University of Virginia Health System

FUTURE OF NURSING IN VIRGINIA SUBJECT OF 26TH BICE MEMORIAL LECTURE

As Virginia's population ages with the rest of the nation's, health care is becoming ever more important. Crucial to effective health care is nursing -- yet a shortage of nurses is expected to challenge health care delivery for years to come.

Meeting the future challenges of nursing in Virginia is the topic of the University of Virginia School of Nursing and the School of Nursing Alumni Association's 26th annual Zula Mae Baber Bice Memorial Lecture, Friday, Oct. 12, at 3 p.m. at the Glenmore Country Club.

This year's lecture will be presented by Pamela F. Cipriano, R.N., Ph.D. and chief clinical officer for the U.Va. Health System.

These times present a unique opportunity for Virginia nurses to come together to craft a strategic plan for nursing's preferred future, Cipriano said. Nurses must act together to secure a direction that not only reaffirms, but also advances, their role in health care.

The lecture is being held in conjunction with the Virginia Partnership for Nursing Summit at U.Va. Cipriano said nurses must capitalize on the work of the Partnership to design their future, especially because Virginia ranks among states with the lowest number of registered nurses per capita.

Virginia Delegate Mitch Van Yahres will present the state's Centennial Resolution on Nursing at the beginning of the lecture.

Cipriano joined the U.Va. Health System as chief clinical officer last December. She is responsible for approximately 3,000 employees and provides leadership to and development of clinical/nursing areas. Previously, Cipriano was administrator of clinical services at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. She is a Sigma Theta Tau International Distinguished Scholar since 1993, treasurer and board member of the American Nurses Association and serves on the board of directors of the American Academy of Nursing. She holds a national appointment on the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools Examination Committee and has served in numerous other national, state and locally appointed positions.

The Bice lecture series began in 1975 in memory of Zula Mae Baber Bice's many professional contributions to the School of Nursing and the University Hospital.

Bice was dedicated to the profession of nursing and to the total education of nursing students. She was a member of the school's faculty from 1955 to 1967, and served as acting dean from 1962 to 1963 and from 1965 to 1967, at pivotal points in the school's history.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, call (804) 924-0138.

October 1, 2001