Carolina Nursing News

Marcia Van Riper to be First President of International Family Nursing Association

Friday, January 29, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Associate Professor and Division Chair Marcia Van Riper has been elected as the first president of the newly-formed International Family Nursing Association (IFNA).

“It is testimony to the esteem that Dr. Van Riper holds amongst

Associate Professor and Division Chair Marcia Van Riper has been elected as the inaugural president of the International Family Nursing Association.

her peers that they elected her to serve as the association’s inaugural leader,” said Dean and Alumni Distinguished Professor Kristen M. Swanson.

The IFNA brings together scientists, theorists and practitioners with an interest in advancing the care of families. The organization has outlined several additional goals: facilitating networking among family nurse researchers, educators and practitioners, providing mechanisms for disseminating family nursing research, education and practice information, fostering the utilization of nursing research findings, preparing students to be family nurse researchers, practitioners and educators, and being a professional source of evidence and advocacy for health policy and legislation.

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Alumni Panel Tells It Like It Is to BSN Students

Friday, January 29, 2010 · Leave a Comment

One hundred and forty students on the path to earning the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at UNC Chapel Hill School of Nursing assembled in Carrington Hall, Room 15, eager for some career advice: job searching and career promotion.   Job searching is not as easy now as it was a year or two ago.  The great recession of 2009 was causing many nurses to delay retirement and veteran nurses who had retired were opting to return to work in order to supplement income.   This forum, organized by the School of Nursing Alumni Association, was an opportunity to bring a few of the SON’s remarkable stars back into the classroom so students could benefit from their knowledge and experience and share information.

How are careers in nursing started and developed?   What types of qualities does it take to become a nurse leader?   What were the crucible experiences that these leaders experienced that changed and shaped them?  These were some of the questions asked of panelists by SON faculty members Dr. Susan Brunssen and Dr. Shielda Rodgers.

The panel included Gwen Hightower Schultz, BSN 70, MSN 76, associate chief for nursing education at the Durham Veteran’s Administration Hospital; Bonnie Angel, a retired SON faculty member/nurse educator who developed the SON’s Master in Nursing Education and served as president of NC League of Nursing;  Susan Spalt, BSN 67, who created the Carrboro-Chapel Hill public school nursing program and embedded a nurse in every school, and Amy Coghill, MSN 07, who works to improve processes, safety and quality at UNC Hospitals as a certified Clinical Nurse Leader and oncology nurse.  Joining them was Lynn Farber, a pediatric nurse practitioner at UNC Hospitals and clinical leader.

Here are some highlights of the discussion:

  • Be ready at all times to go forward.  To not go forward is to go backward.
  • Take initiative.
  • Be willing to do and to step up.
  • Model the way; encourage your peers; go for an advanced nursing degree.
  • Develop leadership skills by joining a professional nursing association, finding a mentor, and volunteering for committees and projects.
  • Rely on the people around you and ask for help if you don’t know how.
  • Be part of change and believe in change.
  • Be accountable.
  • Trust the people on your team.
  • Develop the habit of mutual appreciation.
  • Empower people.
  • Take a course in social marketing.
  • Educate others about what a nurse can do and develop collaborations.
  • Consider working for the federal government as a way to serve your country.
  • Identify standards of practice.

And during the job interview:

  • Demonstrate that you have experience, because people want to hire those with experience.
  • Show that you are a team player, give examples.
  • Make eye contact and smile.
  • Say why you really want to work at XXXX organization.
  • BE enthusiastic.
  • There is hiring going on!  Think outside the box — case management for health insurers, clinical trial studies.
  • Ask your Alumni Association to match you up with an alumni mentor.

Thanks to Anne Webb, associate director of Advancement and Alumni Affairs, for organizing this terrific panel, and connecting students with alumni.  If you want to talk to Anne, email her at sonalum@email.unc.edu

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SON to Be Site of Hong Kong/UNC Nursing Discussions

Thursday, January 28, 2010 · Leave a Comment

The School of Nursing will be the site of in-depth research conversations on Feb. 5, 2010. Five delegates from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, with whom the SON has a Memorandum of Understanding, will be at the School to discuss many areas in which both institutions intend to collaborate in the future.

