Villanova University College of Nursing

Villanova launches new Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

2011-11-09T09:09:00.001-08:00

Villanova University College of Nursing’s full-time Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program starts in June 2012 and is created exclusively for advanced practice nurses. The goal of the program is to prepare APRNs with advanced knowledge in evidenced-based practice, organizational leadership, and financial acumen to lead innovation in nursing practice and healthcare. The complex issues and changing landscape of healthcare have created a need for APRNs to respond effectively and implement solutions with interdisciplinary teams or independently in order to achieve positive healthcare outcomes for individuals and populations.

Led by Director Debra Shearer, EdD, MSN, FNP-BC, Villanova’s DNP provides students with a personalized experience - one of the hallmarks of a Villanova Nursing program. It integrates the convenience of an online DNP program with minimal on-campus visits. Villanova’s DNP is a practice-focused doctoral program that relates to the student’s work environment, with an emphasis on broad systems thinking in order to facilitate the design and implementation of models of patient care and clinical practice.

Villanova’s DNP is designed in four consecutive semesters with a unique, clinically-themed DNP Project supported by faculty and clinical mentors. Each DNP cohort will have a theme to direct the DNP Project as it relates to their individual practice environments. Each student will then use the theme as a foundation for their scholarly DNP Project.

APRNs who want to translate nursing science to clinical practice and improve health care outcomes can learn more about Villanova’s DNP program during an Information Session on November 30th from 5 to 7 pm. For APRNs who attend the session, the application fee is waived. Register online at www.villanova.edu/nursing/dnp .

Network with us on LinkedIn!

2011-10-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

Looking to connect professionally with other members of the Villanova Nursing family on LinkedIn? First join the “Official Villanova University Alumni Association Network” group then join our subgroup "Villanova Alumni in Nursing" (note: you do not have to be a Villanovan or a graduate to join, though to first join the VUAA group, you need to be connected to Villanova in some way--alum, student, faculty, staff, parent, friend of the university) See you on LinkedIn!

VUAA group
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1833&trk=hb_side_g

Nursing group
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2804180&trk=hb_side_g

It’s all in the numbers: 80 + 225 = 20/20

2011-09-26T11:52:00.001-07:00

Graduate nursing student Hannah Thomas tests the depth perception of a Philadelphia first grader while he wears “3D” glasses that should enable him to identify raised shapes hidden in blocks.

College of Nursing students have a t-shirt that says “Villanova Nurses” on the front and on the back “Cover your mouth. Wash your hands. Get your sleep. Take your vitamins. We’ll take care of the rest.” They proved their ability to have an impact on health when they mobilized for a September 23rd screening blitz at a South Philadelphia elementary school as part of the University’s 2011 Day of Service.

Eighty undergraduate, graduate and faculty volunteers headed to the school—one where the majority of families live below the poverty line. Awaiting their arrival were 1,000 children, a welcoming principal and staff, and one talented nurse practitioner. The goal? Screen as many of the youngest students as possible to identify potential vision and growth and development issues early in the school year so they can be addressed in time to have a positive, productive academic experience.

After a brief orientation, the school cafeteria buzzed with the efficiency of a beehive as students broke up into groups and in about two hours, screened over 225 Kindergarten and first grade students (the school’s well-regarded nurse practitioner says he would have needed over two months given his workload). The Villanova Nurses assessed the youngsters’ height and weight as well as near vision, distance vision, color vision and depth perception.

Another nursing student group visited eight Kindergarten and first grade classrooms and gave energetic health presentations featuring songs about learning and hand washing and a craft project to reinforce the topic for a lifelong healthy habit.

The vision screenings will have immediate results. For example, teachers said they would be re-configuring classroom seating so that children with impaired vision are closer to the front of the room while waiting for their follow up assessments. The screening identified enough children so that the Philadelphia Eagles' Flight for Sight van will be coming to the school to provide for the children further evaluation, free eyeglasses and, as needed, referrals for continuing treatment.

The College of Nursing has an ongoing relationship with the school. Associate Professor Carol Toussie Weingarten, PhD, RN, ANEF each spring has a group of senior nursing students there for their health promotion clinical practicum. She is also the advisor of the Villanova Chapter of the Student Nurses Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) and works with students on volunteer projects at the school. This fall screening was organized by student leaders including SNAP President Megan Copel, Vice Presidents Brittany Beckmann and Hillary Dutton, and Coordinator Sarah Gross who worked long hours to ensure success.

Promoting medication safety with new simulation technology

2011-09-14T13:25:00.001-07:00

Junior nursing student Jessica Lee scans a simulation medication as she uses a new medication dispensing cabinet in a clinical simulation. The technology, in addition to the nurse’s knowledge, promotes patient safety and is designed to decrease the occurrence of drug errors in a clinical setting.

Nothing replaces the “six rights” that nursing students learn as part of medication administration techniques—the right patient, drug, dose, route, time and documentation, plus the correct reason for its delivery. These checks are done before administering any medication to prevent potentially lethal drug errors. While the nurse’s clinical reasoning remains critical, technology also plays a role in safety today.

A major thrust of The Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals of 2007 includes the mandate for hospitals to implement a plan for executing a bar-code technology and medication delivery system. This “point of care” solution helps to automate medication administration including validation of the six rights of medication administration. Hospitals have invested in medication dispensing cabinets which store not only the day’s medication for a patient but also the prescriber’s orders and related drug information such as allergies that have an impact on patient safety.

The Learning Resource Center (LRC) at the College of Nursing has invested in patient safety as well, purchasing five medication dispensing cabinets for its clinical simulation labs. Students who are learning about drug administration, or are soon to start their clinical practica in acute care settings, benefit from hands-on practice with this technology. “Because medication safety procedures are critical to overall patient safety goals, the integration of these advanced medication systems allow faculty to provide more realistic and effective medication administration experiences in the clinical simulation lab,” says LRC Director Colleen Meakim, MSN, RN.

Each mobile workstation has a 15” touch screen with a Windows based operating system, barcode scanner and 24 drawers for medications, plus a cabinet for bulks supplies such as those required for intravenous therapy. It also includes a supply of Demo-Dose medications, prepackaged simulation drugs with accurate labels and barcodes just as the students would see in the clinical setting.

Students learn the principles of safe medication administration in the sophomore year followed by a more detailed experience in administering multiple types of medications and use of various routes of administration starting in the junior year. Student Jessica Lee used the new technology early in the semester before starting her medical-surgical clinical practicum at an area hospital. “Practicing on the med carts in lab helped me to think critically while in clinical,” says the junior from Albany, N.Y. She and her clinical group, guided by faculty, participated in medication administration simulation scenarios where the nursing students read their patient’s history and current status and check their patient’s orders for the shift. They log into the workstation, select their patient and the drug to be given, run through a series of checks and scan the drug barcode before administering the drug. The system alerts them to potential problems, such as allergies or an incorrect drug selection, thereby protecting the patient.

How does your garden grow?

2011-09-09T07:22:00.001-07:00

Andrea Baxter, Lorna Brod, Gary Yam and Nancy Miao, second degree BSN students from the College of Nursing, assisted Philadelphia senior citizens this summer in growing a garden for health. “The community garden project was a great way to keep the neighborhood active and healthy,” says Yam.

A garden is a healthful thing, but as weekend warriors know, there can be hazards. Thanks to College of Nursing students at Villanova, there are Asian and African-American senior citizens who feel only the joy of their community garden in Philadelphia’s Logan section.

During the summer, students from the BSN program for adults with a college degree in another field worked with Assistant Professor Ruth McDermott-Levy, PhD, RN and the Nationalities Services Center (NSC) for their health promotion practicum. The 90 year old non-profit NSC provides social, educational and legal services to immigrants and refugees in the Greater Philadelphia area.

The garden is a project of the NSC so that the senior residents can participate in a meaningful outdoor activity of growing vegetables. Tara Schartzendruber-Landis, the Center’s Director, was instrumental in starting the garden and obtaining crops indigenous to the homelands of the immigrant senior citizens. Many of the Asian seniors were farmers in their home countries. They grow the vegetables to have at home, though there is also a garden for NSC to provide fresh produce for the Center’s lunches.

The nursing students spent time in the garden, and spoke with the seniors and NSC staff to determine what the greatest educational need was related to the garden. They then prioritized topics of importance. The students developed instructional materials related to body mechanics, healthy practices while gardening, nutritional choices of food grown, and the psychological benefits of gardening. The healthy practices extended to attention to sustainability with composting nearby and no pesticides were used. Springing forth from the garden were tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, radishes, lettuce, spinach, sprouts, cucumber, zucchini and herbs.

Student Gary Yam recommends that community leaders develop their own gardening projects. He notes, “The community garden provided the elderly population with an inexpensive source of healthy food, and exposure to healthy amounts of sunlight, while promoting outdoor exercise and active community participation.”

Telling an untold story

2011-09-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

Dr. Carol Weingarten, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) in Germany, has volunteered nearly 300 volunteer hours over the last three summers working with ambulatory ill and wounded troops. She also initiated a nursing journalism project to tell the stories behind the excellence at LRMC.

Nursing students make cards for wounded troops at LRMC at a July 14th SNAP meeting and pizza party.

Summer 2011 found College of Nursing Associate Professor Carol Toussie Weingarten, PhD, RN, ANEF and her husband, Michael S. Weingarten, MD, MBA, FACS, a VSB alumnus, returning for their third annual two-week volunteer session at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. U. S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Reservists and National Guard serve together at LRMC (pronounced "larm-see"), the largest American military hospital outside the United States.

While Dr. Michael Weingarten served as a volunteer civilian vascular surgeon with the Combat Casualty Program, sponsored by the American Red Cross, caring for wounded American and Coalition troops airlifted from "down range" locations like Afghanistan and Iraq, Dr. Carol Weingarten was again a civilian volunteer working with ambulatory ill and wounded troops through the Chaplains' Wounded Warrior Ministry projects. She brought with her unique cards with sentiments of support and gratitude created by nursing students in the College’s accelerated second degree BSN program who are members of the Villanova Chapter of the Student Nurses’ Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) for which Dr. Weingarten is advisor. The cards are a welcome addition to the Wounded Warrior project and the nearly 300 volunteer hours she has logged at LRMC.

The professionalism of the staff and the excellent care that Dr. Weingarten saw in different areas of the hospital during her 2009 visit inspired nursing journalism projects in 2010 and in 2011. “You see with ‘nursing eyes’ wherever you are,” she notes. Her interviews with military and civilian staff nurses and the nurse leaders of LRMC have already resulted in publications and presentations featuring the extraordinary individuals who ensure excellence in "an atmosphere of transition and diversity." “The articles are a way -- my way--of introducing other nurses to some extraordinary people who work in an extraordinary place,” she explains. This year’s profiles will be published in state- and international-level nursing journals, earning wide dissemination. Dr. Weingarten wishes that time would allow an even broader and deeper dive into each person’s fascinating story of nursing, courage and service, saying “I could easily write a book on each one.”

Nurse anesthesia students earn national awards

2011-09-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

College of Nursing graduate nurse anesthesia students Lena Congo, Darolyn Milburn, Christopher Scott, Rachel Atkinson, Amanda Stewart and Jenna Fiorella-Bufkin bring Wildcat pride to the celebration of their national awards recognizing their superior anesthesia knowledge and public relations skills at the at the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists 78th Annual Meeting in Boston in August.

For the College of Nursing’s graduate nurse anesthesia students, it’s not who you know, but what you know…and how you promote it…that makes them recent winners at the national level.

Students from the rigorous 27-month program attended the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) 78th Annual Meeting in Boston in August. Not only did they expand their professional knowledge in their new specialty and network with colleagues from around the nation, they also came away with two awards.

The Villanova nurse anesthesia students won the AANA PR award for best public relations effort by an individual, small group, organization, or company not affiliated with a state association. The honor recognized their stellar efforts in running and promoting a highly successful food drive in January during Nurse Anesthetist Week that brought in nearly a ton of food to restock Philabundance, the Philadelphia region’s largest hunger relief organization.

Additionally, student Christopher Scott was the Villanova representative to one of the six AANA College Bowl teams who successfully competed in answering anesthesia-related questions to win the competition. His team also beat a team of nurse anesthetists.

Health Disparities - September 27th

2011-09-01T12:12:00.001-07:00

The College of Nursing invites the community to attend “Health Disparities” with Calvin B. Johnson, MD, MPH on Tuesday, September 27 at 5:30 p.m. in the Driscoll Hall Auditorium.

Health disparities refer to differences between groups of people in terms of how frequently a disease affects a group, how many people get sick, or how often the disease causes death.

Dr. Johnson is formerly Secretary of Health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for the Temple University Health System in Philadelphia. He is currently President of Altre Strategic Solutions Group. With a background including practice, service and government combined with national leadership roles, he brings a unique perspective to the conversation on communities and health disparities.

The lecture is free and is part of the College of Nursing’s 17th Annual Health and Human Values Lecture Series: Promoting Dignity through Global and Public Health.

Blood drive sponsored by the College of Nursing's Undergraduate Nursing Senate 9/13

2011-08-30T12:49:00.001-07:00

Recycle yourself! Give blood on Tuesday, September 13th in St. Mary’s Gym during the Undergraduate Nursing Senate (UNS) Blood Drive from 11am to 5pm. Appointments preferred via www.redcrossblood.org, enter sponsor #2031.

For over 25 years, UNS has been sponsoring blood drives with the American Red Cross. That's a lot of lives saved by the Villanova community.

What happens to your blood? Blood may be used for whole blood transfusions or it is separated into its components including red blood cells, plasma, platelets, and antihemophilic factor. Each component can be transfused to different individuals with different needs. Therefore, each donation can be used to help save as many as three lives—among them premature infants, babies having open heart surgery, people with hemophilia, and trauma, cancer and burn patients.

You can help three people and give hope to their families and friends by being there September 13th!

Hazel Johnson '59 dies, first female African American general

2011-08-08T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hazel Johnson, '59 BSN, seen here during a light moment as she delivered an address at the Alpha Nu brunch in 2003 during the College's 50th Anniversary gala weekend.

Hazel Johnson, Class of 1959, died on August 5. Hazel was the first African-American woman to hold the rank of General in the U.S. Army and the first African American to hold the position of Chief Nurse of the Army Nurse Corps. She was profiled in the Spring 2006 issue U.S. Military Nurses: A Special Salute to Leaders in Service of Villanova Nursing on pg. 3.

Following retirement from the Army, Hazel directed the Government Affairs office at the headquarters of the American Nurses Association, and taught in the graduate nursing program at George Mason University. She also served on the Villanova University Board of Trustees. Hazel was one of the first recipients of the College of Nursing Medallion for distinguished achievement, honored by her alma mater in 1984. A native of West Chester, Pa., she earned graduate degrees from Columbia University and her doctorate from The Catholic University of America. Over the last several years she has been in failing health and has lived in Wilmington, Del. with her sister, Mrs. Gloria Smith, who survives her. A leadership award is given in her name annually at the nursing convocation for graduating students.

Funeral arrangements are pending, however burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery for this pioneering Villanovan.

Success reins: A story of ribbons and relationships for Villanova Nursing equestrian alumna

2011-07-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

Nancy Palombo Ehle ’81 BSN shows Albert (CH Out Go The Lights) in saddle seat competitions around the country. She has learned that balance in life is the way to succeed in her chosen sport.

It’s not unusual for family members to have similar interests, but when it comes to the Ehle family of Orefield, Pa., dedication comes in dual categories-nursing and horseback riding. Nancy Palombo Ehle ’81 BSN is chief financial officer at Lehigh Anesthesia Associates in Allentown, a practice owned and founded by her husband Bob, a nurse anesthetist. Nancy and Bob have supported and encouraged daughter Ally’s interest in equestrian events all the way to the international level. Ally, a junior nursing student at Villanova following in her mother’s footsteps, rides American Saddlebred horses and in August of last year won the Adult 5-Gaited Pleasure class at the prestigious World’s Championship Horse Show in Louisville, Ky.

While her daughter Ally is a world champion, Nancy is also an accomplished, longtime rider. She translates the cool control and quick reactions needed in her former career as a critical care nurse to equestrian events. In saddle seat competitions (a type of English riding), Nancy demonstrates the graceful, high trotting gait of her horse Albert, also known as CH Out Go The Lights, and with much success. In May, she placed second at The Bonnie Blue Horse Show in Virginia in the Adult Country Pleasure Division and also won two blue ribbons at The Raleigh Spring Premier Horse Show in North Carolina in March in the Novice Country Pleasure Division—impressive showings for an equestrian who has only been in the show ring for just over a year. “I am thrilled to be showing and competing,” Nancy notes. She continues to impress the judges this summer. In June, Nancy won the championship in Adult Country Pleasure at the 38th Syracuse International Horse Show held at the New York State Fairgrounds.

Underneath the elegance one sees in saddle seat is the sheer strength required to work so closely and precisely with a highly trained, 1200-pound horse. It is a connection that is vital. "Riding saddle seat is physically and mentally challenging,” explains Nancy. “I must stay on top of my game at all times to be competitive in this sport.” It is a demanding devotion but it seems this nursing alumna has the solution. “At times it is difficult because of all of the other things going on in my life: wife, mother, volunteer, etc…I find that balance is the key to success," she explains.

Now daughter Ally anxiously awaits results during shows as her mother competes, just as her Nancy does for her. Riding has added a special dimension to their lives both inside and outside the rail, one that Nancy hopes will endure, “Ally and I have a wonderful time being in this sport together and share a special bond that I feel to fortunate to have with my daughter. I hope we can continue to ride our beautiful horses for a long, long time.”

Cards for wounded troops project

2011-07-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

SNAP's President Megan Copel has confirmed SNAP's interest in sending hand made cards to wounded/ill troops transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center(LRMC) in Germany. LRMC is the largest American military hospital outside the USA and the hospital where ill and wounded troops are transported from such "down range" locations as Afghanistan and Iraq.

My husband and I will be returning to LRMC for the third time. He again will be a civilian volunteer Vascular Surgeon with the Combat Casualty Program, and I will be a civilian volunteer with the Chaplains' Wounded Warrior Ministries (WWM). I am glad to bring the cards with me, as I did last summer. The cards were distributed to the wounded/ill troops through the WWM and were very much appreciated.

Please consider writing a card. A card can be as simple as a folded colored or white paper with some non-political good wishes. Envelopes should NOT be used, as for security reasons, cards are opened. The wounded and ill troops are male and female, American and coalition (Britain, Canada, Australia, Romania, Poland, etc.), so cards might be given to troops from the other countries; everyone is grateful. Troops come from various services within the military and come from all religious and other backgrounds.

Materials for making cards (paper, markers, pens, etc.) will be available at the SNAP meeting, Tuesday, July 12. People who cannot come to the meeting but would like to contribute a card or cards can bring them by July 12 to Ms. Susan Leighton who has been most gracious in offering a box for the cards to be collected. Her office is on the third floor of Driscoll Hall. Ms. Leighton herself has been recognized for her work with troops.

Wishing everyone a good summer,

Carol Toussie Weingarten, PhD, RN, ANEF
Advisor-SNAP-Villanova

Nursing students embark on summer externship in psychiatric-mental health nursing

2011-07-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

Seniors Meagan Van Eerde and Chelsea Havelock (front row, 3rd and 4th from left) join other externs and Coordinator Dr. Ben Evans, RN APN (back row, right) in the Psychiatric Student Nurse Externship at Bergen Regional Medical Center.

