Quality and Safety Education for Nurses

Patricia Kelly Vana, MSN, RN, earned a diploma in nursing from St. Margaret Hospital School of Nurs­ing, Hammond, Indiana; a baccalaureate in nursing from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois; and a master’s degree in nursing from Loyola Universi­ty in Chicago, Illinois. She is professor emeritus, Purdue University Northwest, Hammond, Indiana. She has worked as a staff nurse, head nurse, travel nurse, school nurse, and nurse educator. Professor Kelly Vana has traveled extensively in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, teaching hundreds of conferences for The Joint Commission, Resource Applications, Pediatric Concepts, and Kaplan, Inc. She currently teaches nationwide National Coun­cil Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses® (NCLEX-RN®) review courses for Evolve Testing & Remediation/Health Education Systems, Inc. (HESI), Houston, Texas. 

Beth A. Vottero, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF, earned a baccalaureate degree in liberal studies with a focus in business management from the University of Maine at Presque Isle; a baccalaureate degree in nursing from Valparaiso University; a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Phoenix; and a PhD in nursing education from Capella University. Dr. Vottero currently is a professor of nursing at Purdue University Northwest, teaching courses including Evidence-Based Practice and Knowledge Translation at the doctoral level and Informatics as well as theory courses in the Graduate Nurse Educator program. At the undergraduate level, she teaches Quality and Safety for Professional Nursing Practice and Evidence-Based Quality Improvement in the Capstone course. 

Gerry Altmiller, EdD, APRN, ACNS-BC, ANEF, FAAN, earned a diploma in nursing from Our Lady of Lourdes School of Nursing in Camden, New Jersey, a baccalaureate degree from La Salle University in Philadelphia, and an advanced practice degree as a clinical nurse specialist from Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania. She later returned to Widener and earned her doctoral degree in higher education leadership. Gerry is a professor of nursing at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, New Jersey. As a board-certified clinical nurse specialist, she has served in a consultant role for Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for over a decade, supporting direct care nurses in their research, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement projects.