DNP FNP Students Present at Jonas Nurse Leaders Conference in Washington, DC

On October 25-27, Kathleen Hilton, RN (graduating 2015), pictured on the right, and Hamerling Santos, RN (graduating 2016), pictured on the left, were honored as Jonas Scholars at the 2015 Jonas Scholars Leadership Conference in Washington, DC.

Both students are in the Samuel Merritt University Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program.

Michelle DeCoux Hampton, DNP Director, had this to say:

"Ms. Hilton and Ms. Santos, representatives of Samuel Merritt University in the 2014-2016 Jonas Nurse Leaders and Veterans Healthcare Programs, exemplify the vision of the Jonas Center to promote excellence in healthcare through education and leadership. In addition to their studies and clinical work in the DNP FNP program, scholars also conduct a leadership project. Ms. Santos took a leadership role in a health maintenance organization to establish a trauma workgroup to identify evidence based practice, develop policies and procedures, and educate staff RNs to prevent hypothermia in a level II trauma setting. Ms. Hilton took a health policy approach to establish community connections with key stakeholders and to advocate for increased health insurance enrollment for residents of West Oakland. Their efforts further demonstrate the potential of the practice doctorate in nursing (DNP) to bridge the gap between research and practice."

Congratulations to both students!