Villanova, PA, July 7, 2011— Two senior students from the Villanova University College of Nursing, Chelsea Havelock and Meagan Van Eerde, are participating in the Psychiatric Student Nurse Externship in the Behavioral Health Division at Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus, NJ. This is the second year the externship has been offered.

The Villanova students joined 10 other nursing students who were selected from an applicant pool of students from Pennsylvania and New Jersey schools. This externship offers the students an opportunity to deepen their interest in the specialty of psychiatric-mental health (PMH) nursing. They spend 175 hours in the clinical setting working as part of the multidisciplinary team. Students have the opportunity to rotate through two different inpatient services during the summer as well as an observational experience in the forensic (jail) unit.

The externs work closely with the Unit RNs and assist in direct patient care, individual and group therapy and have the opportunity to attend relevant in-service education. Additionally, student externs attend a biweekly roundtable which offers the opportunity to hear from clinical experts on topics related to the field, such as the role of the psych nurse generalist, the role of the PMH Advanced Practice Nurse, ECT, dual diagnosis of addiction and mental illness and social work-nursing collaboration.

Dr. Joyce Willens is president elect of ASPMN

2011-06-07T06:43:00.001-07:00

Joyce S Willens, PhD, RN, BC, has been elected President Elect of the American Society for Pain Management Nursing. She will serve one year in that role and then serve a year as president. She is an assistant professor in the College of Nursing.

Dr. Willens is a longtime advocate for pain management and a leader in ASPMN. She is the editor of Pain Management Nursing, the official journal of ASPMN published by Elsevier, and was previously on the journal’s editorial board. Dr. Willens is also one of two nurses in the nation selected from ASPMN to the Content Expert Panel for the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s new certification examination in pain management. She has authored many chapters on pain management and edited the 1996 AJN Book of the Year titled Pain management: an interdisciplinary approach. Dr. Willens has chaired ASPMN’s taskforce that completed the role delineation survey defining what pain management nurses do. This study was published in Pain Management Nursing and serves as a basis for test content outline.

Free CE Reunion Weekend!

2011-06-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

Reducing Stress Through Financial Health
Christina Larson Kelly ‘74 BSN, MSN, RN, CFP™
President, Larson Financial Planning, Inc.
Member, College of Nursing Board of Consultors

Saturday, June 11
2:30-3:30 p.m.
Driscoll Hall Auditorium
1.2 contact hours

Nursing alumna Christina Larson Kelly combines her healthcare knowledge with years of executive-level experience as a financial planner. Tap into her expertise and discover ways to improve your financial picture while earning 1.2 contact hours at the same time!

This is a free event sponsored by Villanova’s Nursing Alumni Association.
Registration is required.
Visit www1.villanova.edu/villanova/advancement/alumni .

Submit a photo for J&J mosaic

2011-05-12T07:03:00.000-07:00

J&J has been a huge supporter of nursing, promoting the profession as a recruitment tool and fundraising for scholarships, some of which have been awarded to Villanova nursing students.

They are creating a photo mosaic of nurses and are looking for images if you are interested in sending a file. Please see details below.

As the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future looks forward to celebrating its 10th anniversary in February 2012,we are taking the opportunity to thank and recognize nurses for their continued dedication and passion with several new and exciting initiatives. As part of this effort, the Campaign is launching The Art of Nursing: A Portrait of Thanks Mosaic Project to create a visual that depicts the impact nurses have had on the community over the last decade and which becomes a symbol of pride for nurses. Please join the Campaign by helping us create this historical image of nursing. You must be a nurse to submit a photo for this mosaic. We would love to as many nurses as possible join in this effort so feel free to tell other nurses or pass this email along to them.

To submit your photo just link to http://campaignfornursing.com/portraitofthanks/
The deadline to submit a photo is November 2011. The final mosaic will be unveiled in February 2012!

Nursing student and world class equestrian seeks clinical and competitive challenges

2011-05-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

Underneath the derby, part of the formal attire required in saddle seat competitions, there is the mind and spirit of a nurse. Ally Ehle, a Villanova nursing student, earned a victory lap around the show ring in August 2010 after she and Tony (show name CH Titleist Right Tonight) were crowned World Champions in the Adult 5-Gaited Pleasure class at the World’s Championship Horse Show in Louisville, Ky.

Villanova University has claimed numerous world class athletes—well known in sports such as basketball and track to name just two. But look closely in Driscoll Hall and you’ll see another world champion in junior nursing student and equestrian Allyson Ehle. Ally, who is from Orefield, Pa., is a member of the Class of 2013 studying at the College of Nursing. As a former national champion and current world champion in saddle seat, Ally echoes Winston Churchill’s sentiment that “No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.”

Developed in the United States, modern saddle seat is a style of English riding designed to show off the high trotting action of certain horse breeds. It is done on the flat, meaning there is no jumping (something Ally did when she first started riding at age seven). Ally started riding saddle seat at age nine and has competed on American Saddlebred horses in the 5-gaited class which includes the walk, trot, and canter, as well as a fast, showy gait and a slow gait.

Being an active sorority sister and student in a challenging major would be enough to keep anyone busy. Add in weekly three-hour round trip drives to the New Jersey barn where her horses are stabled, and you realize Ally is an expert juggler as well. “Balancing school and riding is difficult, especially during show season,” she admits, which luckily is mostly outside of the academic year. She is grateful to her professors for their flexibility and is as dedicated to her schoolwork as she is to training for competitions. Her commitment results in not only excellent grades but also blue ribbons.

“I am very fortunate to own and work with some of the greatest and most talented horses in the country and none of my accomplishments would be possible without them,” explains Ally. In 2009 at the National Championships in Kansas City, Mo., she and Winston (show name CH Sir Winston C) were named the Country Pleasure National Champions for riders 18-30. That same year, she and Tony (show name CH Titleist Right Tonight) were crowned the 5-Gaited Show Pleasure National Champions and Grand Champions for all adult riders. Through August of 2011, she and Tony carry the title World Champion which they won last summer in the Adult 5-Gaited Pleasure class at the prestigious World’s Championship Horse Show in Louisville, Ky. “It is an honor to even compete at the World’s Championship which is why winning there is one of my proudest moments to this day,” Ally notes. In October, she exhibited at the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Ky., a competition held every four years with over 50 countries competing. She and Tony were invited to provide a saddle seat demonstration which was “pretty exciting.”

Ally credits her mom, Nancy Ehle ’81 B.S.N. as a major influence in her life. “She is one of the reasons I chose Villanova and nursing,” offers Ally, noting that her father is also in the profession as a nurse anesthetist. “My mom has been riding for years…We like riding and traveling to shows together.” Riding has had a positive effect on Ally’s growth, “I have developed a lot of patience through riding which I think helps my performance as a nursing student. I also think that over the years riding has contributed to my overall confidence as a person” which is an asset in patient care.

Ally’s devotion to her rigorous academic life means tough choices. She is missing a favorite competition this year, the local Devon Horse Show, so that she may enhance her global perspective and study abroad for five weeks through Villanova's Summer Program where she will take courses in medieval Catholicism and the history of Italian cities.

Ally looks forward to further challenges both in her career and in the show ring. She describes her goals, “In a few years, I hope to be working as a nurse in a Philadelphia-area hospital. The more experience I get with nursing, the more I think I would like to work with children but I've also considered becoming a nurse anesthetist. We'll see what the future brings.” No doubt it will include more blue ribbons.

Distinguished nurses honored by College

2011-05-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

The College of Nursing recently honored three distinguished nurses with its highest award, the College of Nursing Medallion. The Medallions were presented by Connelly Endowed Dean and Professor M. Louise Fitzpatrick Ed.D., R.N., FAAN at the 22nd Annual Mass and Alumni Awards Ceremony on April 9 held in the St. Thomas of Villanova Church on the University campus. The event is co-sponsored by the College and its Nursing Alumni Association.

The 2011 Medallion recipients are seen above with Dean Fitzpatrick and University President The Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D. They are:

Mary Ann McGinley, Ph.D., R.N., Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Medallion for Distinguished Service to the College of Nursing,

AnnMarie Young Papa ’77 B.S.N., ’95 M.S.N., D.N.P., R.N., CEN, NE-BC, FAEN, Interim clinical director, emergency nursing and clinical nurse specialist, emergency department, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; president, Emergency Nurses Association, Medallion for Excellence in Clinical Practice,

Tara Siegal Cortes, ’67 B.S.N., Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, Executive director of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, professor and Mathy D. Mezey Chair, Geriatric Nursing, New York University College of Nursing, Medallion for Distinguished Contributions to the Profession

Four faculty honored for 25 years of service

2011-05-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

The College of Nursing recently honored four faculty for 25 years of service: Professor Linda Copel, Ph.D., R.N., FAPA; Clinical Assistant Professor Deborah Wimmer, M.S.N., CRNP; Assistant Professor Marycarol McGovern, Ph.D., R.N.; and Associate Professor Carol Weingarten, Ph.D., R.N., ANEF (who was unable to attend but was represented by daughter Robin Weingarten, M.S.N., R.N.).

The recognition by Connelly Endowed Dean and Professor M. Louise Fitzpatrick Ed.D., R.N., FAAN, who discussed the contributions of each to nursing education, the students, University and profession, took place at the 22nd Annual Mass and Alumni Awards Ceremony. The April 9th event was held in the St. Thomas of Villanova Church on the University campus and was co-sponsored by the College and its Nursing Alumni Association.

Nursing events at Reunion Weekend

2011-05-05T12:40:00.001-07:00

All Nursing alumni are encouraged to attend Reunion Weekend June 9-12! Don’t miss an update on the College and our future from Dean Fitzpatrick as well as a prescription for your financial health from alumna Christina Larson Kelly ‘74 BSN. If you haven’t yet been to Driscoll Hall, this is a terrific opportunity to see our state-of-the-art home.

Both events are complimentary, though registration is required. Please review the details below and register online. See you soon! https://secure.www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/VLN/event/showEventForm.jsp?form_id=69404

Saturday, June 11
Driscoll Hall Auditorium

• 9:00 a.m. Chat with Dean Fitzpatrick

• 2:30 p.m. Reducing Stress through Financial Health, 1.2 contact hours
Christina Larson Kelly ‘74 BSN, MSN, RN, CFP™
President, Larson Financial Planning, Inc.
Member, College of Nursing Board of Consultors
Sponsored by the Nursing Alumni Association

Nursing alumna Christina Larson Kelly combines her healthcare knowledge with years of executive-level experience as a financial planner. Tap into her expertise and discover ways to improve your financial picture while earning 1.2 contact hours at the same time!

Lynz Parker is 2011 Falvey Scholar from Nursing

2011-05-02T08:22:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Nursing's Falvey Scholar, second degree BSN student Lynz Parker who on Friday presented her research: Health and health care correlates of lower back pain and selected mental health alterations among adult respondents to the 2008 National Health Interview Survey. She represented us well! The Falvey Scholar award is an annual program established by Falvey Memorial Library to recognize outstanding undergraduate research. It is a collaborative initiative of the Library, the Honors Program, and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. Lynz's mentor was Dr. Nancy Sharts-Hopko, professor and director of the doctoral program.

SNAP-Villanova honored again

2011-04-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Villanova University's chapter of the Student Nurses' Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP-Villanova) for receiving the Most Nationally Recognized Award from Villanova University's Office of Student Development!

SNAP has received the university award in addition to being recognized for the following:
• the state SNAP's award for the Most Outstanding Chapter in Pennsylvania for the second consecutive year
• designation as a Stellar School by the National Student Nurses' Association. Only 10 schools in the United States hold this recognition.
• National Community Service Honorable Mention Award for SNAP-Villanova's dedication and work for the campus wide Andy Talley Bone Marrow Drive and Program.

SNAP-Villanova is one of the largest and most active chapters in the state. Each year it provides outstanding professional development opportunities to the next generation of Villanova Nurses, under the leadership of longtime advisor, Associate Professor Carol Weingarten, PhD, RN, ANEF.

Igniting interest in safety among children for National Public Health Week

2011-04-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

College of Nursing student Eric Nowaczyk, along with Bridget Baker and Jackie Dunayevich, teaches Dobson 8th graders about fire safety.

Safety was the name of the game as students from the College of Nursing at Villanova University in Villanova, Pa. kicked off National Public Health Week on April 4th by teaching critical health topics to 7th and 8th graders at the James Dobson Elementary School in nearby Philadelphia. Given their age and compelling injury statistics for children, the nursing students focused on home and sports safety, preparing educational messages in line with the theme for the week “Safety is NO Accident: Live Injury-Free.”

The nursing students who participated are in the College’s traditional bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program or accelerated BSN program for adults with a college degree in another field. The students discussed sport safety in line with the Safety at Play theme of National Public Health Week in the 7th grade classroom. The students developed posters that will hang in the school gym to reinforce the content. They talked with the 8th grade students about fire safety. Discussion targeted having working smoke detectors in the house, making an escape plan with their parents, and knowing what to do in the event of a fire in their home. Games were used to spark interest and engage the youngsters in applying their new knowledge. Smoke detectors were awarded as prizes to the two students who found the most words in a home safety word search.

Having nursing students teaching the children had other positive effects, in addition to learning how to live injury-free. “The Villanova nurses are terrific role models for our students, having them in our school brings college closer to the students,” notes Dobson school counselor Lori Lertora, an alumna of the University.

Regardless of the degree program—the College has bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level programs—students at Villanova have an ongoing focus on patient and community safety and the promotion of health. “Villanova Nursing faculty and students used the APHA week as a reminder of the important role nurses play in keeping individuals and communities safe,” says Kim Connolly, MPH, RN, clinical assistant professor and director of the College of Nursing’s Center for Global and Public Health. This focus cuts across all areas of practice. From discussing safety messages with patients in clinical settings—such as preventing falls at home or encouraging safe environments for infants-- to providing education in school settings, Villanova Nurses highlighted the importance of thinking about and implementing proactive measures at school, work, home and in the community.

College of Nursing’s anesthesia students respond to hunger emergency

2011-04-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

Pain-free surgery and a full pantry—it’s all in a day’s work for the community minded anesthesia students from the Villanova University/ Crozer-Chester Medical Center Nurse Anesthesia Program. They don’t just deliver highly potent drugs to their patients; they also deliver food to those in need—nearly a ton of it.

In celebration of the 2011 Nurse Anesthetist week this winter, the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA) Public Relations committee, chaired by Villanova/Crozer’s Associate Program Director Jodie Szlachta CRNA, PhD, sponsored a successful statewide food drive. Approximately 203 students from eleven nurse anesthesia programs throughout the state participated in various community activities and supported statewide agencies to assist neighbors.

In the midst of their rigorous 27-month classroom and clinical education, the Villanova-Crozer junior and senior students focused just as much intensity on the service effort. Jennifer Venafra, SRNA who earned her BSN at Villanova in 2006 and Amy Arbushites SRNA, coordinated the 35 students and 3 administrators who participated from the Villanova-Crozer program. They solicited donations at 10 sites, including both stores and clinical sites. Students stood outside grocery stores in unforgiving weather and even encouraged people to use a texting option to donate if they could not give food. Their efforts paid off for Philabundance, the region’s largest hunger relief organization, which happily accepted multiple car loads of food—1900 pounds of it to be exact—as well as $100.

Philabundance reduces hunger and food insecurity in the Delaware Valley. It serves low income residents at risk of hunger and malnutrition, of which 23% are children and 16% are senior citizens. For those people, better nutrition means better health.

The students were energized by the experience. At the same time they advocated feeding the hungry and created a positive change in the community, the students were also able to promote nurse anesthesia as a vibrant part of the nursing profession.

Undergraduate Nursing Scholars Day

2011-04-13T07:28:00.000-07:00

Long hours, research techniques, nursing knowledge, clinical experience and a big dose of drive came together as the scholarly work of undergraduate nursing students was showcased at the inaugural Undergraduate Nursing Scholars Day held April 12th in Driscoll Hall.

The campus community joined the College of Nursing for the poster presentations by students from the traditional undergraduate and accelerated second degree programs on such topics as lower back pain, intellectual disabilities, community health worker education, exercise programs, shared governance, breast feeding, collective bargaining and bipolar disorder. The faculty challenged the students who will graduate soon to find evidence based solutions for the clinical situations they will encounter in their practice and share them in a similar forum.

Additionally, senior nursing majors in the Community Health Nursing course developed and presented talks followed by Q&A on their Population Assessment Projects representing developmentally challenged populations, an ethnic population in Philadelphia, a South Philadelphia neighborhood, and a North Philadelphia population as well as a Kensington neighborhood, maternal /child populations in Philadelphia, adults in Conshohocken, international sites in Central and Latin America, and Chester County health problems. Each group had reviewed health statistics as well as the impact of economic, social and environmental factors on the morbidity and mortality of their assigned population. They further identified and prioritized health issues and multidisciplinary solutions to those problems.

College of Nursing Medallion

2011-04-07T13:29:00.001-07:00

On Saturday April 9th, the College of Nursing will honor two alumnae with its highest award—the College of Nursing Medallion. The awards will be presented during the 22nd Annual Mass and Alumni Awards Ceremony to be held in the St. Thomas of Villanova Church. All are welcome to attend.

The Medallion for Distinguished Contributions to the Profession will be given to Tara Siegal Cortes ’67 B.S.N., executive director of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, professor and Mathy D. Mezey Chair, Geriatric Nursing, New York University College of Nursing. Dr. Cortes has also served as a member of the Villanova Board of Trustees. The Medallion for Excellence in Clinical Leadership is awarded to AnnMarie Young Papa ’77 B.S.N., ’95 M.S.N., interim clinical director, emergency nursing and clinical nurse specialist, emergency department, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; president, Emergency Nurses Association .

A third Medallion for Distinguished Service to the College of Nursing goes to Mary Ann McGinley, PhD, RN, Senior Vice President for Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Additionally, four faculty are being honored for 25 years of service: Dr. Linda Copel, Dr. Marycarol McGovern, Dr. Carol Weingarten and Prof. Deborah Wimmer.

Nurses promoting safety

2011-03-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

“Safety is NO Accident: Live Injury-Free” is the theme for National Public Health Week April 4-10. The American Public Health Association is encouraging all Americans to think about how, by making just one positive change a day, you can prevent injuries and start living a safer life.

“Villanova Nursing faculty and students will use this week as a reminder of the important role nurses play in keeping individuals and communities safe,” says Prof. Kim Connolly, director of the College of Nursing’s Center for Global and Public Health. From discussing safety messages with patients in clinical settings—such as preventing falls at home or encouraging safe environments for children-- to providing education in elementary school settings, Villanova nurses will highlight the importance of thinking about and implementing safety measures at school, work, home, and in the community.

Why is patient safety an integral part of nursing care and teaching? Thirty million people are hurt seriously enough each year to go to the emergency room and injuries are the most common cause of premature death before the age of 65.

Here’s what you can do TODAY:
1. Buckle up
2. Stop driving while distracted or under the influence
3. Move cleaning supplies and medicines to higher ground, out of reach of children
4. Program emergency numbers, such as the Poison Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222), into your phone
5. Use car seats for children as directed
6. Have children use the bike helmet EVERY time
7. Check your smoke and CO detectors
8. Fix any risky areas in the house that can cause a fall
9. Ask your children about bullying in school or online
10. Find out who your children are talking to online

For more statistics and safety tips, visit http://www.nphw.org/nphw11/first1.htm.

