Geralyn Altmiller, EdD, APRN, ACNS-BC is the recipient of the 2015 Edmond J. Safra Visiting Nurse Faculty Program at the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation Alumni Award. Geralyn is a 2014 Alumni of the “VNF”, an Associate Professor at the College of New Jersey and a clinical specialist at Albert Einstein Medical Center. Geralyn is an exceptional teacher, having received the Lindback Award in 2014. She rapidly integrated her “VNF” experience into her career, teaching students and writing “An Unfolding Case Study: Applying the QSEN Compentencies to the Care of Patients with Parkinson’s Disease”. The case has been published on QSEN (Quality and Safety in Nursing Education (www.QSEN.org; http://qsen.org/unfolding-case-study-applying-the-qsen-competencies-to the-care-of-patients -with-Parkinson’s-disease), a highly utilized site for nursing faculty around the country. Geralyn presented her PD case at the annual meeting of QSEN in San Diego in May, 2015. The presentation was listed in the 5 top “HIGHLIGHTS” of the conference and attendees received a postcard announcing the new teaching strategy available on PD. In a very short time, it is evident that Geralyn’s work is far reaching as nursing professors are contacting her and alumni are contacting the “VNF” to say they are utilizing the work in their schools. In addition to Geralyn’s QSEN work, she has published about quality and safety in graduate and undergraduate nursing education and spoken nationally at other conferences on this topic. Her research has been focused on communication challenges in delivering health care and also on challenges of incivility in the educational and clinical arenas which have negative effects on patient safety. The Edmond J. Safra Visiting Nurse Faculty Program at the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation congratulations and thanks Geralyn for her work on the behalf of nursing education and Parkinson’s Disease patient “safe” care.
