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Carolina Nursing WINTER 2007 Nurse Practitioners Teach by Example PAGE 9 Carolina Nursing is published by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing for the School’s alumni and friends. Dean Linda R. Cronenwett, PhD, RN, FAAN Contributing Writers Barbara Geddie, ’64 Melissa LeVine, ’77 Candi Newsome, ’08 Megan Murphey, ’07 Denise Darden, ’77 Norma Hawthorne Anne Webb Images and Photography Barbara Geddie, ’64 Tamara Starr Dan Sears Whitney L. J. Howell Paul Braly Mark Cornelison (Lexington Herald-Leader) Amy Joseph istockphoto Design and Production Duncan Design Office of Advancement Norma Hawthorne, Director Anne Webb, Associate Director, Alumni Affairs and Annual Fund Whitney L. J. Howell, Associate Director, Public Relations and Communications Talat Qazi, Assistant to the Director School of Nursing The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Carrington Hall, CB# 7460 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7460 (919) 966-4619 E-mail: sonalum@unc.edu http://nursing.unc.edu The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is open to people of all races, is committed to equality of educational oppor-tunity and does not discriminate against applicants, students or employees based on age, race, color, sex, national origin, religion, or disability. It is the policy of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that sexual orientation be treated in the same manner. Any complaints alleging failure of the institution to follow this policy should be brought to the attention of the General Counsel and the Assistant to the Chancellor and Director for Minority Affairs. Dear Alumni and Friends, The School of Nursing’s Baccalaureate Enrollment Expansion Plan enters its second year in January, and I am pleased to report that the program is going well. Our enrollment numbers from the first two admissions rounds this past January and May indicate we are on track to graduate up to 50 percent more baccalaureate-educated nurses this year than we did in 2002–2003. Admitting students twice a year continues the SON’s commitment to combating the nursing shortage. But, more importantly, it also makes us accessible to more qualified applicants, both undergraduate and second-career students who can now choose the application time that is most convenient for them. Our flexibility to offer required classes more than once a year also benefits current students. The admissions process continues to be very competitive, including students with excellent educational credentials who have already made contributions to their communities, locally, regionally and globally. Along with more talented students, we have also attracted many more outstanding faculty members anxious to teach energized and commit-ted nurses-in-training. Your SON is growing in all ways! Many groups in the School con-tributed to the program’s success, and the faculty have worked tirelessly to create an undergraduate curriculum that can run seamlessly year-round. It’s quite a feat to implement a new plan and have it unfurl so well in its first year. Our faculty’s com-mitment to the work required to increase enrollments is a tremendous service. Now that we have faced and met the challenge of producing a larger number of well educated nurses for the state of North Carolina, another hurdle looms on the horizon. We must ensure that the SON can provide enough financial assistance for students most in need. Our School is known to be one of the few nursing schools that provide a superior education at an affordable price —we must work to keep that perception a reality. As always, this academic year will be an exciting one—stay tuned for new developments. Sincerely, Linda R. Cronenwett, PhD, RN, FAAN Dean and Professor From the Dean Your thoughts and opinions matter to us. With this issue of Carolina Nursing, we’re devoting this space to ask you to tell us what you think about a current issue in the nursing world. We’ll publish selected answers in our next issue. Nursing leaders across the country are discussing whether nursing should develop a residency program similar to the one for medical students. What’s your opinion? Would this benefit nursing students? How and why? Send your response to whitney_howell@unc.edu, and we’ll publish your thoughts in the next Carolina Nursing. Readers Respond CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 1 Contents WINTER 2007 2 “You Become a Safe Place for Them” SON Program Trains Nurse Practitioners to Help Their Neighbors 6 Out of My Comfort Zone and Into Nakuru Africa SON Graduate Helps Treat Sick African Adults and Children 9 Nurse Practitioner Faculty Teach by Example Ongoing Clinical Experience Enriches Faculty Instruction, Inspires Students 12 SON Alumni Reunite Class of 1957 50th Reunion Celebration 16 Noteworthy Nurses 2007 Alumni Award Winners 18 Alumni Support Generous Giving Pushes SON Beyond Campaign Goal Advancement 17 Briefs 22 Faculty Notes 26 Alumni Notes 28 Features Departments Carolina Nursing By Whitney L.J. Howell When a mother brought her two adolescent boys into the Child and Family Center for Health in Durham, N.C., for treatment, Cliff Thompson, RN, knew he didn’t just have two patients. He had three. While trying to hold her family together, the mother was trapped in a vicious cycle of domestic violence and drug abuse. The woman’s husband and boys’ father routinely used drugs and physically abused his family. Over the next year, Thompson helped her realize that she had the strength to assume official control of her family and become the head of the household. “I helped her reframe her life and see what relationships were healthy and which ones weren’t,” Thompson said. “She was able to stand up to her husband and has filed separation papers. She and her sons have moved on to a much healthier place.” Thompson was able to make a difference for this family and others by being a student in the Nurses Enhancing Mental Health Options for the Underserved in North Carolina (NEMHO-UNC) program at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing (SON). This program recruits and trains students who are from either minority or disadvantaged backgrounds to be psychiatric and mental health clinical nurse specialist/nurse practitioners in their home communities. Thompson will graduate in August 2008 with an MSN degree and qualifications as both a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and a psy-chiatric- mental health nurse practitioner (PMH-NP) degree. After completing the program, Thompson, who is black, intends to become a psychiatric therapist and, even-tually, have his own practice. He hopes that he and other nurses like him will add to the quality and availability of mental health services in North Carolina. “With so many ongoing changes in the state mental health system, NEMHO graduates will prevent many people from slipping through the cracks,” he said. “It’s an amazing service we provide�� once you’ve developed a trust, people will tell you things they���ve told no one else. You become a safe place for them.” Current State of Mental Health Each year, North Carolina hospitalizes 1 million people for mental health reasons. In addition, according to N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) estimates, 322,000 non-hospitalized citizens have a diagnosable mental disorder that limits at least one major life activity, and an additional 99,000 have a severe and persistent mental illness that completely prevents them from managing daily life. On top of these numbers, more than 852,000 2 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 “YOU BECOME A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM” “You become a safe place for them.” SON Program Trains Nurse Practitioners to Help Their Neighbors citizens need help for substance abuse, but in 2000, only 1 percent actually received that aid. To make mental health services more accessible, widespread changes over the past six years have radically changed how state services are controlled. A 2001 law switched the mental health system from one directed by the public sector to one managed by private companies. Now, local governments monitor the companies to ensure patients receive the help they need. But, 15 percent of patients—those who are poor but don’t qualify for Medicaid or those with hard-to-treat problems—are still being left behind. According to DHHS data, along with privately-managed services, there are 15 state facilities to assist adults who request help, but only five facilities are psychiatric hospitals. Of those, two hospitals, Dorothea Dix in underserved Wake County and John Umstead in Butner County, will close in late 2007 or early 2008. A new facility, Central Regional Psychiatric Hospital in Butner, will replace these institutions, leaving Wake County without a state-run mental health hospital. Once Wake County has no public mental health inpatient institutions, nurse practitioners will become a critical part of psychiatric services there. “There is a definite community role for psychiatric nurse practitioners,” said Margaret Raynor, BSN ’67, director of medical education at Dix Hospital. “They can see people as individuals, treat them at home and have a better chance of keeping them out of a facility and on their medication.” The state is also experiencing a decline in the number of licensed psychiatrists who work in communities. With hospitals also closing, many people who need men-tal health services aren’t getting them. But that’s about to change, said Michael Moseley, director of the N.C. Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse. The N.C. mental health system is restructuring to bring more mental health services into rural communities. “We are shifting the system in terms of how we support people with mental health needs,” Moseley said. “We want to take services to the people who, historically, have not been served until they were in a crisis.” Where the SON Can Help This is where NEMHO fits in. It’s a bridge between these underserved communities and the state department of mental health, according to SON professor Linda Beeber, PhD, RN, CS, FAAN, who designed the program. Over time, she hopes NEMHO will be integrat-ed into the state mental health system. “I envision that psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners will really take the lead in helping build up capacity to care for people with mental health needs,” she said. “The state will still need to care for those with the most severe mental illnesses, and NEMHO graduates can relieve the state’s burden by providing consistent, high-quality care to those who need help but who can also function within the community.” The three-year project supports both Healthy People 2010, a national health promotion and disease prevention initiative, and the new state goal of bring-ing mental health services to minority and disadvantaged citizens who need them. The Health Research and Services Administration (HRSA) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funded the program with a $669,647 grant from 2004–2007. A continuation of the grant for $575,110, received in July 2007, will bolster efforts to recruit more qualified nurses. Faculty member Victoria Soltis-Jarrett, PhD, APRN-BC, clinical associate professor and coordinator of the MSN psychiatric-mental health program, is the principal investigator on this grant. The state department of mental health is also a stakeholder in the program, supplying it with $160,000 of funding. Currently, NEMHO has 17 students from 15 counties surrounding Chapel Hill and some from the western- and eastern-most portions of North Carolina. Approximately 50 percent of enrollees are minority or disadvantaged students. The CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 3 “YOU BECOME A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM” school is making a special effort to attract students from diverse backgrounds because it wants to extend psychiatric-mental health expertise to qualified nurs-es who would not otherwise enroll in a UNC program for financial or logistical reasons. Faculty actively recruit students with the help of an advisory board, a targeted recruitment plan and student recruiters. From the perspective of state mental health officials, these recruitment efforts are the first steps to enhancing and changing the face of healthcare. “Part of what we’re looking at in the mental health system nationwide is a workforce that is insufficient in numbers,” said Michael Lancaster, MD, chief of clinical policy for the N.C. Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse. “Graduates of the NEMHO program are attractive and exciting because they introduce a new type of clinical provider that hasn’t been part of the workforce before.” Once several classes of NEMHO students graduate, Lancaster said, the state will feel the benefit. Individuals suf-fering with mental illness who are treated as outpatients will have increased access to mental health assistance and the support services they need. NEMHO graduates will be in the unique position to provide more extensive and consistent care to this particular patient population than hospitals can, he said. As students graduate and begin their own practices, they create compassionate care environments as part of a healthcare team. They properly implement advanced nursing interventions, expertly dispense psychotherapy and prescribe and manage medications. According to the SON’s Beeber, NEMHO students will treat more than mental health conditions. “The care these CNS/NPs provide is not just related to mental health— it’s about health in general,” she said. “It’s treatment and help for mental illness and for life. And, it’s not just about the individual patient. It’s about the community in which they live.” That community could be a group living facility, the patient’s co-workers, the patient���s family and children or any group he or she cares about. NEMHO graduates are trained to help anyone associated with the patient learn how to live with the illness and help the patient be as healthy as possible. In order to do that, NEMHO students go through extensive training, and program coordinators have revamped the traditional curriculum to allow students to stay closer to their clients. Faculty are now using a Contextually Enhanced Learning (CEL) curriculum that combines distance education, intensive residential classes, partnerships with Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) and a mental health advisory board to train students. Pat Hayes, BSN Class of ’67 and direc-tor of nursing education at the Mountain Area Health Education Center, said using CEL will benefit areas that already have critical shortages of mental health providers. “Throughout parts of North Carolina, we are in a crisis without enough com-munity services,” Hayes said. “NEMHO students will be a great help because so many of them are native to underserved 4 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 “YOU BECOME A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM” “...it’s about entire health. It’s treatment for mental illness and for life.” NEHMO-UNC Student Tamara Starr, NP-C, works with patient files at her clinical rotation site. communities and will stay here to provide care.” The grant provides most equipment the students need to successfully complete the program, including laptop computers, Web cameras, software and telephone/ cable connections. Consequently, students only spend three long days on campus each semester. The rest of the time, they attend lectures and participate in discussion groups via the Internet. Learning in the Community To graduate, students must complete between 500 hours and 900 hours of clinical training at program-approved clini-cal sites. NEMHO administrators chose sites where clients of all ethnicities and mental health needs seek assessment and treatment. Preceptors monitor the students’ progress, offer guidance and prepare students to care for mentally-ill adults, children and adolescents. In most cases, students work at sites within one to two hours distance from their homes. Students conduct psychiatric intakes, often assessing walk-in clients, determin-ing what the problem might be and deciding on the best treatment plan. Working with these clients and their fami-lies helps students hone their psychother-apy and group therapy skills, as well as become proficient in drug prescription and management. If clients need daily help, students decide on a community support placement that will be the most beneficial, and, on occasion, students make referrals for primary care. This clinical work isn’t just real-world experience—it has theory and research applications, as well, Beeber said. “Students use what they’ve learned hands-on to design what they envision as their own dream mental health facility,” she said. “They have to determine what’s good and bad in the current system and create something they think would provide the best care.” When presenting their dream facility, students outline who the facility would serve, what evidence-based services would be appropriate and what strategies would be in place to target and reach underserved populations. The exercise pushes students to see where they can make improvements in the mental health system, Beeber said. NEMHO students and graduates understand the importance of what they’re studying and the commitment they’re making to underserved populations in need, Soltis-Jarrett said. Even though many of them are already working with psychiatric-mental health patients, they realize they could do much more with extensive training. “Students recognize the huge problem out there with mental health. Many of them are already contributing much-needed services, but they want more education,” Soltis-Jarrett said. “Working with the mental health patient population without training is like hitting a golf ball without taking lessons. You can do it, but with lessons, your shot is much better.” Editor’s Note: We have a critical need for scholarships to underwrite program tuition. Call Norma Hawthorne @ 919- 966-4619 to discuss. “YOU BECOME A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM” ONE STUDENT’S Perspective Attending class and studying via her computer has been an asset to Tamara Starr, NP-C, who is a NEMHO student, as well as a mental health NP with a community support agency, providing assessment and medication management to the underserved urban population in Charlotte, N.C. She wanted to pursue additional education, but leaving her patients wasn’t an option. “Having a distance learning option definitely makes NEMHO more doable,” said Starr, who is in the first semester of the program. “Being able to stay closer to my patients means I can fulfill all of my clinic requirements each week.” Before enrolling in NEMHO, Starr provided the same services at a women’s prison in Texas, but now, at her clinical site — a private psychiatric practice — she works with patients who need mental health services before they end up in the criminal justice system. She said she gets great joy and satisfaction from providing preventive mental health assistance rather than solely pro-viding aftercare. After graduating, Starr intends to continue her practice, treating underserved populations in smaller counties that are unable to attract psy-chiatrists. Like her fellow student, Thompson, Starr believes the NEMHO program will pro-foundly affect communities. “As psychiatric-mental health NPs, we’ll be able to cut back on the delinquency rate, the drop out rate, drug abuse, legal troubles, the incidence of broken families and the inability to live life to its fullest,” she said. “We’ll be able to help people move past bereavement and depression and help communities as a whole to live happier and more productive lives.” CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 5 6 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE By Barbara