Creativity in community health

2011-03-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

How does a used plastic bottle save a life and the planet? Ask a Villanova nursing student. When senior nursing students travel to the Dominican Republic with faculty for an international pediatric nursing experience they perform health screenings and care for underserved children in the bateyes (shantytowns) surrounding the sugar plantations. They also educate volunteer community health workers (CHWs) about critical health topics for the region, such as asthma. Many young children have asthma yet when they need to have a dose of airway-opening medication from their inhaler, they are not able to synchronize the drug administration with their breath and don’t receive its benefits. Combining environmental safety principles with nursing ingenuity, the students recycle clean plastic drinking bottles to create a spacer—a tube attached to the inhaler that briefly contains the puff of aerosolized medicine near the mouth until the child takes a breath and inhales it.

Students teach the CHWs to safely cut off the bottom of the bottle to create the tube, line the edges with duct tape for comfort and tape the inhaler to the open neck of the bottle. The open bottom is placed over the child’s mouth area to create a seal, the medicine is dosed into the tube, and when the child takes a breath, he inhales the life-saving drug. Additionally, there are fewer plastic bottles littering the area, or being burned or buried and contaminating the environment.

Scenes from senior student spring international health experience in the Dominican Republic

2011-03-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

April 6th Information Session: BSN/MSN Gateway Program for RNs

2011-03-14T12:37:00.001-07:00

Are you an RN who wants a BSN? Learn more about our BSN/MSN Gateway Program for RNs at our April 6th Information Session! Join us from 5:30-7:00 pm in the Driscoll Hall Auditorium for Program overview • individual advisement • transcript review • student speaker • tours...register online for this free event at http://nurseweb.villanova.edu/surveys/Gateway/infosession.asp . Bring a friend!

Questions? Contact Dr. Patricia Haynor at patricia.haynor@villanova.edu or 610.519.7751.

Where nursing and engineering converge

2011-03-11T13:27:00.000-08:00

Hemodialysis is just one of numerous examples of the nursing and engineering professions converging—even on Villanova’s campus. While Noelle Comolli, PhD, an assistant professor of Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering was preparing for a freshman class project on the artificial kidney, she contacted the College of Nursing in search of a clinical expert. Answering the call was Tamara Kear, PhD, RN, CNN, assistant professor, who was then completing her doctoral dissertation at Villanova. Dr. Kear has over 15 years of clinical practice in hemodialysis with a variety of publications on the subject. She lectured to two engineering classes on renal failure and the clinical aspects of hemodialysis to aid in their understanding of the end-user experience. Theory met design in the burgeoning engineers’ projects. On March 11, the students presented their posters outlining their design of artificial kidney. In this photo, Dr. Kear is seen with two students from her lecture and their poster.

Hospice VP shares expertise with students

2011-03-10T06:48:00.000-08:00

This morning, senior nursing students benefitted from the expertise of Terri Maxwell, PhD, APRN, vice president, Clinical Initiatives for excelleRx, Inc. — a company committed to palliative care pharmacy services for patients enrolled in hospice. Dr. Maxwell has an extensive background in hospice and palliative care. She has numerous publications and presentations at the national and international level and is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy.

Dr. Maxwell discussed the purpose and scope of hospice, the role of the nurse, pain management for dying patients and physical and psychological signs of end of life. Her guest lecture was part of the course Community Health Nursing & Health Promotion taught by Assistant Professor Elizabeth Petit de Mange, PhD, MSN, NP-C, RN.

The Future of Muslim-Christian Relationships in the Middle East

2011-02-24T08:31:00.000-08:00

The College of Nursing and the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies invite the campus community to hear Dr. Abdulrahman al-Salimi’s lecture “The Future of Muslim-Christian Relationships in the Middle East” on Tuesday, March 22nd at 4:00 p.m. in the Driscoll Hall Auditorium. Dr. al-Salimi is chief editor of al-Tasamoh (Tolerance) Journal, Ministry of Endowments & Religious Affairs, Sultanate of Oman.

Health Promotion and the Arab-American Community

2011-02-21T07:31:00.000-08:00

Ruth McDermott-Levy, PhD, RN, assistant professor (center) with AACDC's Associate Director Zeina El Halabi and Americorps volunteer Wiam Mutan.

Newly arrived immigrants who settle in the Greater Philadelphia area frequently seek assistance from the Arab-American Community Development Cooperation (AACDC). This non-profit organization which the College learned about from Marwan Kreidie, M.A., adjunct professor in the Political Science Department and executive director of AACDC, seeks to provide services addressing health care needs, citizenship learning, English as a second language and immigration issues to the estimated 30,000 Arab-Americans living in the five county area. Under the guidance of Ruth McDermott-Levy ’96 M.S.N., ’08 Ph.D., R.N., assistant professor, senior nursing students have the opportunity to participate in a community health clinical rotation at this social service agency. This experience provides students an opportunity to address health promotion strategies with the consideration of the culture and Muslim religious practices. While on the campus of the AACDC, the students who participate in this clinical rotation experience a kind of cultural immersion without traveling abroad.

“Immigrant populations are vulnerable to many of the social determinates that influence health such as poor quality housing, income, education, being powerless, and discrimination. The way population health data is collected, the Arab immigrant community does not usually show up on the ‘health needs radar screen,’ but they are subject to many of the same problems of other minority groups,” explains Dr. McDermott-Levy. She further notes, “I am able to use my experience with Arab-Muslim students from Oman to understand cultural, religious, and health practices to help students address the needs of this important group. My opportunities led to my doctoral dissertation concerning Muslim women college students studying in the United States.”

For the past three years, the AACDC provides a rich setting for student interactions with the community. After completion of a comprehensive community assessment of the Center which offers an Islamic day school for children, a food bank for families, job skill training, health education programs, support services to refugees and scholarly programs from visiting professors (which are open to the public), the Villanova Nursing students develop a health promotion program to meet the needs of the community. Our students have worked with an English-as-Second-Language (ESL) tutor to teach breast health, healthy food choices, managing stress related to acculturation and an integrative pest management program. Nursing students provide information regarding health insurance options for adults and children as well as health lessons and health screenings for children in the adjoining Islamic day school. As a positive consequence of the Villanova presence, one member of the community now offers weekly exercise classes for Arab women which are modeled after a presentation by the Villanova students. The students may also observe an Islamic worship service and sample Arab food during their clinical rotations which enriches their understanding of the culture and daily life of the community.

The relationship with this clinical site has enhanced the development of needed services for this immigrant community while providing the opportunity for nursing students to learn community assessment skills, health education, and cultural and religious competence through cultural immersion. Students have also had the opportunity to work with native speaking interpreters which provides experience that can be transferred when caring for those from other cultures who are not English speakers.

This fall, Dr. McDermott-Levy shared her experiences of working with our students through a presentation “Teaching the Needs of Immigrant Populations and Cultural Competence through Community Partnerships" at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Denver. In the future, Dr. McDermott-Levy hopes to expand health promotion opportunities on topics of occupational health in the work settings where many of the members of the community are employed.

The nursing students’ experience with this new immigrant population is one example of how the College of Nursing extends its reach to diverse cultural groups and populations in the Greater Philadelphia area.

Inspiring young minds about education

2011-02-08T07:19:00.000-08:00

The importance of staying in school and meeting goals through education was the message on February 4th for 20 sixth grade boys from the Delaplaine McDaniel School in south Philadelphia. The energetic students, their teachers and chaperones were hosted on campus by volunteers from the College of Nursing’s chapter of the Student Nurses’ Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP-Villanova), and members of Villanova's football team along with Allison Venella who is coordinator of Student Services in Athletics. SNAP’s faculty advisor, Carol Weingarten, Ph.D., R.N., ANEF, associate professor, facilitated the day while senior Kaitlyn Singlemann and sophomore Sarah Gross coordinated the SNAP volunteers. Both nursing students are SNAP's special liaisons to Athletics and chair SNAP's projects with the McDaniel School.

This initiative was a natural extension of existing relationships. SNAP and the football team already co-sponsor and collaborate on service projects, such as those with middle school children and the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Donor Drive. The College of Nursing has an existing relationship with the McDaniel school as it is a site for health promotion practica for senior students as well as other SNAP volunteer activities. This was the first time McDaniel students visited Villanova. Their questions spanned a variety of topics, including how long it takes to graduate from college, how Nursing’s clinical simulation models work, where the football team plays and whether or not basketball players walk around the campus.

There was palpable excitement when the boys toured the Pavilion and Davis Center and learned about the lives of student athletes. Their excitement was just as high with hands-on experience in the College’s clinical simulation lab. Each student had an opportunity to feel pulses and check oxygen levels of the computerized human patient simulators as well as explore how nursing students learn to take care of patients. After the academic portion of their tour, the visitors enjoyed having lunch with members of SNAP and the football team and visiting the University Shop.

Villanova Nursing call for abstracts for educator conference

2011-02-07T07:42:00.001-08:00

Baltimore’s Inner Harbor is the site for the 38th Annual National Conference on Professional Nursing Development, Advancing and Empowering Nurse Educators: Charting a Course for the Future hosted by the College of Nursing at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel on October 21-23, 2011. Abstracts are currently being submitted for consideration – www.villanova.edu/nursing/ce/conferences . Deadline for abstract submission is April 30, 2011. Don’t miss this opportunity to discuss critical issues facing professional nursing education and development and network with international colleagues from all realms of nursing education.

Villanova Nursing selected for Peace Corps Fellows/USA Program

2011-01-12T14:00:00.001-08:00

The College of Nursing at Villanova University announces that, after a rigorous process, it has been selected as a Peace Corps Fellows/USA Program site by the United States Peace Corps.

Through this exciting new partnership, the College will welcome returned Peace Corps volunteers to campus. The goal of the Peace Corps Fellows/USA program is to give the returned volunteers an opportunity as Fellows to continue working with underserved populations in a domestic setting while engaging in formal study to advance their own career. Fellows may choose nursing as a second career and enroll in the College’s accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program for college graduates with degrees in other fields. For Fellows who are already nurses with a bachelor’s degree, there is the option to enroll in the College’s Graduate Program in a specialty such as nurse anesthesia, nurse practitioner, nursing education or health care administration.

“I can’t think of a better way to honor the University and College commitment to human service and the nurturing of a global community than to initiate a Peace Corps Fellows/USA program here at the College of Nursing. Launching it during the Peace Corps’s 50th Anniversary year makes it even more exciting,” says Kim Connolly, M.P.H., R.N., director of the College’s Center for Global and Public Health and the new Peace Corps Fellows/USA coordinator. Connolly is a veteran of the Peace Corps, having served in Niger, West Africa.

The Fellows’ education is enriched by the internship serving an underserved population where they can continue to apply the experience they gained living and working overseas. The College of Nursing has a variety of collaborating community organizations to use as sites. In addition, Fellows will participate in professional seminars with other nursing student leaders, will present their Peace Corps experience to other Villanova students, and will partner with faculty mentors to achieve career goals.

For more information:
Kim Connolly, MPH, RN
Director, Center for Global and Public Health and Peace Corps Fellows/USA Coordinator
College of Nursing, Villanova University
kimberly.connolly@villanova.edu
http://www.villanova.edu/nursing/global
610-519-5902

Peace Corps information: www.peacecorps.gov

Nursing students and faculty co-present at national public health conference

2010-12-13T06:40:00.000-08:00

College of Nursing faculty and students presented their multidisciplinary work at Villanova to an even larger multidisciplinary group in Denver at the fall APHA meeting. It was an “energizing experience” says Dr. Elizabeth Keech, right, joined by Dr. Ruth McDermott-Levy and senior nursing students Katie Weatherbie and Caitlin Krenek.

Elizabeth Keech, PhD, RN and Ruth McDermott-Levy, PhD, RN, assistant professors at Villanova University College of Nursing, were joined by their students, seniors Caitlin Krenek and Katie Weatherbie, respectively, for paper presentations at a recent national conference. Each pair presented their aspect of study for the multidisciplinary Villanova project “Improved Rural Health Care Through Low-cost Telecommunication in Waslala, Nicaragua” at the 138th American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting on November 10 in Denver. The theme of the meeting was Social Justice: A Public Health Imperative.

The nursing group has been working on the Nicaragua project with faculty and students from the College of Engineering and the Villanova School of Business. “Having the opportunity to collaborate here at Villanova with students of other disciplines broadens our students’ perspectives,” explains Dr. Keech.

Both nursing and engineering faculty and students have been promoting health and a clean accessible water supply in Waslala for years. With this project, the nurses are assessing the learning needs of community health workers (CHWs) and their understanding of health issues in the area, and will be aiding them in the use of cell phone technology to assess and treat their fellow community members with health concerns but who are at a distance from trained medical professionals. They are also working with local officials to gain support and collect more background information. Since health-related statistics such as births or deaths are either unreliable or not reported at all, the nurses are assisting the community with capturing data consistently and building a foundation of health records that can be used for evaluation of interventions.

Dr. Keech and Krenek presented “Assessing health outcomes using telehealth in remote areas of Nicaragua.” Krenek enjoyed meeting other members of APHA with similar goals and collaborating with them. “It really opened my eyes to possible professional paths I can pursue in the future,” she says of the large, multidisciplinary conference. Weatherbie agrees, “It showed the impact research can have on a population. Speaking to people interested in our project after we presented was encouraging as well.” She presented "Self-indentified learning needs of lay health workers in rural Nicaragua" with Dr. McDermott-Levy.

Helping Main Line Health prepare for disaster

2010-12-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

Villanova nursing students as well as faculty and staff assisted Main Line Health’s Riddle Memorial Hospital in Media, Pa. during its October 13th disaster drill. The volunteers, led by Joanna McGrath MSN RN, adjunct faculty, at Villanova University College of Nursing, participated in the drill which was being conducted to assess emergency preparedness at multiple hospitals across Delaware County. Feedback from the participants and the hospital staff will be used to identify areas of strength in performance as well as areas for improvement.

The Villanova Nursing volunteers prepare for the disaster drill at Riddle Memorial Hospital, including Patricia Prieto, MSN, RN, clinical skills specialist in the Learning Resource Center [LRC] (left), Joanna McGrath, MSN RN, adjunct faculty (3rd from right), and undergraduate students Julia McGrath, Karyn Holiday, Brianna Bennet, Eric Eshleman, and Maddie Wechsler. Not pictured are Susan Markert, LRC assistant and Karen May, MSN, RN, doctoral student.

Omani nursing students enjoy National Day celebration

2010-12-07T07:50:00.001-08:00

On November 16th, a group from the Villanova University College of Nursing enjoyed a reception for the 40th celebration of the Sultanate of Oman’s National Day. Twenty-four Omani undergraduate and graduate nursing students along with Rose O’Driscoll, MSN, RN, assistant dean for Administration at the College who was representing Dean Fitzpatrick, were invited to the Omani Embassy in Washington, D.C. for a gathering hosted by H. E. Hunaina Sultan Al-Mughairy, the ambassador of Oman. They also visited with Cultural Attaché Dr. Asya Al-Lamki.

Oman’s Ambassador to the United States, H. E. Hunaina Sultan Al-Mughairy, (back row, 4th from left) joined College of Nursing students during the National Day reception she hosted.

College of Nursing students from the Sultanate of Oman spoke with Cultural Attaché Dr. Asya Al-Lamki (5th from left) during National Day festivities in Washington, D.C.

Expert midwife uses creativity and skill in Haiti

2010-12-06T09:10:00.001-08:00

In the sequence above, Dr. Trout (right) and fellow volunteers are ready for the drive into the countryside of Hinche, passing large groups of displaced people to arrive at the prenatal clinic after crossing a stream and climbing a hill.

Dr. Trout, 2nd from left, outside the maternity ward at Hopital Ste. Therese de Hinche where she and colleague Megan Donaghy delivered a baby girl, seen with mother at right.

Separated from patients in the hospital, those who were infected with cholera were cared for in roughly a dozen cholera tents (left) around and on the hospital property or a makeshift ward in the church, right. As Dr. Trout entered the church she found a man who had recently died, only 12 hours after the onset of symptoms. Later, seeing his body on the ground where deceased victims were placed with no covering, she used a paper gown that she brought on the trip to cover him.

As cholera overwhelmed its victims in the Ste. Therese compound, Dr. Trout was part of at least one miraculous outcome. Mirlinda, above, is a 4-year old girl with severe dehydration from cholera who the day before had collapsed just after a medical volunteer finally gained intravenous access. She was rehydrated and was well enough to sit up-- IV fluids still infusing-- and sip at oral rehydration solution.

Records are an integral part of health care, even in Haiti. Here, Dr. Trout used her preparation in statistics to assist a local volunteer with Midwives for Haiti in developing spreadsheets and entering data from a birthing log to be able to better track outcomes and evaluate programs.

“I never felt more proud to be a nurse”-Dr. Kim Trout
Villanova, PA, November 30, 2010— A cold drip of a shower, a functional mode of transportation and intravenous access in a dying dehydrated child were just a few of the things that Kimberly Trout, Ph.D., CNM, a certified nurse midwife and assistant professor at Villanova University College of Nursing, was grateful for over the Thanksgiving holiday when she volunteered for a week with the organization Midwives for Haiti. Being involved with the Haitian people and their dire situation was an experience that affected her deeply, even after 23 years as a professional. “I never felt more proud to be a nurse,” she notes.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. According to Midwives for Haiti, 76% of all deliveries are done by non-qualified persons, contributing to the highest infant and maternal mortality in the western hemisphere. Fifteen percent of newborns have low birth weight and 25% of the children suffer from chronic malnutrition. Dr. Trout volunteered to deliver babies and educate Haitian women in providing prenatal care and skilled birth assistance. The need for help is even greater in the post-earthquake country with a population increasingly succumbing to cholera, a waterborne disease that can dehydrate and kill within hours.

Dr. Trout and Megan Donaghy, CNM, RN, a colleague from their midwifery practice at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, landed in Port-au-Prince with supplies for their clinical work and donated neonatal stethoscopes. Dr. Trout also brought donated demonstration supplies for the students such as incision and breast models, as well as hand sanitizer; vitamin, calcium and iron pills; and bed sheets donated from the College staff and faculty so birthing mothers would not have to lie on cold plastic atop a metal litter. Women who are giving birth are to bring their own sheet and bucket to the maternity ward.

After reloading supplies onto an overcrowded van (their first vehicle had a flat tire) they began the 3-hour trek north, over mountains, to their home base, Hinche, 60 miles away in Haiti’s central plateau. They were soon crossing over rocky streambeds by foot, arriving at the mobile prenatal clinic in Fonbren and to see 21 patients before having to depart due to the threat of flood rains. Dr. Trout, fluent in French and accompanied by a Kreyol interpreter, performed prenatal exams and did health promotion teaching there. While the women receive worm and malaria prophylaxis as well as tetanus shots, complicating their lives is the potentially fatal danger of cholera, now rapidly spreading through the countryside with about 1900 deaths thus far. The women live with no reliable water supply, electricity or sanitation, and wash in the rivers and streams.

Later that afternoon Dr. Trout visited an orphanage in Azile run by the Daughters of Charity, where she hugged and played with children who were there for treatment of malnourishment. “Patty-cake was a favorite game of the kids, and many just wanted to be held,” she recalls. The days that followed were spent at Hopital Ste. Therese de Hinche. While Dr. Trout planned to help mothers deliver babies, she spent more time where the greatest need was—in the surrounding cholera tents and makeshift cholera ward in the church where they averaged two deaths each day. She assessed countless patients for dehydration and started or ran IVs to keep patients alive, hanging IV bags from tent ties. “Basic nursing skills were needed the most,” she explains. Luckily, the team was able to gain IV access on 4-year old Mirlinda, who was near death but rebounded after a day of fluid and electrolyte replenishment.

