The Institute of Pediatric Nursing is pleased to introduce two new committee members focused on school-based health and the newly appointed Board of Directors liaison.

Joshua P. Saylor, DNP, RN, CNL, CPN is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Morgan State University. Dr. Saylor has over 15 years of pediatric and youth work experience. He received bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Youth Ministry at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. He then worked for a juvenile court as a probation officer and a placement coordinator for the county. After receiving an LPN certificate and Nightingale award from Hondros College, he continued his education to complete his BSN at Wright State University, and both his MSN and DNP at the University of South Alabama in Executive Administration and Leadership. Dr. Saylor has worked as a Bone Marrow Transplant nurse at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center and has held leadership positions such as Pediatric Director of Nursing for a home health organization, Manager of Health Services for an assistant living facility, and as a Hospital Operations Coordinator for a 500-bed urban trauma center. His pediatric experiences also included time in school nursing, psychiatric, and post anesthesia care. As a professor he has taught pediatric nursing in both the classroom and clinical setting. He has written multiple published peer-reviewed pediatric NextGen case studies for the Maryland NextGen test bank. Dr. Saylor is passionate about pediatric nursing, breaking the barriers of health disparities amongst urban communities, and inspiring the next generation of future pediatric nurses.

Kathleen Schoemer, MSN, RN, CPNP-PC has worked in school health since 2009 initially in a per diem capacity then ultimately a fulltime position in 2014 at the Clara Barton Elementary School in Oxford, Massachusetts. Here she provides direct care to students with acute and chronic health problems. Her nursing interests and career choices have always been in delivering child/family focused care. In 1997 she graduated with a Master of Science in Nursing with a specialty as a pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) from Yale University School of Nursing. She then served as a PNP at the University of Maryland Medical System, dividing her time between her pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition clinic and serving as a liaison between the pediatric community providers and the pediatric specialists. She sought to become more involved in the Massachusetts School Nurse Organization (MSNO) and in 2020 joined the board serving as a region co-chair. She also serves as a liaison between MSNO and the Massachusetts Medical Society Committee on Student Health and Sports Medicine.  

Janet Cross, M.Ed, CCLS, CPXP is an Administrative Director of Patient- and Family-Centered Care at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. She is responsible for development, implementation, and evaluation of patient- and family-centered care initiatives, oversight of Child Life and Volunteer Services, Pastoral Care, Family Resource Center, Hospital School Program, Music Therapy, Art Therapy, Seacrest Studios, Facility Dog Program, Patient and Family Advisory Councils, Patient Experience, Patient Education and the Gift Shop. Janet has a Master of Education from Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University. She is a certified Child Life Specialist and a Certified Patient Experience Professional. Janet was awarded the 2012 Distinguished Service Award from the Child Life Council and was named a finalist as a "Woman of Influence” by the Nashville Business Journal in 2012. Janet has served in leadership roles for Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) including President and Child Life Certifying Committee Chair. She is author of two chapters to Richard Thompson’s Handbook of Child Life textbook and contributor to the ACLP White Paper "Emotional Safety in Pediatrics." She is a member of the Beryl Institute’s Pediatric Council, and Future of Human Experience 2030 Steering Team. She is also a member of the Nashville Ronald McDonald House Board of Directors.

 

We welcome these three experts to the IPN Committee, which exists to make the pediatric specialty stronger and optimize the health and well-being of children, youth, and their families through the development of a sustainable, highly qualified pediatric nursing workforce. Launched in 2009, the IPN provides a variety of resources to inform stakeholders including the public about pediatric nursing. Explore IPN resources in this infographic. From students to nursing professionals, families to educators, the IPN:
•    Encourages students to choose pediatric nursing careers
•    Helps fill pediatric curricula gaps in RN undergraduate education
•    Shares workforce demographics
•    Advocates for more diversity in the specialty
•    Supports families and caregivers with access to information