Welcome to the Texas Woman's University (TWU) issue of the CCNQ. In this issue, you will find contributions from TWU students from the 3 campuses. Their articles address a broad spectrum of issues familiar to nurses everywhere, which illustrates the depth and breadth of nursing practice and the collective nursing concern for patients' well-being.
Texas Woman's University is a research-intensive university located in Denton, Dallas, and Houston. The 3 nursing campuses work together as a cohesive college to offer programs at all levels that prepare beginning baccalaureate nurses for entry into practice through the education of nurse scientists at the doctoral level. Initiated in 1971, the College of Nursing was the first in the Southwest to offer a PhD in this discipline. In 1996, the PhD program celebrated its 25th year, making it one of the oldest nursing doctoral programs in the United States. To date, more than 600 students have graduated from the PhD program and can be found in high-profile nursing positions in academia, clinical practice, and policy development throughout the United States.
The TWU Houston Institute of Health Sciences is located in the world-renowned Texas Medical Center (TMC). Consisting of 47 not-for-profit institutions, the TMC is dedicated to the highest standards of patient care, research, and education. The TMC institutions include 13 renowned hospitals and 2 specialty institutions, 2 medical schools, 4 nursing schools, and schools of dentistry, public health, pharmacy, and virtually all health-related careers. This consortium of healthcare services and education is one of the first of its kind and is the largest in the world.
In the exciting medical center environment, TWU students are afforded rich professional and scholarly opportunities. The vision statement of the College of Nursing is Pioneering Nursing's Future: An Adventure in Excellence. As evidenced by the articles contained in this issue, TWU students and faculty embody this vision and are focused on best nursing practices and cutting-edge research. Most of the articles in the current issue were written by students on the Houston campus. However, 2 articles-1 from Denton and 1 from Dallas-are included in this issue along with those from authors representing 2 universities outside of Texas.
Healthcare in the United States has been described as a broken system. As the largest body of bedside caregivers, nurses offer a unique contribution to the provision of healthcare from many diverse points of view and therefore can also add value to the reform of the healthcare system. The articles represented here give a glimpse to the wide range of nursing talent, the mission of nurses to provide the best care and the passion shared by all nurses-to provide the best for patients. Nurses hold many of the keys to unbreak the system-and some of these are reflected here. We hope you read and enjoy these {contributions in the articles} in this issue and find a common bond with your colleagues from TWU.
Sandra K. Cesario, PhD, MS, RNC, FAAN
PhD Program Coordinator College of Nursing Texas Woman's University-Houston
Debora Simmons, MSN, RN, CCRN, CCNS
College of Nursing Texas Woman's University-Houston