Jean Foret Giddens, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, became the University of Kansas School of Nursing’s dean in April 2024. Giddens is a native Kansan and an alumna of the KU School of Nursing. Before returning to KU, she served as dean of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing. Giddens is internationally known as an expert in conceptual approaches to teaching, learning and curriculum design as well as in innovative strategies for teaching and learning. 

We sat down recently to talk to Giddens about her vision for the KU School of Nursing and the state of the nursing profession.

What motivated you to accept the dean’s job at the KU School of Nursing?

It’s all in the family. I have a deep connection to KU. My mother and father met here when my mother was a nurse in the emergency room and my father was an intern. My father spent his entire career here, where he was a faculty member in urology at the KU School of Medicine for 35 years. I came to KU as a nursing student, and several of my siblings are KU graduates. I’ve had a strong alliance with KU my whole life. I feel like this is my opportunity to build on the great work that has previously been done and use my skills and my abilities to take KU to the next level.

What was your top priority when you took the reins at the KU School of Nursing in April 2024?

My first priority was to listen and learn. All leaders need to learn the organization before making changes. My next priorities were to for us to conduct self-assessment to see how to best position ourselves for the future. I also saw immediate opportunities in organizational realignment in the school, with many opportunities for us to become more efficient. Finally, I wanted to address and advance any resource limitations and budget shortfalls. We also need to look at how to do our part to address workforce shortages in nursing. I think continuing to support and advance the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center is very important.

What have you learned previously in your career that you are hoping to bring to the KU School of Nursing?

I hope to bring a sense of how nursing education can reflect current needs and knowledge in the field. While I was at Virginia Commonwealth University, I served as co-chair of the American Association of Colleges and Nursing (AACN) task force that researched and wrote The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education. AACN provides the educational framework for the preparation of nurses at four-year colleges and universities, and this document serves as a road map for the development and revision of nursing curricula. It spells out specifically the core competencies for professional nursing practice, and it introduces 10 domains that represent the essence of professional nursing practice and the expected competencies for each domain. Faculty in nursing schools across the country are working to adopt these new standards.

How has nursing education changed since you became a nursing leader?

Historically, nursing education has emphasized clinical education in acute care. Looking at current and future needs, it is becoming increasingly evident that the future of health care delivery will occur within what we call four spheres of care. The first sphere is disease prevention and the promotion of health and well-being; Second is chronic disease care. The third sphere is restorative care, which includes critical care, trauma and acute care. And the fourth is hospice, palliative and supportive care, which includes end-of-life care.

It is time for nursing education to refocus and move beyond some long-held beliefs. It’s time to expand the use of registered nurses in primary care. A collaborative effort between academic and practice leaders is needed to ensure this culture change and to educate primary care practitioners about the value of the registered nurse role.

Nursing education also has to take into account a systems-based practice. Integrated health care systems require coordination across different settings as well as across the lifespan of diverse individuals and populations. And health care systems are moving toward more primary care and community settings. Consequently, nurse employment settings are also shifting, creating a change in workforce distribution and the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care in all of those different settings.

What are the organizational changes you’ve made at KU School of Nursing since you’ve become the dean?

I reorganized the School of Nursing to be more in alignment with typical faculty structure at other nationally recognized schools of nursing. Our new departments are Administration and Finance, Grants and Research, Graduate Programs, Undergraduate Programs, Student Affairs and Faculty Practice and Community Engagement.

What future changes to you expect for the academic programs?

We convened the Academic Repositioning Taskforce to evaluate the current state of our academic programs against local and national trends, the 2021 AACN Essentials and other national standards and to generate ideas and opportunities for positioning programs for future success. The nine-member taskforce, consisting of faculty and staff with diverse roles and responsibilities and met weekly over a six-week period. During the process, taskforce members reviewed the current state of nursing programs at the KU School of Nursing. They examined current program offerings, applications and enrollment trends over the past three years, including time to degree and the number of credits by program and concentration. In addition, they looked at the utilization of simulation and fiscal sustainability.

The taskforce made recommendations regarding new programs we should offer, programs we should retire and changes needed for existing programs. Based on these recommendations we plan to offer a Master’s Direct Entry Program, which allows people who already have a degree in another field to become an entry-level nurse at the master’s degree level. We also plan to add an adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner concentration at both the Doctor of Nursing practice levels and the certificate levels. Some programs that have been consistently under enrolled will be phased out after currently enrolled students graduate. Finally, all academic programs are undergoing curriculum redesign to align with new education standards.

What are your priorities for the future in the KU School of Nursing?

In addition to the changes to the programs and curricula I just mentioned, we have many other priorities. We have begun work on a strategic plan that looks at our mission, vision and values. We plan to create a robust faculty practice model. This is an arrangement where faculty members engage in clinical practice in clinics or hospitals as a part of their faculty work. In addition to creating opportunities for learners, that model may attract and retain nursing faculty, who also are in short supply nationally. It’s a model that allows nursing faculty to practice their craft as they teach, and it is also a mechanism that supports the school financially. We established a model like that at Virginia Commonwealth, and I am eager to do the same at KU. It isn’t easy, but it provides a tremendous opportunity for both faculty and students. It also helps support the bottom line.

I also have a strong interest in creating a variety of robust partnerships to support education, research and practice. We are very fortunate to have The University of Kansas Health System and Children’s Mercy Hospital  as strong partners. We want to ensure that we partner with both in a wide variety of ways that make sense for everyone.

What are the major challenges currently facing the KU School of Nursing and schools of nursing nationwide?

KU School of Nursing is, like other schools of nursing, challenged by the shortage of nursing faculty and the shortage of nurses nationwide. The pandemic and related burnout issues have exacerbated shortages, and many very senior academic nursing deans and leaders have retired. There is a huge deficit in experienced nursing leaders nationwide. An expression that sums up this phenomenon is “The cupboards are bare,” and it will take years for an ample supply of experienced academic nursing leaders to be available to lead nursing education in the future.

What keeps you motivated and driven?

I love to solve complex problems, and I love to pursue and support new ideas.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

I love watching KU basketball, of course!