A University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing faculty member and a graduate student will receive national recognition during the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) 24th Annual Conference October 13-16 in Louisville, Ky.
Michael Rice, Ph.D.,professor in the Community- based Health Department of the College of Nursing and a psychiatric nurse practitioner, will receive the APNA’s Award for Excellence in Education. He is one of six national award recipients.
Nicholas Guenzel of Lincoln, a graduate student in the UNMC College of Nursing in thepsychiatric mental health program, was selected as the Janssen Student Scholar for 2010. He was chosen from the largest applicant number in the history of the program. He is the second UNMC student to receive the award. Last year, Dani Eveloff received the scholarship.
Michael Rice, Ph.D.,professor in the Community- based Health Department of the College of Nursing and a psychiatric nurse practitioner, will receive the APNA’s Award for Excellence in Education. He is one of six national award recipients.
Nicholas Guenzel of Lincoln, a graduate student in the UNMC College of Nursing in thepsychiatric mental health program, was selected as the Janssen Student Scholar for 2010. He was chosen from the largest applicant number in the history of the program. He is the second UNMC student to receive the award. Last year, Dani Eveloff received the scholarship.
“We recruited Dr. Rice to the college a little more than a year ago,” said Mary Cramer, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the UNMC College of Nursing Community-Based Health Department. “In the relatively short time he has been here, he has had an immediate and significant impact on mental health services and education in Nebraska. This award reflects his excellent work and leadership at the local and national level.”
Dr. Rice was humble about receiving the award. “It’s not about the rewards and it’s not about me. Iit’s about relieving the suffering of those we serve,” Dr. Rice said. “I get inspired not by the patients’ needs but by how hard my colleagues work. This award is about all of us and how hard we work, and I find that inspiring.”
A native of Neligh, Neb., Dr. Rice joined UNMC in 2008. Before joining UNMC, Dr. Rice worked at several nursing schools including the University of California Medical Center at San Francisco, University of Arizona, the Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education in Spokane, Wash., and Arizona State University. His teaching duties include advanced courses in adult mental health nursing and the neuroscience of psychopharmacology.
In 1974, he received a bachelor of science in nursing from Mount Marty College in Yankton, S.D., and in 1976 earned a master’s degree in nursing at the UNMC College of Nursing. In 1988, he earned his doctoral degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Through world-class research and patient care, UNMC generates breakthroughs that make life better for people throughout Nebraska and beyond. Its education programs train more health professionals than any other institution in the state. Learn more at unmc.edu.