Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions

A $49 million renovation of the USI Health Professions Center, which houses the Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions, is underway, adding over 48,000 square feet of additional space for classrooms, updated labs and state-of-the-art equipment for growing healthcare programs while also transforming the building's exterior and entrance to campus.

The next informational meeting for the study abroad trip with the Kinney College is 11 a.m. Tuesday, October 22 in HP 1027. USI's Kinney College students are traveling to Germany May 1-12, 2025 for a weeklong experience involving collaborative study, health facilities tours and cultural experiences. At the conclusion of the block week in Osnabrueck, the group will travel to Berlin for a weekend excursion.

USI Nursing is pleased to present The DAISY Award® for extraordinary USI nurse educators and USI nursing students. The DAISY Award is in over 6,000 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing internationally. It is a recognition program for nurses wherever they practice, in whatever role they serve, and throughout their careers–from nursing student through lifetime achievement. USI's nomination form will be available Tuesday, September 3 through December 31, 2024.

Emily Clark of New Harmony, Indiana, has received the Lucy C. Perry Scholarship from the Nurses Educational Funds (NEF), a national nonprofit organization that provides financial support to nurses seeking advanced degrees.

Jordan Thomason '13, Instructor in Diagnostic Medical Sonography, passed her abdominal sonography national certification exam, becoming one of seven people in the U.S certified in abdomen, OBGYN and pediatric sonography, as well as adult echocardiography, pediatric echocardiography and fetal cardiography. Plus, she is the only person in Indiana with those credentials. Thomason is the Clinical Coordinator for the USI DMS program and also teaches all the echocardiography courses.

Congratulations to Dr. Ashley N. Carter ’08 MSN, Assistant Professor of Nursing, for receiving the 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award from the Indiana League for Nursing (ILN).

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, large numbers of nurses are retiring or leaving the profession. This national workforce decline is often attributed to the challenges encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to staffing issues, stress, burnout and concerns for nurses’ overall mental health. Because resilience involves adapting to and overcoming stressful life circumstances, several faculty members in the USI Nursing program have been researching ways for students to build resilience from the start of their nursing education.

Dr. Daniel King '10 has been elected to the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) Board of Directors. The Evansville native is an Associate Professor in the Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse Anesthesia Program at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, College of Nursing in North Chicago, Illinois. In addition, he works as a nurse anesthetist and is the owner of DreamLion Anesthesia.

A revenue cycle management company headquartered in Evansville, Pollux Systems, Inc., has created a deep-rooted connection with the University of Southern Indiana–particularly the Health Services, Health Administration and Health Informatics and Information Management (HIIM) programs.

In early June, Beth Thompson and Carly Andrews attended the 2023 ASPE Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon, where they attended sessions learning and sharing innovative ideas in standardized patient simulation and had the opportunity to experience the latest in simulation technology. ASPE stands for "Association of Standardized Patient Educators," and it is a global network for human simulation education. Their trip was funded by the USI Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program as part of ongoing initiatives to incorporate standardized patients into the gerontology curriculum. Learn more about USI's Clinical Simulation Center by clicking the button below.

Three Posey County teens recently visited USI to thank a member of our Nursing faculty for her quick response when they were injured in a three-vehicle accident.

Congratulations to Dr. Marilyn Ostendorf, Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing, and USI Nursing students on two exciting wins! On April 10, they won the 2023 Critical Care Challenge sponsored by the Greater Evansville Chapter of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. The team also captured first place at the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) Challenge sponsored by the Kentucky Nurses Association on March 21.

Congratulations to Jenna Thacker, OTD, OTR/L, CHT, '11, OT '12, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy (OT), for receiving a $5,000 Early Career Faculty Grant from the University of Southern Indiana Provost’s Office. These grants are given each year to encourage early career faculty to pursue promising research, creative and engagement projects for one consecutive 10-week summer term. Thacker intends to study functional dry needling (FDN), which she says is “growing like wildfire” in the field of physical therapy (PT).

Congratulations to Emily Holt, Clinical Professor of Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting, for making an impact on student success at USI! She was recognized in the inaugural Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Outstanding Faculty-Commitment to Student Success Awards!

Alexandra Gilmore ’17 was named the 2023 Nurse of the Year at Baptist Health Floyd in New Albany, Indiana. She has worked in the hospital's intensive care unit for six years.

The worlds of healthcare and art intersected recently at USI during Dr. Zach Ward’s Competitive Strategies and Marketing in Healthcare class (HA 496). Aaron Kizer, a native of Owensboro who is renowned for his striking portraits of celebrities and pop culture icons, recently spoke to Ward’s students about his work and artistic portfolio that ranges from hip-hop artists’ album covers to Fortune 500 companies.

Sarah Fruit was named the USI Student Volunteer of the Year award at the Volunteer USI Dinner in August and is also the 2022 recipient of a University-wide scholarship. She says opportunities within the Food and Nutrition Program at USI have prepared her for her future career.

Prior to the USI Nursing White Coat Ceremony on September 11, 2022, Hailey Reas’ mother loaned her something special to wear to remember her family’s legacy of nursing service.

A junior majoring in Health Administration is the first student-athlete in USI school history to claim a NCAA Division I conference title. Read more about Lauren Greiwe and her accomplishments on the USI Women's Cross Country team.