Announcing the Division of Nursing Practice at CUIMC

Dear Colleagues,

We are writing to announce the details regarding the recent formation of a Division of Nursing Practice, created to provide new avenues for nurses, advanced practice nurses, and physician assistants to deliver patient care, while supporting these essential providers with a more unified structure across our clinical practices.

This new Division of Nursing Practice is a partnership of CUIMC, ColumbiaDoctors, and the Columbia University School of Nursing (CUSON). It is our goal to enhance both the level of patient care we provide and the career pathways available to nurses and advanced practice providers. New pipelines will be created to connect CUSON students with new clinical opportunities and graduates with jobs across the medical center. We also will be implementing career ladders across all 18 clinical specialties and providing evidence-based, standardized compensation guidelines to help clinical departments recruit and retain qualified nursing staff. The new division also will organize continuing education opportunities and develop channels for career support for advanced practice providers and registered nurses.

At the helm of the new division are two members of the CUSON leadership team: Maura Abbott, PhD, RN, AOCNP, CPNP-PC, FAAN, the Assistant Dean of Clinical Affairs for the Columbia School of Nursing, and Stephen Ferrara, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, FAAN, FAANP, the Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs. Michelle DiVito, department administrator for the CUIMC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has agreed to serve as the division’s administrative lead.

Everyone in the CUIMC community is welcome to attend a virtual gathering on Wednesday, January 31, to celebrate the launch of this initiative and to learn more about our plans to unify nurses in the Columbia professional community. You will receive an email invitation to that event shortly. In addition, a series of events supporting the new division’s goals is being planned for National Nurses Week in May. We hope you will join us for these gatherings.

Sincerely,

Katrina Armstrong, MD
Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences, Columbia University

Lorraine Frazier, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAHA
Dean, Columbia School of Nursing
Senior Vice President, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

James McKiernan, MD
Senior Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Chief Executive Officer, ColumbiaDoctors