TAMIU’s Burkhalter Named NLN Ambassador
Natalie Burkhalter, Texas A&M International University’s incoming interim director of the Dr. F. M. Canseco School of Nursing, has been named an Ambassador for the National League for Nursing (NLN).
The NLN is the preferred membership organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. It is dedicated to excellence in nursing education and its members include nurse educators, education agencies, health care agencies, and interested members of the public.
Ambassadors are selected and appointed by the NLN for a two-year term. The Ambassador Program focuses on engaging members in efforts to ensure that faculty and educational leaders in all schools of nursing are kept informed about the NLN's programs, grant opportunities, and member involvement initiatives.
The Ambassador Program serves as a mechanism for faculty to have a voice about things of concern to them, to increase the NLN's visibility in all schools of nursing, and to enhance the NLN’s role as a nursing education leader.
Ambassadors are current NLN members with preference given to Certified Nurse Educators or members who have been actively involved in the NLN through service; as a research grant reviewer, Center of Excellence consultant, or any number of other roles.
Burkhalter will assume the interim direction of the Dr. F. M. Canseco School of Nursing in June with the retirement of long-time director Dr. Susan Walker.
A founding member of the Canseco School of Nursing faculty, Burkhalter joined the University in 1994. She holds an MS in Clinical Nurse Specialist from the University of the Incarnate Word and a BS in Nursing from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
Fully licensed by the Texas State Board of Nursing Examiners, she holds specialties as an advanced practice nurse, clinical nurse specialist/medical-surgical, in addition to family nurse practitioner and acute care nurse practitioner. She holds numerous additional certifications from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
The Canseco School of Nursing, in addition to a Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a BSN completion degree for those holding a diploma or an Associate Degree in Nursing, also offers a Master of Science in nursing degree program with a specialization as a Family Nurse Practitioner.
In 1994, the Canseco School of Nursing grew from a commitment by the Laredo community to address the unmet health needs of the city and surrounding border area. The community-based curriculum, designed for the special needs of a culturally diverse population, is based on theories of transcultural nursing and human caring.
Historically, the School has achieved exemplary first time pass rates on the nursing licensure examination, as well as high rates of program completion and employment of graduates within the South Texas region.
The National League for Nursing was founded in 1893 as the American Society of Superintendents of Training Schools for Nurses, the first nursing organization in the United States.
It now offers faculty development programs, networking opportunities, testing and assessment, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 20,000 individual and 1100 institutional members.
For additional information on Canseco School of Nursing programs, contact Burkhalter at 956.326.2579 or 326-2450, visit offices located in Dr. F. M. Canseco Hall, room 315, e-mail natalie@tamiu.edu or click on click on tamiu.edu/cson
For more information on the National League for Nursing, visit nln.org
Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu