Continuing Education for RNs
Let Saint Mary's Nursing Department advance your career.
Beginning in Fall 2024, we will offer a wide range of continuing education contact hours for Registered Nurses. Join us for our first event, where we will host renowned speaker and nursing theorist Dr. Maria O'Rourke.
Saint Mary's College of California and the Department of Nursing are proud to sponsor Maria W. O’Rourke’s virtual program, “Professional Role Identity Formation and Role Clarity: Pathway to Practice Excellence.”
This virtual conference will be held from 9:00 to 12:30 on October 9, 2024. It will include a keynote by Dr. O’Rourke, four breakout sessions that will profile how her work has been applied in real-time practice, and an interactive dialogue session. See firsthand how the Model of the Professional Role™ can help nurses make pivotal decisions and improve practice. Engage in group discussion on practical action steps supported by real-time experiences and backed by quality results.
Continuing Education Contact Hours
All registrants will receive 3 continuing education contact hours after attending the sessions and completing the pre- and post-evaluations. You must register for the conference to receive these credits.
About Dr. Maria O’Rourke
Dr. O’Rourke is Co-founder of the O’Rourke Institute for Advancing Professional Practice (OIAPP), an organization dedicated to advocating for professional role clarity as a vital element to achieving excellence in practice. She is also CEO/ President of Maria W. O’Rourke & Associates, LLC, a consultancy focusing on professional role clarity, theory-driven practice, and building professional practice models to ensure practice excellence.
Renowned for her pioneering work on professional role clarity, O'Rourke's effort began in 1965 when defining the work of nursing as a profession and clarifying the RN role as a key decision-maker on the interdisciplinary team was critical. Maria brought this revised role and image to the legislative arena and was instrumental in rewriting the 1974 California Nursing Practice Act. She published the first paper on its implementation, which guides the profession, regionally and nationally, in the appropriate use of the professional RN.
Over five decades, her work on professional role identity formation theory has culminated in a theoretically grounded practice model called Role Driven Practice™. This model serves as a foundation for professional role clarity and competence, aligning appropriate role relationships among professional, technical, and assistive roles, improving practice outcomes and facilitating Magnet Professional Practice Models.
Dr. O’Rourke has held numerous leadership positions in clinical, education and management and has garnered several honors and awards, including the 1984 Distinguished Alumni Award from Boston University and UCSF in 2010 and in 2018, ANA-C Ray Cox Award for advancement of the nursing profession.
Maria W. O’Rourke, RN, PhD, FAAN
Co-Founder, O’Rourke Institute for Advancing Professional Practice (OIAPP)
orourkeinstitute@gmail.com
President & CEO, Role Clarity Solutions
Contact Us
Lucinda Allen
Director CNA Program
Director of Simulation
nursingconferences@stmarys-ca.edu
Continuing Education Provider #17973