An equally happy occasion occurred with the birth of an infant girl in the maternity ward inside the hospital. The laboring mother was having severe back pain and with no analgesics, benefited from Dr. Trout’s expertise in using sterile water papules (small injections of sterile water under the skin in the lower back to interfere with pain perception and ease labor) for pain relief. “Low-tech” created a more pleasant and safe birth experience for the mother than she would have had otherwise.

When not caring for patients, Dr. Trout was asked to consult with a volunteer with Partners in Health on additional topics to include in teaching modules for community health workers and new mothers. She advised including recognition of and treatment for breastfeeding complications, umbilical cord care and caesarean-section wound care. Additionally, she aided her interpreter from Midwives for Haiti in organizing an electronic record for statistical analysis of birth data. That work is ongoing.

Dr. Trout’s dedication to safe and healthy pregnancies and births for mothers and babies is evident. Not only does her passion and compassion benefit patients in Philadelphia but now in Haiti as well. For her, the benefit flowed both ways. Like others who have felt the pull of Haiti, Dr. Trout simply says, “I want to go back.”

College of Nursing continues accreditation by CCNE

2010-11-30T13:34:00.000-08:00

The College of Nursing proudly announces the continued accreditation of its undergraduate and graduate programs by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Reaccreditation was granted for 10 years.

The College had its site visit from the CCNE—the accreditation agency in relationship with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing— in February 2010 as part of the 10-year renewal process. The official review and subsequent notification of reaccreditation came this fall. The achievement follows the College’s recent designation as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing (NLN). It received the honor for the third consecutive time at the NLN’s Education Summit 2010 in Las Vegas on October 1st.

“The Center of Excellence designation reflects the quality and national distinction of nursing education at Villanova,” says M. Louise Fitzpatrick, EdD, RN, FAAN, Connelly Endowed Dean and Professor.

The Center of Excellence (COE) recognition identifies schools of exceptional quality and is separate from accreditation. Schools are reviewed in one of three categories of their choice. The College’s designation was related to its commitment to “Creating Environments that Advance the Science of Nursing Education.” The College was among the first three schools to receive the inaugural COE designation in 2004 and received it again in 2007.

Villanova Nursing Chapter of SNAP is again voted top in state

2010-11-23T10:13:00.000-08:00

Members of SNAP-Villanova's delegation to the state SNAP convention in Lancaster pose with the certificate award for the most outstanding chapter in Pennsylvania (large chapter category).

The Student Nurses’ Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) again recognized the Villanova Chapter of SNAP as the Most Outstanding Chapter in the state in the category of chapters with over 100 members. It is an unusual honor for a chapter to win the state’s highest award in two consecutive years. The award was presented at SNAP’s 58th Annual Convention Defying Gravity: Nursing without Boundaries held in Lancaster from November 17 - 20, 2010.

Senior Lindsey Waters, chapter president, led the delegation of forty-one students who joined over 800 other participants at the convention. College of Nursing freshman through seniors attended, including international and adult learner students, along with longtime chapter advisor Carol Toussie Weingarten, PhD, RN, ANEF, associate professor.

In addition, SNAP-Villanova's October Breast Cancer Awareness project which disseminated breast self-exam shower cards to dorms on campus was runner up in the state wide Community Health Award competition. The project was chaired by Executive Vice President Megan Copel, a junior. Waters and fellow seniors Alyssa Canino, co-chair of special projects and Alison Spicer, vice president, received scholarship awards for excellence.

SNAP-Villanova's resolution focusing on prevention of text messaging while driving was passed by the House of Delegates and becomes an official "stand" of the state association. Authored by seniors Kaitlyn K. Murphy, legislative coordinator, and Caitlin Krenek, fundraising co-chair, the resolution was presented by classmate Caitlin Singlemann. Further Villanova leadership was demonstrated in the elections. As has happened each year since the early 80s, a Villanovan was elected to the state SNAP Board of Directors. Michael Martinoli, a junior who had been the 2009-2010 legislative coordinator, is now secretary/treasurer, replacing outgoing senior Ellen Stoner.

The College of Nursing presence was extended through speakers such as Dr. Weingarten who presented Caring for Wounded and Ill Troops: Volunteering with the Chaplains' Wounded Warrior Ministry Projects at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. College of Nursing alumna and former state SNAP President Jenny Yost, ’00 BSN, PhD, RN presented a keynote address Defying Gravity: Nursing Without Boundaries, along with her mother, Eileen Yost, RN, nurse manager of New York City's Roosevelt-St. Luke's Hospital Emergency Department.

College of Nursing welcomed New Zealand nursing scholar

2010-11-18T13:37:00.001-08:00

Dr. Spence, right, joins for a photo after observing senior nursing students and faculty Michelle Kelly, MSN, CRNP in a pediatric asthma scenario.

The College of Nursing was pleased to host Deb Spence, PhD this fall. Dr. Spence is responsible for both graduate and undergraduate students in the nursing program at her college – AUT University in Auckland, New Zealand. She was traveling in the United States this semester on a sabbatical to learn more about advanced practice nursing (APN) education and clinical practice and the use of simulation in nursing education. During her time in the United States, she was visiting a variety of educational and clinical locations to explore different teaching strategies, our approach to a culture of safety, and nurse-managed community clinics. She was particularly interested in seeing how low/high fidelity simulation can be used for undergraduate instruction especially mental health nursing scenarios and in APN education for enhancing clinical preparation and decision making.

Dr. Spence’s areas of teaching are advanced practice nursing, culture of safety and philosophy of science. In her faculty role, she provides research supervision for master’s and doctoral students in nursing and other disciplines who are conducting qualitative research especially using hermeneutic phenomenology.

Nursing student leads Naval ROTC battalion

2010-11-18T11:43:00.001-08:00

Melding nursing and campus leadership is not new to Villanova nursing students but one senior, Megan A. Walsh, has put an even more unique spin on it. Walsh, the oldest of three children from Langhorne, Pa. and the daughter of two Army officers, is the first nursing student to be the Battalion Commander of the University’s Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) Unit, a role she assumed in Spring 2010 for this academic year.

“Nobody has really attempted this job so far because of the time commitment of the position, the hours necessary to commit to nursing clinical and class, and the amount of time required for planning, coordinating, and carrying out all NROTC events,” explains Walsh. “I owe my ability to successfully carry out the semester to the help of my Executive Officer, Nicholas Moran, who is a senior marine option, and to the other dedicated members of the battalion staff.” She is a humble, smart, talented —and very busy—student who also balances membership in Alpha Phi sorority and the campus club lacrosse team.

Why Naval ROTC? Walsh was inspired by the sister of a high school friend, Lt. Emily Karonis, ’07 BSN who was then a Villanova Nursing student in NROTC. “She really introduced me to the relationship between Villanova and the Navy on campus and the important role of the nursing school in Villanova's Naval history,” explains Walsh.

The NROTC experience complements the nursing leadership skills she continues to develop, as well as her clinical education. “ROTC enhances my nursing education by providing me with extensive summer training experiences. I came into clinical with experience and confidence after my summer training in a ship's hospital ward after my freshmen year, and at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego during this past summer,” notes Walsh, where she was also able to shadow alumna Karonis. “After working in the naval hospital this past summer, I experienced the excellent reputation that Villanova Nurses have in the Navy, set by Villanova grads who are junior officers up to the Director of the Navy Nurse Corps and higher,” she adds. Both training sessions essentially served as externships, providing her with hands-on experience treating general medical-surgical, obstetric and pediatric patients. It also exposed her to career options. She offers, “I would like to be stationed in NMC San Diego on either a postpartum, pediatric, or labor and delivery floor and eventually cross train into the NICU.” She hopes to become a neonatal nurse practitioner.

Walsh sees how she has grown with even sharper skills in time management, short- and long-term planning, risk management and delegation. “These are crucial to my nursing career in managing patient care and delegating to make sure everything is completed to a high standard during the shift,” says Walsh, adding “I've also learned how to adapt myself and my leadership style to work with a variety of people. I've learned the importance of honing in on what motivates people in order to help them appreciate the importance of getting a task done.”

College of Nursing’s nurse anesthesia program reaccredited

2010-11-18T09:42:00.001-08:00

The nurse anesthesia program of the Villanova University College of Nursing and Crozer-Chester Medical Center has been reaccredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, a specialized accrediting body recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education and The Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The reaccreditation process occurs every 10 years.

The nurse anesthesia specialty in the College’s Graduate Program prepares nurses with a sound base of theoretical knowledge and clinical experience in the practice of nursing anesthesia as they earn their master of science in nursing degree. The 27-month program consists of classroom and clinical experience that exceed the minimum requirement set forth by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs and offers unique learning opportunities to its students.

Interestingly, certified nurse anesthetists or CRNAs, who are the main provider of anesthesia to men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, have their roots in the 1800s, when nurses first gave anesthesia to wounded soldiers on the battlefields of the Civil War. They are the first healthcare providers dedicated to the specialty of anesthesia. CRNAs provide anesthetics to patients in every practice setting, and for every type of surgery or procedure, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. CRNAs are also the sole anesthesia providers in two-thirds of all rural hospitals, and the main provider of anesthesia to expectant mothers.

The College of Nursing’s nurse anesthesia concentration began in 1997. The current program with Crozer-Chester Medical Center admitted its first students in August 2002. The highly competitive program, which draws students nationally, offers three curriculum course tracks that give students flexibility and the opportunity to take MSN classes prior to the anesthesia clinical component. There are traditional, nontraditional, and post-master’s courses of study. With many of the core courses online, both out-of-state and local students can take courses prior to enrolling in the anesthesia portion of the program; this enables the working student to continue full-time employment while studying at home. Students are exposed to a variety of full-time adjunct faculty, consisting of board-certified anesthesiologists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and doctorally prepared faculty.

The program has access to all facilities at Crozer-Chester Medical Center and its affiliated institutions. Students hone clinical judgment and skills in clinical scenarios on Villanova’s interactive human patient simulators and anesthesia machines before seeing similar cases in the operative setting. Clinical experience is obtained at more than 20 clinical sites located in Philadelphia and its suburbs, central Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware to gain exposure to different facilities and techniques. Rotating to various clinical sites also helps students network and most are quickly recruited upon graduation. Upon completion of the professional curriculum, students are eligible to take the National Certification Exam administered by the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists. To date, graduate performance on the national certification examination far exceeds the national norm.

For more info about the program, visit http://www.villanova.edu/nursing/programs/graduate/masters/concentrations/anesthesia .

Nurses Talking Trash

2010-10-20T08:26:00.001-07:00

Claire A. Baldwin, MSN, RN, vice president of Patient Services at Bryn Mawr Hospital, and staff nurse Carol Fazzini, RN, C join Ruth McDermott-Levy, PhD, RN, assistant professor at Villanova University College of Nursing (right) after a successful "Let's Talk Trash" pilot program for Main Line Health System nurses.

On a given day, nurses talk with patients about their illnesses and talk with team members about patient outcomes. Ruth McDermott-Levy, PhD, RN and colleague Carol Fazzini, RN, C have a lot of nurses also talking trash—waste generated by providing patient care, that is. According to Practice Green Health, as much as 85% of hospital waste is non-hazardous solid waste such as paper, cardboard and food. This waste can be recycled or composted thus reducing the waste stream and hauling costs.

Dr. McDermott-Levy, assistant professor at Villanova University College of Nursing, is a fervent advocate for a clean environment, as well as minimizing environmental health risks and the impact of healthcare on the environment. She is a community member of Main Line Health’s Healthy Work and Environment Council, and with Fazzini, a staff nurse on a telemetry unit at Bryn Mawr Hospital and co-chair of the Healthy Work and Environment Council, developed a program to address the concern of nurses in the health system.

Dr. McDermott-Levy collaborated with Fazzini to write a grant for Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), an international coalition of hospitals and health care systems, medical professionals and others with similar interests that works to implement ecologically sound and healthy alternatives to health care practices that pollute the environment and contribute to disease. This same group identified her as a Nurse Luminary in 2009 for her environmental work. With the funds from HCWH which supported consultation from Women's Environmental Health Network (WHEN), she and Fazzini created "Let's Talk Trash."

The "Let's Talk Trash" program teaches fellow nurses about the environmental impact of waste on healthcare systems and communities and how to safely reduce the amount of waste generated at the point of care. It was piloted at Bryn Mawr Hospital through four classes to cover various nursing shifts. Trash hauls are now being measured to see if there is a positive impact after the educational program. Claire A. Baldwin, MSN, RN, vice president of Patient Services at Bryn Mawr Hospital, is a proponent of the endeavor. Dr. McDermott-Levy explains, “She has been supportive of this program from the start and is working with a group from the hospital to expand Green Initiatives more widely.”

Developing this partnership and implementing such a program in a large health care system has been satisfying for those involved. Dr. McDermott-Levy and Fazzini shared the process through an article published in Nursing Administration Quarterly. [McDermott-Levy, R., & Fazzini, C. (2010). Identifying the Key Personnel in a Nurse-Initiated Hospital Waste Reduction Program. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 34 (4), 306–310.] “It has been rewarding to facilitate green practices with the hospital that serves my own family and community and one where I practiced as a young nurse,” notes Dr. McDermott-Levy, adding “The practice-academic partnership has enriched my teaching."

Villanova's College of Nursing represented in groundbreaking Philadelphia mural project

2010-10-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter addresses those gathered for the nursing mural dedication on October 2, 2010; below, Villanova's Nursing Dean, Dr. Louise Fitzpatrick (4th from left), joins other sponsors in receiving a commemorative mural photo with artist Meg Saligman (far left).

Nursing will once again have a prominent face for those in the busy Philadelphia thoroughfare of Broad and Vine Sts. On October 6th the latest mural The Evolving Face of Nursing was dedicated at that location with representatives of the Villanova University College of Nursing in attendance. The College sponsored the mural , along with other schools and corporate and community friends of nursing. The College is also represented in the mural through the faces of its faculty, students and alumni.

The Evolving Face of Nursing is a groundbreaking project of the city’s Mural Arts Program, the largest in the nation. Philadelphia, which has already earned international recognition as the “City of Murals” can now claim the only mural with embedded LED lighting. As part of the artwork, leading nurses from throughout the city were captured in portraits and these portraits were reproduced on a large scale by renowned muralist Meg Saligman. This classical, elegant imagery will be lit with LED lighting that will change color throughout the night. The faces will transform on the wall as they appear to glow and shift in color, drawing in the passing viewer. All aspects of the career of nursing are represented in the mural, from students and directors to home care and visiting nurses.

Those with College of Nursing ties who are associated with the mural include Elise Pizzi, MSN, CRNP, adjunct assistant professor; ’72 alumna Donna Torrisi, MSN, CRNP, network executive director of the Family Practice and Counseling Network; undergraduate students Jennifer V. Hoang, David Sauerhoff and Ellen Stoner; graduate student Lena J. Congo and international student Suhaila K. Al Subhi, a nurse from the Sultanate of Oman.

The Evolving Face of Nursing, which replaced an older mural of nursing, captures the voices and images of Philadelphia’s nurses, reflecting their commitment to the people they serve and highlighting their ever-evolving role at the center of the healthcare profession. Saligman researched and interviewed practicing nurses throughout Philadelphia, exploring what exactly they want to say about their profession. The mural is a narrative that begins with the bygone days of starched uniforms and hats, and moves to the story of present day nurses who take on increasing responsibility, practicing with knowledge, skill, compassion and care. This 6,500 square foot mural animated with lights is unlike any other piece of public art that has been created. The mural is one image by day, and a different one by night with the lights.

Wall preparations began in October 2009. Over the winter and spring of 2010, Saligman worked on the design, and the mural was painted on sections of cloth in the artist’s studio during the fall and winter. Installation of the painted cloth and the LED lights began in April 2010. Students at Philadelphia-area schools participated in the painting of the mural in September 2010. It will be lit every evening.

http://muralarts.org/explore/projects/evolving-face-nursing

Villanova Nursing to lead integration of disability content in NP curriculum

2010-10-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

Nursing care of people with disabilities will improve in the future thanks to efforts stemming from a team at Villanova University College of Nursing, led by Elizabeth Blunt, Ph.D., R.N., APN, BC, assistant professor and coordinator of the nurse practitioner programs, and Suzanne Smeltzer, Ed.D., R.N., FAAN, professor and director of the College’s Center for Nursing Research. The College has received a three-year grant from the Advanced Education Nursing Program of the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for its project Preparing Primary Care Nurse Practitioners (NPs) to Care for Patients with Disabilities: Integration of Content into the Nurse Practitioner Curriculum. The purpose of this project is to improve the nursing care of a much underserved group in the United States: people with disabilities.

"Disability affects one in every fourth or fifth person in the U.S. This number is expected to increase because of the aging of the population, survival of many children with developmental disabilities and childhood illnesses well into adulthood, improved management of chronic illnesses and trauma, and adoption of healthy lifestyles by many,” notes Dr. Blunt, adding “Although nurse practitioners provide excellent primary care, many nurse practitioners are not as well prepared to work effectively with patients with disabilities as we would like.”

During the project, nurse practitioner teaching strategies will be identified and tested at Villanova’s College of Nursing and then shared nationally. Dr. Blunt, who maintains a clinical practice as a family nurse practitioner, describes some of the strategies, “We will be integrating individuals with disabilities in our classrooms and simulation labs to provide the same educational experiences for caring for individuals with disabilities as we do for all individuals. Additionally, when the grant project is fully implemented, nurse practitioner students in all tracks --adult, pediatrics, family--at Villanova University will complete a clinical practicum experience in a setting with individuals with disabilities." Currently, most NP programs do not include this sort of component in their curriculum.

“We hope to change the curricula of nurse practitioner programs across the country to include content related to disability so that future nurse practitioners are able to provide quality care to this population,” explains Dr. Smeltzer. She had led the College’s research and health promotion for people with disabilities through its Health Promotion for Women with Disabilities Project funded by a grant from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. Dr. Smeltzer, an internationally known scholar, researcher, educator and author, has served on disabilities-related committees and advisory groups and much of her research has addressed health issues of people with multiple sclerosis and other disabilities.

Why is this such a critical topic? There is strong empirical evidence that individuals with disabilities receive health care less often and are offered less effective and less aggressive treatment than their non-disabled counterparts. Based on the continuing health care disparities that affect people with disabilities, in 2005 the U.S. Surgeon General issued a Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities for measures to ensure accessible, comprehensive health care for all persons with disabilities so that they are able to have full, engaged and productive lives in their own communities. The Call to Action specifically identified the need for health profession education programs, including medicine and nursing, to teach students about disability.

College of Nursing honored for third time as Center of Excellence in Nursing Education

2010-10-01T06:43:00.000-07:00

The Villanova University College of Nursing proudly announces its continued designation as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing (NLN). It received the honor for the third consecutive time at the NLN’s Education Summit 2010 in Las Vegas on October 1st.

“The Center of Excellence designation reflects the quality and national distinction of nursing education at Villanova,” says M. Louise Fitzpatrick, EdD, RN, FAAN, Connelly Endowed Dean and Professor.

The Center of Excellence (COE) recognition identifies schools of exceptional quality and is separate from accreditation. Schools are reviewed in one of three categories of their choice. The College’s designation was related to its commitment to “Creating Environments that Advance the Science of Nursing Education.” The College was among the first three schools to receive the inaugural COE designation in 2004 and received it again in 2007.

