School of Nursing Newsletter
Volume 8, Issue 3
Editor: Sandra O’Donnell (odonnells@uncw.edu)
Upcoming Dates
March 24: Pre-licensure Council. 3 - 5 p.m. McNeill 1038.
April 2-3: Easter Break.
April 6-10: 2nd Annual CHHS
Week. McNeill Hall.
April 10: CHHS Research Day
Burney Center, 8 a.m. - 1:30
p.m.
April 13: Faculty Council.
Multipurpose Room, 4-5 p.m.
April 20: “Meet and Greet” for
Dec. ’17 Pre-licensure Cohort,
noon - 1:30 p.m. McNeill Hall
1051.
April 23: NHRMC Clinical Affiliate Meeting, NHRMC, 121:30 p.m.
April 27: Prelicensure Council
Meeting, Room 1028. 3 - 5 p.m.
April 29: Last day of classes
May 1 - 7: Final exams.
May 6: Nurses’ Day Celebration, Burney Center Ballroom,
5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
May 4-6: Hurst NCLEX Review. Multipurpose Room,
8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
May 9: SON Awards Ceremony,
Kenan Auditorium, 2:30 p.m.
May 9: University Commencement for CHHS and Watson
School of Education, Trask
Please submit items of interest, calendar
events, notable achievements, community events and questions you may have
for our faculty and staff to our editorial/
production staff: Sandy O’Donnell or
Debra Simpson.
Early Spring Issue
March 2015
Production: Debra Simpson (simpsond@uncw.edu)
Greetings from the Interim Director
With the start of the Spring ’15 semester, many changes
have taken place in the SON. In January, I accepted the
invitation to take on the role of interim school director. In
this new administrative role I am excited to move our highquality programs forward this semester. I want to take this
opportunity to thank all of the faculty, staff, and students
that have come together to help me in this new academic
role. We received notification from the Collegiate Commission on Nursing Education confirming that all accreditation
standards have been met for the prelicensure, RN-BS, and
the MSN Family Nurse Practitioner programs – validating
the consistent high quality of our nursing programs. This is
a busy time for us in the SON with many faculty presenting
their scholarship throughout the U.S. and internationally, increasing enrollment in our RNBS and clinical research programs, searching for a graduate program coordinator, deliberating on faculty workload policies, planning a simulation faculty development workshop, increasing the number of student participants in University and Departmental Honors, creating learning activities related to inter-professional collaboration, integrating active applied
learning activities in classroom and clinical settings, representing the SON at the Board of
Trustees meeting, and welcoming Laurie Badzek as our new director in July.
The New SON Director Announced
CHHS Dean Charles Hardy announced Jan. 8 the acceptance of Laurie Badzek to become the next Director of
the SON. She will begin her role on July 1. Badzek is a tenured, full Professor at the West Virginia University School
of Nursing where she teaches nursing, ethics, law, and
health policy. She has practiced in a variety of nursing and
law positions and was appointed to the W. Va. State
Guardianship Commission in ’89 and to the W. Va. Catastrophic Illness Commission in ’99. Badzek received her
B.S.N. and her J.D. from West Virginia University Schools
of Nursing and Law. More biographical information on
Badzek will be forthcoming. We welcome Badzek to UNCW
and to her leadership role within the School of Nursing.
Happy Spring 2015!
Volume 8 Issue 3
School of Nursing Newsletter
Notable Recognition
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Tammy Arms attended the Donald W. Reynolds Faculty Development to Advance Geriatric Education at Duke University, a mini-fellowship in Leadership and Scholarship in Geriatrics. Arms was the only nurse/nurse practitioner among medical participants.
Diane Pastor will be inducted into the National Academies of Practice as a Nurse Scholar in mid-April in Alexandria, VA.
She was nominated for the Academy by Barbara Lutz.
Congratulations to Beth Gazza for being selected as the CHHS Faculty Spotlight for the month of February.
Notable Achievements
Kellie English Bemelmans (CLR May ’11) is solo hiking the Arizona trail. She started on
March 1 at the Mexican border with plans to hike north 800 miles over the course of 12
weeks. Kellie, an attorney and a Clinical Research Associate at PPD, is hiking to raise money/awareness for Homes for Our Troops and to fulfill a personal goal.
