College of Nursing to receive Inglis 2015 Award for Continuing Excellence

The Villanova University College of Nursing is among the six winners of the 2015 Inglis Awards for Continuing Excellence,  recognized for its inclusion of disability-related care in its curricula and for its disability-related research. The honorees received the cash award at a ceremony at Philadelphia’s Inglis House on May 20.

The mission of the College of Nursing is to assist individuals, families and communities to maintain, restore, and promote health through direct care and by shaping health policy. The College advances this mission by broadening its curriculum to educate undergraduate nurses and nurse practitioners about the health care needs and barriers experienced by persons with disabilities. In addition to the integration of disability-related content into the curriculum, the College pursues research and uses patients with disabilities to increase the students’ knowledge and effective communications with this population. Most recently, the College has taken on a national leadership role by collaborating with the National League for Nursing to spearhead the inclusion of similar curriculum in nursing programs nationwide.

“This award recognizes a group of faculty who are championing the care of people with disabilities. It will be instrumental in the continuation of our Standardized Patients with Disabilities Program and our work with the National League for Nursing to grow our efforts at the national level,” notes Suzanne Smeltzer, EdD, RN, FAAN, professor and director of the College’s Center for Nursing Research.

The Inglis Awards program honors the outstanding performance of not-for-profit organizations in the Greater Delaware Valley that enhance the quality of life for people with physical disabilities, and by doing so, support the Inglis mission of enabling people with disabilities – and those who care for them – to achieve their goals and live life to the fullest.