Rasmussen Nursing Program Director to Deliver Keynote at International Event

CHICAGO, Nov. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Rasmussen College today announced that Margaret E. Ozan Rafferty, Director of the Rasmussen School of Nursing, will serve as a keynote speaker at the 5th Annual International Nursing Management Conference (INMC) that runs November 17-19 at the Papillon Zeugma Hotel & Resort Belek in Antalya, Turkey.

As part of the program, Rafferty will lead the pre-conference Leadership Camp on Wednesday, November 16 that will challenge participants to examine, measure and implement best practices in nursing leadership to drive success and outcomes. She will present the keynote address "Health Tourism and the New Realities" at 9 a.m. on Friday, November 18. In addition, Rafferty has sponsored Turkish nursing student Havva Arslan Yurumezoglu , a Doctoral candidate at Dokuz Eylul University to attend the conference.

"I've had the great pleasure of speaking and networking with nurses from around the world, and I've found that we all share the same universal passion for patient care," Rafferty said. "But, while we all share this commitment to care, the professional landscape is evolving on the international level, and it's opening up exciting new doors for nurses who want to expand their horizons with challenging new experiences that will help them grow professionally and personally. I look forward to highlighting some of these exciting opportunities and meeting with colleagues from around the world at this event."

Healthcare is quickly becoming an international marketplace, with a growing number of patients traveling to foreign destinations to take advantage of more advanced technologies, lower prices and other benefits. Some countries are actively marketing the industry, including Turkey, which hosts about 40,000 medical tourists each year with numerous hospitals and medical institutions accredited by the Joint Commission International.

As Director of the School of Nursing, Rafferty, R.N., M.H.A., M.B.A., leads Rasmussen's Licensed Practical Nursing, Professional Nursing, and RN to BSN online programs at 11 schools of nursing nationwide and is responsible for daily operations ranging from faculty management to student outcomes. Prior to her work at Rasmussen, Rafferty  held national and international senior level healthcare leadership roles and served as Vice President for Patient Care Services at Silver Cross Hospital. An R.N. for more than 25 years, Rafferty is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the American Organization of Nurse Executives, and the National Association of Associate Degree Nursing Programs and served as the Nurse Business Advisor for the HFMA's "Business of Caring" magazine. She has authored and been cited as an expert in multiple professional articles and has presented at numerous national and international conferences.

For more information about the International Nursing Management Conference visit http://www.inmc2011.org/bilimselprogram_eng.html.

For additional information about Rasmussen College, visit www.Rasmussen.edu.

ABOUT RASMUSSEN COLLEGE

An innovator of higher education, Rasmussen College is a career-focused, private college that specializes in offering the most in-demand degree programs in a highly supportive, student-centered educational environment.  Rasmussen College offers market-relevant programs from the certificate and diploma level through the associate's and bachelor's level online and across its 22 campuses in the Midwest and Florida to more than 15,000 students. By combining its expertise in career development with high academic standards and with unparalleled student support services, graduates of Rasmussen College leave with the most up-to-date knowledge, the skills that employers look for, and the tools to succeed in their chosen field.  Since 1900, the primary focus at Rasmussen College has remained constant: student achievement is of the upmost importance, the employer who hires its students continues to be a valued partner, and Rasmussen College is dedicated to being a primary contributor to the growth and development of the communities it serves. For more information about Rasmussen College, please visit www.Rasmussen.edu.

SOURCE Rasmussen College