Celebrating Thirty Years – Loretto Heights School of Nursing

Source// https://www.regis.edu/About-Regis-University/History-and-Mission/Loretto-Heights-College.aspx  

By: Hazel Alvarez, Staff Writer

As Loretto Heights School of Nursing (LHSON) celebrates thirty years at Regis and the #1 spot of nursing schools in Colorado (Niche.com 2019), we take the time to look back at the history of the nursing program here at Regis.

Loretto Heights wasn’t always based in Regis. First founded by Mother Pancratia and other sisters of Loretto, it was intended as a Catholic academy for girls, situated on a hilltop, thus naming it “Loretto Heights.” Mother Pancratia found support from local banks and, with the Sisters of Loretto, helped established Loretto Heights Academy, an all-girls Catholic elementary and secondary school, by 1891. The liberal arts boarding school attracted many daughters of pioneers at the time when the West and Denver were being developed (Historic Denver).  

By 1916, Loretto Heights College for women was established.

During World War I in 1917, Loretto Heights became a military training ground for over 200 women (Historic Denver).

American Red Cross students and sisters of the Loretto Heights Academy sit as they work on bandages on the Loretto Heights service camp, which was a training center at the time of WWI, in Denver, Colorado 1917-1918. Photo by George L. Beam.

Source// https://www.denverpost.com/2017/07/03/sister-seeks-protection-old-loretto-heights-college-cemetery-62-nuns-buried/

By 1926, Loretto Heights College gained accreditation, while the Loretto Heights Academy was still in cooperation (Historic Denver).

In 1948, the nursing program at Loretto Heights was established (Regis University & Historic Denver).

In 1980, Loretto Heights College launched the Health Records Information Management program.  
By the summer of 1988, Loretto Heights College closed due to financial reasons, and Regis University purchased the Loretto Heights nursing program.

This time was one of uncertainty for both students of Loretto Heights College and Regis College. “When we heard that Regis College was taking over Loretto Heights,” stated Elizabeth Howard, a staff writer at the time of the transition, “many people [especially Loretto students] wondered which Loretto programs would Regis continue.” Many of the faculty and students, especially from the medical and nursing department, transitioned from Loretto Heights College to Regis College.

The Loretto Heights nursing program was housed in the basement of Main Hall, having been a part of the new health care management program at Regis. The nursing program had its own dean, meaning it was equal to any other campus program despite it being a different school than Regis College. The program at the time of the transition was estimated at 80 registered students.   

By early 2000s, a nursing graduate from Regis University donated to reestablish facilities such as labs and equipment for educational development. The College for Health Professions thus became the Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Profession (RHCHP), naming the institution after the donors. The RHCHP not only includes the Loretto Heights School for Nursing, but the School of Pharmacy and the School of Physical Therapy as well.

The nursing program became the foundation for the Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions (RHCHP), helping improve enrollment for Regis. When I came to Regis, our numbers were nearing the 200s, and that was just my freshman year. Granted, many have left the program for various reasons, but there are many transfers students who wish to join the program to this day as the demand for nurses is expected to near 1.09 million by 2024 due to veteran nurses retiring (American Association of Colleges of Nursing).

To prepare students to enter the ever growing field of nursing, Regis offers the following undergraduate degrees:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing, both in Traditional (you start as a pre-nursing student and graduate with a BSN) and Acceleration (you graduate with a degree that is not nursing and go through the acceleration program to obtain a BSN).

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing, also known as CHOICE, for working students in the healthcare field.

• RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing Completion (which is an option for Registered Nurses that wanted to complete their four-year study to obtain a BSN).

  • SIDE NOTE: You can be a Registered Nurse (RN) and not have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). You will know how much a nurse’s schooling if you see on their I.D. “RN, BSN…” etc.

• and RN to Master of Science in Nursing: Education/Management Focus

For graduate degrees, Regis offers:

• Master of Science in Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)

• Master of Science in Nursing - Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP)

• Master of Science in Nursing - Leadership in Health Care Systems

• Master of Science in Nursing - Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

• Master of Science in Nursing Completion

• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

• Doctor of Nursing, Post BSN to DNP (MS-DNP)

On March 7 of this year, the Loretto Heights School of Nursing celebrated thirty years at Regis University.

To think, this is the same college that nurses back in California would recommend to me for nursing school. In a city where nursing programs known were University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) or California State University - Long Beach (CSULB), I couldn’t believe that this college out in Colorado was widely known among nurses in my home city of Torrance, California, or at least some of the nursing faculty of Torrance Memorial Hospital. I was used to my peers in the same city not knowing what Regis University was about or where. I wasn’t expecting California nurses to know about LHSON at Regis University. It’s amazing to look back and see how much LHSON has come so far, and to kind of feel the weight of those celebrated thirty years. I’m sure just as the nursing field itself is expanding, so will Loretto Heights School of Nursing, and I can’t wait to see where it leads.

