Dr. Monica Scheibmeir, Dean for the School of Nursing, is set to retire after the spring of 2019. The School of Nursing at Washburn will be looking for a new dean for the academic year of 2019-2020, but for now, the faculty and students are thanking Dr. Scheibmeir for her contributions.

Dr. Scheibmeir has been the dean of the School of Nursing for years, and during this time she has been an advocate for change and the betterment of the department.  

Dr. JuliAnn Mazachek, Vice President of Academic Affairs says, “we are grateful for Dean Scheibmeir’s time at Washburn. She has worked diligently to better the lives of our students, faculty and staff. She has led her faculty and staff to focus on curriculum reform, federal grant funded educational programs, and community partnerships.”

Under Dr. Scheibmeir’s incumbency, she has made enormous strides towards the betterment of the School of Nursing at Washburn.

Scheibmeir has launched three programs in her time as the dean. In 2012, she implemented the Doctor of Nursing Program.

The Doctor of Nursing Program focuses heavily on entrepreneurship. The curriculum requires Master of Business Administration courses which ultimately expands the knowledge of nurses after leaving Washburn.

In the world of the ever-changing health fields, it is becoming increasingly more common for nurses to be trained in areas like entrepreneurship, or even on more doctorate practices.   

In 2013 and 2014 she launched the Post-Graduate Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program and RN to BSN Program, respectively.

Post-Graduate Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program (PMHNP) is an online degree that has a few basic goals that have been helpful to many nurses.

Two main missions from this program are to expand one’s practice or to a way to meet the psychiatric needs of already established patients.

After obtaining a PMHNP certificate, the market of patients expands dramatically. A nurse would then be able to provide treatment of psychiatric disorders for individuals, families, and groups in a variety of clinical settings, using therapeutic techniques, pharmacological treatments, and interventions, according to Washburn.edu’s page for the School of Nursing.

The RN to BSN Program has been very beneficial to the School of Nursing. Obtaining a Bachelor’s of Science Nursing Degree has proven to be more valuable to graduates rather than just being a registered nurse.

A BSN degree not only increases salaries, but it allows for registered nurses to receive additional training in nursing management, community health, and new health technologies, according to Nursing.org.

A trend of her programs she has initiated the launch of having a few things in common. A large aspect is increasing the opportunity and pay for already registered nurses at the School of Nursing at Washburn.

She also developed the first online nursing program at Washburn University. Online courses are available for a wide variety of reasons. Online nursing classes are almost crucial to many students.

The fact that Dr. Scheibmeir was able to make these online courses available to students, who otherwise would not be able to receive that degree, is impressive.

For traditional and non-traditional students alike, online courses may sometimes be more practical than attending the Unversity every week. Dr. Scheibmeir’s implementation of these courses was a huge win for Washburn’s nursing program.

According to EveryNurse.org, online courses are beneficial in areas like flexibility, accessibility, cost, technology and innovation.

Dr. Scheibmeir has been an advocate for starting new programs and partnerships for Washburn.

She has sparked academic partnerships with a few notable organizations. The kinesiology department, Valeo Behavioral Health Care, and the Topeka Housing Authority are all examples of the organizations of her accomplishments.

The Topeka Housing Authority collaborated with Washburn’s nursing students to produce health-related job opportunities at the Pine Ridge Family Health Center in Topeka.

Pine Ridge Family Health Center is a primary care clinic for Topeka housing residents and has drastically helped better the community. Many Washburn students and graduates are employed at the Pine Ridge Family Health Center.

Dr. Scheibmeir is known to be a kind-hearted and good contributor to Washburn and Topeka as a whole.

Washburn nursing student, Katrina Hinojosa said, “I have not gotten to know Dr. Scheibmeir personally, but I know many who do and they all speak very highly of her. I’m sure that she will be missed by everyone at the school of nursing.”

Washburn students, faculty, and staff are all gracious for Dr. Scheibmeir’s role she has played on campus for years and hope for her to have a relaxing retirement.

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