“Global engagement isn’t about being a hero, it’s about being a partner.” – Abbey Frame, Creighton Phoenix ABSN student 

Eight accelerated nursing students from the Creighton University Phoenix Campus traveled to Togo, West Africa, where they spent two weeks immersed in global healthcare and the Togolese culture. 

As part of the course “Aligning Efforts for Health: Collaborative Models in West Africa,” the students partnered with local healthcare professionals in Global Partners in Hope at the Compassion Clinic to help set up the surgical center—stocking supplies, arranging beds and equipment, seeing patients and supporting mental health initiatives.  

Frame says that Togo was a “celebration of connection” that reshaped how she views service and global health. “Great partners form relationships, understand cultural contexts and support long-term goals defined by the community itself.” 

The decades-long work of Martha Todd, PhD, APRN-NP, FNP-BC, and Julie Manz, PhD, RN, CNE, as well as other significant contributors across the college,* led to the Creighton Competency Evaluation Instrument (CCEI).  

As nursing schools strive to update student assessment to match accreditation standards, Creighton's tool can be used to reliably test the 220 essential behaviors recently established by the primary organizations guiding nursing education. 

In a global partnership with Laerdal Medical, one of the most recognized names in simulation technology, the updated C-CEI 2.0 will now be used internationally, scaling Creighton Nursing’s mission of developing practice-ready nurses and increasing international recognition and reputation. 

* Kim Hawkins, PhD, MS’07, APRN; Mary Tracy, PhD, BSN’76, RN; Maribeth Hercinger, PhD, BSN’76, RN; Lindsay Iverson, BSN’05, MSN’09, DNP’11, APRN, ACNP; Sarah Ball, PhD, RNC-OB, C-EFM, CHSE; and Lucas Manning, DNP, MSN, RN, CHSE 

Kathleen Keough Soto, BSN’75, is the 2025 Alumni Merit Award recipient for the College of Nursing. She has dedicated her life to advancing the nursing profession through compassionate care, leadership and transformational philanthropy.

Inspired by her parents’ commitment to service and Catholic education, she launched her nursing career in Texas before stepping into leadership and philanthropy. A proud Creighton alumna, Soto helped establish the Keough Family Endowed Chair in Nursing and co-founded the Soto Nursing Scholars Program to advance health equity. Her legacy continues to shape Creighton’s mission and future nurses.

Two recently established scholarships in the College of Nursing are working to attract, educate and train behavioral health and pediatric nurses to help close Nebraska healthcare gaps. 

The ABSN Scott Scholarship, funded by the Don C. Scott Family Foundation, supports up to 11 students with a passion for providing mental healthcare. This will help with the staggering provider shortages across 95% of Nebraska’s counties.  

In partnership with Children’s Nebraska, the College of Nursing will expand the pathway of skilled pediatric nurses. Made possible by the Ryan Foundation, the full tuition scholarship supports 40 ABSN nursing students who will commit to two years of work at Children’s Nebraska. 

Looking to sharpen your clinical reasoning skills and enhance teamwork and communication? The Introduction to Collaborative Care course is designed to help healthcare professionals like you improve patient outcomes through interprofessional, collaborative team-based care. 

Here’s what you’ll learn: 

Elevate your career. Improve your understanding of collaborative care. Learn more and register using code CULifeLongAlum for 15% off! 

Looking for more continuing education opportunities? Visit our Lifelong Learning website and apply the alumni discount code. 

Sarah Ball, PhD, RN, Creighton nursing assistant professor, is leading the integration of immersive virtual reality (VR) simulations in the College of Nursing.  

Using Meta Oculus glasses, students are transported into realistic clinical environments where they interact with virtual patients. 

“In virtual reality simulations, we’re really able to teach students about clinical judgment while integrating therapeutic practice, professional communication and skills nurses need,” says Ball. “The fun part about AI is that what you say results in a different patient reaction, just like in real life.” 

Student Zoey Lundin echoes the effectiveness of this tool: “With VR, we have an opportunity to make mistakes and improve without the repercussions of a real patient. The greatest growth I saw from myself was how I was open and able to repeat the same skill for mastery.” 

See virtual reality clinical simulations in action.