Photo at right is courtesy of Si Cantwell, StarNews Online.
Faculty Presentations:
April Matthias presented on Sept. 20 “U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps University of Cincinnati Accelerated BSN Program: The Quiet Patriotism of Becoming a Nurse, 1943-1946.” This research study, funded by a Corbett grant, was a peer-reviewed paper presentation at the
American Association for the History of Nursing, 31st Annual American Association for the
History of Nursing Conference: Nursing and Health Care History, Hartford, Conn.
Diane Pastor made several presentations relating to her trip to Vietnam during the Fall ’14 semester focusing on health care and
nursing education and practice within the country. Presentations were made to the Nu Omega chapter of STTI in January, to
various groups during Intercultural Week (iWeek) on the UNCW campus in February, and to New Hanover Regional Medical
Center staff this month for Grand Rounds.
Barbara Lutz, Anne-Marie Goff, Nancy Ahern and student, Paige
Thacker attended the Southern Nursing Research Society Conference
in Tampa Feb. 25-28. All were able to present their respective studies.
Lutz presented her research entitled: “Strategies for Improving
Stroke Caregiver Readiness”; Goff presented her poster “Stressors,
Learned Resourcefulness and Academic Performance;” and Ahern,
along with her undergraduate research assistant Thacker (pictured at
left) presented their poster “Awareness & Knowledge of Child and
Adolescent Risky Behaviors: a Parent’s Perspective.”
Barbara Lutz made several presentations over the past several months:
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October 2014: the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Annual Research Conference in Toronto: “Identifying
and Addressing the Needs of Vulnerable Populations in Stroke.”
October, 2014: the American Academy of Nursing Annual Policy Conference in Washington, DC, where she and her colleagues presented a poster titled “Facilitating Successful Transitions Home Following A Visit to the Emergency Department.”
ctober, 2014: the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses Annual Education Conference in Anaheim, CA, where she participated in two invited panel presentations: 1) “Family-centered Care: Voices of Family Caregivers;” and 2) “The Essential
Role of the Rehabilitation Nurse in Facilitating Care Transitions: What Role Do You Have?”
November 2014: the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions Meeting in Chicago, IL where she participated in an
invited symposium. Her paper was titled: “Issues and Dilemmas in Stroke Survivor Transitions: Transitional Care for
Stroke Family Caregivers.”
February 2015: the American Heart Association, International Stroke Conference (ISC) and State of the Science Stroke
Nursing Symposium (SOSNS) in Nashville, TN. At ISC, Lutz presented an invited paper titled “Strategies for Patients and
Caregivers Who Are Discharging to Home.” She also participated as an invited panelist to discuss recommendations from a
scientific statement on evidence-based interventions for stroke family caregivers that was published in Stroke last summer.
Volume 8, Issue 3
School of Nursing Newsletter
Notable Achievements cont’d.
Faculty Publications.
Congratulations to several faculty for their research publications. The citations are as follows:
Pastor, D.K., Cunningham, R.P., & Kuiper, R.A. (2015). Gray Matters: Teaching Geriatric Assessment for FNPs Using Standardized Patients. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 11(2), 120-125.
Gazza, E. A. (2015). Future of the DNP Nurse Executive. In A. Rundio & V. Wilson (Eds.), The Doctor of Nursing Practice and
the Nurse Executive Role (pp. 115-126). Philadelphia: Wolters Klower Health.
Stevens, E. E., Gazza, E. A., & Pickler, R. (2014). Parental Experience Learning to Feed their Preterm Infant. Advances in Neo
natal Care, 14(5), 354-361. doi: 10.1097/ANC.000000000000010.
Falsafi, N. & Leopard, L. (2015). Pilot study: Use of Mindfulness, Self-compassion, and Yoga Practices with Low-income and/
or Uninsured Patients with Depression and/or Anxiety. Journal of Holistic Nursing 20(10), 1-9. doi:
10.1177/0898010115569351.
