The Nursing Leadership: Pediatric Special Needs (PSN) Option offers master's and post-master's preparation for nurses interested in pursuing advanced practice nursing working with children and youth with disabilities and chronic health conditions and their families. PSN offers both individual and population focused preparation. The program is designed to meet educational requirements for professional certification by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (a subsidiary of the American Nurse Association) as a Clinical Specialist in Pediatrics. Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) studies focusing on pediatric special needs are also options in this program.
Pediatric Special Needs (PSN) is one of seven Nursing Leadership programs in the nation funded by the Health Resources Services Administration through the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), Division of Research Training and Education to develop advanced practice nurse leaders serving children and families. PSN is one of only two such funded programs nationally to focus on children with special needs. The MCHB grant funding of the PSN Option affords some financial assistance available to students enrolled in the PSN Option.
The mission of this program is to develop nurse leaders committed to serving the pediatric population of children with special health care needs and their families. Interdisciplinary didactic and experiential curriculum components foster the development of leadership skills. To develop leaders the program addresses:
- Systems of care for children and families
- Delivery of community-based and family-centered services
- Pediatric chronic conditions and disabilities
- Advocacy and research
- Policy development and implementation.
MCHB defines children with special health care needs as those children who have or are at risk for chronic physical, developmental, behavioral or emotional conditions and who also require health and related services of a type or amount beyond that children generally require (McPherson, 1998). Families of these children also often have needs exceeding those of other families, for social support, finances, care coordination, and training. Over the past 30 years, the number of children who have special health care needs has doubled (Lindeke, et al, 2001; Newachek, et al, 2000), vastly increasing the need for qualified pediatric and family advocates such as advanced practice nurse leaders.
To prepare such leaders, PSN emphasizes knowledge and skills related to disabilities and chronic conditions and their differentiation from adult disability and chronicity. Pediatric nurses in advanced practice roles integrate knowledge from nursing and other disciplines in their practice and participate in interdisciplinary relationships to create or influence the health care environment benefiting children with special needs and their families. Graduates assume or create positions of leadership in maternal and child health care in public health, community-based and family-centered health care systems, policy, advocacy, nursing education and research.
The curriculum consists of coursework from the UCD College of Nursing core degree programs, specialty courses developed by the Pediatric Special Needs program, as well as interdisciplinary courses offered by JFK Partners, UCD School of Medicine.
The program is made possible by federal funding from the Health Resources Services Administration through the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, US Department of Health and Human Services, Grant # T80 MC00009. The Project Director is Professor Marilyn J. Krajicek, EdD, RN, FAAN.
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Faculty
Marilyn J. Krajicek, Ed.D., RN, FAAN
Project Director, Nursing Leadership: Pediatric Special Needs
Professor, College of Nursing
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine
University of Colorado Denver
Educational Background:
BSN, Duchesne College, Omaha, Nebraska
MSN, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
EdD, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado
Dr. Krajicek ‘s career has focused upon community care of children, and especially children with chronic illnesses and disabilities and their families. She pioneered the development and implementation of train-the-trainer models for education of child care paraprofessionals who serve children with special needs. In addition to her appointment as Professor at the College of Nursing, she has been Nursing Director at JFK Partners: Promoting Families, Health and Development (the Colorado University Affiliated Program on Developmental Disabilities) since 1968. Dr. Krajicek has extensive experience in academic nursing and is committed to enriching nursing education and practice through interdisciplinary training and collaboration.
Dr. Krajicek is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, and is a member of the American Association on Mental Retardation, and serves as well on national advisory boards. Dr. Krajicek has numerous publications to her credit. She has been honored by the American Association on Mental Retardation for her many years of advocacy and dedication on behalf of children with disabilities and their families.
Dr. Krajicek is also Director of the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Early Education and Child Care, a multi-year project and the only one its kind in the nation, also funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. National Resource Center programs coordinate with nationwide partners such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Public Health Association. PSN students have opportunities for clinical placements and research opportunities within the National Resource Center (in addition to public health and community and hospital-based opportunities).
