UNC Wilmington School of Nursing
School of Nursing Newsletter
Volume 7, Issue 3
Editor: Sandra O’Donnell (odonnells@uncw.edu)
Early Spring Issue
Production: Debra Simpson (simpsond@uncw.edu)
Upcoming Dates
Greetings from the Director
March 24: Pre-licensure Council meeting. 3 p.m. McNeill Hall
1038.
It is an honor to serve as the interim director of the School of
Nursing for spring semester 2014. Our dedicated faculty and
staff remain focused on our mission to provide excellent education for nursing and clinical research professionals and to promote the health and quality of life of individuals, families and
communities.
April 11: CHHS Research Day
Burney Center, 8 - 1:30 p.m.
April 14: “Meet and Greet” for
Dec. ’16 Pre-licensure Cohort,
11 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. McNeill
Hall 1051.
April 17-18: Easter Break
April 17: NHRMC Clinical Negotiations Meeting, NHRMC,
noon - 1:30 p.m.
April 21: Undergraduate Council Meeting, Room TBA. 3 4:30 p.m.
April 30: Last day of classes
May 2 - 8: Final exams
May 6: Nurses’ Day Celebration, Burney Center Ballroom,
5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
May 5 - 7: Hurst NCLEX Review. Multipurpose Room,
8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
March 2014
Our program outcomes continue to be strong in regard to
NCLEX passing rates, FNP certification, student satisfaction
and faculty teaching, scholarship and service. One program I would like to recognize for its commitment to education and innovation is the RN-BS program. This
year the program evolved online delivery to an accelerated format that allowed for
six admission cycles in the year, thus encouraging working nurses to return to
higher education to complete a bachelor’s degree in nursing. To date, the program
has increased 250 percent. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released
transformational document, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing
Health, which highlighted the need to increase the education of nurses. It specifically recommended increasing the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree to
80 percent by 2020. Special thanks to the faculty for transforming this program,
not only to address the IOM recommendation, but to make the dream of higher
education possible for many practicing nurses.
This is just one example of the great work being done here at UNCW. The College
of Health and Human Services and SON continue to plan for exciting strategic
initiatives in new program development, inter-professional collaboration and community involvement and outreach. We look forward to the challenges of change
and the opportunity to continue to affect positive health outcomes.
May 9: SON Awards Ceremony,
Kenan Auditorium, 2:30 p.m.
May 9: University Commencement for CHHS and Watson
School of Education, Trask
Auditorium, 5:30 p.m.
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.
Spring 2014 Meet and Greet
The spring “Meet and Greet” has been scheduled for the new student cohort entering
in the fall (Class of Dec ’16). The event will be held 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 14 in the
Multipurpose Room. A table will be 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.
Volume 7, Issue 3
School of Nursing Newsletter
Notable Recognition
RuthAnne Kuiper will serve as a leadership mentor to Amita Avadhani in the Nurse Faculty Leadership Academy (NFLA) sponsored by Sigma Theta Tau International in partnership with the Elsevier
Foundation. The purpose of this academy is to enhance the personal leadership development of new
nurse faculty to promote faculty retention and cultivate high performing, supportive work environments in academe. The NFLA will commence with an intense workshop at the end of March in Indianapolis, Ind., to bring together all participants in the program. Scholars, leadership mentors, and faculty advisors work together as a triad through two workshops and throughout the 18-month program
which culminates in a summary presentation at the 2016 Biennial STTI Convention in Las Vegas, N.V.
Grant funding is awarded to all participants to defray the cost of participating in the academy.
Kelsey Decker (prelicensure May ’08) received the Award for Excellence in Critical-Care Nursing by the Friends of Nursing at
Duke University. This organization was created to reward and recognize excellence in nursing and provide affordable education
opportunities for nurses. Decker’s award includes an educational stipend, recognition within the Duke Raleigh Hospital and a
presentation at the annual Friends of Nursing Gala.
News from the Office of Student Success (OSS)
The OSS is excited to announce the arrival of our newest student success advisor, Leah Frierson, who joined the OSS Feb. 24.