Matthias, A. (2015). Making the Case for Differentiation of Registered Nurse Practice: Historical Perspectives Meet Contemporary Efforts. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 5(4): 108-114.
Creasy, K.R., Lutz, B.J, Young, M.E., & Stacciarini, J.M. (in press). Clinical Implications of Family-centered Care in Stroke
Rehabilitation. Rehabilitation Nursing.
Cook, C., Lutz, B.J., Young, M.E., Hall, A., & Stacciarini, J.M. (2015). Perspectives of Linkage to Care among Persons with
HIV. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 26(1), 110-126. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.jana.2014.11.011.
Broome, S. & Lutz, B.J. (in press). Becoming the Parent of a Child with Life-threatening Food Allergies. Journal of Pediatric
Nursing. [Published online ahead of print November 14, 2014]. .DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2014.10.012.
Bakas, T., Clark, P.C., Kelly-Hayes, M., King, R.M, Lutz, B.J., & Miller, E. on behalf of the American Heart Association
Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (2014). Evidence for Stroke Family Caregiver and Dyad Interventions:
A Statement for Healthcare Professionals from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.
Stroke. [Published online ahead of print July 17, 2014].
Book Chapters:
Lutz, B.J. & Larsen, P.D. (2014). Models in chronic care. In P. D. Larsen (Ed.), Chronic illness: Impact and intervention (9th
ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
Pierce, L.L. & Lutz, B.J. (2014). Family caregiving. In P. D. Larsen (Ed.), Chronic illness: Impact and intervention (9th ed.).
Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
Student Publications:
Two RN-BSN students Alan Welfare and Jennifer Joyner had letters to the editor published late last fall. The citations are
listed below:
Welfare, A. (2014). Letters to the Editor. American Nurse Today 9(11). Online edition: http://www.americannursetoday.com/
letter-editor-creating-high-performance-interprofessional-teams/
Joyner, J. (2014). Letters to the Editor. Nursing Education Perspectives 35(6), 401-401. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.5480/1536-502635.6.401.
Curriculum News
The Class of May ’15 is the first cohort of students to complete the new five-semester curriculum, which added a semester of
nursing courses and a separate capstone course and strengthened the transition to professional practice. Based on student and
faculty discussion, the SON Curriculum Committee has begun discussing potential adjustments to courses and/or content to be
implemented the 2016-2017 year.
Volume 8, Issue 3
School of Nursing Newsletter
Simulation Learning Center (SLC) News
The SLC joined the N.C. Department of Public Instruction and other businesses across
the state for Students@Work Week held March 2 to 6. Throughout the week middle
school students took part in job shadowing and mentoring programs to help them assimilate classroom learning with the realities of work environments. Students@Work is a
joint initiative between the N.C. Department of Public Instruction and the N.C. Business
Committee for Education. This year, more than 100 businesses and 19,000 students participated.
The SLC participated in the program through an on-site mentoring visit. Seventeen
middle school students toured all eight simulation labs and learned to listen to heart and
lung sounds on computerized mannequins with a stethoscope after learning to assess their
own pulses. This opportunity allowed students to gain an understanding of medical
equipment and how technology and simulation are used to educate nursing students and
other health professionals within the UNCW College of Health and Human Services.
Faculty and students have already utilized the SLC labs this semester in creative
ways. The Geriatric Nursing Course, led by Tamatha Arms, carried out a simulated
experience involving dementia. Students actually had their vision, hearing, mobility
and dexterity altered to simulate the experiences of a demented patient. They wore
headphones listening to “voices,” and wore cumbersome gloves. They had strong
glasses on and walked with surgical shoe covers filled with beans to simulate arthritis, from which many older adults suffer. If that is not difficult enough to manage,
they were assigned tasks to do at the same time in our Home Care Apartment such as
cutting a pill, matching socks, folding towels, and looking up a phone number (see
photo at right). Student evaluations of the experience demonstrated their appreciation for the realism of this simulation and how it increased the empathy they have
for demented patients.
