Director's Message
Welcome! I am pleased to introduce the Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing. Although the School of Nursing has existed since 1966, it has held the current designation, Byrdine F. Lewis SON only since 2001. In that year Mr. Ken Lewis provided a substantial endowment that allowed the school to be named in honor of his mother, Byrdine, who is a nurse. Over the years the goals of the School have remained consistent: to graduate nurses who are strongly committed to improving patient care. These goals have been reached through
- Educating nurse clinicians, practitioners, scholars, leaders and researchers
- Developing health-related community partnerships and
- Engaging in nursing scholarship, education and research.
Since Georgia State University is located in the midst of downtown Atlanta, it is surrounded by unique professional, academic and interdisciplinary opportunities. The students and faculty of the School are committed to meeting the health care needs of multi-cultural, urban populations; this commitment is evidenced in the activities of the Health & Wellness Collaborative, the Martin Luther King Middle School collaboration, Project Healthy Grandparents and various unique clinical partnerships.
The faculty is comprised of nurse-scholars who are master teachers, expert practitioners and cutting-edge researchers. They work closely in both the classroom and clinical settings with their students to translate knowledge and skills into care that directly affects the wellbeing of individuals throughout the region and the world. Clinical learning takes place within more than 200 different sites, offering the student learner the opportunity to practice in a wide variety of settings from trauma/intensive care to long-term and/or home care.
Delivery of culturally competent care is a key characteristic of the BFLSON. This concept is enhanced by the nearly 500 nursing students representing a wide variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Nursing students rapidly become integrated into the social and cultural life of Georgia State by taking courses with students from numerous majors and participating in many aspects of campus life. Classrooms and learning laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, including human simulator-models. A tour of our campus and facilities can be arranged so that you can gain first-hand knowledge of the advantages that await you here. I look forward to having the opportunity to meet you personally in the future.
Barbara C. Woodring, EdD, RN, CPN
Professor & Director
Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing