Susan M. Renz, PhD, RN is a Practice Professor of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Dr. Renz has devoted her career to promoting evidence-based and resident-centered practice in nursing homes. She is a nationally recognized expert in care of older adults in long-term care. She has numerous publications pertaining to care of older adults. Dr. Renz is the program director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program and the Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Programs at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. She maintains a teaching role in the primary care nurse practitioner program and the DNP program.
Her doctoral project, The Impact of a Situation/Background/Assessment/Recommendation (SBAR) communication protocol upon nurse and medical provider satisfaction and rate of hospital transfers of nursing home residents addressed a critical problem in the nursing home setting: the all too common failure to conduct and communicate timely nursing assessment of residents when there is an acute change in condition. She demonstrated that such an approach, when supported with staff education and a quality improvement feedback loop, yielded a reduction in unnecessary transfers to the emergency department and improved the satisfaction of medical providers.
Her dissertation focus examined communication patterns among nurses in long-term care and the effect on patient decision-making and unplanned hospital transfers. Dr. Renz has maintained a clinical practice for over 30 years in a variety of settings, including nursing homes and primary care settings. She has precepted students from numerous universities.