A faculty development workshop is planned for April 13th titled, “Interdisciplinary
Simulation: Using Simulation in Teaching and Assessment.” Faculty within the CHHS and in other university departments
across campus have been invited to attend and work together for an inter-professional collaboration in simulation.
Association of Diversity for Student Nursing (ADSN)
On Feb. 21, several ADSN members (pictured at
left) volunteered for the Special Olympics 5K and
Polar Plunge at Kure Beach. The students guided
the runners along the 5K course and provided
enthusiastic support for the runners to complete
the course. Students met a fellow nurse who
dressed as an RN Superhero as part of a costume
contest (see photo at left). The organization plans
to volunteer at the Special Olympics Spring
Games on April 22.
Volume 8, Issue 3
School of Nursing Newsletter
Community Nursing Students
Students in the prelicensure Community Health
course participated in a Bolivia, NC Health Fair
on Mar. 1. Collaborating with the Brunswick
Community Health Department, students
learned how to operate the LDX Cholestech
machine (designed to assess cholesterol and
blood glucose), performed blood pressure assessments and teaching on maintaining prostrate
health, good nutrition and the importance of
regular exercise. Two interns from CHHS were
also in attendance, as were various health agencies and fitness centers. The students and community participants were able to tour the
Health Department’s mobile health unit, which
travels to various areas of Brunswick County on
a weekly basis.
New Interdisciplinary Course
Diane Pastor, in collaboration with radiation oncologist Patrick Maguire, has developed a new interdisciplinary course within
CHHS, “Caring for the Cancer Patient” (CHHS 492). Twelve students from Clinical Research, Nursing and Exercise Science are
enrolled in the course.
Spring 2015 Meet and Greet
The Spring ’15 “Meet and Greet” has been scheduled for the new student cohort entering in the Fall (Class of Dec ’17). The
event will be held Apr. 20, from 11 to 1 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room. There will be a table set up for each current cohort to
discuss that level of the program and to welcome the new students. Class officers of other cohorts are encouraged to set up separate tables to assist students in this newest cohort with questions and guidance. In addition, there will be a table for each student organization; namely, the Association of Nursing Students and the American Assembly of Men in Nursing, to showcase
their activities and to encourage membership.
ETEAL Event in the SON
The SON participated in the campus-wide ETEAL Exploration Day to showcase ETEAL projects and applied learning
activities. The SON presentation, which consisted of two tables in McNeill Hall, was developed by Nancy Ahern. This was a
university-wide event sponsored by ETEAL. ETEAL (Experiencing Tranformative Education through Applied Learning) is
UNCW’s Quality Enhancement Plan to improve quality of learning for students and faculty.
Volume 8, Issue 3
School of Nursing Newsletter
2ndAnnual CHHS Research Day: April 10, 2015
The College of Health and Human Services is pleased to announce the second Annual CHHS Research Day, “Making Your
Mark—Implementing and Evaluating Community-based Violence Prevention Programs.” The keynote speaker is Moises Prospero, who will discuss the benefits of inter-professional research collaborations to implement community-based interventions
related to violence prevention, how social-emotional learning can improve academic performance and reduce problematic behaviors; and expanding current literature into innovative research, policy, and applied practice projects.
Jeanne Kemppainen, the Irwin Belk Distinguished Professorship, will make a presentation on a theoretical basis for interprofessional research, models for inter-professional research projects, and challenges and opportunities for inter-professional
research.
Faculty and students have been invited to submit an abstract describing their research/scholarship or evidence-based projects.
The event will be held in the Burney Center.
Reflection Day 2015
Students in the undergraduate pediatric course will present their "reflective" projects on Spring '15 Reflection Day, April 28.
The event will be held in McNeill 1051 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Students will present their papers presenting pathophysiology and
relevant nursing diagnoses, as well as present individual projects incorporating the arts and humanities that are reflective of
their experiences with various patient scenarios. Papers and projects also reflect on how the students' experiences frame future
models in nursing practice. Students, staff and faculty are invited to drop in during the event time to view the projects and listen to the presentations.