Geddie, RN, MSN, CS BSN Class of 1964 When my church announced it was sponsoring a medical mission trip to Nakuru, Kenya, I signed up to be one of the medical personnel. We partnered with Nakuru United Methodist Church. In col-laboration with the Nakuru church’s pas-tor, Rev. Josam, a pharmacist, and other healthcare professionals, we provided much needed healthcare to the people in the area. Light snow and ice glazed the roads in February 2007, as the medical team head-ed to the airport in Detroit to fly to Nairobi, Africa. We would then go to Nakuru the next day. Our team leaders had been planning every last detail of this project for more than a year. There were two teams— the medical team and the “Vision” team who came five days later and who would meet with officials to plan future projects. The medical team consisted of four nurses, one nurse practi-tioner, two physicians, four support work-ers, a dentist, dental assistant and dental hygienist, a lab technician and two fourth-year medical students from Carolina. After we arrived, we were taken to the clinic building that serves a community of 480,000 people. Each month, the clinic serves approximately 600 adults, in addi-tion to 250 children who are immunized for Hepatitis A and B, measles, polio, and yellow fever. Rev. Josam started a de-worming program this year and has provided de-worming medication to more than 20,000 children. His goal is to de-worm 55,000 more children. Often, these children have bowel obstructions. By the time they travel 65 miles to the nearest government hospital, they often have a bucketful of worms removed! Initially I was told I would assist a pharmacist who was coming in, only to discover I was the pharmacist! Fortunately, Rev. Josam obtained the proper permits from the government so our supplies were not confiscated at the customs areas. The pharmacy room had one window with bars to prevent people from reaching or climbing in. I spent two afternoons organ-izing 24 cases and crates of supplies and medications, including some unfamiliar medications seldom prescribed in the United States. I grouped the medications according to therapeutic drug categories and then alphabetized each category. On our first clinic day, I filled approxi-mately 1,000 prescriptions! A Kenyan doc-tor joined us along with two Kenyan med-ical officers. To prescribe, they would write down the generic name of the medica-tions— often different than the names we knew—with no further instructions or diagnosis. After brief conferences with them, they wrote more specific orders with a diagnosis, and I became familiar with their orders and practices. We developed a treatment sheet. The front included triage information, chief complaint, diagnosis and recom-mended treatment information, and the back listed pharmacy orders based on the available medications. All patients receiv-ing medication came to me after seeing the doctors or nurse practitioner. I was almost overwhelmed, both in trying to figure out the medications and commu-nicate dosing instructions either with my very limited Swahili or sign language. The second day I began prepackaging the most prescribed medications, prepar-ing dosage packs for the physicians to give directly to the patients. This plan-ning helped me manage special pharma-cy needs more effectively. I also divided up the intramuscular and intravenous medications among the doctors and put them in each examining room for ready use. Those changes decongested the pharmacy area and reduced the length of time each patient had to wait. Out of My Comfort Zone. . . AND INTO NAKURU, KENYA NAKURU, KENYA Two children play outside a hut in Nakuru. CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 7 OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE During the seven clinic days, we had between 1,500 and 1,800 patient visits. An accurate count was nearly impossible as many returned on subsequent days for treatment of other problems. We diagnosed and treated a plethora of conditions, including worm-related prob-lems (ascariasis, toxocariasis, trichariasis, hookworms), dehydration of infants, prevalence of typhoid fever and malaria, parasitic infections, burns, HIV and respira-tory infections. Multiple people were referred for surgical procedures. Interestingly, most of the patients wanted to see the American medical team. Their actions may have been because the Kenyan doctor and two medical officers usually prescribed based on patient report rather than physical examination, as the American team did. And the line of patients never ended—many spent the night on the ground, waiting to be seen the next day. We saw several other maladies. One woman suffered head and facial burns after fainting into a pot of hot water. Worms were growing in another child’s eyelid, and several other infants and children were dehydrated. We saw a three- or four-month old girl A Kenyan girl sits on the ground waiting her turn for a vaccination. TOP: Barbara Geddie (third from right in back row) stands with the abandoned girls Rev. Josam Kariuki and his wife Anne rescued and took into their home. MIDDLE: Donated medications and saline solutions Geddie used to set up the pharmacy. There were 24 crates of supplies. BOTTOM: Abraham was abandoned after birth when he was diagnosed as being HIV positive. He was taken to the New Life Home, an infant orphanage that houses more than 80 children, many of whom have AIDS. With good nutrition and appropriate medication, Abraham switched from HIV positive to HIV negative status. 8 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE named Susan who had an axillary temper-ature of 108.7! We attempted to admin-ister a rehydration salt solution orally with a syringe and bathe her down, but she still convulsed for two hours. Although her heart never stopped, we bagged her to maintain her respirations. Our doctors worked on her until the ambulance finally arrived, and they went with her to the nearest government hospital. Most of the rural roads were dotted with potholes with little to no paving, so the long ride to the government hospital was difficult. When they arrived at the emergency room, the hospital had no oxygen or other appropriate equipment, so the doctors continued to bag the baby as they ran four buildings away to the pediatric inten-sive care area. There they saw five babies hooked up to one bottle of saline in piggy-back fashion. Eventually, the doctors were able to get a line into our little Susan. She was in a coma for several days. However, when we left she was breathing on her own, her eyes were open, and she was moving around. The staff at the hospital and people from the community were amazed we had worked so hard for one child. Hopefully Susan will make a full recovery. It was especially hard seeing mothers pass their babies to strangers over the fence just to make sure doctors saw the infant, but it was equally hard reassimilat-ing to American culture. The intensity of our work got to all of us. The younger medical team members often came to the pharmacy for some words of encourage-ment and stability or a hug, as they felt so overwhelmed with the needs of the people of this area. I maintained compo-sure and reassured them until members of the “Vision” team arrived. At that point, I was almost “compassion-spent” and I felt free to reach out to that team for the assurance and comfort others had needed from me. Re-entry into our society brought about a sense of personal disorientation. The cultural change from poverty to wealth was dramatic. We were all hungry for our own families. Because so many had needed my support and skills, both as a nurse and as a psychiatric clinical specialist, I found that I just wanted to withdraw with family for a couple of days to regroup and replenish. While in Nakuru, I developed a new sensitivity to the conspicuous consumerism and wastefulness of our cul-ture. I realized our “success” could not be measured in the numbers we saw, but in the hope we instilled. I experienced frus-tration as I listened to travelers in our air-ports complain about being delayed and not having the food options they wanted. It aggravated me when others became upset about slow access to conveniences the Kenyan people will never enjoy. My personal and professional relation-ships will be forever changed, and now I will go about integrating my new experi-ences with my old ones. I learned so much from my fellow workers, from the Kenyan people and about myself through this mission trip. I want to be sure this experience is not wasted and the lessons are not forgotten. I encourage each of you to consider being a part of such an opportunity. Our success will not be measured by the number of patients we saw, diagnoses we made, or treatment we provided, but rather by the hope and compassion we shared. Read more about other SON international efforts and find guidance on how to volunteer, page 23. ���Our success will not be measured by the number of patients we saw, diagnoses we made, or treatment we provided, but rather by the hope and compassion we shared.” Geddie stands in the doorway of the pharmacy, holding an infant infected with malaria. CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 9 NP FACULTY TEACH BY EXAMPLE LAURA NASIR: Laura Nasir’s day planner looks like a rainbow—some-thing important is written in red, yellow, blue or green on every page. But it’s the green entries she prizes above all others. Those notations mark her time as a family nurse practitioner (NP) with patients at the Caswell County Health Department clinic in Yanceyville, N.C. “I always knew that I wanted to be a family nurse practitioner, helping people in rural and underserved populations,” said Nasir, MSN, RN, FNP-C. “I find it intellectually stimulating, and I feel as though I’m really helping people who don’t often have access to good healthcare.” Every month, Nasir, who is also a clinical assistant professor at the School of Nursing, spends between two and 10 days at the Yanceyville