Dalice Hertzberg, RN, MSN, APRN, BC , CRRN
Outreach Coordinator, Nursing Leadership: Pediatric Special Needs
Instructor, JFK Partners, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine; and the College of Nursing, University of Colorado Denver
Family Nurse Practitioner, Metropolitan Community Provider Network, Health One Potomac Street Health Center
Educational Background:
BSN, University of Colorado College of Nursing , Denver , Colorado
MSN, University of Colorado College of Nursing , Denver , Colorado
FNP Certificate, University of Colorado College of Nursing , Denver , Colorado
Certification in Rehabilitation Nursing from the Rehabilitation Nurses Association
Certification as Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Board Certified, from the American Nurses Credentialing Center
Ms. Hertzberg’s nursing background is in pediatric rehabilitation nursing. She has worked overseas in Armenia and Vietnam teaching about disability. Among her publications, Ms. Hertzberg co-authored the book “Pediatric Rehabilitation Nursing”, published in 1999 by W.B. Saunders, which is the first book published on this topic. Her professional memberships include the American Association on Mental Retardation and the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disability.
In collaboration with Dr. Krajicek, she developed and offers the Internet course NURS6433, Health and Education Needs of Children with Disabilities, as well as other courses required for the PSN Option. Her research interests include health and wellness for people with disabilities, adolescent health transition, and sports and wellness for people with disabilities.
Additionally, Ms. Hertzberg is also Project Coordinator for “Community Based Health Promotion for People with Disabilities”, a grant program of JFK Partners, the University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities in Colorado. She works part time as a Family Nurse Practitioner at Potomac Street Health Center, specializing in adolescent transition and primary care of adults with disabilities.
Geraldine Steinke, MA, PhD
Evaluator, Nursing Leadership: Pediatric Special Needs
Research Associate, College of Nursing
Educational Background:
BA, Pennsylvania State University
MA, University of Connecticut
PhD, University of Connecticut
Dr. Steinke specializes in grant writing, program development and evaluation. Prior to relocation to Colorado, she was a licensed psychologist in New York State where she was Assistant Director of Program Development and Evaluation in the Department of Psychiatry at St. Vincent ’s Medical Center of Richmond and it’s metropolitan community mental health center. In 1992, Dr. Steinke joined the CU College of Nursing’s Evaluation Services (assessing graduate nursing education programs). Two years later she transferred to Dr. Krajicek’s pediatric programs.
Dr. Steinke provides an interdisciplinary perspective to both of Dr. Krajicek’s federally funded projects, the PSN Program and the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Early Education and Child Care. She is a member of the American Psychological Association and has led the Board of Directors for a community-based advocacy program for young children with special needs.
Contributing Faculty:
Ruth O’Brien RN, PhD, link to research interests and representative publications, O'Brien, Ruth, PhD, RN
Hae-ok Lee, RN, DNsC, link to research interests and representative publications, Lee, Hae-Ok, RN, DNSc
Program Specialist
Virginia Torrey, BA
Program Specialist, Nursing Leadership: Pediatric Special Needs
Educational Background:
BA, Wellesley College
Mrs. Torrey is a former Public Relations Director of Wellesley College in Boston, Massachusetts . She has been a Program Specialist in child health programs since 1985. The PSN Program relies upon her extensive skills in administration, budgeting, conference planning and publications production.
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Career Info
Nurse leaders working on behalf of children and families are in short supply in academia, public health service, community programs, and other direct care settings. The U.S. Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, seeks to develop advance practice nurses to close the gap between the current system and the desired outcome of accessible, family centered services.
The Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s Division of Research, Training and Education (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration) expects leadership training to prepare health care professionals to advance from clinical excellence to leadership through research, teaching, administration, and advocacy. MCH training programs, such as Nursing Leadership: Pediatric Special Needs, “recruit and train leaders, providing innovative training mechanisms for graduates in multiple health disciplines to develop and exert their leadership in the field of health care for mothers and children.” (McDougal, Lapidus, Albanese, & Redding , 2003, p. 258).
The University of Colorado Denver, College of Nursing Pediatric Special Needs (PSN) Program prepares nurse leaders for diverse roles in which they can impact health disparities for children with disabilities and chronic health conditions and their families. The interdisciplinary PSN program prepares nurses for leadership roles in the following seven areas (exemplified by bulleted positions held by program graduates):
Community-based family-centered health services
- Primary health care and education for children and youth with disabilities and chronic conditions and their families in community settings.