Most of the dialogue will focus on end-of-life care, geriatrics, pressure ulcer management, oncology, peri-operative nursing, cognitive impairment, leadership, ethics and legal issues and psychiatric-mental health.

Two main events are planned for Feb. 5. The Hong Kong delegation will make a presentation on the research agenda of their school from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in L700 in the new addition of Carrington Hall. Immediately following the presentation, SON faculty will have the opportunity to engage the Hong Kong delegation in discussions about mutual teaching and research interests. Associate Professor Jennifer Leeman will facilitate these conversations from 1:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Associate Professor Ed Halloran, who spent two years at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, will host.

Esther Mok, professor and associate head (postgraduate studies and management) will lead the Hong Kong delegation. She is also a researcher and lecturer in end-of-life care.  She serves on the review panel of the Hong Kong Nursing Journal and the Asian Journal of Nursing Studies and is on the International Advisory Board for the Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.

Enid Kwong, associate professor and chair of the School Research Committee, has research interests in geriatric care and pressure ulcer management.

Shirley Ching is an assistant professor and the program leader of the full-time government-funded Bachelor of Science (Honors) in Nursing that has more than 800 students. With a focus on cancer nursing, she received the Young Investigator Award 2001 from the Hong Kong International Cancer Congress.

Justina Liu currently teaches undergraduate gerontological nursing and serves as the deputy program leader of the full-time government-funded BSN program. She also oversees student exchange with institutions in Australia, Europe and North and South Americas. Liu’s interests include peri-operative nursing, surgical nursing and management of behavioral problems in people with cognitive impairment.

Frederick Yeung is the program leader of the newly operated full-time government-funded Bachelor of Science (Honors) in Mental Health Nursing. He teaches undergraduate subjects in healthcare leadership roles and management functions, ethical and legal aspects and mental health nursing. Yeung has served The Hong Kong College of Mental Health Nursing as the president and council member since 1999. His research focus is in mental health nursing and nursing management.

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SON Scores High On First-Time NCLEX Exams Again!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010 · Leave a Comment

The first-time NCLEX pass rates for 2009 are in, and School of Nursing students scored well again!

The passage rate was 97 percent, continuing the SON’s long-standing tradition of high licensure exam scores.

“While such outcomes are gathered from one hard working  student/alum at a time, the factors and processes that lead to the collective outcome speak to the commitment on the part of students, faculty, preceptors, and staff  to sustaining a high quality teaching and learning experience, ” said Dean and Alumni Distinguished Professor Kristen M. Swanson.

Congratulations to the many newly-registered nurses!

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Bagels, Pennies & Crafts: School of Nursing Supports Haitian Relief Efforts

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 · Leave a Comment

On Jan. 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti. The earthquake destroyed most of the country’s homes and buildings and killed, according to the most recent government estimates, more than 111,000 people.

In the nearly two weeks that have followed, organizations from around the world have scrambled to provide monetary, medical and humanitarian aid to the victims of this tragedy. The School of Nursing and its students are no different.

In response to the most immediate need for money among nonprofit relief organizations, the School has coordinated several fundraising efforts that will send much‐needed funds to the organizations on the ground that are struggling to work their way through the sick and injured.

Students and faculty have partnered with several nonprofit groups through a variety of activities that will be on‐going over the next several months. All proceeds collected will go to support the work that Doctors Without Borders, the American Red Cross and locally‐managed Family Health Ministries are doing in Haiti.

Every Friday between Jan. 22 and Feb. 26, students, faculty and staff can buy baked goods to support Doctors Without Borders. Panera Bread agreed, through a student‐led effort, to donate items for the fundraiser. Each item will cost $2, with a morning and an afternoon opportunity to purchase assorted baked goods.

“We spend so much time with people here who need help,” said Elissa Poor, BSN Class of 2011. “We’re just trying to figure out the best ways to help people from afar.”