clinic as the back-up NP to the clinic’s director. In those nine-hour days, she is the only NP on site, and she sees between 10 and 30 patients, ranging from well-child or well-woman visits to chronic care patients to individuals diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease. During class time, Nasir peppers her lectures with anecdotes about her patient interactions during the week. The student response, she said, has been enthusiastic, with many telling her she has given them insight into the real life of a nurse practitioner. MAUREEN KELLY: Maureen Kelly, MS, RN, CPNP, bookends her weeks with tummy aches and heartburn. Every Monday and Friday, she treats pediatric patients, up to age 21, for a variety of gastrointestinal maladies. Mostly, Kelly sees young patients, between birth and 5 years old. On any given day, she will see children suffering from gastroesophageal reflux, inflamed bowel disease or liver disease. Often she brings undergraduate students into the clinic to learn more about treating these types of illnesses in younger patients. Including students in her practice is part of her other role as a School of Nursing faculty member. Kelly, who is a clinical assistant profes-sor, said being a practicing NP while teaching students the diagnostic, decision-making and primary care skills they need to be successful requires careful balance. “It’s a juggling act, but I have the beauty of having two different things going on,” she said. “I can switch back and forth and never get bored. Plus, I have the opportunity to give students first-hand experiences with patients who are similar to the ones they may one day treat.” JULEE WALDROP: Julee Waldrop, MS, RN, FNP, PNP, spends half of her professional time sur-rounded by healthy cooing, sleeping and crying new-borns. She is the director of the Normal Newborn Nursery in the UNC Children���s Hospital, where she not only treats patients, but she also oversees medical interns and students, as well as nurse practitioner students. “The nursery is a very fun place to work because I get to help babies transition from intrauterine life to their lives outside the womb,” Waldrop said. “I also get to teach new parents how to take care of their infants—my practice is something I will never give up.” For a full seven-day week each month, Waldrop assesses how well newborns are feeding, performs daily exams to monitor blood sugar and temperature and watches for compli-cations. She also teaches parents about safety issues related to their babies. When she isn’t caring for the hospital’s smallest patients, Waldrop, a clinical associate professor, teaches pediatric NP students in their first clinical course. In addition, she is involved with an online pediatric pharmacy course and is working on an independent study trial of holistic nursing and advanced practice. Teach by Example Nurse Practitioner Faculty By Whitney L.J. Howell The old adage “lead by example” easily translates to “teach by example” at the School of Nursing (SON). Yes, students do learn facts and nursing theory from textbooks, but they glean some of the most important knowledge—how best to interact with patients and to react to unanticipated situations — from nurse practitioner faculty during lectures. Currently, there are 10 practicing faculty who either bring real-world healthcare experience to the classroom or take the students to the patients. The practices span the gamut of health-care specialties, and time with patients is something each faculty member treasures. Without it, they said, they couldn’t effectively teach SON students to be the best nurses possible. 10 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 NP FACULTY TEACH BY EXAMPLE CARRIE PALMER: Patients with chronic dis-ease occupy most of the American healthcare sys-tem, and Carrie Palmer, MSN, RN, ANP, CDE, spends half of her profes-sional time treating them. Most of her patients have diabetes, but she also sees those who take blood thinners and others who need chronic pain management. “Whenever a patient comes in to see me, in addition to providing care, there is an aspect of social work to what I do,” Palmer said. “I try to help them get quality medications and help them figure out how to make healthcare affordable for them.” Palmer, who practices in UNC Hospital’s Ambulatory Care Center general internal medi-cine clinic, sees patients of all ages, with the majority between ages 50 and 60. Palmer mostly sees Medicare patients, many of whom are also indigent. No matter what their life circumstance, Palmer said she views all patients as individuals with responsibilities and valid healthcare concerns. It’s that perspective on providing care that Palmer tries to impart to her students in the classroom. As a clinical instructor in the School of Nursing, she shares her clinical experiences, she said, because she wants her students to be close enough to patient care to really understand what happens. TOM BUSH: Every Monday and Tuesday after-noon, Tom Bush, MSN, RN, FNP-C, can be found at UNC Hospital’s Ambulatory Care Center, twisting wrists and bending knees. It’s all done to alleviate pain—he is an orthopedic NP who works with both pediatric and adult patients. He also sees patients on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, totaling up to 60 visits per week. It’s a heavy workload that never gets boring, Bush said, because he can walk from a patient who has an elbow injury to one who is experi-encing foot pain to one with a neuromuscular disorder. “My days are never repetitious, and main-taining a clinical practice gives me a great bal-ance in my professional life,” said Bush, who also has a joint appointment as clinical assistant professor in both the School of Nursing and Carolina’s School of Medicine. “My practice informs my teaching, just as my teaching informs my practice.” Bush ameliorates the majority of his patients’ ailments, sending roughly 10 percent to an orthopedic surgeon. Residents and students rotate through his practice to gain hands-on experience in treating musculoskeletal pain. In addition, Bush directs the only orthopedic nurse practitioner fellowship in the country. The one-year program focuses on sports medicine and primary care orthopedics. WANDA WAZENEGGER: Almost every day, Wanda Wazenegger, MSN, RN, FNP, travels an hour and a half on the highway to fulfill her two profes-sional desires — her devo-tion to teaching at the School of Nursing and her love of treating patients in the gastrointestinal clinic at Mid Carolina Gastroenterology Associates, P.A., in Sanford, N.C. Wazenegger sees adult patients with med-ical ailments ranging from difficulty swallowing to heartburn to rectal bleeding. “With gastrointestinal patients, you really are treating the beginning and end of the human system,” she said. “My patients are often wor-ried about their problems, and I explain what’s going on at an easy-to-understand level. It also helps to have a sense of humor in this specialty, as it puts patients at ease.” Working with patients and treating problems that can cause great discomfort and affect everyday living helps Wazenegger, a clinical instructor, teach students to look at each patient as a distinct individual. “If you see a needy spot and can help someone, do it politely and with respect. You may never know how much your help has been appreciated,” Wazenegger said. “I tell my students, if you can solve just one problem every day, then you have not lived in vain.” REGINA MCCARTHY: Women’s health isn’t just about a yearly exam for Regina McCarthy, MS, CNM, CPNP—it’s about looking at the whole woman and helping her achieve her highest level of health. As a certified nurse midwife in the UNC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UNC North, she treats women every Thursday. She also occasionally sees patients at the UNC Women’s Hospital. “I find my practice very satisfying as it is a vital complement to my role as a faculty member,” said McCarthy, who is also a clinical assistant professor in the School of Nursing. “I love my patients, and my primary goal is to empower women by helping them find their best physical, emotional and social health for their stage in life.” While she no longer delivers babies, she does provide prenatal and postpartum care for obstet-rics patients. She also sees women of all ages for annual exams and more specific problems, includ-ing hormonal transitions and contraception. Additionally, she is the attending NP one weekend a month in the Normal Newborn Nursery at North Carolina Children’s Hospital, educating medical students and residents who rotate there. McCarthy said her practice keeps her updat-ed on the newest and best approaches to clinical care, helping her maintain her position as a solid role model for students. VICTORIA SOLTIS-JARRETT: Victoria Soltis- Jarrett, PhD, APRN-BC, PMH-NP, has two profes-sional homes—the School of Nursing and her psychi-atric practice in Winston- Salem, N.C. Every week, she spends one to two days, and even some weekends, seeing patients who suffer from some form of mental illness. She specializes in helping women with the most severe forms of mental illness, including treatment-resistant mood disorders, personality disorders, life-long depression and somatoform disorders—disorders for which physical symp-toms seem unfounded. On occasion, she takes pro bono clients who have no insurance and are unable to pay. “I take care of the invisibles,” said Soltis- Jarrett, who is also a clinical associate professor at the SON. “If I don’t treat them, they will likely go without the counseling and medications they need to be healthy.” In addition to her practice, Soltis-Jarrett coordinates the SON’s master’s level mental health program. She also teaches assessment, family therapy and community mental health. And, her practice time enhances all of her teaching. “You can’t teach without drawing from your own practice,” she said. “You can’t just talk about theory.” DIANE BERRY: One day a week, Diane