News from the Office of Student Success
The Office of Student Success has had a busy semester with the addition of two new full-time staff members in the office. We
hired Natalie Bernardina and Becky Hardy in January. We have also begun to interview candidates for four new positions in
the office. These new advisors’ workload will consist of assisting RN-BS students through the orientation and initial advising
phase, RN-BS process mapping, and possibly assisting with Assessment.
Collaborative Event on Cultural Activities within the CHHS
An inter-professional collaboration between the SON, the School of Social Work and the School of Health and Applied Human
Sciences have planned a cultural activities on Apr. 17 from 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. in the McNeill Auditorium, entitled “Fighting Pediatric Cancer: The Necessity of an Inter-professional Approach to Advocacy, Quality Healthcare Service Provision and Funding
Research.” There will be a guest speaker and a panel of individuals involved with the care of children with cancer.
SLC Assistant Exhibits Photography
Barbara Snyder, SLC Assistant, was invited to submit 12 photographic works of art to be included in the 4th Friday Gallery
Walk, sponsored by the Arts Council of Wilmington, on Feb. 27.
The peer-reviewed art exhibitions are displayed at various art
galleries in downtown Wilmington. Snyder, pictured at right,
stands before one of her works “Mannequins.” Snyder also served
as the official photographer on the Cultural Immersion trip to
Belize in early March. (See related story on the final page.)
Volume 8, Issue 3
School of Nursing Newsletter
The 2015 Belize Experience
On March 8 three faculty, one staff assistant
and 22 students, consisting of 6 FNP students and 16 undergraduates, boarded a
plane in Wilmington and headed to the Central American county of Belize. The final
destination was on the outskirts of San Ignacio, a town located in the western part of the
country and east of Guatemala. Over the
course of the next seven days students and
faculty conducted several health clinics and
educational sessions within a variety of settings: elementary schools, private homes, a
university, a village health clinic and an urban market. This cultural experience emphasized the importance of providing health care
and sharing information vital to the management and/or prevention of acute and chronic health conditions among the Belizeans of mixed racial backgrounds (Creoles, Mestizos, Mayan and Garifuna).
Travel to and from the clinical sites involved the use of a compact bus that navigated winding paved and gravel roads. Midday heat was often oppressive and
work conditions were rustic as compared to U.S. clinical sites, but the determination and hard work of the group prevailed. At each of the multiple clinical sites
students and faculty demonstrated compassion and caring for hundreds of locals
who visited the clinics and for a few who were visited within private homes. Key
components of optimal nursing care were exhibited throughout the week’s activities: a willingness to serve others; flexibility with changing schedules and clinical sites; mutual respect and appreciation of colleagues; and providing fundamental nursing skills and compassion for the diverse population.
The hard work performed under difficult conditions was balanced by touring two hospitals and
a long-term care facility and various sightseeing excursions. The group was able to visit
Xuantunich (a popular Mayan ruins site), participate in an evening jungle hike to explore nocturnal sights and sounds of the jungle, shop at the San Ignacio Market and enjoy a tubing expedition down one of the local rivers.
According to undergraduate student Hyla Smith, “We shared experiences, knowledge, skills,
and hope. We touched lives and in return our lives were touched,
all because of a crazy adventure in Belize!”
Appreciation is extended to those on this trip who cared for more
than 800 Belizeans in clinics and within private homes. Students
were Anita Aviles, Maila Bezerra York, Miranda Clary, Erin Cline,
Ashley Concepcion, Jessica Croninger, Jessie Disalle, Jamie Dorman, Amanda Foster, Sarah Fruendt, Nina Hadley, Patty Hanes, Melissa Howdeshell, Becca Lester,
Ali Maher, Kelly McPherson, Hyla Smith, Tori Smith, Silva Stout, Nicole Turner, Megan Turner
and Jenn White. Faculty and staff assistance was provided by Jane A. Fox, Susan Marshall, Sandra O’Donnell and Barbara Snyder.
Please submit calendar events, notable achievements, community events, research/scholarship
activities and questions for faculty/staff to our editorial and production staff: Sandy O’Donnell
(odonnells@uncw.edu)
or
Debra
Simpson
(simpsond@uncw.edu).