In the spirit of its national leadership role in nursing education, the College advances the science of nursing education in numerous ways. It is committed to using and conducting pedagogical research. Students, and nursing education in general, benefit from the College’s dedication to a model of scholarship that emphasizes a robust faculty role and the importance of evidence-based models of teaching and learning. The College embraces its pioneering health promotion course where students become involved participants in community health and encourages student participation in international experiential immersion learning opportunities as part of required courses. The College also has a major initiative integrating the use of scenario-based learning experiences in its state-of-the art clinical simulation labs with related systematic inquiry and research in the use of simulation for teaching and learning.

These are just a few examples, complemented by a strong tradition of mentorship between faculty and students to enhance the learning experience, demonstrating the dedication at Villanova’s College of Nursing to advancing the science of nursing education.

Quality of life after breast cancer

2010-09-24T13:02:00.001-07:00

As October once again brings breast cancer to the forefront of public awareness, Patricia K. Bradley, PhD, RN continues to contribute to the body of scientific knowledge surrounding African American Breast Cancer Survivors (AABCS).

Dr. Bradley, associate professor in the College of Nursing at Villanova University, has a career-long commitment to her research related to breast cancer. Currently, she is co-investigator with principal investigator Andrea Barsevick, PhD, RN, FAAN of Philadelphia’s Fox Chase Cancer Center to study Problems and Resources of African American Breast Cancer Survivors with a four-year American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant.

“Our grant will focus on African American Breast Cancer Survivors because less is known about their survivor challenges or the resources available for dealing with these challenges. This study is unique because it will help us learn how African American women deal with stress after their breast cancer treatment has ended,” explains Dr. Bradley. She further notes, “Having women tell their stories and having women answer questions on a survey will give us a better idea of what it is like to be an African American breast cancer survivor. Our ultimate goal is to develop a product or program that addresses quality of life needs of AABCS and prepare for its evaluation in future research.”

Dr. Bradley, who has taught psychiatric and mental health nursing at Villanova since 1997, has been an active board member with Linda Creed, a non-profit breast cancer organization, for over ten years. She currently serves as president of the board of directors. She has an extended devotion to public awareness of breast cancer by developing training programs and materials that focus on the needs of the African American community. Dr. Bradley is the co-author of the award winning educational booklet Getting Connected: African Americans Living Beyond Breast Cancer. She is the 2003 recipient of the Elaine M. Ominsky Humanitarian Award from Linda Creed, honored for her many years of distinguished service in raising awareness, especially among African American women, about breast cancer. Dr. Bradley is also a national and regional volunteer with the American Cancer Society, and chair of the National Diversity Advisory Group. Her commitment to the improvement of women’s lives after breast cancer is evidenced by her selection as the 2004 recipient of the Inaugural Founder’s Award from the advocacy organization, Living Beyond Breast Cancer. Dr. Bradley is also the recipient of the American Cancer Society’s Southeast Region Volunteer Gold Achievement Award and their Sisters Surviving Breast Cancer Tribute Award for outstanding work in education, advocacy, and quality of life issues for African American women with breast cancer.

Dr. Bradley has been a faculty member for the Oncology Nursing Society’s Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Workshop for Nurse Educators in Minority-Serving Institutions and a Special Populations Investigator at Thomas Jefferson University’s Department of Behavioral Epidemiology where she conducted a pilot study of “Preparing African American Women for Breast Biopsy.” Her research interests include psychosocial responses to illness and trauma and developing strategies to adopt healthy screening behaviors.

Dr. Elizabeth Dowdell receives DOJ grant to study risk- and Internet-related behaviors in adolescents

2010-09-13T14:44:00.000-07:00

Keeping youth safe on the Internet is not only a passion but a mission for Elizabeth Burgess Dowdell, Ph.D., R.N., CRNP, associate professor at Villanova University College of Nursing. She has been awarded a grant of nearly $314,000 by the Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention [OJJDP]. Dr. Dowdell is the principal investigator for the study “Self Exploitation and Electronic Aggression: High Risk Internet Behaviors in Adolescents." The award is for two years, beginning January 1, 2011 through the end of 2012.

“The primary goal of this research project is to examine the relationships between a range of risk-related and Internet-related behaviors,” says Dr. Dowdell whose research interests focus on Internet victimization of children, health risk behaviors and vulnerability across the lifespan, victimology, and nursing care of children.

This project will survey high school students about participation in self-exploitative behaviors and risky social networking behaviors (such as auto-pornography, “sexting” and Face Roulette) that may increase victimization. Assessment of student Internet knowledge and practice is vital to understanding what motivates some adolescents to create and distribute explicit photos of themselves or others. Questions will also be asked specific to electronic aggression, about what differentiates students who use the Internet to embarrass, harass, or bully others from the student victims.

Knowledge gained from a high school population will provide insights for designing developmentally appropriate strategies that have the potential to enhance existing Internet safety programs. “By better understanding patterns of creating and distributing explicit or inappropriate photos, precursors and correlates of risky Internet behavior, and motivators of electronic aggression, we will be better able to design prevention strategies to keep youth safer on the Internet,” explains Dr. Dowdell. Previous studies have looked at Internet behaviors and experiences of middle school students, high school students, their parents and a population of Internet offenders.

Dr. Dowdell is an expert in the area of forensic pediatric nursing and Internet safety. She shares her knowledge as a member of the editorial review panel of the Journal of Forensic Nursing, as well as scholarly publications, national presentations and expert commentary for the media.

Nursing alumna returns from Oman to study accreditation

2010-09-07T08:34:00.001-07:00

This August, the College of Nursing welcomed nurses from the Sultanate of Oman who are studying for their BSN, MSN and PhD degrees. The College has nearly 200 alumni in Oman, the outcome of the 16-year relationship it enjoys with the Ministry of Health in Oman to educate Omani nurses to assume leadership positions in education and administration in their country.

Among the nurses arriving this summer was Samira Al-Rawahi, who is on a three-month Fulbright scholarship studying accreditation in the United States. She earned her MSN in 1997 at Villanova in nursing education. She was the first nurse educator in Oman and is currently the most senior person in nursing education in Oman. Her role is Education Advisor to Oman’s Institute of Health Science where she is involved with accreditation system and all activities dealing with education and quality.

“Accreditation has always been my interest. Oman is now establishing an accreditation system in Higher Education and I am also involved in implementing the system,” she explains. She is based at the College of Nursing analyzing the accreditation process for schools of nursing and Villanova University as well. She will also travel to Washington D.C. and to Atlanta, Georgia to meet key people affiliated with the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, respectively.

When Ms. Al-Rawahi returns to Oman in late October, she will make recommendations for improvements in the new accreditation system to those involved with the process.

College of Nursing on cutting edge of psychiatric simulation

2010-09-03T07:26:00.001-07:00

Nursing students in their psychiatric nursing clinical practicum learn ways of helping people who hear distressing voices as they participate in a clinical simulation of auditory hallucinations. Here they are distracted by voices through the headphones and struggle to complete tasks as they undergoing cognitive testing and an evaluation by a psychiatrist in a simulated emergency department scenario, mimicking a patient experience.

With mental disorders being so common in the United States and around the world—one in four American adults or approximately 58 million people have a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)—the impact on nursing is significant. The weight of more serious illness is seen in about 1 in 17 of those affected. Mental disorders cross all age groups and cultures and are seen in all care settings. The Villanova University College of Nursing recently implemented an innovative new clinical simulation for second semester junior nursing students to increase their understanding of the patient experience for those with more severe disease which includes hearing distressing voices. Student Erika Clark calls it an “eye-opener.” “Understanding your patient's perspective is necessary for quality nursing care,” she notes.

Targeting the care of patients who hear distressing voices (for instance, those with schizophrenia affecting about 1% of Americans, according to NIMH statistics), College faculty and associate professors Patricia K. Bradley, PhD, RN and Gale Robinson-Smith, PhD, RN, along with consultant Colleen Meakim, MSN, RN, director of the College’s Learning Resource Center, applied for and received a University VITAL (Villanova Institute for Teaching and Learning) grant to implement the Hearing Voices That Are Distressing (HVTAD) experience with their undergraduate Psychiatric Nursing clinical students starting this fall semester. The HVTAD experience, which builds on the students’ previous classroom learning, has also been used elsewhere with first responders such as EMTs and police. “The College of Nursing is among the first nursing schools in the United States and Canada to use the simulation,” says Dr. Robinson-Smith.

“The HVTAD Program is a training and curriculum package that provides a simulation experience for undergraduate nursing students,” explains Meakim. Students are instructed in use of the headphones and the MP3 player recording and how the simulation will be conducted, as well as the location of a ‘safe zone” where they can adjust their headphones or seek assistance from faculty if they need to briefly step away from the immediate sensory experience. The students use headphones to listen to a specially designed recording which simulates auditory hallucinations as they perform a number of tasks at various workstations. They role play with “standardized professionals” (non-nursing students trained to act as mental health professionals) where they must participate in an evaluation interview with an emergency department psychiatrist, complete cognitive testing and interact while in a community day program activity. The simulation experience is followed by a debriefing and discussion period.

Dr. Bradley offers, “Through the simulation experience students increase their empathy and understanding of the lived-experience of psychiatric disability.” Student Shazi Khan recalls feeling “guarded and distracted” during his simulation period. A major objective of the simulation is for students to learn more effective ways of helping people who hear distressing voices. Classmate J. R. Beshore summarizes the impact of his scenarios, “I left the simulation with a deeper understanding and appreciation for what these patients live with, which will allow me to express true empathy when working with them. Every nursing student should have this experience.” Lauren Dornin agrees, “Regardless of their message, encouraging or degrading, the voices greatly impacted my concentration and overall sense of well-being. This was an invaluable experience and will allow me to better relate to and empathize with mental health patients in the future.”

Serving those who serve

2010-08-31T13:32:00.001-07:00

Dr. Carol Weingarten, in the Wounded Warrior Ministry Center, with cards made by members of the Villanova Chapter of the Student Nurses’ Association of Pennsylvania for which she is advisor.

Summer was a busy yet rewarding time for Carol Toussie Weingarten, PhD, RN, ANEF, associate professor in the College of Nursing. She and husband Michael S. Weingarten, MD, MBA, FACS, a VSB alumnus and professor of Surgery at Drexel University School of Medicine volunteered for their second consecutive summer working with the troops at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) in Germany. Inspired by their two-week mission last year, they did not hesitate to return in 2010 and are already slated to go back next July. “Courage, teamwork, superb care and kindness,” is how Dr. Weingarten summarizes the environment there, which was a good fit for her specialty area of health promotion and wellness.

LRMC is the largest American military hospital outside the United States, to which ill and wounded troops are taken from such places as Afghanistan and Iraq. Transition is a hallmark of LRMC, where the length of stay for inpatients can range from one to three days. Outpatients are housed for up to 14 days at the Medical Transient Detachment. Some patients are airlifted back to the U.S. for further care while others return downrange.

Through the Society for Vascular Surgery in cooperation with the American Red Cross, Dr. Michael Weingarten served as a volunteer vascular surgeon in the Combat Casualty Program where his skills were needed in the operating room and intensive care unit. Because there is no parallel nursing program, Dr. Carol Weingarten worked with outpatients as a civilian volunteer with the Chaplains' Wounded Warrior Ministry Center (WWMC) Projects. WWMC was created to provide comfort items like clothing and toiletries for wounded or ill service members but has expanded to provide further comfort. The WWMC incorporates several strategies to promote mental and spiritual health including combat support dinners, supervised trips for troops to areas of local interest and the Chaplains’ Closet –a “free” store with toiletries, adaptive clothing, handmade blankets, music, sweets and cards from well-wishers. The programs are supervised by pastoral care staff enhanced by volunteers, as appropriate, and contracted behavioral health specialists. Time itself can be a stressor as it stretches between tests and treatments. Dr. Weingarten explains, based on the time she spent supporting troops on the local trips and working with them at the Chaplain’s Closet, “I realized early in my experience as a WWMC civilian volunteer that (this was) a perfect placement for me. From a nursing perspective, the WWMC and its related projects are examples of health promotion.” Her work did not stop there.

“This year I undertook a nursing journalism project at LRMC. In 2009 I met and saw so many extraordinary nurses that I got permission from the Public Affairs Office and the Director of Nursing to interview nurses and staff in a variety of areas. I was welcomed everywhere,” notes Dr. Weingarten. Her work showcasing the efforts of the Army, Navy, Air Force and civilian nurses at LRMC will be published this October in The American Journal of Nursing and she targets a future publication in Pennsylvania Nurse. She is speaking this fall at the state Student Nurses’ Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) convention about the couple’s experiences (she is the advisor for the Villanova Chapter of SNAP). In April, she and her husband are likely speaking together at the National Student Nurses’ Association convention. Her final thought? Dr. Weingarten reflects, “As I listened to each fascinating story, I realized that nursing becomes part of who you are, whether you are the interviewer or the person being interviewed.”

Dr. Marcia Costello interviewed on FOX news

2010-08-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Dr. Marcia Costello, RD, assistant professor, who shared her expertise about contaminated eggs on Sunday night on Philly's Fox news.

See the clip here http://www.criticalmention.com/components/url_gen/play_flash.php?autoplay=1&clip_info=1543863515|23|36^1543864799|0|59^1543866103|0|59^1543867050|0|50^

Doctoral student among first NLN Jonas Scholars

2010-08-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Gunberg Ross, MSN, RN is among the first five doctoral students chosen from a national pool to be among the inaugural group of National League for Nursing Jonas Scholars to advance the science of nursing education. She is a doctoral student at the College of Nursing, Villanova University. Her dissertation focus is "The effect of simulation training on baccalaureate nursing students' competency in performing intramuscular injection" which meets a specific NLN research priority of Evaluation Research in Nursing Education.

The NLN Jonas Scholars Program is supporting 10 PhD candidates as they complete their dissertations. It is based on a two-year, $75,000 grant from the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence in New York City. The grant also supports expenses for the new researchers to attend a meeting later in the year with an assigned faculty mentor in nursing education. Ross earned her BSN (2000) and MSN (2005) degrees at Villanova.

Faculty positions

2010-08-24T11:00:00.001-07:00

The College of Nursing at Villanova University seeks applications for two full-time, tenure track faculty positions at the rank of Assistant Professor with preparation in adult health and illness. The successful candidate will provide classroom, simulation laboratory and clinical teaching, advise students, engage in scholarly work in area of expertise and be an active participant in College and University life.

Doctorate in Nursing required, PhD preferred. Master’s degree in nursing with preparation in adult health and illness and licensure or eligibility for licensure as a registered nurse in Pennsylvania required.

Previous teaching experience in an academic nursing program in a college or university preferred. Experience with clinical simulation as a teaching methodology preferred as is evidence of scholarly productivity commensurate with appointment at the assistant professor level.

Villanova is a Catholic University sponsored by the Augustinian order. An AA/EEO employer, Villanova seeks a diverse faculty committed to scholarship, service, and especially teaching, who understand, respect, and can contribute to the University’s mission and values. Further information about the College of Nursing can be found at www.villanova.edu/nursing.

To apply, please go to https://jobs.villanova.edu and click on Faculty Positions.

Save the date! Sept. 28th--"Coming off the DL" film

2010-08-20T05:51:00.000-07:00

Autism: Critical Information ALL nurses need

2010-08-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

With autism rates skyrocketing (1:110 children and 1:70 boys), this course is a must-do. Why? Nurses and nurse educators learn very little about the specifics of caring for children--and now adults--with autism who are seen in nearly all health care settings. This course changes that.

Find out the parent’s side of healthcare encounters from a nurse practitioner who is the mother of a medically complex, profoundly autistic child. A physician who is an expert in autism will address possible causes, current treatment options and future research areas. A behavioral analyst who specializes in therapies and care coordination will share information on the components of a successful treatment plan. You will learn practical strategies to enable you to facilitate the best possible care. The program concludes with a parents’ panel – they will answer questions and recommend ways for nurses to support both patients and families in their journey through the healthcare system.

Date: October 8, 2010

Time: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Location: Driscoll Hall, Villanova University

Fee: $129.00 - 5.5 contact hours
$99.00 Group rate of 3 or more
$79.00 Student Rate

Faculty: Karen Blake, MSN, RN, CRNP, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, (Main Line Division) Wilmington, DE and Adjunct Clinical Instructor, College of Nursing, Villanova University; John J. Schadler, Jr, MS, BCBA, Behavior Analyst, Melmark and Rhonda S. Walter, MD, Chief, Division of Developmental Medicine, Nemours/A. I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE

Register at http://www.villanova.edu/nursing/ce/registration.htm . Tell a friend!

“Washa Tala”: Shining light on the crisis in Congo.

2010-07-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is clearly a country in crisis. Despite being rich in natural resources such as metals and diamonds, with years of war and continued instability, it is rife with violence and suffering. On July 28, 2010, Villanova nurses and the rest of the University community were privileged to hear from two extraordinary women associated with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in the DRC who were shining light on the current critical situation in their country. (“Washa Tala” means “Light the lamp” in the Kiswahili language of the DRC).

Mathilde Muhindo Mwamini (left) has dedicated her life to empowering women to overcome discrimination, sexual exploitation, poverty and conflict in this central African country called the “rape capitol of the world.” Olun Kamitatu (2nd from right) works with Church partners to promote policies by governments and mining companies to insure that resource wealth benefits the poor and is not used to fuel conflict. Their talk was sponsored by the University partnership with Catholic Relief Services and The Center for Global and Public Health in the College of Nursing. Joining the women from the DRC were the Center’s director Kim Connolly, MPH, BSN, RN who is also a clinical assistant professor; Suzanne Toton, EdD, associate professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and Maureen McCullough, the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic regional director of CRS.

For more information on Catholic Relief Services, visit http://www.crs.org.

Alumna delivers a punch to pediatric cancer

2010-07-28T06:21:00.000-07:00

Lauren Saltzburg, ’09 B.S.N., R.N. presents a $500 check and championship belt to the winners of the Gloves for Love Baggo tournament that raised $8000 for CHOP’s Cancer Center.

For Lauren Saltzburg ’09 B.S.N., R.N., her pediatric rotation on the oncology unit at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) lasted more than a few months. The impact of seeing such young people fighting a potentially lethal disease stayed with her. Not one to walk away from a challenge, she decided to go beyond patient care and in November of 2009 used the “fight” concept represented in boxing gloves to create the Gloves for Love Pediatric Cancer Foundation (www.glovesforlove.org.), a nonprofit group to “knock out pediatric cancer.” The next step for the Bryn Mawr, Pa. resident was to raise money for the Cancer Center at CHOP, the hospital where she is now employed as a nurse on the neurology unit.

Saltzburg is passionate about helping children in her career. “Knowing that cancer-related deaths are the number one cause of death by disease in children under the age of 14 promptly motivated me to want to help these families,” she explains. “The thought that children have to spend their summers, holidays, and birthdays in hospital rooms instead of at home with their families and friends is a primary reason I want to help this population as well.”

July 17, 2010 was the big day Saltzburg had organized in her hometown of Stone Harbor, N.J. She targeted a goal of at least $8000 for the Cancer Center which she reached through the help of numerous volunteers who ran a Baggo (bean bag toss) tournament she developed. She deliberately chose a game which people of any age could play and expanded the event with food, drink, silent auction donations and a post-event party. She reached her financial goal with all proceeds going to CHOP.