Berry, PhD, CANP, works in the fast-paced environment of the North Carolina Memorial Hospital emer-gency department. On any given day, she sees patients over age 13 who have any number of urgent medical needs. “The emergency room is usually very busy” said Berry, who is also a SON assistant professor and director of Outreach and Dissemination for the Center for Innovation in Health Disparities Research. Berry’s practice centers on minor trauma and includes anything from bicycle and mild car accidents, kidney stones, women's issues, orthopedics needs, psychiatric concerns and minor surgical procedures. Treating these various minor medical and surgical problems helps keep her evidence-based practice current, she said, adding that she learns something new everyday. When Berry is not working with the emer-gency room staff, which includes several recent School of Nursing NP graduates, she teaches the capstone course on the complex management of patients for adult nurse practitioner students. Whenever an apropos moment arises, she said she injects one of her practice-related experi-ences into the classroom discussion. “I find that these examples really help students link what they are learning in the classroom with real practice,” she said. ANN JESSUP: Ann Jessup, PhD, RN, CFNP, started her clinical nurse practitioner career working with children. Now, she works specifically with those whose bones break too easily. Once a week, Jessup joins a pediatric endocrinologist, seeing children who have osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disorder that causes a defect in the collagen in bones, making them easily susceptible to fracture. Although it is difficult to work with children who have a debilitating disease, she said her practice is rewarding. “I get satisfaction working with patients and their families,” Jessup said. “It’s rewarding to know that I’ve helped them and their parents through a difficult time.” Weekly, Jessup may work in the clinic, treating children for regular visits, or she may visit the hospital for a consult while they receive an intravenous treatment of pamidronate, a drug that reduces bone deterioration. After a hiatus to earn her doctorate, Jessup began this clinical practice, allowing her to both see patients and teach. “As a clinical faculty member, it’s important to keep up your own skills,” she said. “I don’t ever want to lose the appreciation for how practitioners and clinics work with parents and children, and I value the fact that my practice gives me extra experience to offer my students.” CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 11 NP FACULTY TEACH BY EXAMPLE “I love my patients, and my primary goal is to empower women by helping them find their best physical, emotion-al and social health.” —REGINA McCARTHY A Golden Weekend 12 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION The BSN Class of 1957 BSN Class of 1957 Celebrates 50 Years The BSN Class of 1957 celebrated their 50th reunion weekend May 11–13, 2007. In addition to many campus-wide events, the group enjoyed a luncheon just for School of Nursing alumni on Saturday, May 12. Class members gathered on the Class of ’57 Balcony of the new addition, a room they gifted to the SON in 2004 with their collective contributions. Reliving memories and celebrating each other was the order of the day. CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 13 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 1st ROW: Ann Page Ransdell, Ruth Holmes Benedict, Nancy Johnson Montgomery, Frieda Bryant Bruton, Shirley Coggins Mason, Sarah Buie Coffey, Barbara Hedberg Self, Mary Lou Norwood Booth 2nd ROW: Sara Burt Mursch, Martha Lentz Levitan, Margaret Davis Reed, Anne Glenn Johnson, Katherine Randall Peck, Nancy Matthews Hamann, Jacquelin Van Hook Long, Rachel Humphries Stevens 14 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Celebrating Milestones and Success The School of Nursing (SON) honored four alumni award recipients and cele-brated the 50th reunion of its first Master’s Graduate, Audrey J. Booth, MSN ‘57, at an awards and recognition recep-tion this fall. Alumni, faculty, emeritus faculty, students and friends of the SON gathered for this evening of celebration. Alumni Association President Nancy Barrett Freeman, BSN ‘73 and Awards Committee Chair Donna Winston Laney, BSN ‘80 presented the Alumna of the Year Award to Nancy Lou Nicks Stephenson, BSN ‘69, and the Carrington Award for Community Service to Michelle Bowie Brooks, BSN ‘83. Kristin Levoy, BSN ‘03 is the 2007 Graduate of the Last Decade Recipient, and Dean Linda Cronenwett presented the Honorary Alumna of the Year Award to Anne C. Wilson, mother of Katherine Wilson, BSN ‘04. Each award recipient is featured on page 16. Booth’s North Carolina journey began in May 1954 when she arrived in Chapel Hill to organize the pediatric nursing staff at Memorial Hospital. She later began studies as a master’s student in the School. “As the only student in the master’s program, I was the prototype,” Booth said. “For some seminars, I could select any one I wanted from the hospital to teach me. And, I had seminars alone with Dean Kemble, too. That was quite an experience!” Booth’s education greatly benefited UNC and her adopted state. She served the School as faculty member, including 12 years as associate dean, and she also held positions as director of statewide activities for the Area Health Education Centers program and chair of the N.C. Board of Nursing from 1975 to 1980. She has been involved at the leadership level of many statewide nursing initiatives. At the time of Booth’s retirement from the faculty, Dean Laurel Copp summarized her numerous contributions. “Her interest in and loyalty to the School of Nursing has manifested itself in many accomplishments, including initia-tion of fundraising, alumni activities and first publication of the alumni magazine,” Dean Copp said. The Alumni Association honored her as Alumna of the Year, and The School of Nursing Foundation, Inc. expressed its gratitude to Booth in March 1995 by granting her status as an Honorary Lifetime Director. Dean Linda Cronenwett with the 2007 awards recipients: Michelle Bowie Brooks, BSN ’83, Anne C. Wilson, and Nancy Lou Nicks Stephenson, BSN ’69. Dean Linda Cronenwett visits with Bill Booth, Mary Lou Norwood Booth, BSN ’57, Faculty Emerita Eleanor Browning and Carolyn London, BSN ‘56 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 15 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION LEFT: Audrey J. Booth, ’57, the School’s first MSN Graduate. RIGHT: Donna Winston Laney, BSN ’80 (L) presents the 2007 Alumna of The Year Award to Nancy Lou Nicks Stephenson, BSN ’69 (R). Barbara Jo Foley, BSN ’67, and Dee Lowdermilk greet Audrey Booth, MSN ‘57 Marge Bye, MSN ’78, Dean Emerita Cynthia Freund, MSN ’73, Associate Dean Maggie Miller, MSN ’77, Faculty Emerita Laurice Ferris, and Gwen Waddell- Schulz, BSN ’70, MSN, ’76 enjoy the celebration. An Evening of Celebration SON Honors Alumni for Achievement NOTEWORTHY NURSES 16 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 Nancy Lou Nicks Stephenson received an Alumna of the Year Award at the SON 2007 Alumni Award Ceremony for her exemplary dedication to education and research. Stephenson has steadily impacted nursing for the past 33 years, both as an educator and a researcher. Not only is she an assistant professor at East Carolina University School of Nursing, teaching undergraduates, graduates and doctoral students, but she is also the chair of the Graduate Curriculum Committee there. Her research has taken her influence beyond academia. As a complement-ary and alternative medicine researcher, Stephenson focuses on reflexology with cancer patients, using her national funding to teach the partners of cancer patients how to deliver foot reflexology interventions. Her studies have appeared in several journals, including Applied Nursing Research and Journal of Holistic Nursing. Stephenson received her BSN from Carolina in 1969 and returned from 2000 to 2002 for a postdoctoral fellowship. Anne Campbell Wilson received an Honorary Alumni of the Year award for her tireless efforts in promoting nursing edu-cation and the SON in memory of her daughter Katherine Craig Wilson, BSN 2004. Katherine died in February 2005 at age 28 after valiantly surviving small cell lung cancer for five years. Katherine was diagnosed during her first year at the SON. Wilson tutored her daughter, and when Katherine’s eyesight failed her, Wilson recorded notes and lectures so Katherine could study. Katherine graduated with honors, Sigma Theta Tau. Before Katherine died, her friends and family established a scholarship in her name. Wilson and her husband John D. Wilson, Sr. serve on the selec-tion committee. Wilson has become an international spokesperson for investment in cancer research and improved care for cancer patients. As a director of the SON Foundation Board, she honors her daughter’s spirit. Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals recognized Wilson in early 2007 with a first place award for a photo she took of Katherine and John, both displaying bald heads—Katherine’s as a result of chemotherapy and John’s in symbolic sympathy and support. 2007 UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing Alumna of the Year NANCY LOU NICKS STEPHENSON, BSN ’69, MA, MSN, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellowship ‘02 Michelle B. Brooks received an Alumna of the Year award during the SON 2007 Alumni Award Ceremony for her tireless efforts to bring quality healthcare to underserved populations in eastern North Carolina. In the last decade, Brooks served as the coordinator for Community Care of North Carolina, a pilot site for locally-driven care for the Medicaid population. The program included a network of providers and organizations that work to improve access, healthcare quality and efficient use of resources. Through Brooks’s leadership, the program expanded to 27 counties, helping 100,000 Medicaid recipients. In addition, through the East Carolina Community Health Consortium, she secured six years of federal funding to start HealthAssist, a program that provides medical care, prescription drugs and case management to the working poor. Brooks also helped develop the James D. Bernstein Community Health Center, a 15,000-square-foot facility with medical and dental services, a full-service, low-cost pharmacy and an educational/ social service component. Brooks graduated from the SON in 1983 and later received a Master of Nursing degree from East Carolina University. 