At the end of each semester, Cindy L. Munro, dean and professor of the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS), sends newly minted graduates out into the world with words of encouragement and inspiration.
She urges these future health leaders to be bold and confident, to keep learning and make a difference. This is just what Munro has done during her decades-long nursing career, from the hospital bedside to the research bench to the classroom and executive board room.
Now, on May 9, this veteran nurse leader, innovator, scientist, and educator will preside over one final awards ceremony at SONHS. But this time, like her graduates, Munro will be departing SONHS for new horizons as she steps down as dean.
During her seven years at the helm of SONHS, Munro deftly navigated the school through hurricanes, a global pandemic, massive nursing shortages, and other sweeping changes. She grew the school’s reputation in health care education by setting rigorous benchmarks for research funding, educational programs, accreditation, first-time pass rates for nursing certification, and more.
In addition, she oversaw the opening of world-class facilities such as the Simulation Hospital Advancing Research and Education (S.H.A.R.E.®) and Biobehavioral Research Laboratory. She hosted the XVII Pan American Nursing Research Colloquium, promoted faculty scholarship, and instituted key administrative roles, including two vice dean positions and an associate dean for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
SONHS is currently the 16th top recipient of funding from the National Institutes of Health to nursing schools nationwide (and the seventh top recipient among private nursing schools in the United States). In the first quarter of 2024, 97.87 percent of the school’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates passed their National Council Licensure Examination the first time they took it.
Appropriately, the final days of Munro’s successful tenure coincide with National Nurses Month, established in 2020 by the American Nurses Association (ANA) as a time to celebrate the wide-ranging and significant contributions of the nation’s nearly 4.7 million registered nurses.
The ANA selected “Nurses Make the Difference” as the theme for National Nurses Month 2024 because, they explained, “Nurses make a difference as trusted advocates who ensure individuals, families, and communities receive quality patient care and services.”
Nursing not only represents the largest health care profession in the U.S., the public perennially names nursing the most trusted of major professions, according to Gallup Poll data.
Throughout May, in honor of National Nurses Month, the school and the University will spotlight some of the many ways ’Cane nurses are making a difference in the communities they serve.
National Nurses Month Message from Dean Cindy L. Munro
To kick off National Nurses Month, here are a few key dates for the coming weeks at SONHS:
May 2: Public health seniors present their final community health field practicum research posters
May 6-12: National Nurses Week is observed
May 8: National Student Nurses Day is observed
May 9: The Spring 2024 Awards Ceremony recognizes individual awardees and 270 graduates; S.H.A.R.E. hosts a “Day in the Life of a Nursing Student” Open House for middle and high schoolers
May 11-26: SONHS leads students on a global health practicum in Madrid, Spain
May 12: National Nurses Week concludes on the birthday of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, and marks the annual observance of International Nurses Day
May 13: A new 12-month Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing cohort begins
May 15: SONHS welcomes new participants to the NIH-supported Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Training Program, with research sites at the University and global partner sites in Brazil, Jamaica, Costa Rica, and beyond
Meanwhile, as Munro paves the way for her successor’s arrival and smooth transition, she exudes optimism for a bright future at SONHS. “The school is exceptionally strong,” she said. “It is poised to become a national leader in a way that very few schools of nursing or health studies are able to achieve.”