In addition to the bake sale, the School will also host two Global Craft Fairs in support of the work that Family Health Ministries (FHM) does in Haiti. Directed by Nancy Walmer, PNP ’00, this nonprofit organization has a long‐standing presence in Haiti, and all of its clinics suffered some degree of damage in the earthquake, with the Leogane clinic being fully destroyed.

FHM (www.familyhm.org) develops long‐term relationships with underserved individuals and groups and assists them, in culturally relevant ways, to learn to help themselves. In Haiti, FHM supports programs in maternal‐child health, nutrition, education and church development.

Faculty members Jean Davison and Sonda Oppewal helped collect and load medical supplies needed to replenish the resources lost by Family Health Ministries in the earthquake.

Faculty, staff and students are donating their artistic, international craft items for sale. The crafts fairs will be held on Feb. 1 and Feb. 4 with all proceeds to go to FHM.

FHM is also accepting medical supplies (nothing perishable) to replenish its lost resources. Please visit the Web site for specific information.

There are also opportunities for faculty, staff and students to contribute to the relief effort even if their schedules do not allow them to participate in organized events. Collection buckets have been placed strategically throughout the School to collect loose change for “Pennies for Haiti,” an effort that will provide financial assistance to the American Red Cross presence in the country.

Faculty member Andrea Biondi organized this effort after her daughter became involved with a similar activity in her school. There is currently a friendly competition underway to see which school can collect the most money. The Association of Nursing Students (ANS) is also participating in “Pennies for Haiti.”

ANS, however, isn’t limiting its relief‐effort activities to SON‐led endeavors. As a group, ANS has also joined with the University community in One Effort Haiti, a student‐organized plan to raise funds alongside the Campus Y committee, Extended Disaster Relief, in which students donate to Doctors Without Borders through their student ID numbers.

Even individuals are pitching in to make a difference. Graduate student Nanci Sullivan‐Blackert is collecting medical supplies for Joy in Hope (www.joyinhope.org), a nonprofit faith‐based organization that supports Haitian families. Similarly, faculty member Marcia Van Riper helped collect health kits that her church will send to Haiti.

SON officials anticipate that additional projects and efforts will be added in the coming months. For additional information, contact Sonda Oppewal at soppewal@unc.edu.

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SON Searches for Next Kindred Spirits Recipient

Tuesday, January 19, 2010 · Leave a Comment

The School of Nursing is known throughout the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a School that nurtures and cultivates culturally sensitive and culturally competent students. Recognizing the students who take extra steps to provide the most inclusive healthcare possible is part of creating this type of student body.

Each year, the SON selects one student to receive the Kindred Spirits Award – an accolade given to a student whose coursework examines a subject using the lenses of race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality and culture to analyze work in any discipline, or focuses on the contribution of women and men of all colors to society, history, culture or thought in any area of study.

All undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to apply. Students can submit applications themselves or faculty and staff can submit an entry on a student’s behalf. Past winners, however, are ineligible.

Students can submit research papers, essays (academic, clinical and personal), and other written work from all courses. An interpretive essay should accompany poetry, visual arts, architectural plans, computer programs and statistical or laboratory work. If a student elects to submit an application in a language other than English, he or she must provide an English translation. Only one entry may be submitted per student.

To see previous winners, read more about the Kindred Spirits Award or to download an application, visit: http://nursing.unc.edu/departments/oma/awards.html

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Video Highlights New Relationship in Geriatric Research

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 · Leave a Comment

In April 2009, more than 180 representatives from nursing schools, including four Hartford Centers of Geriatric Nursing Excellence, hospitals and other healthcare facilities in 31 states and Australia convened in Durham, N.C., at the Connecting the Dots: Geriatric Nursing, Education and Simulation conference. This international conference presented nurse researchers, educators and clinicians with the opportunity to network and forge relationships that will lead to further investigative collaborations in geriatric nursing education and research.

A grant from the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality supported the dissemination of select portions of this conference, such as videotaping of the keynote speeches and interactive clinical simulation sessions and publishing a special issue of the Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing.

During the two-day event, leaders from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing (SON) and the Flinders University School of Nursing and Midwifery in Adelaide, South Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding. This partnership will assist faculty from both schools in the future as they move to work together on several topics, including aged care, safety and quality, mental health, forensic nursing and abuse and women.