2007 Carrington Award for Community Service MICHELLE B. BROOKS, BSN ’83, MSN, RN Kristin Levoy received the Graduate of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) award at the SON 2007 Alumni Award Ceremony for steadfastly caring for patients and mentoring new nurses who join her team of hematology-oncology nurses at Duke University Medical Center. In her four years since graduating from the SON, Levoy has worked as an inpatient and outpatient oncology nurse and taken on additional roles as charge nurse, preceptor and pain champion. For the past year, she has worked as a nurse clinician for a physician in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology, helping patients undergoing chemotherapy for ovarian, endometrial or cervical cancer manage their symptoms. As a mentor, Levoy modeled professional behavior daily, never leaving work unfinished, maintaining a collegial and helpful attitude and giving recent nursing school graduates the support they need to find their niche in the nursing profession. And, even in her spare time, she finds ways to serve patients—she is on the Patient Services Committee for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Levoy graduated from the SON in 2003. 2007 Graduate of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) Award KRISTIN LEVOY, BSN, ’03, RN 2007 Honorary Alumna of the Year ANNE C. WILSON, Mother of Katherine Craig Wilson, BSN ‘04 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 17 ADVANCEMENT Please join me in celebrating the success of our Carolina First Campaign. We did it! We have topped our $15 mil-lion goal and exceeded it. And, I want to thank you, again, and applaud your loyalty and commitment. Over the last seven years, you have stepped up to answer the call to support your School of Nursing with a gift to the capital campaign and with regular gifts to the unrestricted Annual Fund. Some of us have joined with our classmates and contributed to a class gift, naming a collective space in the building addition opened in 2005. Some of us have created scholarships that will sup-port students far into the future. Some of us have named the School of Nursing in our wills, leaving a bequest that will live long after we are gone—making a difference for one or many students. We continue to demonstrate through our giving how much the School has meant to us in our lives and our careers, opening doors, creating opportunities and being of service, regardless of our personal path. Thanking you is especially meaningful to me because I know that every gift, small or large, matters. When I read the endowment reports, see how our funds have grown and realize that this is how we provide financial security for the School, I appreciate even more how personal each gift is because it touches so many. Please take a moment to celebrate with me. We did it! Sincerely, Denise Taylor Darden, BSN `77 When Susan Adonika Troutman marched in Carolina’s 2005 commence-ment, she swelled with pride. Her weekly commutes from Hickory, N.C., and nights spent in a Chapel Hill hotel were worth the sacrifice—she had earned her MSN degree from the School of Nursing (SON). Even though the logistics were challenging for the mother of four and practicing nurse, Troutman said she chose Carolina’s nursing school without hesitation. “When you graduate from Carolina, it means something,” she said. Troutman said she is reminded every day that she made the right decision. As a nurse practitioner in occupational health clinics, she diagnoses and treats a wide range of health issues. Her Carolina edu-cational background is often helpful whether she’s recalling how to best present a case to a physician or employ-ing her learned ability to listen effectively and ask questions that lead to improving a patient’s health. Gratitude for an education that has served her well and a desire to “pay it forward” led Troutman to make her first gift to the SON shortly after graduating. Nursing students and the nursing profes-sion have many needs, she said, and an investment in Carolina is an investment in future practicing nurses and nursing fac-ulty in a time of shortage. “Students need extra support to make it through, and any additional ben-efits my annual giving can provide will be worth it,” she said. “My students days weren’t that long ago, and I remember what a big difference even something as small as a pizza break during exam week made.” Other items, including technologi-cal upgrades and scholarship support, are also significant, and Troutman said she wants to help provide these things and humanize the educational experi-ence for current students. Troutman makes decisions daily that affect the health of her patients. Last year, when she decided to start supporting the SON financially, she made a choice to positively impact the healthcare of us all. We Answered the Call . . .And More! Making the Decision to Give Susan Adonika Troutman, MSN ’05 Susan Adonika Troutman, MSN ’05, began giving to the SON to benefit students. 18 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 ADVANCEMENT Melissa Dixon LeVine, BSN `77, MSN `81, and her husband, Harry LeVine III, have made a bequest to the School of Nursing that will create The Melissa D. and Harry LeVine III Distinguished Professorship in Quality of Life, Health Promotion and Wellness. The LeVines believe that nurses are influential examples for students and the public, and as such, are important role models for healthy behavior. They are committed to wellness, quality of life, workplace health and well-being and have supported programs in the School of Nursing that help achieve these goals. In 2000, they established the LeVine Wellness Program for SON faculty members and staff that promot-ed healthy lifestyle activities, including exercise and weight control. The bequest is one more way the LeVines are implementing their values to create their legacy. Melissa and Harry also wanted to remember Harry’s mother with a tribute to her memory. They made a gift to recognize her by designating a rooftop garden tile for the new building addition as part of the Carolina First Campaign. The LeVines are one example of how deferred giving can make a big difference for the School of Nursing to ensure its future. Thank you, Melissa and Harry, for your generosity and thoughfulness. $600,000 Bequest From LeVine Family Takes SON Over the Top I want to give to Carolina in a meaningful way because I have received so much from my alma mater. The School of Nursing accepted me when my husband and I learned, after the application deadline, that we would be moving to the Research Triangle Park. My faculty believed in me and role-modeled the skills that they would have me learn. Through their example I learned the importance of "walking the talk." I knew that this was a different and exceptional place because of that. They not only gave me the knowledge I needed to pass the boards and do my job, but taught me how to be a nurse. I discovered I can use my nursing education in whatever way I want to apply it. I didn’t realize at the time that they were teaching me these things. After I left North Carolina and after I set aside the hustle-bustle of career nursing to “do the mom thing,” I focused my energies on my family and volunteer work. I learned then how important it was to pay attention both to physical fitness and to emotional fitness. I saw how my family and community benefited from my regular exercise: taking the time for my own needs enabled me to meet the needs of others with more grace and efficiency. As my life has progressed and I have been blessed with good health and family, I look for ways to give back to the School that gave me so much. I want Carolina to keep teaching those valuable lessons to the people who can pass them along to others. So, I’ve included the School of Nursing in my will, intending to fund a professorship that will attract top faculty with a focus on quality of life, health promotion and wellness. What better way to contribute to a healthy future for the School and North Carolina, while keeping the circle alive? Why UNC School of Nursing is in My Will Melissa LeVine, BSN `77, MSN `81 About the photo: Melissa D. Levine was a featured gardener in the Lexington, Ky., Herald-Leader, March 17,2007, www.kentucky.com CAROLINA NURSING FALL 2007 19 Nursing actions are grounded in caring science. From early conceptualizations to grand theory development, to current caring based professional practice models, caring science informs our thoughts and actions. We request abstracts that synthesize, integrate and examine the broad area of caring science. Strands include: Scholarship development, Health care interactions, Caring based interventions, Workplace environment, Self-care and Spirituality. To register, contact the Continuing Education Department at (919) 966-3638. Keynote Addresses Margarete Sandelowski, PhD, RN, FAAN Cary C. Boshamer Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Kristen M. Swanson, PhD, RN, FAAN Professor, University of Washington Medical Center Pamela Triolo, PhD, RN, FAAN System Chief Nursing Officer, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Panelists Samantha Pang, PhD, RN Professor, Head of School of Nursing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University Jean Watson, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN Distinguished Professor of