- Service coordination for children with special needs and their families, bridging services between an HMO and public education.
- Service coordination, training and consultation on adolescent health care transition for youth with disabilities and chronic conditions.
Advanced practice clinical care of the child with disabilities/chronic conditions
- Provision of health care services for children with special needs and their families of diverse cultural backgrounds in a variety of acute and community settings, such as hospitals, public health programs, community health centers, schools and child care programs.
- Coordination of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome program for a rural American Indian tribal health system
- In-hospital programs, discharge planning and community referrals, follow up and family and caregiver education for families of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit.
- Clinical nurse specialist roles in specialty clinics for children with special needs, in areas such as GI, neurology, neurosurgery and rehabilitation.
Research
- Research on health care delivery, cultural issues and improvement of nursing and health practice to benefit children with special needs and their families.
Advocacy, Policy Development and Implementation
- Formulation and administration of federal grants to improve services for families of children with disabilities who are recipients of Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) programs
- Leadership in advocacy and public policy on the state and national level to improve health insurance coverage for children with special needs and their families, both in formal settings such as an advocacy group, and in informal settings, partnering with family members of children with disabilities.
Public Health
- Public health nursing on a Navajo reservation, identifying children eligible for early intervention, special education and other disability programs
- Public health nursing in a state Title V program, developing and improving systems of care for children with special needs and their families
Nursing education
- Hospital-based nursing education as a clinical nurse specialist in pediatrics.
- Distance education for undergraduate and graduate nurses in pediatric and disability studies.
- Undergraduate and graduate nursing education.
Systems Assessment, Program Design and Implementation, and Health Systems Administration
- Consultation and interagency coordination with individuals, groups and agencies on health care issues and systems concerns for children with special needs and their families.
References
McDougal, J.A., Lapidus, J., Albanese, M., & Redding , G. (2003). Interdisciplinary Leadership Training Outcomes of Maternal and Child Health-Funded Pediatric Pulmonary Centers. Maternal and ChildHealth Journal, 7(4), pps. 253-260.
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FAQs
How long will it take to complete this program? The program is a 36-48 semester hour program. The 48 credit option includes 12 credits of clinical for individuals interested in being certified as a CNS in Pediatric Nursing. Most students successfully complete the program in 2 to 3 years by taking 7 to 9 credits in the fall and spring semesters and 3 to 6 credits in the summer. The program must be completed in 5 years.
Does this program have a clinical requirement? The 48 credit option includes 12 credits (530 contact hours) of clinical for individuals interested in being certified as a CNS in Pediatric Nursing.
Is the Pediatric Special Needs program offered completely on-line or in-class? Over two thirds of the didactic courses are offered in both an online and in class format which alternate semester to semester. Your academic advisor will work with you to develop a program plan to meet your individual needs and learning preferences. Students can utilize face-to-face interactions and limit travel time by attending classes in an intensive format involving 3-4 days (between semesters) on campus, with online follow-up during the semester.
Will I be required to come to Colorado? Yes. Clinical placements are in Colorado and require an active Colorado Registered Nurses license. Additionally, although we have many distance learning options some courses must be completed on-campus.
Can I take a course before I apply? Yes, you may take up to 12 semester credits as a non-degree student prior to being accepted to the program. You must meet all prerequisite requirements of the course. Non-degree students register on a space available basis during open enrollment just prior to the beginning of the semester. Students enrolled as non-degree seeking are not eligible for financial aid. Please see the Office of Professional Development for more information.
Are there other options for persons who do not have a BS in Nursing or BSN? Yes there are options, for those who are RNs with a BS/BA degree in other field or significant coursework completed toward a bachelor’s degree. You can find out more about the RN to Masters Program by going to the College of Nursing RN to Master of Science link.
Can I talk to a graduate of your program? Yes. Please email the Option Coordinator and indicate what you are interested in doing with your degree and you will be matched with a graduate. The graduate will then email or call you to discuss the program.
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