Saltzburg credits her Villanova Nursing education for developing within her the needed perspective to create Gloves for Love. “I was taught exceptional time management and leadership skills while at Villanova and this allowed me to segue into the workplace, while balancing other activities as well,” she offers. “The emphasis that was placed in our education to always look at the big picture and to assess each situation from ‘outside the box’ translated into my everyday life,” says Saltzburg, “I was able to develop this non-profit, always looking at the big picture and keeping my eye on the ultimate goal (fighting cancer).”

For the future, Saltzburg’s hope is to continue to hold charitable events in the South Jersey, Philadelphia, and Main Line regions. “I want Gloves for Love to grow and become a prominent cause, especially in our Villanova community, as I continue to work with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia,” she says. Saltzburg looks forward to getting Villanovans involved with her organization, perhaps joining with the College of Nursing’s chapter of the Student Nurses’ Association of Pennsylvania, as she moves closer towards knocking out pediatric cancer.

Essential first steps to improve rural health in Nicaragua

2010-06-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

Student-faculty collaboration enhances multidisciplinary project

No one understands that “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step” better than Elizabeth Keech, PhD, RN and Ruth McDermott-Levy, PhD, RN. Both are assistant professors at Villanova University College of Nursing and are passionate about helping the underserved people of Waslala, Nicaragua access and receive appropriate health care. Their steps on a recent week-long visit in May included carefully taken ones as they trekked through mountainous terrain and waded across a river during rainy season. Why? They and four nursing students were taking another first step, assessing the specific needs of CHW (community health workers) for a collaborative project “Improved Rural Health Care Through Low-cost Telecommunication in Waslala, Nicaragua.”

The nurses are working with faculty and students from the College of Engineering and Villanova School of Business. Using inexpensive cell phone text messaging capability, the nurses and engineers will be working with CHWs and licensed health care providers in Waslala to transmit health information from rural villages to the small community hospital in the town. Their business colleagues are investigating business opportunities created by the introduction of the new technology. The nurses and engineers are building on the presence they have maintained in Waslala for several years promoting health and working towards a safe water supply.

Because of lack of infrastructure and health care providers, as well as the distance from the hospital, those in the rural communities often do not receive health care in a timely manner. This project will connect the CHWs with licensed health care providers to provide “real time” care and information. Through text messaging from the CHW and a clinical algorithm system, patients with conditions such as high blood pressure will be flagged for review by a licensed provider at the hospital who can direct the on-site CHW to treat the patient or bring him in for care. The CHW can also text distant pharmacies for medications as needed which can then be delivered to the patient.

Dr. McDermott-Levy conducted CHW interviews for a qualitative study, with senior nursing student Katie Wetherby and the translation assistance of student Fruna Lara, a nurse from Venezuela who is completing her bachelor of science in nursing degree at Villanova. They were identifying the learning needs of the CHWs, as well as their understanding of the health issues of their region, to help support this and future programs. “I was impressed with the under-resourced community health workers’ ability to provide appropriate care with the available resources given their education, knowledge of pathophysiology, and lack of references and diagnostic tools,” says Dr. McDermott-Levy of the care provided in these highly cohesive communities. Two other seniors, Becky LaMarca and Caitlin Krenek helped conduct or observed the interviews. The nurses also shadowed a CHW overnight in her home where she treated several children and adults who had burns or infections. In addition, they conducted a focus group with 14 CHWs and, along with campus colleagues, met with the medical director of the Waslala hospital, priests, local officials and the Director of the School of Public Health in the National University, Managua to gain support and collect more information.

Becky is doing an independent study working with the faculty to create the algorithm for child growth and development so that data can be recorded in Waslala. Caitlin is collaborating with Dr. Keech to determine outcome measures for the project—a difficult task in an environment where data such as births and deaths are not consistently and broadly captured. They first need to build that foundation of health records before comparisons can be made as the project progresses. “The need is really desperate,” says Dr. Keech, describing why she is involved. “Those who live in the rural areas of Nicaragua just don’t have access for emergent health problems or for those that can be managed without a trip to the hospital by getting a consultation via the cellular technology.” The group plans to return to Nicaragua in the fall semester to begin the pilot phase of the project. Dr. Keech summarizes how essential their work is to the future health of the Waslala community, “If the people could only make a phone call…”

Changes in South Africa

2010-06-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

A young girl at St. Leo's school demonstrates tooth brushing technique she learned from Villanova nursing students Lindsey Waters and Christina Trunzo. The students donated a new toothbrush to each of the 685 first through seventh grade students at St. Leo's.

Young boys at St. Theresa's Home for Children hold their health screening record created by faculty Prof. Elise Pizzi, MSN, CRNP and used this year during screenings performed by faculty and students. They assessed 66 children.

A young boy practices his handwashing technique taught by the nursing students.

Meghan Barowski shows a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff to a boy who... ...hears his heart sounds for the first time.

Dr. Elizabeth Blunt, a family nurse practitioner, examines a boy at St. Theresa's Home for Children.

Dr. Elizabeth Blunt (left) and Dr. Fran Keen flank the Villanova nursing students in Durban.

Dr. Blunt and students with the four Augustinian sisters with whom they lived while in Durban. The yellow shirts relate to World Cup soccer in South Africa.

Since 2008, Villanova Nursing faculty have been accompanying students who are participating in the International Nursing elective to Durban, South Africa each May. The nursing students, partially supported with Connelly-Delouvrier International Nursing Scholarships, learn about the health care system and Zulu culture in South Africa as well as the impact of poverty and the former apartheid system on the community. They see young and old ravaged by the effects of HIV/AIDS and new definitions of “family” as school-aged orphans or grandmothers (“go-gos”) run households. The impact of the experience? Change—in both the students and those for whom they provided care.

“I bring back a new passion for helping the poor and marginalized communities in the U.S.,” says Alyssa Canino who traveled to Durban with seven other students from May 8 to 23, 2010. She reflected on the eagerness of the children in St. Theresa’s Home for Children. These children, aged five to ten, wanted to learn the hand washing and tooth brushing skills taught by the Villanova nursing students and reveled in the nurses’ encouraging words during return demonstrations. Canino, who learned Zulu phrases to communicate with the younger children and aspires to be a pediatric nurse practitioner, notes “Working with the Zulu children was the most rewarding aspect of my experience in Durban.” Similar teaching was done at St. Leo’s school where nearly 700 students were provided with new toothbrushes by the Villanova nursing students.

The students toured St. Mary’s Hospital and went to area clinic sites reached by its mobile vans used for voluntary HIV/AIDS testing and counseling. They also helped with patient care at 1000 Hills Community Center and the Hillcrest Respite Center for HIV/AIDS patients. For Ali Spicer, “The packed clinics, the babies and people in Hillcrest made the numbers real, unmistakable.” The senior says, “With each site visited, each child or go-go I came in contact with, it became increasingly clear that there are two main components in terms of the spread of HIV and the health consequences of such an illness: the issues of education and sustainability.” The sentiment is echoed by Christina Trunzo, noting the critical need for early health teaching after seeing children with decaying teeth due to lack of education about mouth care. She values “heath education from personal hygiene to more serious topics such as sexual development.”

Students assisted Frances Keen, DNSc, RN, assistant dean and director of the Undergraduate Program with health screenings at St. Theresa’s as colleague Elizabeth Blunt, PhD, CRNP, coordinator of the nurse practitioner programs, completed more complex physical exams on each of the 66 boys evaluated. The physical exams for the boys had started two years ago when the same faculty initially visited the Home. They documented assessment data on health screening forms developed by Assistant Professor Elise Pizzi, MSN, CRNP for a visit in 2009 as there were previously only very basic records.

A Villanova nursing group will return to Durban in May 2011, continuing the health screenings, HIV/AIDS care, health promotion and human connections that are expanding the professional and personal horizons of the new nurses.

Building relationships is foundation for health in Peru

2010-06-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

Violet Uttaro checks the blood glucose level of a man in a Chulucanas community center.

Senior Tara Martin listens to the breath sounds of an elderly woman in Peru during a home visit.

Students provide health promotion information in Spanish to members of the Chulucanas community.

For the 11th consecutive year, Villanova Nursing students and faculty have promoted health in Chulucanas, Peru as part of the senior level health promotion clinical practicum option in March. Led by faculty Elise Pizzi, MSN, CRNP, assistant professor and Karen McKenna, MSN, RN, clinical assistant professor, the group of eight students and two translators toured a hospital and made home visits in Chulucanas.

The nursing students, partially supported as Connelly-Delouvrier International Scholars, researched, developed and translated into Spanish multiple educational programs for local residents and lay health promoters in three parishes in the Diocese of Chulucanas. They addressed such topics as type 2 diabetes management; sexual development; and women’s health issues including fitness, osteoporosis, nutrition, self breast exams, thyroid disease and high blood pressure. At their teaching sessions, the students used glucometers to test more than 150 people for high blood glucose levels since diabetes is so prevalent in the community. They later donated 12 glucometers to the parishes and Diocesan center, along with funds they had raised which went towards the care of a brother and sister with diabetes and a woman with ovarian cancer who could not afford pain medication.

Additionally, the students educated the community on environmental issues. They focused on food safety, clean water, waste disposal, plastics, the hazards of burning plastics, the negative effects of smoke from poorly vented stoves and pest control. They even created fly traps using discarded plastic bottles. “The students were shocked that the residents and health promoters took notes and asked questions” during education sessions, says Prof. Pizzi. Prof. McKenna concurs, “It’s very affirming. The education is important.”

A group of nursing students and faculty will return to Peru next March to continue the health promotion progress made by the 2010 nurses.

Villanova’s College of Nursing Welcomes Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholars

2010-06-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

Ten Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing scholars enjoy their first day on Villanova’s campus on May 20th before beginning classes in the second-degree accelerated nursing program. They are (L to R) Flower Habte, Lou Pagnoni, Dorris Ogbuehi, Emily Lang, Gregory Calucci, Mona Akhlaghi, Anthony Ruffo, Jordona Ndon, Shawn Ellison, and Lauren Dornin.

Villanova University College of Nursing has welcomed ten Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing (NCIN) scholars to campus to begin the 14-month second-degree accelerated program –called BSNExpress—for adult learners who are earning their bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree.

The NCIN Scholarship Program, initiated in 2008, was developed to help alleviate the shortage of nurses and increase diversity in the workforce. The grants provide scholarships to college graduates from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds who are transitioning into nursing in an accelerated BSN program.

The College received a grant of $100,000 to award scholarships to ten students who met the criteria consistent with the goals of the NCIN program. Four men and six women who were admitted into the class beginning May 2010 received the scholarships, and as part of their program, a Leadership Development Plan has been established to facilitate successful transitioning into the nursing profession and to foster leadership development for each RWJF NCIN Scholar.

“The plan provides support and advocacy in the areas of academics, professional development, community involvement and mentoring,” said BSNExpress Program Coordinator Maryanne Lieb, MSN, RN. “Based on personal experience and professional goals, the Scholars are mentored by nurse leaders who share a mutual interest, and also serve as advisors to prospective students who have applied to the following class,” she continued. All RWJF NCIN Scholars meet monthly for seminar participation, collaboration and open discussion. To support the activities proposed in the Leadership Development Plan, the BSNExpress program received an additional $1,500 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Nursing Alumni Association Board receives leadership award

2010-05-25T06:30:00.001-07:00

Members of the Nursing Alumni Association board receive the 2010 Leadership Award from the Villanova University Alumni Association (VUAA) on May 7th. Seen here are University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, ’75 A&S, Board Member Patricia Snyder ’84 BSN, President Margaret Hannan ’84 BSN, Vice President Patricia Somers ’74 BSN, ’85 MSN, Immediate Past-president Joanne Gurney ’71 BSN, ’88 MSN, College Liaison Rose O'Driscoll '64 BSN and VUAA President Paul A. Tufano, Esq. '83 '86. Not pictured are Treasurer Michele Damas ’93 BSN, Secretary Barbara Mankey, ’90 BSN, ’95 MSN and College Liaison Ann Barrow McKenzie ’86 BSN, ’91 MSN.

On May 7th, the Villanova University College of Nursing’s Nursing Alumni Association (NAA) Board received the 2010 Leadership Award from the Villanova University Alumni Association (VUAA). The award was presented at the VUAA Luncheon and Recognition Program of the 2010 Volunteer Leaders Conference in the Villanova Room of Connelly Center. The NAA was honored because of its ”superb efforts in strategic planning and instituting new initiatives,” according to the notification letter from VUAA president Paul A. Tufano, Esq. '83 '86. For more information about the NAA, visit www.villanova.edu/nursing/alumni .

Senior nursing student uses resources to spearhead pajama purchase for Children’s Hospital

2010-05-14T08:44:00.001-07:00

On May 9th, Lauren Ernst, right, a senior Villanova University nursing student, shows a sample of a new collection of children’s pajamas and underwear she presented to Jennifer Molnar, MSN, CRNP for the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) program based in the emergency department of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The team sees the highest number of sexually abused children in the city.

Lauren Ernst, a senior nursing student at Villanova University College of Nursing, is a leader who acts quickly and with positive impact. Ernst, from West Hempstead, N.Y., was in her pediatric clinical practicum at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in the fall of 2009 when she had a conversation with Misty Conlan, MSN, RN, her adjunct faculty for the rotation who also works as a nurse in the emergency department (ED) at CHOP. “She explained that in the ED, children who are sexually abused will come in and then their clothing will be taken away from them for evidence collection, leaving them without underwear or pajama bottoms,” recalls Ernst who reacted immediately when hearing the hospital does not always have a clothing supply to share with the children. Conlan recalls, “She told me about her sorority’s philanthropic theme of child abuse. She asked her sorority to help and raised money.”

“Being a nursing student and a Kappa Delta, I saw that this was a way we could make a difference for the community around us and decided to take on this project,” explains Ernst. Conlan connected her to colleague Jennifer Molnar, MSN, CRNP in the ED who is coordinator for the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) program which began 18 months ago. Molnar says the multidisciplinary SART cares for children from infancy to their 16th birthday. The team sees a child daily who has sexual concerns and one every day three days who has been the victim of an acute sexual assault within the past 72 hours. Most patients are girls of all ages—recently an eight month old infant was among those who had been assaulted.

Molnar is grateful for the leadership of Ernst who was executive vice president of the Panhellenic Council for two years and a member of Kappa Delta for the past four years. At Ernst’s request, the sorority held a bake sale and raised $200. “With that we primarily focused on the need for underwear and were able to purchase over 250 pairs of underwear and about 10 pairs of pajamas,” says Ernst. She donated them to CHOP’s Molnar on May 9th, the last day of her leadership practicum at the hospital.

Ernst is working with Kappa Delta to develop this into an annual or biannual donation. “What Lauren is doing and has done for the vulnerable and victimized children of abuse and rape is amazing,” says course leader Elizabeth Burgess Dowdell, PhD, CRNP, associate professor who specializes in pediatrics and victimized populations. Ernst looks forward to starting her professional nursing career in pediatrics after her May 16th graduation from Villanova.

For more information on the SART program at CHOP, contact Jennifer Molnar, MSN, CRNP, coordinator, at molnar@email.chop.edu.

Villanova Nursing students co-sponsor health fair with Penn Care at Home

2010-05-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

Seven senior nursing students from the Villanova University College of Nursing developed a health fair in collaboration with Penn Care at Home on April 21st. Held at University Square at 3901 Market St. in Philadelphia—a vertical community with over 500 residents— the topics were those of interest to residents who are elderly or have disabilities. Christine Bossone, MSN, RN, HHCNS-BC, clinical educator, Penn Care at Home, a ’67 B.S.N. alumna from the College of Nursing, collaborated with the Villanova nursing students (left to right) Christine Schirripa, Sarah Tuperan, Lindsay Dudek, Eboni Wesley, LaTrina Bailey, Stephanie Villegas-Hoag and Danielle Godino.

The students, participating in their home health clinical practicum, were advised by Associate Professor Mary Pickett, Ph.D, R.N. Their stations included blood pressure screening and education, the importance of summer hydration, DASH diet, and reading food labels for sodium and portion size. Additionally the students demonstrated upper body armchair exercises with water bottle weights.

Danielle Godino and Eboni Wesley listen to the concerns of a resident as Stephanie Villegas-Hoag checks her blood pressure.

LaTrina Bailey assesses the heart rate and rhythm of a University Square resident.

Christina Schirripa teaches a resident about food labels along with Lindsay Dudek.

Sarah Tuparan demonstrates upper body exercises to University Square residents.

Penn Care at Home nurse Marion Perry (left), seen here with seniors Lindsay Dudek and Christine Schirripa, generously shared her patients with Villanova Nursing students for home health visits.

Four distinguished alumnae honored by College of Nursing

2010-04-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

For their distinguished achievement, the College of Nursing awarded medallions to four alumni at its 21st Annual Mass and Alumni Awards Ceremony on April 17. With those honored are M. Louise Fitzpatrick, Ed.D., R.N., FAAN, Connelly Endowed Dean and Professor (left) and Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., University president (right) who thanked the recipients for “bringing Villanova to the world.” The Medallion recipients are (from left) Jocelyn Bessette Gorlin ’80 B.S.N., Florence Benas Smoczynski ’62 B.S.N., Carol J. Quinn ’70 B.S.N. and Mary Ellen Smith Glasgow ’87 M.S.N.

Villanova University College of Nursing honored four distinguished alumnae with its highest award, the College of Nursing Medallion. The awards were presented by Connelly Endowed Dean and Professor M. Louise Fitzpatrick Ed.D., R.N., FAAN at the 21st Annual Mass and Alumni Awards Ceremony on April 17 held in the St. Thomas of Villanova Church on the University campus. The event is co-sponsored by the College and its Nursing Alumni Association.

The 2010 recipients are:

Medallion for Distinguished Contributions for Nursing Education
Mary Ellen Smith Glasgow ’87 M.S.N., associate dean for Undergraduate Programs, MSN Programs and CE, Drexel University

Mary Ellen Smith Glasgow is a leader in nursing education, lauded by her colleagues for her accomplishments which are as numerous as her professional publications. At Drexel, Mary Ellen brought its co-operative model to their undergraduate programs and developed the standardized patient laboratory experience for undergraduate nursing students. She also implemented the use of mobile technology in the clinical setting and created the accelerated career entry BSN program. At the graduate level, in addition to her master’s program oversight, Mary Ellen was a member of the planning committee to start Drexel’s Doctor of Nursing Practice and Doctor of Philosophy Programs. Dr. Glasgow called her master’s education at Villanova “a strong, relevant academic program” and expressed gratitude for the faculty mentoring she received.

Medallion for Excellence in Clinical Practice
Jocelyn Bessette Gorlin ’80 B.S.N., nurse practitioner, Hematology Department, Minneapolis Children’s Hospitals and Clinics

Jocelyn Gorlin was honored for her dedication to the care of children with hemophilia and their families, and the energy and expertise that she shares with the underserved worldwide. She has educated and inspired numerous parents and families and has created models to educate school personnel about their students with hemophilia. She has also done research in the care of these patients and is a role model for other nurses, as a nursing representative on the boards of the National Hemophilia Foundation and World Federation of Hemophilia. With the Federation, she has presented hemophilia topics at their international conferences and done hemophilia and hematology outreach in Peru and Armenia, the latter an award-winning relationship recognized internationally. With the foundation of her Villanova Nursing education supporting her work, Gorlin acknowledged the children “whose care I gently held in my hand and who taught me I was not the teacher; I was actually the student.”

