It is December of 2022, and it feels like yesterday I was writing a blog about all the amazing things we had planned for the year. We have been busy working on bringing all those strategic goals to fruition, and I cannot believe how close we have come to mark each one off our lists. I know I have said this before, but I have been blessed with the best team! The IONRP team has been instrumental in driving our new initiatives forward, and they show up and do excellent work every day. I could not do this without Jill Gillespie, Jessica Grote, and the rest of the College of Nursing staff, who play such an integral part in our work. We aspired to reach three core goals during 2022: Data Management & Reporting, Administrative Resources, and Curriculum Revisions, along with many other minor updates, additions, and revisions.
I am happy to share that we have made significant changes to managing participant data and reporting that data back to the organizations throughout the year. IONRP Coordinator Jessi Grote, DNP, RN, NPD-BC, gets all the credit for tackling this growing challenge. Her work has allowed us to manage the volume of data coming into our system much more efficiently and effectively. Blended organizations can request data reports on their participants anytime throughout the year. Jessi can turn those reports around to them within a few short days. Way to go, Jessi, for all your hard work in helping us to reach this goal!
Improving our customer journey and administrative resources was another core goal for 2022. This started with hiring a student early in 2022 to help us build a database allowing more efficient tracking of our partner organization information and more efficient processes for invoicing. Isaac McSorley is finishing his Bachelor's Degree in Business Analytics and Information Systems at the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business this December as he puts the final touches on the IONRP Database. He will start his Master's Degree in Business Analytics in January of 2023 and be around to help us as needed as we move into the new year. He has put a tremendous amount of work into this endeavor and welcomed the daily challenges faced sharpening his database-building skill sets and going along with nearly every 'really good idea' I threw his way. Thank you, Isaac, for all your work in helping us achieve this goal.
Along with building our new database to help us manage enormous amounts of information, we have also brought on Evelynn Stephens to assist with onboarding new organizations, data entry, and invoicing. Evelynn also works for the Csomay Center as an Administrative Services Coordinator and is a student in the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program with the Tippie College of Business. Evelynn started just a few short months ago, and we look forward to having her integrate into our team and further look at how we can continue to improve our customer's journey in 2023.
The final goal for 2022 was to redesign our curriculum to meet our new graduates’ needs better. You can catch the details of this adventure in the next blog but know it has turned out better than I think any of us could imagine. As we finish up the last of our curriculum redesign, we are actively planning for the next big things to come for this program. I am excited to dig in and continue bringing more great things to our IONRP partner organizations. Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to serving you and your nurses in the year ahead.
Wishing you the best as 2022 comes to a close. Here is to another great year of growth, innovation, and service.
Nicole Weathers, MSN, RN, NPD-BC nicole-weathers@uiowa.edu
Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program Manager
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