The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) recently awarded
Asst. Professor Tom Bush recently received the 2010 American Academy of Nurse Practitioner State Award for Excellence.
assistant professor Tom Bush the 2010 AANP Nurse Practitioner State Award for Excellence. Each year, the AANP selects one nurse practitioner per state to receive this accolade.
Recipients are chosen based on the excellence he or she demonstrates in their practice areas. Bush will be publicly recognized during the 2010 AANP National Conference in Phoenix, Ariz., in June.
Categories: Faculty · News
Tagged: AANP National Conference, AANP Nurse Practitioner State Award for Excellence, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Tom Bush
Did you know that Thorazine treats uncontrollable hiccups? Do you know how to manage treatment resistant depression? How about neuroleptic malignant syndrome? What are the current treatments for reactive attachment disorders? Where do you refer a child with autism? What are the current benefits to using acetylcholinesterase inhibitors to treatment the symptoms of dementia? Who would know the answers to these questions?
A psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner! (PMHNP)
· A psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner is educationally prepared at the master’s (and Doctorate of Nursing Practice) level to provide a full range of psychiatric services, including (but not limited to) assessment and diagnostic reasoning; implementing treatments, such as the prescribing of medications and implementation of individual, group and/or family psychotherapies.
· PMHNP competencies incorporate the health promotion, health protection, disease prevention and treatment focus of psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner practice. For more information, go to this site: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Accreditation/psychiatricmentalhealthnursepractitionercopetencies/FINAL03.pdf
* In 2000, the first certification for PMHNP was offered by ANCC.
* In 2009, there are 96 out of 100 counties in North Carolina that are medically underserved areas (MUA) or health professional shortage areas (HPSA), and many counties still do not have physicians, psychiatrists or nurse practitioners that can manage the psychiatric and mental health needs of their communities.
* Since 2004, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill SON has prepared psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners to provide services to two specific patient populations: Adult (ages 13+) and family (ages birth to late life).
* In 2009, there are 50 students in the SON MSN program in PMHN and approximately 20 will graduate in this academic year.
* In 2009, there are 51 certified PMHNPs in the state of NC.
* From 2010- 2015, the PMHN APA at UNC predicts there will be approximately 20 new UNC graduates per year (or 100 NEW grads by 2015) to help meet the mental health needs of thousands of citizens in the MUA and HPSA counties across North Carolina.
To learn more about the SON’s psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner program:
http://nursing.unc.edu/degree/msn/pmh.html
Categories: Nursing Education
Tagged: health professional shortage area, medically underserved areas, nurse practitioners, psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner educational programs, psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner in North Carolina, psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners
As nursing students approach graduation, their elation with the end of their academic endeavors is undoubtedly mixed with trepidation about the licensing exam they must pass in order to practice nursing.
The NCLEX exam is not an easy test to conquer — it requires students to remember pertinent details from throughout their entire nursing education. Studying and preparing for the test can be overwhelming. There are, however, a few strategies that can help nursing students breathe a little easier as they get closer and closer to test day.
To see five tips to better NCLEX prep: http://scrubsmag.com/2009/09/17/five-tips-to-prep-for-the-nclex/
Categories: Nursing Education · Students
Tagged: NCLEX, NCLEX preparation, nursing licensing exam, tips for preparing for the NCLEX
How big a food pyramid can the School of Nursing (SON) build?
Until Nov. 23, the SON will collect food items for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. This year’s food drive, however, comes with a twist — A Healthy Competition.
Students will compete against faculty and staff to see which group can collect the most food donations by weight. Last year, the students demonstrated exceptional giving prowess — will they repeat their performance? Will the faculty and staff edge them out by a few ounces? We’ll announce this year’s winner at a ceremony on Nov. 24. The prize will be bragging rights and the satisfaction of making a difference for those in need.
This year’s goal: 500 + pounds of food
The Food Bank also accepts monetary donations. Individuals can donate with their Visa or Mastercard and can indicate which items they wish to be purchased with their gift. The SON has established its own page on the Food Bank’s Web site: http://www.foodbankcenc.org/site/PageServer?pagename=VFD_UNCNursing
All proceeds collected will benefit the Food Bank. For every $1 collected, the Food Bank can distribute four meals.
Categories: Faculty · News · Students
Tagged: Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, food drive competition, School of Nursing Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive
Cheryl Batchelor, BSN ‘79, was installed as the secretary for the North Carolina Nurses Association (NCNA) Board of Directors this week. Her term will run from 2010-2011.