Nursing, Murchinson-Scoville Endowed Chair in Caring Science, University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center at Denver For program information, contact Valerie Lunsford, Assistant Clinical Professor, UNC Chapel Hill SON and Conference Co-Chair, at vlunsfor@email.unc.edu REGISTER TODAY! The Laurel Archer Copp Literary Award 20 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 ADVANCEMENT The importance of scholarly writing to the future of the School of Nursing is emphasized through a faculty award established by Dean Emerita Laurel Archer Copp. The award, named after Copp who served as the school’s dean from 1975 to 1990, is designed to promote scholarly writing among nursing faculty. Scholarly writing, for the purpose of this award, is defined as the creative use of words to achieve insight or impact on patient care, teaching, research or service. “This is something I wanted to do from the first day I started as dean,” Copp said. “It was very important for me to promote and foster writing and publication among both the tenured and non-tenured faculty.” Margarete Sandelowski, PhD, RN, FAAN, winner of the first annual award, said she appreciates that faculty will be recognized and encouraged to record their work in a way that is accessible to future faculty and students. “This award acknowledges Dean Emerita Copp’s legacy and the impor-tance of writing to academic life, and it offers faculty inspiration to leave their legacy in words,” Sandelowski said. “I was honored to be the first recipient of this award. Dean Copp set a high standard for elegant and significant schol-arship and for showcasing the beauty and weight of the word.” During her tenure, Copp said she consistently encouraged faculty to write, fine-tune papers and submit them for publication. Her mantra to help faculty improve their writing was to always write something every day. Every year this monetary award will go to a faculty member or group of facul-ty members who have published. The award will be announced publicly, and individuals will receive plaques. Their names will be added to a group plaque on permanent display in the School. Two review panels, one including writing experts from within the school and one consisting of writing experts from the community and the university as a whole, will review the submissions. Articles published within the last two years in a peer-reviewed journal or magazine are eligible. Nominations will be judged based on their effectiveness of expression, creativity, literary quality, excitement or energy, stylistic excellence, stimulation of thought or action. Dean Emerita Laurel Archer Copp (L) presents the first Laurel Archer Copp Literary Award to faculty member Margarete Sandelowski, PhD, RN, FAAN (R). Setting the Standard for Academic Writing Excellence This year, Elizabeth Ryan from Fayetteville and Amanda Hodges from Greensboro each received a $2,500 scholarship for the academic year. Because both received small amounts of other financial assis-tance, they said the award is a welcomed addition to the money they have to apply to school expenditures. Ryan, an Army wife whose husband is deployed for 15 months in Iraq, is a for-mer circus trapeze artist. She said she decided to pursue nursing as a profession because it’s a job that always offers new experiences and opportunities to learn. For Hodges, being a scholarship recip-ient demonstrates that people in the community appreciate and value the career she has chosen for her life’s work. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and working on clinical trials at Duke University Medical Center, she entered the School of Nursing’s BSN program. The Dean’s Merit Scholarship was created by an anonymous donor who wanted to support academically talented and deserving students. The $200,000 endowment gift will grow over time to support at least four BSN students per year. It is a legacy for Carolina’s future nursing students who will care for the state’s citizens. CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 21 ADVANCEMENT Scholarships Awarded Dean’s Merit Scholarships: Financial Aid for Outstanding Students Dean Linda Cronenwett presents the first Dean’s Merit Scholarship to BSN students Elizabeth Ryan (L) and Amanda Hodges (R). The Katherine Wilson Scholarship was awarded this year to Martha Gardner Anders, a BSN candidate in the School of Nursing (SON). The first Wilson Scholar Michelle Landin graduated in May 2007. Before enrolling in the SON, Anders worked extensively with children who are living with cancer. During her undergradu-ate career at the University of Washington in Seattle, Anders worked with Side-by- Side, a program that offers support to families of children battling cancer. “In college I began volunteering with programs that would prepare me for a career in nursing,” she said. “These expe-riences further solidified my desire to become a nurse, and I want my life’s work to reflect my passion for the wellness of individuals and their communities.” The scholarship honors Katherine Wilson, a 2004 SON graduate who lost her five-year battle with small cell lung cancer at age 28. The award is given to a student who has meritorious academic achievement, has a desire to pursue either end-of-life or oncology nursing and who has overcome significant obstacles throughout his or her life. “I was so thrilled to learn I had been named the Katherine Wilson Scholar— I cried when I got the news,” said Anders, who is the second recipient of the award. “As far back as I can remem-ber, nursing was what I wanted to do. It’s something that called to me from an early age, and this scholarship will allow me to fulfill that life-long desire.” Anders, who is in her first year at the SON, has also experienced several personal struggles, including her father’s diagnosis with coronary artery disease when she was 9 years old and the death of her father-in-law from multiple myeloma cancer. Second Katherine Wilson Scholarship Awarded Martha Anders (BSN ’09, R) stands with Anne and John Wilson, parents of Katherine Wilson. 22 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 BRIEFS By Candi Newsome, BSN ’08 For the community health nursing component of our nursing school educa-tion, we were required to create a project that benefited an assigned community. My project partner, Jody Allen, BSN ’08, and I were assigned to downtown Durham’s Center for Senior Life, where we organized a health fair for the seniors of Durham County. We concluded that through a health fair, we would increase awareness of and use of the newly built senior citizen center, as well as encourage health promotion and education from the various organizations that we invited. We invited 29 different organizations, including Senior PharmAssist, Meals on Wheels, Main Street Pharmacy and Beltone Hearing. We estimated that 100 participants would attend, but 250 came! Planning a health fair in two months was a big challenge for me, a first-year nursing student. But the strong nursing knowledge I have learned equipped me with the confidence and determination to make the health fair successful. I applied what I have been learning—skills, leader-ship and communication abilities—to create an outstanding event. Without the essential nursing know-ledge that I have acquired thus far from the School of Nursing, the health fair would not have been the success that it was. I feel we set the bar for future health fairs at the center. Health Fest 2007 We concluded that, through a health fair, we would increase awareness and use of the newly-built senior citizen center, as well as encourage health promotion and education. BELOW: Candi Newsome, BSN ’08, (C) with her project partner Jody Allen, BSN ’08, (R), standing with the El Centro Hispano repre-sentative (L) during Health Fest at the Durham Center for Senior Life. CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 23 BRIEFS By Megan Murphy, BSN ’07 Undergraduate students, with help from the Global Health Committee (GHC), staged the second annual School of Nursing (SON) Global Health Fair. The event took place in Carrington Hall and its new addition April 9–13, 2007. Organizers hosted several events that spanned the week. During the week, activities included airing the documentary, Salud, a film about Cuba’s healthcare system and its global contributions, and a moderated panel of students and faculty with global nursing experience, including Bill Powell, SON adjunct assistant professor, Chris Harlan, SON clinical assistant professor, Erin Mingrone, BSN ’07, Anna Kate Owens, BSN ’07, and Joan Smith, SON clinical assistant professor. In addition, students who recently traveled to the Mississippi Gulf Coast for a Katrina relief service trip and to Guatemala and Honduras over the spring break gave excellent presentations, describing their experiences. The Fair was intended to bolster global health awareness across all student groups and faculty in the SON. Given the diversity within North Carolina, along with the school's commitment to impart cultur-ally competent care, global health has a role to play in the future of nursing at Carolina. In the months to come, look for expanding SON global health programs and events. Undergraduate seniors Korey Christian, BSN ’08, and Will Morrow, BSN ’08, will lead student participation. The SON-GHC will continue to meet monthly and host brown bag lunches open to everyone. Watch for events online at http://nursing.unc.edu/global-health/ or by searching global health on the SON homepage. We hope to see all of you next spring at the Third Annual Global Health Fair. The Second Annual SON Global Health Fair Raising Global Health Awareness Across the SON– LEFT: Students take a moment to read about their classmates’ experiences providing healthcare in other countries. Presentations featured trips to Honduras, Guatemala and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 24 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 BRIEFS News from Macau In June, the SON