Several other connections were launched during the conference along with the one between the SON and Flinders. Flinders also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing to collaborate in the future on dehydration research. In addition, initial groundwork was laid for a joint effort among Flinders, King’s College Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, a sister school to the SON, and the SON to establish a research agenda on incontinence in adults, especially the elderly.

Below is a video that discusses the burgeoning relationship between Flinders and the SON on future geriatric research and collaborations.

Flinders UNC video

Flinders UNC video

This movie requires Adobe Flash for playback.

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SON’s Center for Lifelong Learning Partners with SOM and Hospital on Pediatric Palliative Care

Wednesday, January 6, 2010 · Leave a Comment

The School of Nursing is partnering with the School of Medicine and UNC-Hospital Children’s Hospital to bring pediatric palliative care experts to campus.

On Jan. 21, 2010, Joanne Wolfe, M.D., MPH, director of pediatric palliative

Joanne Wolfe, M.D., MPH, will hold pediatric palliative care grand rounds at the Friday Center on Jan. 21.

care at Boston Children’s Hospital and division chief of pediatric palliative care service at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, will hold Grand Rounds at the Friday Center at 8 a.m. She will speak in the 4th Floor Auditorium.

In addition to being a pediatric palliative care expert, Wolfe is also a member of the scientific review committee of the National Palliative Care Research Center.

For cost details and additional information, please visit the Center for Lifelong Learning’s Web site.

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Nurses in the Media: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

Tuesday, January 5, 2010 · 2 Comments

The Truth About Nursing, a media advocacy organization dedicated to improving the public’s understanding of nurses’ roles in healthcare, published what it views at the Top 10 Best & Worst portrayals of nurses in both the news and entertainment media for the past decade.

In a recent interview for Carolina Nursing, Sandy Summers, Truth About Nursing executive director, said that portraying nurses in a misleading way has been a long-standing problem for the media.

“Whether it’s TV, films, billboards, magazines or music, the media historically depict nurses incorrectly — they just don’t know who nurses are,” she said. “These portrayals leave people with the impression that nurses don’t do anything interesting or important.”

The irony lies, Summers said, in the fact that a nurse’s job is so vital and dramatic that nursing tasks are often performed by doctors in the movies or on television shows.

To see the full Top 10 list, click here.

The upcoming issue of Carolina Nursing (to be published this month) will include an article on this subject.

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SON Welcomes Kaiser Permanente VP as Ethnic Minority Visiting Scholar

Tuesday, January 5, 2010 · 1 Comment

Marilyn Chow, DNSc, RN, FAAN, vice president for national patient care services at Kaiser Permanente, will visit the School of Nursing in February as the 2010 Ethnic Minority Visiting Scholar.

Each year, the School invites a scholar from an ethnic or minority group to discuss a pressing issue facing healthcare and/or nursing. The goal of the program is to promote the inclusive exchange of ideas between scholar, faculty, students, School of Nursing fellows, the University and the surrounding community.

Marilyn Chow, DNSc, RN, FAAN, vice president for patient care services at Kaiser Permanente, is the School of Nursing 2010 Ethnic Minority Visiting Scholar.

On. Feb. 22, Chow will present a lecture entitled, “Designing the Future of Acute Care Models.” She will speak in the Fox Auditorium in the School of Nursing at 3 p.m. Her lecture is free and open to the public. If you would like to attend, please RSVP to Jill Summers, jcsummer@email.unc.edu.

Chow is recognized for her expertise in leadership, innovation, regulation of nursing practice, work force policy and primary care. Her career has focused on promoting the role of nurses in primary care, advanced practice and hospital-based care. She has co-authored four books, including the award-winning Handbook of Pediatric Primary Care.

She is co-principal investigator for the national study, How Do Medical-Surgical Nurses Spend Their Time. She has received several awards, including Women’s Honors in Public Health and the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing Distinguished Alumni Award. She was recently selected as one of the distinguished 100 graduates and faculty of the UCSF School of Nursing for the Centennial Hall of Fame.

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