The prelicensure nursing program continues to be popular with 109 applicants for the fall ’14 cohort. The program remains very
competitive with the following averages among the top 50 admitted students for this newest cohort:
Math/Science Prerequisite GPA Average: 3.74. Non-Math/Science Prerequisite GPA Average: 3.73. Average TEAS Score: 83.7.
The RN-BS program continues to grow, with a total of 203 students currently in the program. We are excited as more RN-BS
students join the nursing program at UNCW and look forward to working with them throughout their time at UNCW.
Pre-registration advising for summer/fall 2014 is underway and will continue throughout March. The OSS looks forward to
meeting with the pre-nursing and pre-clinical research students during this exciting time of year!
Simulation Learning Center News
The community health undergraduate course has used many of the
volunteer standardized patients (SPs) for their student home visits in
our home care lab. Students explain that it is very helpful to assess a
“real patient” in preparation for their actual community visits.
The nurse practitioner class of Diane Pastor (pictured center in the
photo) interviewed two SPs for their class asking questions related to
cognitive abilities, fall risk and depression assessment to name a few.
The husband-and-wife team acted out a scenario which students responded to which enhanced their critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning skills, not to mention it was a lot of fun!
Our new undergraduate geriatric nursing course is using a SP for students to complete their home safety assessment. They arrive in pairs
at the simulated home and find that the “patient” has fallen. The faculty observes from the control room and followed by debriefing with the students. The patient also participates in the debriefing so students receive feedback and learn the patient’s
perspective during the simulated experience. The high fidelity manikins were used during simulation experiences of the seniors
on Feb. 27 –28.
The N.C. Athletic Trainers Association held part of its annual workshop in two of the labs on March 7 using medium and high
fidelity simulation to enhance their practice of acute injury management skills. This group consists of faculty throughout N.C.
and is led by Kirk Brown of the UNCW Athletic Training Department.
The N.C. Business Committee for Education toured the labs on March 4 with 20 seventh graders from New Hanover County as
part of its outreach work to expose the students to nursing and other possible health careers.
Volume 7, Issue 3
School of Nursing Newsletter
Notable Achievements
Diane Pastor had a poster abstract accepted at the Region 13 Conference of Sigma Theta Tau International to be held in
Winston-Salem April 11-12. The poster is titled “It's in the Bag: Emergency Preparedness Training for Student Nurse Practitioners.” Pastor was also selected to attend a Harvard Medical School faculty development session titled, “Delivering Difficult
News” March 7-8 in Boston where she presented her case entitled “Evelyn’s Story”. The session, organized by the Institute for
Professionalism and Ethical Practice, was an interdisciplinary health care professionals’ program focusing on strengthening skill
sets in communicating difficult news to patients and families. Pastor will also travel to Denver the first week of April to attend
the annual National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) conference to discover new developments in nurse
practitioner educational programs.
Pastor and her colleague Corrine Jurgens had an invited book chapter accepted for publication entitled “End of Life Care in
Skilled Nursing Facilities.” The chapter will appear in End-of-Life Issues in Cardiology (Springer Publishing Company).
Patty White and Traci Bramlett both presented breakout sessions at the 15th Annual Coastal Pediatric Symposium Feb. 27 - 28.
White’s topic was “The Art of Caring for Children in Grief.” Bramlett presented a session on Childhood Obesity in Southeastern
N.C. The intended audience consisted of physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, counselors, social workers and
other health care practitioners working in pediatrics.
Barbara Lutz is co-investigator on a grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) that was awarded
Dec. 17 and titled “An Emergency Department-to-Home to Improve Quality of Life and Reduce Hospital Use” PatientCentered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), Donna Carden, MD, PI, $1,800,000.
Lutz also co-authored two white papers. One is titled “Framework for measuring nurses’ contributions to care coordination”
and is available online: http://www.nursingworld.org/Framework-for-Measuring-Nurses-Contributions-to-Care-Coordination.
The other, titled “The essential role of the rehabilitation nurse in facilitating care transitions.” Association of Rehabilitation
Nurses, is a paper of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (2014, Rehabilitation Nursing, 39, 3-15. doi: 10.1002/rnj.135.)