In addition to her role with the NCNA, Batchelor is the executive director of Clinical Operations at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst.
To read the full article about her installation and the activities of the NCNA:
http://www.thepilot.com/stories/20091030/news/local/20091030Nurse.html
Categories: Alumni · News
Tagged: Cheryl Batchelor, FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital, NCNA Board of Directors, North Carolina Nurses Association
Associate Professor Ed Halloran was elected vice president of the
Associate Professor Ed Halloran was elected vice president of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing on Oct. 24, 2009.
American Assembly for Men in Nursing at the organization’s meeting in Cincinatti, Ohio on Oct. 24. Halloran will serve a two-year term during which he will chair the education committee and will review abstracts for the September 2010 meeting in Durham, N.C.
Halloran also serves as the advisor to the School of Nursing’s chapter of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing.
Categories: Faculty · News
Tagged: American Assembly for Men in Nursing, Ed Halloran
Assistant Professor Jean Davison discusses how the loss of healthcare
Assistant Professor Jean Davison spoke with the News & Observer about how healthcare coverage loss has affected her patients. Photo credit: News & Observer
coverage is affecting the patients she treats in a Roxboro clinic in the Oct. 21 News & Observer.
In the article, Davison touches on how the high unemployment in North Carolina, as well as the lack of health insurance has affected her patients’ stress and blood pressure levels.
To read the full article: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local_state/story/150467.html
Categories: Faculty · News
The North Carolina Board of Nursing released the third-quarter NCLEX 
pass rates today, Oct. 19. The School of Nursing has maintained its track record of excellence with a 97 percent pass rate for the 165 students who wrote the NCLEX for the first time.
Congratulations to all!
Categories: News · Students
Tagged: NCLEX pass rates, North Carolina Board of Nursing
The next time you log in to the School of Nursing’s Web site (http://nursing.unc.edu), you will be greated with a new home page that offers not only a new face for the School, but also new ways to access information about news and events.
The navigation will remain the same, so you won’t have to learn new routes to find the information you use most frequently. Now, however, you can also link to the School’s Blog, e-News, Flickr, Twitter and Facebook accounts from the home page.
Through this new home page, we hope to bring you more stories about the School, to publicize more news about the School and to keep you up-to-date about more upcoming School events.
We welcome your feedback! You can leave a comment here or e-mail Whitney Howell (whitney_howell@unc.edu) with your thoughts.
Enjoy the new face of Carolina Nursing at UNC!
Categories: News
BSN Class of 2010 students Molly White and Courtney Cox traveled to Guatemala during summer 2009 to provide care for people living in the poor areas of the country, particularly in Guatemala City and the surrounding villages.
With guidance from assistant professor Chris Harlan, White and Cox
BSN Class of 2010 students Molly White (left) and Courtney Cox (right) worked for six weeks in Guatemala City, Guatemala as a summer externship experience.
coordinated their trip through a Texas-based medical mission organziation called Shared Beat. For six weeks, they operated clinics, provided various types of screenings and distributed medications to people who have very little or no access to healthcare, many of whom had never visited a healthcare provider before.
Shared Beat operates the medical mission in cooperation with Safe Passage, a school open near the main city dump in Guatemala. Guatemala City is a very poor, violent place, and Safe Passage offers children an oasis where they can learn, get a healthy meal and participate in social activities. Many of the childrens’ parents collect recyclables and other materials that they can sell from the city dump.
The Guatemala city dump where many of the parents of children who participate in Safe Passage collect recyclables and other materials for money.
White, Cox and the other healthcare provider volunteers on the trip also did home visits in many of the small surrounding villages. A pediatric cardiologist accompanied them on these visits. The majority of people in these villages were living in primitive conditions. Many allow their chickens and other livestock to run free through their dwellings. Often, according to White and Cox, the animals looked and behaved sickly. Unfortunately, the sick chickens were also the only source of eggs and meat for many people.
White and Cox said that it was satisfying to be able to help individuals who have never had
Molly White (right) sits and talks with a man who has come into the clinic in Safe Passage to receive healthcare services.
access to healthcare before. Traveling to Guatemala either with Shared Beat or through the School of Nursing is something both students recommended to anyone considering a global study externship.
Categories: Global health · Students
Tagged: Antigua, BSN global study, Courtney Cox, global externship, global study, Guatemala, Guatemala City, healthcare in primitive locations, Molly White, Safe Passage, Shared Beat