Professor combines her passion for teaching with love of the outdoors

By: Traci Wuerstl, Practicum Reporter

Lea Stenerson continues to leave her legacy on Regis’ Northwest Denver campus through her teachings of anatomy and physiology to future nursing students. 

Stenerson grew up in a city outside of Portland, Oregon, and said she had a fortunate childhood with loving parents as well as several friends. She grew up loving sports and teaching, roles that influenced her current professions as a personal trainer and a professor here at Regis. 

 As an alumna of Witworth University in Spokane,Washington., Stenerson knew that working in a similar small, Catholic setting would be important. She was drawn to apply for a position at Regis after a close friend introduced her to the idea. She admired the community and its overarching notion of living and working in service to others.

Besides her Witworth undergraduate degree, Stenerson holds a master’s degree in exercise physiology from the University of Colorado. She’s a certified personal trainer, which allows her to incorporate her dual loves for sports and teaching. 

 Though she is passionate about her profession, Stenerson explained some of the daily challenges she faces. With a busy academic and professional schedule, she finds it difficult to balance everything. 

 “Your job is never done,” she said. 

 As the years have progressed, she’s had to consider the best way to get certain content across to her students to provide the best learning experience for them. She adds humor and incorporates youthful jargon to help students make connections regarding the content. She added that although this is challenging, it’s also the best part of her job. 

 “I love teaching and I am so fortunate for what I get to do and love passing that on, so my students can find that same kind of passion for themselves,” Stenerson said. 

She has always had a passion for teaching. Throughout her life, teaching has been incorporated into what she does. As a young woman, she was an outdoor counselor and along the way found various other teaching opportunities that eventually led her toward formalized teaching at Regis. 

Nearly nine years ago she became the anatomy and physiology professor for the lecture classes. Once she applied and received the job, she continued to teach both. Along the way, she has altered her teaching methodology and the course itself to ensure that students learn the material.

After nearly nine years of teaching, Stenerson has developed her own way of making learning more enjoyable for her students. She is adored by many of her pre-nursing students for her teaching style.

“She loves anatomy and teaches in a way that makes me want to love it too,” says Emily Pennylegion, one of Stenerson’s current anatomy students. 

Stenerson says she’s fortunate to have the opportunity to help students enjoy learning through the process of making connections and finding motivation to learn more. She wants her students to enjoy the progression in learning to inspire them to keep educating themselves. 

“It’s not just about knowing where the femur is, it’s about wanting to expand on it and learn everything you can about that particular bone,” Stenerson said.

Another current anatomy student explained how much she envies Stenerson and her teaching methods. Kristen Macmillan, a second-year pre-nursing student, explained how she enjoys the constant excitement and energy that is included in every lecture. “It can be difficult to find a professor who cares as much as she does,” said Macmillan, adding that Stenerson clearly cares about her students and their success. 

Stenerson stated how professors are often seen as brilliant people with so much authority, although they have faced hardships in life as most people have and more than students may realize. As a professor for future nurses, Stenerson has an empathetic understanding of what her students go through and can better comprehend how they could feel if, by chance, they do not get into the program they desire. 

She has faced a similar hardship of not being accepted into her desired program while she was attending school. 

“Keep trying and it’ll happen,” she advised.

Stenerson applied to the athletic college at her university, and although she met all the qualifications, she didn’t get accepted. While it was difficult to understand why she didn’t get accepted, she knew she wouldn’t stop trying. To quit would’ve been the moment that she failed, and she would have never reached this point in her life. Through her perseverance she managed to accomplish many things, including getting into her chosen program.

Every professor has a life outside of teaching. Beyond coaching and teaching, Stenerson raises her three young boys with her husband. Taking care of her boys is a full-time job within itself, but Stenerson still manages to make time for other activities. As a Boulder resident, she spends a lot of time outdoors. In the summer she loves trail running, biking, swimming and camping with her family. She also leads a trail running group in the summer. Her love for sports at a young age helped her reach this career path. Coaching and personal training allows her to incorporate her passion for sports into her love of teaching. Now, with winter here, she and her family will spend more time on the downhill slopes at ski resorts. 

 “I love teaching and am so fortunate for what I get to do, and the legacy I hope for is to leave knowing that people enjoyed the classes and hopefully they gain more inspiration for their careers,” Stenerson said.