Medallion for Distinguished Leadership in Administration of Nursing and Health Care Services Carol J. Quinn ’70 B.S.N., president and CEO, Mercy Home Health and Mercy LIFE and senior VP, Mercy Health System

Carol J. Quinn was celebrated as an extraordinary leader, receiving the Medallion for her ability to influence quality care through management of vital community and home health services, and for expressing Villanova’s mission and values in her work. In each of her executive positions, she earned her reputation by not only growing the businesses she leads while navigating the tangled web of industry regulations, but exceeding national and industry quality standards as she brings sensitive and sensible care to the community her organizations serve. Regarding her undergraduate nursing education, Quinn recalled the influence of the “outstanding curriculum and faculty dedicated to excellence” at Villanova. This is reflected in her own practices, note Ray Welch, President and CEO of Mercy Health System and Sr. Kathleen Keenan, Senior Vice President of Mission & Sponsorship, who comment that she “is recognized as a visionary leader and woman of compassion for the sick and frail in the community. Building on her professional nursing experience at Villanova University, she inspires others to see the patient as the center of care and excellent quality of care as the hallmark of service.”

Medallion for Distinguished Service to the College and Nursing Alumni
Florence Benas Smoczynski ’62 B.S.N., assistant professor, George Mason University

Florence Smoczynski has contributed much to the advancement of nursing during her career but no matter where she was or what she was doing, all roads led her back to Villanova and her professional roots. She was honored for her many years of support and encouragement of nursing education at Villanova, and also for her pioneering efforts in the use of technology in nursing education which have been of great service to nursing students everywhere. She encourages both neophyte and seasoned faculty to venture beyond traditional modes of instruction in order to hone students’ ability to make critical judgments about patient conditions and institute appropriate clinical interventions. Dr. Smoczynski has been among the most loyal of College of Nursing alumni since her graduation. She says “Villanova has always been in my heart,” crediting the leadership, support and role modeling of the faculty for her professional growth.

Students present sickle cell information to Main Line Health nurses

2010-04-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

(left to right) Omani students Mudhar Al Adawi and Zayana Al Saudi worked with Mary Beth Sedwick BSN, MS, CCRN, clinical nurse educator for ICU & CTICU and lead nurse educator for Lankenau Hospital to bring their sickle cell disease program to Main Line Health nurses.

The College of Nursing and Main Line Health enjoy a longstanding relationship, furthered by a recent presentation. Omani students Zayana Al Saudi and Mudhar Al Adawi developed and presented a continuing education presentation The Global Nature of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) for the Nursing Education department of the health system on April 12th. The conference was presented twice to a live audience of staff nurses at Lankenau Hospital while being simultaneously teleconferenced to live audiences at Bryn Mawr and Riddle Memorial Hospitals. The conference was coordinated in conjunction with Mary Beth Sedwick BSN, MS, CCRN, clinical nurse educator for ICU & CTICU and lead nurse educator for Lankenau Hospital.

The purpose of the Zayana’s and Mudhar’s presentation was to educate health providers about the types, complications, management and cultural dimensions of nursing care of the patients with SCD. They presented an overview of data to illustrate the impact of SCD on three populations most often seen in this region: African Americans, Hispanics and Middle Eastern populations. “Sickle cell disease is not African American disease. It can affect anyone of any race. We chose to conclude the presentation with care and needs of Muslim women to bring the awareness of the cultural diversity needs for patients in the hospitals,” explains Mudhar.

This project was in partial fulfillment of the students’ clinical practicum in their senior level Health Promotion course under the direction of their clinical advisor Assistant Professor Elizabeth Petit de Mange, PhD, MSN, NP-C, RN. The students were mentored during their clinical rotation by Tracy Swift-Merrick, director of Programs for the Sickle Cell Association of Philadelphia and hematologist Roy Gay, MD from Penn Presbyterian Hospital who provides care to more than 200 patients with SCD.

Villanova educators collaborate for success - professors and student represent University at conference

2010-04-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

An education professor, a nursing assistant professor, and her son—a senior with a double major—were part of a Villanova University team that presented at the National Social Science Association’s National Technology and Social Science Conference in Las Vegas on March 29th. Bette Mariani, Ph.D., R.N., clinical assistant professor in the College of Nursing, and son Brett Mariani, an education and history major from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences joined Ray Heitzmann, Ph.D., professor and program coordinator, Undergraduate Teacher Education, Department of Education and Human Services in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, in presenting Case Study Instruction: Professors as Students. Mr. Mariani received an educational grant from his college to support his conference experience.

The group demonstrated that case study pedagogy can provide excellent insights to the teaching-learning process. Dr. Heitzmann relayed his expertise in the pedagogy of case study instruction, and shared the case study contest format that he developed and organized for education majors at Villanova. Dr. Mariani gave an overview of the areas in Villanova’s nursing curriculum in which case studies are used, including as a foundation for clinical simulation experiences. She also presented some of the College’s current research relating to clinical judgment and student satisfaction. Mr. Mariani discussed the use of case studies and their effectiveness in education from his perspective, both as a student and a pre-service teacher.

According to Dr. Mariani, “the conference was a great opportunity to collaborate with my colleagues in education and share successful strategies in teaching. I am proud of Brett’s accomplishments here at Villanova. His contribution to the presentation as a novice educator and student added a valuable dimension to the presentation.”

Villanova’s Dr. Smeltzer appointed to disabilities-related state workgroup

2010-04-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

Suzanne C. Smeltzer, RN, EdD, FAAN has been appointed by the New Jersey Division of Disabilities Services to the Healthy People with Disabilities New Jersey 2010 Workgroup. Its purpose is to work on setting priorities on health needs of people with disabilities.

Dr. Smeltzer is professor and director of the Center for Nursing Research for the Villanova University College of Nursing. She is committed to making health promotion practices and services accessible and acceptable for people with disabilities. She is an internationally known scholar, researcher, educator and author, who has directed the College’s Health Promotion for Women with Disabilities Project funded by a grant from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. Dr. Smeltzer has served on disabilities-related committees and advisory groups and much of her research has addressed health issues of people with multiple sclerosis and other disabilities.

Villanova’s Undergraduate Nursing Senate contributes to Haiti relief

2010-04-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

The Undergraduate Nursing Senate (UNS) of Villanova University’s College of Nursing has a long history of public service and fundraising efforts to support the College’s mission. For decades it has run a highly successful blood drive on campus with the American Red Cross and last year it donated over 100 winter coats to children who did not have one.

In January, the nursing students were immediately moved by the plight of Haitians caught in the catastrophic 7.0 earthquake that rocked the Port-au-Prince area on January 12th. “The Undergraduate Nursing Senate knew right away that we needed to reach out. Our fundraiser from the fall was very successful, so we figured why not use some of that money. When someone needs a hand, we lend them a hand. We pride ourselves on our excellent service to the community,” say Keri Nagel and Tara Duggan, senior nursing students and co-presidents of UNS.

The UNS Board unanimously agreed to donate $500 to the University’s Haiti fund to be given to Catholic Relief Services in Haiti. This donation sent the University donation over the $19,000 mark. The students see the big picture. “Whether in the United States, or a small island such as Haiti, a tragedy affects the lives of millions. By donating $500, we are lending them our hands to assist them with recovery,” explain the co-presidents.

Omani nursing students volunteer at local church

2010-03-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

The members of St. Matthew's United Methodist church of Valley Forge, Pa. are more knowledgeable about their health thanks to four Villanova University College of Nursing students. The four women, who are nurses from the Sultanate of Oman and are completing their bachelor of science in nursing degree at Villanova, volunteered to assist with the congregation’s health fair on March 21st. “We learned more about volunteering and community service,” explains Wadha Al Mamari.

The students checked blood pressures, shared general cardiac health tips and follow up advice on any abnormal results. Their faculty, Joyce Willens, PhD, RN, assistant professor and a member of the church, taught CPR to the lay public gathered at the church, while the students offered the blood pressure screening. “They were very excited about the opportunity to serve the community and with the notion of seeing a different worship place,” says Dr. Willens. Villanova enjoys a 16-year relationship with Oman, providing BSN-completion, MSN, PhD and continuing education to its nurses and is enriched by having Omani students on its campus.

In these photos, Samiha Al Habsi checks the blood pressure of Pastor Dawn Taylor of St. Matthew’s Church. The health fair volunteers included (l to r) Raiya Al Hajri, Samiha Al Habsi, Dr. Joyce Willens, assistant professor, Mirfat Al Barwani and Wadha Al Mamari.

Dr. Dowdell to serve on American Nurses Foundation committee

2010-03-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Burgess Dowdell, Ph.D., R.N., CRNP has been invited to serve on the Nursing Research Grant Reviewer Committee of the American Nurses Foundation (ANF), the philanthropic arm of the American Nurses Association. The associate professor from Villanova University College of Nursing will serve a three year term. The invitation was extended on the recommendation of the ANF’s Board of Trustees because of her research prowess. An expert in parent-child nursing, Dr. Dowdell’s scholarly work focuses on health risk behaviors and vulnerability across the lifespan, victimology and issues of violence, and nursing care of children.

Nurse Anesthetist faculty to serve on State Board of Nursing

2010-03-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

Bette M. Wildgust, MSN, MS, CRNA, is the newest member of the State Board of Nursing of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Wildgust was nominated by Governor Edward G. Rendell and approved by the Senate on March 16th. She is a certified nurse anesthetist and clinical associate professor who is program director for the Villanova University College of Nursing-Crozer Chester Medical Center School of Nurse Anesthesia. This is Wildgust’s first six-year term on the Board.

Wildgust has over 30 years experience in teaching nurse anesthesia students and the administration of anesthesia programs. She started her career as a program director 1979 when she began the first nurse anesthesia program at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, N.J. Her commitment to the profession of nurse anesthesia and to the advancement of educational standards that further the art and science of anesthesiology and result in better patient care has been recognized with the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA) Didactic Instructor of the Year Award and the PANA Program Director of the Year Award.

The State Board of Nursing, based in Harrisburg, establishes rules and regulations for the licensure and practice of professional and practical nursing in the Commonwealth and provides for the examination of all applicants. The College of Nursing is approved by the State Board of Nursing of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Barbara Ott in Haiti

2010-03-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

Dr. Barbara Ott, associate professor and volunteer with Operation Smile, cares for a young Haitian woman who has just had surgery on her leg for an orthopedic trauma. Beds were low cots and floors were dry dirt in the post-operative care tent, making for a dusty and physically challenging care environment.

Transforming horror into hope in Haiti

2010-03-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

Barbara Ott, Ph.D., R.N. is no stranger to challenging nursing environments. She has shared her critical care nursing skills in some of the most harsh places the world has to offer, caring for children through Norfolk, Virginia’s Operation Smile in such countries as Thailand, the Philippines, Honduras, China, Russia, Morocco and Brazil. She was compelled to volunteer for one of the organization’s recent teams sent to Haiti.

In late February, the associate professor at Villanova University College of Nursing joined about a dozen other health care professionals, including nurses, orthopedic surgeons, and nurse anesthetists, for the 10-day effort in Fond Parisien, just outside the capital Port-au-Prince where the January 12th catastrophic earthquake occurred. Some team members moved in and out so the number varied over time. Staff ate beans and rice twice a day, slept in tents and worked long hours in a physically demanding environment. Not trusting the safety of the buildings on the property of an orphanage and school, her team set up its operations in a small tent city next to a refugee camp run by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. It is a place where the “walking wounded”—people of all ages with recent amputations—are the new norm. Challenged by the scarcity of crutches, they are either immobile or lucky to find help.

Moving outside of its usual pediatric facial deformity repair surgery, the Operation Smile team handled at least 60 adult and pediatric orthopedic cases, including amputation revisions (removing more of an affected limb due to tissue death or infection), rod placement to stabilize bones, and removal of external fixation devices in bones that healed. The two operating rooms were sterile environments in tents. The triage and post-operative recovery areas were not, with 130 degree temperatures, dirt floors and an invasive, persistent layer of dust that settled over skin, sterile packaging and other equipment. Yet, the nurses provided high quality care, somehow managing to have zero infections at pin sites (pins are the small metal pieces inserted through the skin to keep a healing bone in place)—a fact duly noted by the naval commander of the USNS Comfort hospital ship that transported patients to and from the Operation Smile makeshift hospital.

Each pair of nurses shared a translator who spoke the native Kreyol. Among the 259 patients, Dr. Ott saw severe wounds, recalling one woman whose wound occurred when she was pulled out of a building, causing her skin and muscle to shear off her foot, exposing bone. Her options were to “become septic and die or to be a 79 year old amputee in Haiti,” notes Dr. Ott. The patients lived two in each tent, along with their family caregivers. There were also 47 unaccompanied minors who had lost their parents in the destructive force of 7.0 magnitude earthquake.

Despite the tragedy, Dr. Ott explains the future-oriented Haitians, “I was very taken with their attitude. I didn’t expect that. They were anticipating a better time in the near future.” How does she summarize her nursing experience in Haiti? “It was amazing work,” explains Dr. Ott, “We were dirty and tired but felt we were doing something important.”

Faculty Position, Pediatric and/or Maternal Infant Nursing, BSN Program for College Graduates (BSN Express Program)

2010-03-04T08:15:00.001-08:00

Faculty Position, Pediatric and/or Maternal Infant Nursing, BSN Program for College Graduates (BSN Express Program)

2010-03-03T08:06:00.000-08:00

The College of Nursing invites applications for a full-time, 12-month faculty position for a highly qualified individual to provide classroom and clinical instruction for undergraduate students primarily in the accelerated BSN program for college graduates (BSN Express Program). For more info visit http://www.villanova.edu/nursing/facultystaff/opportunities.htm .

Reminder: March 16th! Promoting Dignity through Research

2010-03-01T11:21:00.000-08:00

Rehydrating an 8-month old child in Haiti

2010-02-25T10:28:00.001-08:00

Debbie Wimmer, ’83 M.S.N., CRNP, painstakingly rehydrates a listless eight month old child with an oral rehydration solution. Weaned too soon, the child was severely malnourished and dehydrated which can be deadly. This process went on over several days and the child finally seemed to become slightly more energetic.

Saving a 2-day old Haitian girl

2010-02-25T10:26:00.000-08:00

Debbie Wimmer, ’83 M.S.N., CRNP, assistant clinical professor, and Geri O’Hare ’85 B.S.N., M.S.N., R.N., CRNP, both pediatric nurse practitioners, begin to examine a two-day old infant girl whose traumatized mother had not breastfed her at all. After treating the mother’s complaints of back pain and working with her to breastfeed, she finally would look at and feed her child. Two other babies in similar situations had died.

“Overflowing compassion” in Haiti

2010-02-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

Comparing Port-au-Prince to Dresden, Debbie Wimmer, ’83 M.S.N., CRNP, described the devastation in Haiti as if it was bombed. “It was the most intense sensory experience I have ever had…the sights, the smells, the sounds,” she recalls.

Wimmer, assistant clinical professor at the College of Nursing and a pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP), departed Philadelphia on Valentine’s Day weekend to travel to Haiti to volunteer for 10-days at Hospice St. Joseph (HSJ) which serves the Christ Roi community of Port-au-Prince. She was part of a group of nurses, PNPs, physicians and lay volunteers whose efforts were sponsored by Medicines for Humanity which has a long association with HSJ. Global health challenges are not new to Wimmer who has traveled around the world with Operation Smile to places such as China, Ethiopia and Cambodia and leads senior nursing students during global health and multicultural experiences on the Western Shoshone Native American reservation in Elko, NV and in the bateyes of the Dominican Republic.

Wimmer was connected to Haiti through fellow alumna and PNP Geri O’Hare ’85 B.S.N., M.S.N., R.N., CRNP who also accompanies the Villanova group to the Dominican Republic and completed a year of service in Haiti. She speaks the native Kreyol and is the Caribbean Program Director for the Global Health initiatives of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the vice chair of the Board of Directors for HSJ.

Sleeping in tents and working in a small, makeshift clinic, the PNPs offered primary care to area residents. Care involved “treating acute illness and traumas, infections and dehydration, severe malnutrition, caring for moms and newborns, treating and preventing parasites...,” recalls O’Hare. “It was and is the stripped down essence of nursing and medicine...the science and art of compassion pressed down and overflowing...it was intense,” she notes.

Wimmer says, “You take it one patient at a time and do what you can.” Many children had rashes and bug bites from living outside and nearly everyone had a cough related to respiratory infections and malnutrition. Everyone generally got one meal a day of rice and beans.

Wimmer brought supplies including a baby scale and measuring board to assist with identifying malnourished children in the community. Likening the situation to Ethiopia, the trends she noted in charting weight-for-height indicated many children were severely malnourished. They spent time rehydrating children who were weaned too early from breast milk with an oral electrolyte solution. The PNPs created an “ICU” (a chair on the sidewalk) for Wimmer’s first patient, an infant, several months old, dying of dehydration and malnutrition, until she could be admitted into a hospital. One child, a two year old girl, was so anorexic and lethargic that she did not know what to do with a peanut butter cracker that Wimmer gave her from her bag. The mother took it for later.

The PNPs traveled into the surrounding area to look for psychological support resources from other volunteer groups for their patients. Many had psychosomatic complaints such as stomach aches, insomnia and headaches. Wimmer counseled them about normal reactions to “an enormous trauma.” “They are stunned” she recalls. As difficult as it was, Wimmer says she was energized by the positive experience. Of being a nurse, she notes, “It’s great to have a gift, to be able to help.”

Today, Barbara Ott, PhD, RN, an associate professor in the College of Nursing who also travels the globe with Operation Smile, has left for Haiti for a 10-day volunteer tour with that organization. Much of what they are doing now focuses on debriding wounds of infected tissue and revising amputations because of an operative site that became infected or has dead tissue. Check back for updates on her story.

March 10th- The Solar Suitcase-Improving Maternal Health in Northern Nigeria

2010-02-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

Hear Dr. Laura Stachel on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 from 4:30-6pm in the Driscoll Hall Auditorium. This event is sponsored by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the College of Nursing.

Dr. Laura Stachel, a registered OB/GYN and adjunct professor at University of California, Berkeley,will present her work in bringing solar power to a maternal health clinic in Northern Nigeria. To aidin the reduction of maternal mortality, Dr. Stachel has developed a portable power system comprisinga solar panel, batteries and LED lights all packaged in a suitcase for ease of transportation.This system, the so-called “Solar Suitcase,” has allowed physicians to perform deliveries andoperations at night in places ranging from Nigeria to Uganda and, most recently, Haiti.

Dr. Stachel will discuss the factors that contribute to high rates of maternal death in NorthernNigeria, the conditions in the hospital and the need for improved infrastructure, and the impactof the Solar Suitcase technology in improving maternity care around the world.

College of Nursing announces accreditation visit

2010-02-03T06:25:00.001-08:00

Site visitors representing the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education will be on campus February 8-10 as part of the College of Nursing's 10 year reaccreditation process for its BSN and MSN programs. An extensive self study document; meetings with representatives of the extended campus community, administrators, faculty, students and clinical agency partners; and observation of classes and clinical practica are part of the process. The visiting team members are Dr. Mary Collins, Glover-Crask Professor of Nursing and DNP track coordinator, Wegmans School of Nursing, St. John Fisher College, Rochester, NY; Dr. Maureen Gallagher Leen, Professor, College of Nursing & Health, Madonna University, Livonia, MI; and Daniel O'Neal, MA,RN, Evidence-Based Practice Specialist, VA Hospital, Tampa, FL.

