Seton Hall Nurse Practitioner Students Engage in Interprofessional Lecture on Health Communication

Graduate students in Seton Hall University’s College of Nursing recently took part in an innovative interprofessional lecture and class assignment designed to enhance health communication skills within clinical practice. As part of the NURS 7250: Acute Care Theory course, students in the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program participated in an engaging week long class assignment that combined theory, clinical expertise and communication scholarship.

The assignment and lecture was inspired by the work of Ruth Tsuria, Ph.D., faculty in Seton Hall University’s College of Human Development, Culture, and Media. Tsuria’s faculty workshop, sponsored by the Seton Hall University Academies Initiative, helped launch the Academy for Health Communication Innovation (AHCI), a forward-looking initiative designed to foster interdisciplinary and interprofessional collaboration in health communication across the health sciences.

Building on this foundation, College of Nursing graduate faculty Moira Kendra, D.N.P., and Kate Hinic, Ph.D., have been working to integrate health communication as an essential skill throughout the MSN curriculum. This initial lecture and assignment was delivered by Ellen Davis, D.N.P., a practicing palliative care nurse practitioner at Bayshore Medical in Holmdel, New Jersey. Drawing from her clinical experience, Davis emphasized how effective communication can deeply impact patient care, especially in acute and palliative care settings.

As part of the interactive assignment, students were tasked with recording videos of themselves delivering difficult or bad news to patients and families. This exercise challenged them to reflect on tone, empathy and clarity, which are critical elements in developing trust and compassion in patient care.

“Dr. Davis’s insights, combined with the educational framework established by Dr. Tsuria’s workshop, offered students a unique opportunity to reflect on their own practice,” noted the faculty leads. “This collaboration underscores the vital role that communication plays in advancing quality and patient-centered care.”

For the AGACNP students, the session was both timely and transformative. Brianne Whalen, an acute care nurse practitioner student, shared: “This lecture really highlighted how communication is not just a skill, but a foundation for safe and compassionate healthcare. It made me think differently about how I interact with patients and their families, especially during critical moments.”

By embedding health communication into the MSN curriculum, Seton Hall University continues to prepare nurse practitioner students with the tools they need to lead with clinical expertise, empathy and clarity. The session marked the beginning of a series of lectures and activities supported by the AHCI, reflecting the University’s mission to foster academic excellence, innovation and interprofessional collaboration in healthcare education.

Categories: Health and Medicine