A bold, new partnership between University of St. Thomas – Houston and Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center offers UST’s senior BSN nursing students crucial critical care clinical skills through the hospital’s Elite ICU Transition Program.

Dr. Poldi Tschirch, dean of UST’s Carol & Odis Peavy School of Nursing, said, “We are delighted with the academic-practice partnership we have created with the Elite ICU Transition Program. Our common goal is to support acquisition of nursing knowledge and skills for our senior students to prepare them effectively for the transition to professional practice in critical care nursing. Our two organizations share a commitment to the Catholic nursing legacy and a holistic nursing philosophy. Dr. Veronica Martin Posley, division senior vice president and chief nurse executive for CHI Texas Division, is a transformational clinical leader and we at the Peavy School of Nursing hope that this is the first of many innovative projects that we will pursue together.”

Some Highlights of the Program

The program’s clinical experience and advantages include:

• expert preceptors, also known as mentors, in a unit dedicated to clinical education
• orientation and training, including state of the art simulation to accommodate students’ schedules
• clinical confidence gained through experience with hands-on skills
• the opportunity to join the Baylor St. Luke’s team
• preferred consideration for Baylor St. Luke’s Graduate Nurse Residency Program

Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center was the first hospital in Texas to earn the designation of Magnetâ hospital for Nursing Excellence by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Dr. Martin Posley and the nurses of Baylor St. Luke’s are continuing the organization’s longstanding tradition of excellence in delivery of nursing care. PSON students will benefit greatly from working with such outstanding mentors and role models.

The Collaborative Effort to Make It Happen

The planning to make the Elite ICU Transition Program opportunity available to UST’s senior nursing students was the collaborative work of PSON faculty: Michael Sullivan, DBe, HEC-C, FACHE, associate professor, PSON; Karen O’Brien, Ph.D, APRN, ACNP-BC, associate professor; Poldi Tschirch, Ph.D, RN, CNE, dean and professor; Veronica Martin Poseley, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, senior vice president and chief nurse executive for CHI Texas Division; and Candice Herman, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CHI Texas Division director for Magnet Programs.

How to Apply

The application deadline for PSON senior nursing students is July 9, 2021. Apply here for this excellent opportunity.