Lutz has two submissions in peer-review publications. The citations are as follows:
Katzan I.L., Spertus J., Bettger J.P., Bravata D.M., Reeves M.J., Smith E.E.,… Lutz B.J., Yeh R.W. (2013). Risk adjustment of ischemic stroke outcomes for comparing hospital performance: A statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association [published online ahead of print January 23, 2014]. Stroke. doi:
10.1161/01.str.0000441948.35804.77; and
Holloway, R.G., Arnold, R.M., Creutzfeld, C.J., Lewis, E.F., Lutz, B.J., McCann R.M., Rabinstein, A.A., Saposnik, G., Sheth,
K.N., Zahuranec, D..B., Zipfel, G.J., & Zorowitz, R.D. (2014). (in press). Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Stroke: A Statement for Healthcare Professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke (in press).
Findings from one of her studies has also been published. The citation is as follows:
Young, M. E. Lutz, B. J., Creasy, K. R., Cox, J. . . & Martz, C. (2014). A comprehensive assessment of family caregivers of
stroke survivors during inpatient rehabilitation. Disability and Rehabilitation, [Jan. 28, 2014, e-pub ahead of print].
Deborah Pollard published her research on post-partum depression. The citation is as follows: Jarosinski, J. & Pollard, D.
(2014). Postpartum depression: Perceptions of a diverse sample of low-income women. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 35(3),
189-197.
2014 Reflection Day
Students in the undergraduate pediatric course will present their “reflective” projects on Spring ’14 Reflection Day, April 29
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in McNeill 1051. Students are assigned to write papers presenting patients’ pathophysiology and relevant
nursing diagnoses, and create individual projects that incorporate the arts and humanities, are reflective of what was seen with
the various patient scenarios and explain how the caring experiences frame future models in nursing practice.
Volume 7, Issue 3
School of Nursing Newsletter
Organization News
Association of Nursing Students
The UNCW Chapter of the Association of Nursing Students (ANS) participated in the
“Healthcare in the World Viewed through an American Lens” discussion in February and
the Special Olympics Polar Plunge at Carolina Beach (see photo at right).
Katie Browder (May ’14), pictured at left,
represented the UNCW chapter at the N.C.
ANS convention in Greenville March 1 - 2.
The convention consisted of seven guest speakers, each of whom spoke on their
respective nursing career paths and who made presentations on various topics,
which included choosing fulfilling nursing careers, getting involved in the legislative arena and nursing research in neurological and genetic areas. Also, attendees
engaged in a dialog with a panel of nursing experts regarding nursing career
choices and networked with hospital organizations represented at the convention. Before adjournment participants were presented with a three-hour “mini”
Hurst review for NCLEX. Browder also toured East Carolina’s College of Nursing, where the Hurst review was conducted.
Association of Diversity for Student Nursing
Association of Diversity for Student Nursing(ADSN) was approved February 3 to study and foster
acceptance of differences in patient populations and to provide community service through collaborative efforts of other UNCW organizations.
On Feb. 22, 30 members of the newly created organization painted the walls of four classrooms at
the United Cerebral Palsy center and in the process raised $200 for future events. This community
activity was coordinated by Taylor Meiburg and Erin Smothers. Both the ANS and AAMN organizations participated in this event to accomplish this large undertaking. Eventually the members
hope to donate a mural or painting to McNeill Hall.
American Assembly of Men in Nursing
The American Assembly for Men in Nursing Chapter has had two meetings this semester. Two guest speakers shared their experiences at the meetings: Jill Harrington, a human resources specialist from New Hanover Regional Medical Center, and Patrick
Bruff, (prelicensure May ’12).
The organization hosted a fundraiser at Jason’s Deli and contributed $128 for their efforts to the organization’s treasury. Two
additional meetings are scheduled this semester in order to elect new officers and to host a guest speaker on practice as a
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA).
Student Association of Clinical Research
Students in the clinical research program organized the Student Association of Clinical Research (SACR). Members will be
participating in the Azalea Festival Street Fair on April 11-13 to inform the public about clinical research, its importance and
how to participate locally or nationally. The members also hope to promote the clinical research program on the UNCW campus with campus activities.
The group hopes to participate in other local community events by hosting clinical research socials and planning activities that
will foster collaboration between the local clinical research industry and UNCW’s clinical research program. Further, members
hope to provide networking opportunities for members to connect with local representatives of the clinical research industry.
