Cindy E. Witte, DNP, RN, FNP, CNE
Concordia University
As the school year gets back in to full swing, Milwaukee Catholic Home is taking some time to recognize its many, many partnerships with great schools and educational institutions. Our partnerships include intergenerational fun with grade school kids from Catholic East and Maryland Avenue Montessori School, service opportunities with high school students from DSHA, Marquette High School, and MPS high schools, and shared clinical programs with nursing schools including MSOE, MATC and Concordia. We believe that our community is a unique environment for learning for students of all ages.
We reached out to Cynthia E. Witte, Academic Clinical Education Undergraduate Coordinator at Concordia, to find out why she values her program’s partnership with MCH.
Q. Describe the partnership between the Concordia University nursing program and Milwaukee Catholic Home.
Cynthia: The Traditional Undergraduate Nursing Program of Concordia University has been blessed to be an educational partner with Milwaukee Catholic Home since January 2013. In those two years, Mr. Pat Shaughnessy, Administrator of Milwaukee Catholic Home, has welcomed and supported us by providing positive educational opportunities for our nursing students.
During the two spring semesters, groups of sophomore level nursing students from Concordia completed their geriatric clinical rotation at Milwaukee Catholic Home. We have been fortunate to have clinical group sizes of six to eight students per group, which creates an exceptional educational environment for our students.
Q. What do you appreciate about Milwaukee Catholic Home as an educational partner?
Cynthia: As the Concordia Academic Clinical Education Undergraduate Coordinator, I truly appreciate working with Mr. Shaughnessy and Jessica Taagen, Staff Development and Infection Control Coordinator, in the placement process for our nursing students. They have been very flexible and accommodating to our student learning and clinical placement needs. I also appreciate the high standards that administration has demanded of our students in their clinical placements, as it clearly demonstrates their commitment to providing quality care and safety for their residents.
Our clinical instructor and students report that the Milwaukee Catholic Home staff is very welcoming – from the Nursing Director, Unit Manager, Staff Development and Infection Control manager, to nursing assistants and charge nurses. Students were encouraged to interact with residents, and residents were very appreciative of the students caring for them. This supportive environment provided great learning experiences for our beginning nursing students, as our students had an opportunity to begin translating theory into clinical practice. These are important first steps to learning the role of the professional nurse.
Q. Are there any stories you can share about participants’ time spent at MCH?
Cynthia: We are particularly grateful to Milwaukee Catholic Home for hosting the spring health fair and allowing our nursing students to participate. Students came away from the health fair with a new understanding of and positive attitude about the profession of nursing.
