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Suki Deen, University Relations Associate
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Weeks and Westbrook at Wilmington University Named Certified Nurse Educators

December 17, 2007—New Castle, DE. The Nursing and Allied Health Division at Wilmington University is pleased to announce that Maria Weeks and Denise Westbrook have earned the designation Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) after successfully completing a rigorous certification examination developed and administrated by the National League of Nursing (NLN).

With the certification of Weeks and Westbrook, four out of the nine faculty members in the Nursing and Allied Health Division are now Certified Nurse Educators.

Maria Weeks earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Neumann College and her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from Wilmington University in 2001. Weeks is an experienced nurse specializing in the field of medical, surgical and long-term care areas. She has been teaching in the RN to BSN and Allied Health program at Wilmington University since December of 2001 and serves as the coordinator of the Allied Health degree completion program.

Denise Westbrook graduated from Beebe School of Nursing with her diploma, she earned a BSN from Wilmington University in 2001, and completed her MSN from the same institution in 2003. Westbrook is an experienced nurse and has worked in peri-anesthesia care areas and the emergency room. She has been teaching at Wilmington University since 2004 and teaches in both the BSN and MSN programs. Westbrook is also the NLN Ambassador for Wilmington University, educating and informing nursing colleagues and educational leaders about the benefits of the National League of Nursing.

There are numerous benefits to earning CNE status. Firstly this certification is a mark of professionalism, it allows nursing educators to serve as leaders and role models. Certified Nurse Educators are respected by students, peers, and the academic and health care communities and meet the highest standards of excellence.

With a vast amount of nursing educators projected to retire within the next decade and nearly three-quarters within the next 15 years, replacing them is of grave concern, noted National League of Nursing president Dr. Elaine Tagliareni. “We must encourage more nurse faculty to prepare for certification as nurse educators so that our nursing schools can be staffed by academicians of the highest caliber. Only in this way can excellence in nursing education be ensured for another generation.”

To find out more about Wilmington University's Nursing or Allied Health programs visit the website at www.wilmu.edu/nursing or call 1-877-967-5464.

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