Office of Public Relations — Newsroom
News Release
For Immediate Release:
Contact: Caitlin Jenney, 303.315.6376, cell: 303.328.5720, Caitlin.Jenney@uchsc.edu
UC Denver College of Nursing Faculty Member Honored as CNS Educator of the Year
AURORA, Colo. (June 13, 2008) – The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) recently selected Cathy J. Thompson, PhD, RN, CNS, associate professor at the University of Colorado Denver College of Nursing, as the recipient of the 2007 Clinical Nurse Specialist Educator of the Year Award. Thompson was officially recognized at the NACNS annual conference in Atlanta, GA.
“I am very honored to be the first recipient of this prestigious award,” said Thompson, who resides in South Fork, Colo. “The fact that my students nominated me was such a nice surprise and, for an educator, there is no higher honor than to be recognized for excellence by your students. To be chosen by my colleagues in the NACNS for this award is an honor and a professional milestone.”
NACNS, an organization representing all clinical nurse specialists in the United States, created the award to nationally recognize a NACNS member for outstanding professional achievement as a Clinical Nurse Specialist Educator. The award acknowledges a CNS educator’s commitment to excellence and innovation in preparing CNSs and in implementing the NACNS Statement on CNS Practice and Education.
In her award nomination, Thompson’s students and peers described her excellence in teaching CNS students, devotion to the CNS program, and leadership among her colleagues.
“Cathy is most deserving of this recognition from her peers,” said NACNS President Sue Sendelbach. “Her excellence as an educator exemplifies her commitment to advancing the CNS role as well as her exquisite demonstration of leadership by example.”
Thompson also received the Chancellor’s Teaching Recognition award from the University of Colorado Denver Graduate School in 2006 and the President’s Award for Teaching Excellence for the UC Denver School of Nursing in 2004.
About NACNS
A leader among nursing organizations, the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists represents over 69,000 clinical nurse specialists across the United States. NACNS, founded in 1995, exists to enhance and promote the unique, high value contribution of the clinical nurse specialist to the health and well-being of individuals, families, groups, and communities, and to promote and advance the practice of nursing.
About UC Denver College of Nursing
The UC Denver College of Nursing offers some of the highest ranked programs in the country -- from bachelor's through doctoral degrees and post-graduate certificate programs. The college offers several specialties through its Master’s program and the only PhD doctorate in clinical research in Colorado. It also is the birthplace of nurse practitioner education and the caring movement, and was one of the first schools in the country to offer a Doctor of Nursing Practice program. This year, U.S News & World Report ranked UC Denver College of Nursing’s nurse practitioner and clinical nurse specialist programs among the top ten in the country. For more information, visit the UC Denver Newsroom.
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