Volume 7, Issue 3
School of Nursing Newsletter
Inaugural CHHS Research Day: April 11, 2014
The College of Health and Human Services is pleased to announce its first Annual CHHS Research Day, “Building a Community of Scholars,” scheduled April 11. Faculty and students have been invited to submit abstracts describing their research/
scholarship or evidence-based projects. This event is an excellent opportunity for students and faculty to share creative ideas
and scholarly projects. The event will be held in the Burney Center.
12th Annual Video Japanese Conference
The 12th annual Japanese video conference, which consisted of two sessions
on Jan. 27 and Feb. 4, was coordinated
by Brandy Mechling (pictured at left).
Mechling presented a portion of her
dissertation research “The Potential
Impact of Parents’ Mental Illness on
Their Emerging Adult Children.”
Tamatha Arms (pictured at right) also
presented her dissertation research
“Educational Interventions to Increase
Detection of Metabolic Syndrome at Community Mental Health Centers.” The conference also included a guest speaker from a community mental health agency, Hillary Faulk Vaughn, clinical director at Physician Alliance for Mental Health.
Curriculum News
The SON Curriculum Committee reports that the new curriculum courses introduced this semester (Pathophysiology/
Pharmacology) and Gerontology Nursing (new as far as an added clinical component and increased depth of the theory component) are running smoothly. The SON Curriculum Committee expects to compare and contrast clinical experiences for Gerontology (Nsg 334) and Foundations in Professional Nursing Practice (Nsg 252) to ensure that there are minimal redundancies
with health care of the older population. Meanwhile new curriculum courses this semester that are being offered for the second
or third time continue to be streamlined and enhanced. A proposed policy to allow students to administer IV push meds has
been developed and has been discussed at the last SON Curriculum Committee meeting on March 17. Implementation for the
new policy is fall 2014. A SON Curriculum Committee retreat will be conducted to reexamine concepts and content across the
program now that implementation has been underway for almost three semesters.
The CHHS Curriculum Committee is working on implementation strategies for a cultural diversity infusion proposal developed
by Steve Elliott, Noell Rowan, Lisa Sprod and Anne-Marie Goff at the Interprofessional Faculty Development Institute for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety conference held in January in Herndon, Va.
Race for a Cure
Five nursing faculty participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for
a Cure held March 1 in Wilmington. Nursing faculty who were on
the CHHS team included Stephanie Turrise, Barbara Lutz, Beth
Gazza, Robin Cunningham and Penny Sauer.
Other CHHS runners included CHHS Dean Charlie Hardy, Peggy
Wichmann, Candy Ashton, Chris Lantz and a few family members.
Volume 7, Issue 3
School of Nursing Newsletter
The 2014 Peru Experience
From the lowland tributaries of the
Amazon River to the highlands of
Machu Picchu, a 10-day medical mission and tour expedition in Peru provided several nursing students and
faculty the “experience of a lifetime.”
The Peru Experience was an intense
yet inspiring mission for 14 students
and three nursing faculty who spent
five days in Iquitos and the surrounding Amazon jungle. The group of 18
(which also included Natalie Picazo, interim director of UNCW’s Centro Hispano) set up clinical sites in three different areas and
attended to over 360 native Peruvians. Each student was able to perform three major roles at the various clinical sites: triage,
assisting one of the faculty nurse practitioners and dispensing medications to the patients. Throughout the trip participants were immersed in
the cultural practices and economic and environmental conditions
unique to this part of the world. Also, a visit to an Iquitos nursing
school provided opportunities for UNCW students to exchange information with the Peruvian
students regarding their respective nursing programs.
As a bonus students and faculty enjoyed the final three
days of the excursion touring
the cities of Cusco and Lima
and climbing the ruins of
Machu Picchu.
“This experience has been the
most fulfilling, rewarding and
educational experience of my
entire life.” (Erin Smothers, May ’14).
“Definitely very eye-opening as
far as how other people live. It
made me appreciate the simple
things we often take for granted.” (Laura Thomas, May ’14)
“It was an inspiring trip to make
me want to go out and do other
medical mission work and to be
able to share this positive experience with other students.” (Kelly
McPherson, May ’15)
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).