Safe and secure

2010-02-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

“Nurses, no matter where they practice, should understand the methods used to assess the quality and safety of their practice”

With health care reform targeting quality healthcare coverage, it is expected that Medicare and Medicaid payment will be tied to patient outcomes. “Nursing is one of the most influential professions in the delivery of healthcare. The understanding of how to assess the quality of care and the effectiveness of patient safety measures is of utmost importance for nurses, now more than ever,” says Kathy D. Gray-Siracusa, Ph.D., R.N., M.B.A., NEA-BC, assistant professor, Villanova University College of Nursing, whose research advances the safety agenda. She designed the graduate level nursing course Quality Improvement and Patient Safety initially offered in fall 2009. It provides students with a comprehensive understanding of patient safety and its relationship to quality improvement concepts and department management. Emphasis is placed on leadership characteristics essential to creating and sustaining a culture of safety within the health care organization.

The 1999 release of the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) seminal report To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System (http://www.nap.edu/books/0309068371/html),ignited an increase in the movement of hospitals reforming how they operate to increase patient safety. The report estimates that at least 44,000 and up to 98,000 people die in hospitals each year from preventable medical errors. The total financial cost of errors nationally may be as high as $29 billion per year. Creating a culture of safety is a critical issue for hospitals and other health care settings where improvements are being made in such areas as injury prevention, patient identification procedures and medication safety. They are learning from “sentinel events” – unexpected occurrences resulting in death or serious injury such as the loss of a limb—and correcting antecedent situations, thus preventing a future event.

“This course is required for all Graduate Nursing students in the Healthcare Administration Track and is strongly recommended as an elective for all others including nursing education, nurse practitioner and nurse anesthesia students,” Dr. Gray-Siracusa explains. It also attracts students from the business school. Students learn how the elements of quality management, risk management, as well as data management and general management skills , including process mapping, root cause analysis, and benchmarking, are integrated to produce an effective and efficient system to monitor and improve care. “Nurses, no matter where they practice, should understand the methods used to assess the quality and safety of their practice,” she affirms.

A Call for Abstracts-PNEG conference

2010-02-02T10:48:00.000-08:00

37th Annual National Conference on
Professional Nursing Education and Development

Gateway to Innovation and Creativity in Nursing Education

October 21-24, 2010 · Baltimore Inner Harbor

Online abstract submission deadline March 10, 2010

www.villanova.edu/nursing/ce/conferences

Care in a catastrophe

2010-01-26T18:21:00.000-08:00

“Nothing in my life prepared me for what I saw,” says Debbie Abraham of Haiti’s earthquake destruction, seen here in a previous trip to Haiti, assisting an orthopedic patient.

When you land in a third world country to assist with nursing care, you might expect to be surprised here and there. You don’t expect a surprise of a 7.0 magnitude. That is what happened to Debbie Abraham, ’95 MSN, RN five hours after landing in Haiti on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 for what she thought would be another routine service trip to Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) in Deschappelles, 70 km north of the capital city of Port-au-Prince.

Abraham, a former critical care nurse and nurse educator in the Philadelphia region, resides in Havertown, Pa. with her husband and two children who are in college and high school. She recently returned to Villanova University College of Nursing to earn a post-master’s certificate as an adult nurse practitioner (NP)—she already held a master’s degree from the College in nursing education. Since finishing her preparation as an NP she has been readying for this trip to Haiti before studying for her NP certification exam and seeking a new NP position.

In 2002, Abraham learned of an opportunity to teach CPR to staff at HAS, which serves 300,000 impoverished people in the Artibonite Valley in central rural Haiti. Within days of her arrival seven years ago, she knew she would return. She has done so once or twice a year to do staff education on nursing and health issues as well as assist with patient care in the hospital and its more remote clinics. She is self-taught in Kreyol, the native language, but also uses a translator when teaching. This January trip was to be a two-week stay, involving more teaching and patient care, her first as a new advanced practice nurse. She did not know she would be delivering care and utilizing her fresh skills in the midst of the worst humanitarian crisis in recent memory in the poorest country of the western hemisphere.

Abraham first traveled to the house of friend Zulta, a midwife, in Tabarre, 10 minutes outside the capital, for a two-day visit. She describes the onset of the quake while standing in the kitchen talking about dinner, “I recall hearing a very loud boom, like an explosion, and then literally shaking…as the amplitude got worse, we got the kids and ran out.” Initially unsure of what was happening, she stood outside with her friend and her husband and two small children as people were running, screaming, looking to the sky and singing, praying or chanting. “It was chaotic,” she says. Miraculously, Zulta’s house did not collapse. Abraham became concerned, realizing she was far from family and essential services were wiped out, “The total isolation for me was pretty incredible.” The car radio was operational so they got confirmation from French radio that it was a significant earthquake. They lived through “tremendous aftershocks,” trying to sleep in the car for safety. It is estimated that the earthquake affected approximate three million people and that the dead will number in the hundreds of thousands.

At the request of another friend, Zulta and Abraham set out the following morning to deliver a few supplies from the home to a neighboring area, Delmar, a section of Port-au-Prince that was nearly razed. They brought gauze, sterile gloves, suture material, betadine, ampicillin, ibuprofen, Benadryl, and some food. “The first injury we saw was a partially amputated foot…then a spinal cord injury and a skull fracture,” notes Abraham. Not being equipped for the more serious cases, they began treating abrasions and other wounds, soon reprioritizing how to treat certain injuries and improvising with their quickly diminishing supplies, for instance using the paper from gauze packaging to wipe a wound instead of the gauze itself. After two hours they returned home. As she reflects on that experience, Abraham notes “In 30 years of nursing I never felt so helpless.”

On Thursday, Abraham saw firsthand the situation in Port-au-Prince as they sought members of Zulta’s family. “It was absolutely unbelievable to see the destruction of the buildings, people staking out areas to sleep, and thousands and thousands in the road, walking,” she recalls vividly, along with the odor from the countless dead bodies covered in the street. Later that day she made the long journey to HAS in Deschapelles as scheduled. Largely unscathed, the town had more operational services than the capital and she was able to make an Internet call to her husband following up on a simple one-way text message she sent from Zulta’s house earlier that said “I am ok.”

At HAS, Abraham again pulled on her NP knowledge and skills to triage patients for two days. While the hospital had more resources than most, she still had to be judicious in ordering x-rays and other tests. She would admit patients and write their orders, or prescribe needed medications and discharge them. She estimates 90% of the cases were orthopedic or trauma, especially among those who had arrived from Port-au-Prince. Essentially this was her “first day on the job” she notes, saying she felt confident in her assessment skills but still unsure about some of her decisions since she was unfamiliar with the paperwork and protocols. She did have physicians to call on for consultation, though stuck with her assessment of one woman whom she thought had a collapsed lung, a situation which can quickly become dire. The staff disagreed. Abraham’s suspicions were confirmed by a chest x-ray and the patient was treated appropriately.

Abraham discusses how nursing knowledge and education translate into various situations. “I certainly felt prepared as I had been given the appropriate information (at Villanova) to use; I used my physical assessment course, no doubt about it!” She acknowledges that setting priorities and assessing patients is part of all nursing. She delivered care and medications on the wards to about 150 people a day in her second week in Haiti though she fears she lost count. Abraham recalls it being difficult having people pull on the hem of her scrub pants for help as she stepped around them on the floor to get to someone else. “I went back to them,” she offers. She remains affected by the people “We can’t fathom their daily life…Despite the horrible living conditions and ineffective leadership in Haiti, to see the grace, dignity and resolve with which they live their lives is overwhelming….everyone had someone in their family who was dead.”

With her two weeks completed, Abraham was able to depart Haiti and fly home from the Dominican Republic. She has great respect for the endeavors of HAS and is acutely aware of their need for funding. This is why she tells her story even before getting much rest since her return to the United States just over 36 hours ago. “I felt conflicted about leaving,” she admits. Determined to return to HAS and Haiti, Abraham says firmly “It is my privilege to be able to work there and it will continue. This will not stop me.”

To learn more about Hôpital Albert Schweitzer and its critical needs, visit http://www.hashaiti.org/.

Nurse practitioner student serves the underserved in India

2010-01-26T08:43:00.001-08:00

Soon to be a nurse practitioner, Robin Herb conducts a physical assessment on an elderly Indian woman complaining of stomach pain. “They have it right. They take care of each other.”

"Life transforming” is how Robin Herb, B.S.N., R.N. describes a 14-day trip to Puttur, India. From December 27, 2009 to January 9, 2010, the graduate student from Villanova University College of Nursing used her winter break to serve the underserved with a Christian church group based in Mohnton, Pa. to assist the Good Shepherd Mission in Puttur. Puttur is in the southeast area of the peninsula about 2 hours inland from the Bay of Bengal, in the state of Andhra Pradesh. As Herb triaged local residents to be seen by physicians, handed blankets to grateful members of a leper colony who traveled long distances, and helped dedicate a new HIV/AIDS center, she saw the impact on this agricultural community.

Herb is wife and mother from Reading, Pa. where she is also a nurse in a cardiology practice. She is earning her master of science in nursing degree as an adult nurse practitioner (NP). In 2009, friends connected her to the Calvary United Methodist Church which organized the trip with 10 volunteers from all walks of life. She was later struck by how each member of the team was critical to the effort in aiding the Indian population.

Since mission work has been of interest to Herb, she soon began her immunizations against typhoid and hepatitis A, in addition to preventative malaria medication, for the experience. She packed her stethoscope, a blood pressure cuff and an intrinsic sense of cultural acceptance that served her as well as the nursing tools. Herb says one of the reasons she came to Villanova and the College of Nursing was the overall sense of acceptance she felt on campus. “I took that with me,” she says, along with knowledge gained from a recent lecture on cultural sensitivity to NPs by Elise Pizzi, M.S.N., CRNP, assistant professor. Herb said it helped her comfort level while interacting with a community dealing with serious health and poverty issues. “I was not going to try to change hundreds of years of culture,” she explains. She appreciated the balance the people achieved between the Hindu and Indian traditions. “It reminded me of what the College does. No matter what someone’s background, we accept them,” she offers.

One of three nurses in the group, Herb was in constant motion. The Mission has established a hospital with just over a dozen beds. Herb triaged patients there and visited with those who calmly and pleasantly waiting for extended periods of time while sitting on the lobby floor. Women would watch each other’s babies without fear of strangers. “No baby was crying” remembers Herb, as each child was attended by another woman if the mother was unavailable. She also gathered with children from the orphanage on the grounds. Fifty girls sleep on the floor, keeping all of their belongings in a tiny footlocker. As they and their male counterparts get older, they are encouraged to assist the Mission. Many of the staff members there were supported by the Mission earlier in life and stay to give back to the community.

Herb and the group moved out of the compound to make and lay bricks for the Mission’s HIV/AIDS Support Center on the outskirts of town, the closet parcel of land that the community would offer for these stigmatized patients. At the same site, they celebrated the dedication of the facility with music, prayer and colorful decorations provided by area residents.

Herb traveled with others to three remote villages to triage patients for five Indian physicians. One day there were 800 patients who had waited in line. Each was seen. “There were all types of physical complaints,” notes Herb, though many were musculoskeletal problems related to their life of hard labor in the local rice paddies or peanut fields. Many walked for miles when they heard of the scheduled arrival of the medical team. Because of language and resource barriers, Herb was especially grateful for her NP physical assessment skills and the ability to listen (via a translator who spoke the native Telugu) as she obtained a patient’s medical history. Patients were also able to get a few simple medications such as mild analgesics, antibiotics, antacids and skin creams.

“I had not a clue what life was like for them,” states Herb of the Puttur residents who now have a hold on her heart. “They are the most gracious, appreciative people and they have nothing.” After meeting the people with leprosy (a bacterial disease causing, ulcerations, severe infections and deformities) who are considered to be the lowest caste or level in the society, she recalls “They were so thankful for a $2.00 blanket.” What was her key lesson from the people of India? “They have it right. They take care of each other.”

A belated Valentine's Day gift

2010-01-26T06:22:00.000-08:00

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, have a heart and offer three people you don't know a gift they desparately need. Participate in the Feb. 16th blood drive sponsored by the College of Nursing's Undergraduate Nursing Senate!

Tuesday, February 16th

11am to 5pm
Dougherty Hall-West Lounge
Appointments preferred (sign up at www.pleasegiveblood.org/donate and enter sponsor #2031)

For 25 years, the Undergraduate Nursing Senate has been sponsoring blood drives on campus with the American Red Cross. That's a lot of lives saved by the Villanova community.

What happens to your blood? Blood may be used for whole blood transfusions or it is separated into its components including red blood cells, plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitated AHF (antihemophilic factor). Each component can be transfused to different individuals with different needs. Therefore, each donation can be used to help save as many as three lives.

Who are you helping? Premature infants in NICUs, babies having open heart surgery, people with hemophilia, and trauma, cancer and burn patients among countless others.

You can help three people and give hope to their families and friends by being there February 16th!

Gearing up for global health

2010-01-14T06:57:00.000-08:00

In the face of the tragic earthquake in Haiti this week, we are reminded of the dire circumstances in which many find themselves and the important role that nurses play in delivering health care.

Right now, our students and faculty are prepping for seniors' annual health promotion experiences during spring break week...researching critical health issues in the areas, developing and translating health promotion materials, and gathering vital supplies for basic health care. This year we are returning to Peru, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic (DR). Here is just one inspiring story from one experience last year in the DR. http://www.villanova.edu/nursing/newsevents/news.htm?page=2009_6_16.htm

Teaching Nursing Research to the Twitter Generation

2010-01-13T11:45:00.000-08:00

A preconference of the Villanova Nursing Annual Research Symposium

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2010 1:00-3:20 P.M.

DRISCOLL HALL AUDITORIUM

2.0 CONTACT HOURS

Dr. Judith W. Herrman, RN, ANEF
Dr. Erlinda Wheeler, RN, CNS

Learn more about the Annual Research Symposium and preconference at www.villanova.edu/nursing/ce/courses.

To register, visit www.villanova.edu/nursing/ce/registration.htm or contact Louisa Zullo, CE Program Assistant, at 610.519.4930 or louisa.zullo@villanova.edu.

College of Nursing Annual Research Symposium: The Many Dimensions of Nursing Research

2010-01-13T11:41:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
4:00-7:00 p.m.
Villanova Room, Connelly Center on the University campus
2.5 contact hours

Learn more about the Symposium and our Preconference Teaching Nursing Research to the Twitter Generation at www.villanova.edu/nursing/ce/courses.

For pre-registration discount, visit www.villanova.edu/nursing/ce/registration.htm or contact Louisa Zullo, CE Program Assistant, at 610.519.4930 or louisa.zullo@villanova.edu.

Blood drive February 16th

2010-01-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

Blood drive sponsored by the College of Nursing's Undergraduate Nursing Senate
Recycle yourself! Give blood.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010
10am to 3:30pm
Dougherty Hall-West Lounge

Appointments preferred (sign up at http://www.pleasegiveblood.org/donate and enter sponsor #2031)

For 25 years, the Undergraduate Nursing Senate has been sponsoring blood drives on campus with the American Red Cross. That's a lot of lives saved by the Villanova community.

What happens to your blood? Blood may be used for whole blood transfusions or it is separated into its components including red blood cells, plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitated AHF (antihemophilic factor). Each component can be transfused to different individuals with different needs. Therefore, each donation can be used to help save as many as three lives.

Who are you helping? Premature infants in NICUs, babies having open heart surgery, people with hemophilia, and trauma, cancer and burn patients among countless others.

You can help three people and give hope to their families and friends by being there February 2nd!

Contact Information: Rose O'Driscoll 610.519.4905 rose.odriscoll@villanova.edu

Save the date! Promoting Dignity through Research-March 16th

2010-01-12T05:47:00.000-08:00

Promoting Dignity through Research is the fourth and final lecture in the College of Nursing's 15th Annual Health & Human Values Lecture Series: Promoting Human Dignity Throughout the Lifespan.

On Tuesday, March 16th at 7:30 p.m. in the Driscoll Hall Auditorium, discover how College of Nursing faculty tackle issues critical to human dignity through their research and contributions to nursing science. Their scholarship focuses on abused women, Internet safety for children, osteoporosis in Asian women and men, and nutrition in underserved diabetic pregnant women.

Participating faculty are:

Linda Carman Copel, PhD, RN, CNS,BC, CNE, NCC, FAPA
Elizabeth Burgess Dowdell, PhD, RN, CRNP
Bing Bing Qi, PhD, RN
Kimberly Trout, PhD, CNM, RN

http://www.villanova.edu/nursing/newsevents/events/lecture.htm

All lectures are free and open to the community.

What's Bugging your Health: The Health Impact of Pests and Pesticides

2010-01-11T05:50:00.000-08:00

Wondering about pesticides in your home environment? Hear from Dion Lerman of the Penn State Integrated Pest Management Program talking about What's Bugging your Health: The Health Impact of Pests and Pesticides" on Feb. 4th, 7pm in the Driscoll Hall Auditorium. All are welcome. Need more info? Contact Dr. Ruth McDermott-Levy at 610.519.6813 or ruth.mcdermott-levy@villanova.edu.

Dr. Elizabeth Dowdell cited in article on drug abuse

2009-12-15T08:54:00.001-08:00

Dr. Elizabeth Dowdell, associate professor, Villanova University College of Nursing, was cited in an article on a recent report on teen drug abuse in the Christian Science Monitor. Dr. Dowdell is a specialist in parent-child health and forensic nursing.

To read Report: marijuana, prescription drug use up among teens click here:

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2009/1214/Report-marijuana-prescription-drug-use-up-among-teens

Genetics expert to be national resource for nursing education

2009-12-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

In December 2009, Suzanne Tracey Zamerowski, Ph.D., R.N., associate professor, was notified by the Genomic Healthcare Branch of the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health that she will be one of their genetics nurse education experts and an invited member of the Consultation Directory: Genetics/Genomics Education Exemplar Resources. The directory will provide a valuable resource for faculty to access and facilitate integration of genetics into their curricula and education programs. Her commitment extends through September 2010.

Dr. Zamerowski, on faculty at Villanova since 1979, has been teaching genetics for 40 years and integrating the content through her maternal-child health and health promotion specialty areas. Why this commitment? “Personally and professionally, I am dedicated to the role of genetics as a key determinant of health,” she says. “As the era of personalized health becomes a reality, genetic knowledge will be of paramount importance for individuals and health care professionals. Since nurses are widely represented in health care, they are in a key position to provide genetics assessment, education and care.” She explains further, “As a nurse educator, I want to do all that I can to ensure that nursing graduates emerge as well prepared professionals in this era of genomic medicine and contribute to the promotion of health and prevention of disease. Serving as a faculty champion will allow me to be a change agent in one of the most exciting times in health care.”

Her broad contributions thus far reflect her commitment to the arena of genetics which began at the start of her career after her son Tommy was born with a genetic disorder. “I have continuously advanced my genetic knowledge through pursuit of doctoral education, conducted genetic research, attended numerous educational conferences and professional meetings, and participated in training programs and continuing education offerings. Through my role as an educator, I have been able to apply this knowledge towards numerous educational initiatives to advance genetic knowledge, change attitudes about genetics and prepare genetically competent nurses.” For instance she developed the required undergraduate Nursing course Cell Biology and Genetics and the elective course Genetics for Health Care Professionals. Her goals will be furthered through her service as a faculty genetics champion in this national exemplar program.