have positively impacted the healthcare, education and research in Nevada in just two short years.

- Contributed by Dean Mitchell D. Forman.

From the College of Health and Human Services

The College of Health and Human Services marked its first anniversary this past summer, with its three schools having admitted its first students in August 2005.

In October, the School of Nursing, which currently has 53 students enrolled, hosted a site visit from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. This visit followed on the heels of the graduation this summer of three nursing students who completed the accelerated master of science degree in nursing – a 12 month, 31 semester unit program. The three students were the first graduates of Touro University-Nevada and also held the distinction of being Nevada’s first class of master’s-prepared nurses graduating from a private school of nursing!

Each master’s student completed an evidence-based project that significantly influenced healthcare delivery in Southern Nevada. Their projects included: 1) the redesign and utilization of the discharge lounge in one major medical center that decreased emergency room waiting time for hospital admission dramatically; 2) changing the organizational culture and receptivity among nursing staff to a shared governance model as part of the process for obtaining magnet status for a hospital; and 3) proving that the use of an automated external defibrillator and CPR, when a sudden cardiac arrest occurs in a community setting that offers workout and sports activities, increases the likelihood of survival from 10 percent with CPR only to over 80 percent when CPR and the AED are used in combination for adults and adolescents.

These graduates are also making a difference in another area of healthcare delivery in Southern Nevada - teaching. Nevada ranks 49th among the 50 states in the number of RNs per 100,000 population. Despite an increasing number of applicants to state nursing programs, Nevada is unable to prepare a sufficient number of RNs to meet the healthcare demand because of a shortage of qualified nursing faculty. To teach in a Nevada nursing school, a faculty member must be an RN and have at minimum a master of science degree. TUN is fortunate that all three of its recent graduates have joined the School of Nursing as clinical faculty—truly a “grow your own” story. Congratulations to the first alums from TUN!

In September, the School of Occupational Therapy hosted a site visit from the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. TUN has recognized a critical need for occupational therapists, not only in the medical/healthcare model, but also in the social service community of Southern Nevada. In 2004, TUN initiated development of the first educational program for the professional level occupational therapist in Nevada. Since then, it has hired four highly qualified full-time occupational therapy faculty members and made arrangements for adjunct faculty from Basic Sciences and from practicing clinicians from the Las Vegas community to supplement the program. Healthcare facility leaders in the community have expressed gratitude to TUN for stepping up to the plate, and are in discussion with us about developing student aid packages designed to increase the numbers of critically needed occupational therapists in the area. Opportunities for student learning and involvement in the Southern Nevada Health District, the Lincoln County Stroke Project, and the Clark County Department of Social Services are beginning to be explored. Projects such as these under discussion are designed to further the mission of TUN and Touro College towards social justice. Currently 40 students are enrolled in the School of Occupational Therapy.

In partnership with the Clark County Education Association and the Clark County School District, the School of Education launched this fall an advanced studies certificate program for master teachers seeking salary growth and professional enhancement. As the School continues to grow, plans are underway to offer a master’s degree program in secondary education, as well as courses online and at alternative teaching sites. TUN offers graduate teacher education programs in Special Education, School Administration, Literacy and Language, Teaching English as a Second Language, and Autism. These accelerated course offerings include critical issues in school settings, best practices in teaching, contemporary instructional methods, diversified teaching strategies, and hands-on applications. All programs are aligned with Nevada State Department of Education content and performance standards and are taught by current practitioners within the local school districts. The School of Education, which has 73 students enrolled, will honor its first graduates in the school administration program in spring 2007.

- Contributed by Robyn M. Nelson, Dean of the College of Health and Human Services, and Karen Picus, Director of the School of Occupational Therapy.