Dr. Tracy Klein has worked for years to elevate the role of nurse practitioners in healthcare policy in the Pacific Northwest.

Those efforts, plus her decades spent caring for families as a nurse practitioner, have earned Klein induction into the Nurse Practitioners of Oregon Hall of Fame. She is one of two nurse practitioners who’ll be honored at a ceremony on Oct. 18 at the organization’s annual meeting in Eugene.

Klein is licensed to practice in both Oregon and Washington and is a tenured associate professor at the … » More …

The WSU College of Nursing is creating a new undergraduate curriculum that looks at health care differently.

Students will first learn about keeping people healthy before moving on to treating illness. They’ll take a holistic approach to care, considering the social, emotional, and relational aspects of health that go beyond medical treatments. And their classes over the course of four semesters will be more tightly integrated.

“Most cutting-edge schools are moving toward health promotion as a grounding,” said Lisa Day, associate dean for academic affairs at the WSU College of Nursing. “WSU is now moving in with that group.”

The proposed curriculum has been approved … » More …

A Spokane-area foundation named for a young man who died of a drug overdose is funding two projects led by WSU College of Nursing Assistant Professor Marian Wilson.

One of the projects supported by the Rayce Rudeen Foundation will give low-income patients access to non-opioid pain management tools such as physical therapy, chiropractic care, massage and yoga. The other will test whether “smart-home” monitoring tools can help people with opioid use disorder.

The Rayce Rudeen Foundation has committed a total of $15,000 to the two projects. The gift is the foundation’s first to Washington State University.

“We have a broken system and we want … » More …