Grateful Service

Scheibmeir retiring after 10 years of thoughtful, passionate leadership

From The Ichabod - Spring 2019

One word comes to mind when Monica Scheibmeir, dean, Washburn University School of Nursing, thinks about retirement. Grateful.

She is grateful for the alumni support of the school, especially the recent renovation of the space in Petro Allied Health Center and scholarship support for students. She is grateful for the faculty and staff who have implemented exceptional programs and taken students under their wings, and she is grateful for her fellow deans on campus who have created interprofessional programs so nursing graduates have the skills to help them well into their futures. Scheibmeir is most grateful for the leaders who came before her.

“The efforts by former deans Alice Adam Young and Cindy Hornberger (bsn ’78) and the heavy lifting they did was incredible,” she said. “We have done amazing things in the last 10 years, but it came because of their efforts.”

The legacy of Young and Hornberger, and instilling the idea that the School of Nursing at Washburn should serve the community, was why Ginger Breedlove, bsn ’78, recommended the position to Scheibmeir. The two worked together at the University of Kansas School of Nursing, and Breedlove knew Scheibmeir would be a good fit for her alma mater because she could bring in additional grant funding and had experience in expanding graduate education.

“She has continued the legacy of caring for Washburn students, supporting them and making the educational pathway meaningful,” Breedlove said. “Washburn nursing graduates come out of school with a passion for their profession.”

Since Scheibmeir started in 2009, faculty and staff have come together on many projects – namely implementing Lean Six Sigma, StrengthsFinder and TeamSTEPPS training to enhance nursing performance, communication and patient safety.

She said everything they learned from those trainings helped shape how the faculty worked together and created new programs.

After she steps down this summer, Scheibmeir is excited to see how technological advancements will change the core of nursing practice. One of the biggest challenges will be how to decipher and manage information to improve patient care experiences. Nurses will need to understand and direct the use of robotics and artificial intelligence within the experience of providing health care services, while keeping a sharp eye on making sure the patient sees value in the care they are receiving.

“Change is inevitable,” she said. “It is a constant rumble under your feet. Nursing going forward will have to continue to find efficient ways to manage the knowledge explosion, and that will be harder than people think. Nevertheless, the School of Nursing will continue its legacy of supporting the health of our community. How we do it is by being open, supportive and willing to go the extra mile with our partners”