co-sponsored the Macau Polytechnic Institute's international nursing conference, Quality and Safety in Nursing Practice. Dean Linda Cronenwett presented the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded “Quality and Safety Education for Nurses” and led a discussion with 500 attendees from 17 countries about how competencies identified for pre-licensure education match expectations for global nursing education. Associate Dean Gwen Sherwood, through a presentation entitled, “Educational and Clinical Partnerships for Quality and Safety in Nursing,” challenged attendees to consider new ways to create partnerships that achieve quality and safety goals in a changing healthcare system. Macau Polytechnic Institute's department of nursing signed a Memorandum of Understanding in August 2005 with the SON, becoming a global partner for the School. Already faculty exchanges have enriched both schools, and a student exchange program begins in June 2008. CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 25 BRIEFS BSN Students Megan Allison Kristin Atkins Erin Barry Molly Beal Jennifer Bernhardt Lisa Biltz Timothy Black Michelle Blau Allison Booth Tracy Brown Dianne Bruton* Margaret Bryant Katherine Bumgarner Brandon Camire Kelly Campbell Cari Castrodale Kelly Crockett Emily Davis Jennifer Davis Lauren Dickerson David Dirito Ashley Edwards Beth Erickson Matthew Fields Jessica Forby Shannon Gorrell Jennifer Grabe Lessley Harwell Catherine Hill Heather Hunt Tiffany Johnson Anna Kairalla Sara Kanar Amber Kirkley Michelle Landin Mary Ellen Lincicum Claire Manning Matthew Moody Elissa Moore Leigh Mullen Lauren Musolf Megan Myers Laura Niday Christine Norton Laura Osteen Katie Price Tara Purohit Elizabeth Purvis Brenna Remsburg Tracie Rivet Adrienne Rose Charles Rowlett * Donald Salguero* Camille Scronce Bethany Sellers Page Spencer Ashley Sprouse Lindsay Stortz Mary Tate Katherine Watson Lisa Whitmire Mallory Williams Brooke Winchester Melody Wong Amy Young Nurse Leaders Steven Anderson Jennifer Borst Deborah Flowers Heather Fund Donna Jernigan Karen McCain Megan Parpart Mary Lynn Piven Courtney Rawls Heather Willis Graduate Students Lindsey Austin Sandra Barr Katherine Baylor Amy Coghill Kathy Dayvault Deborah Fallen Chiuyugh Hsiao Karen Hurka Richardson Karen Jakub Crystal Keen Dianne Lore Anastasia Masino Virginia McLean Danielle Mitchener Wendy O’Brien Sara Owens Eric Parker Janice Pickney Anastasia Robbins Jennifer Schmitz Cheryl Simons Laura Thomas Julie Wilson Sigma Theta Tau Inductees Thirteen members of the Class of 2007 earned the right to graduate with Honors by completing year-long research projects. Each year, the School of Nursing presents honors students with a Tammy Flake Award. The monetary award was established by the classmates and friends of Tammy Flake, a member of the class of 1989, who passed away shortly before graduation. The awards are made possi-ble through an endowed fund created by Tammy’s parents, Jimmy and Jean Flake. To read more about this year’s Honors students, visit http://nursing.unc.edu/cur-rent/ honors/2007. With Honors The SON recently created a “Hall of Honor” as a way of proudly displaying the accomplishments of Honors students. *RN-BSN students New inductee Matthew Moody (R) received the Sigma Theta Tau International Honors Society BSN Outstanding Achievement Award in the 14-month BSN option. 26 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 FACULTY Pam Jenkins joined the School of Nursing (SON) in March as director of Continuing Education. Her appointment to clinical associate professor became effective in June. Before joining the SON, Jenkins worked as a public health nurse consultant for the N.C. Department of Public Health, as executive director of the CARE clinic, an organization that provided free healthcare to uninsured and low-income patients and as an HIV program administrator and health educator in the U.S. Army. The SON welcomed 12 new clinical assistant professors: Pauline Welborne-Brown, Victoria Cryer, Grace Hubbard, Anne Jessup, Beth Lamanna, Diana McCarty, Laura McQueen, Susan Pellicio, Anne Robinette, Joan Smith, Julie Vann and Diane Yorke. The SON also welcomed 10 new clinical instruc-tors: Andrea Biondi, Suja Davis, Ted Heiser, Marquita Ford, Rhonda Lanning, Christina Leonard, Mary Ann Meyer, Carrie Palmer, Mary Charles Sutphin, and Elizabeth Wells. Faculty Notes Gail Mazzocco, clinical associate professor and statewide AHEC liaison, was nominated to serve as the AHEC representative on the North Carolina Center for Nursing Board of Directors. Her term runs until June 2010. Debra Barksdale, assistant professor, was selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners this year. She was one of only 26 nurses chosen. Established in 2000, the program recognizes nurse practitioner leaders who have contributed to healthcare through nurse practitioner practice, research, education or policy. Dee Lowdermilk, clinical professor, as selected as one of the “100 Incredible ECU Women.” Recipients are chosen by their peers as outstand-ing leaders. As one of only two nursing gradu-ates to receive the award, she will be honored by the East Carolina University Women’s Roundtable as part of the University’s Centennial Celebration. Kathy Alden, clinical associate professor, was named to the 2007 list of the Great 100 Nurses for North Carolina. The Great 100, Inc. is a peer recognition organization that honors North Carolina nursing by highlighting the importance of registered nurses, acknowledging nurses annually who demonstrate excellence in practice and commitment and allocating funds for registered nurse education scholarships. Beth Lamanna, clinical assistant professor, was chosen as Chair-Elect of the Public Health Nursing Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA). In this role, she will work to promote the APHA’s missions, including ensuring social justice and eliminating health disparities; strengthening the public health work force; actively engaging students; and promoting environmental health. Charlene Garrett was promoted to clinical assistant professor. Mary Lynn was promoted to professor. Dustine Dix was promoted to clinical assistant professor. Elaine Harwood was promoted to clinical assistant professor. Julie Page was promoted to clinical assistant professor. New Faculty Honors and Promotions CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 27 ALUMNI Linda Brown received her MSN from Duke University and a postmaster’s certificate as an FNP from Carolina. During her years at the School of Nursing from 1982 to 2007, she taught in the undergraduate and graduate programs. Brown was certified by ANCC and held a joint appointment for practice. She practiced with Piedmont Health Services at the Caswell County Community Health Center. There, she was responsible for managing primary and prenatal care for adults and children. More than half her patients were of Hispanic origin. Brown had a particular interest in the prevention and management of chronic illness. Gayle T. Davis served the School of Nursing (SON) from 1971 to 2007. She received her EdD in adult education from North Carolina State University and her MSN from UNC Chapel Hill. She completed the postmaster’s pediatric nurse practitioner program at Carolina. Davis primarily taught undergraduate pediatrics at the SON. In later years, she also taught pediatric nurse prac-titioner courses. Her primary interests were health promotion in children, care of asthmatic children, ambulatory pediatrics and nursing education. Molly Dougherty made an impact as an edu-cator at both the University of Florida, where she received her bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees, and then at the School of Nursing. In 1996, Dougherty was named the SON’s first Frances Hill Fox Distinguished Professor. Dougherty contributed to the science of nursing with her research in women’s health, aging, minority health issues and community-based nursing interventions as chair of Academic Division II, professor and doctoral program faculty leader. She has received federal grants for her research on topics, such as pelvic muscle function and management of urinary incontinence. She also currently serves as the editor of Nursing Research, the premiere international nursing research magazine. Barbara Jo Foley, BSN ’67, was the chair of Academic Division II and a clinical professor prior to her retirement from the School of Nursing (SON) in February 2007. Foley first joined the SON as an instructor in August 1971 and was promot-ed to assistant professor in July 1973. In 1974, she joined the Fayetteville Area Health Education Center as the Director of Nursing Education, where she spent 12 years. During those years, Foley was also a nurse in the U.S. Army Reserve. She went on active duty in September 1986 and retired in 2000 at the rank of Colonel. Foley then rejoined the SON faculty as the Director of the Continuing Education Department, serving in that role from 2000-2004. She was named chair of Academic Division II in 2004. Foley received her MN from Emory University and her PhD from Georgia State University. Shirley Mason, BSN ’57, joined the faculty in 1973 as an assistant professor. Through her career in the School of Nursing (SON), she was also an associate professor and practice area coordinator. Mason started her 50-year career as a staff nurse at the North Carolina Memorial Hospital in the surgical and medical intensive care units. She became head nurse of the outpa-tient department in 1960. From 1963 until she came to the SON, Mason worked at both the Medical College of Virginia and the Veterans Affairs Regional Medical Program in Richmond. She received her master’s degree in nursing from the University of Maryland and her educational doctorate from North Carolina State University. Susan Pierce joined the faculty in 1975 after earning her MSN in medical-surgical nursing from UNC-Chapel Hill. During her 32-year School of Nursing career, she earned a PhD in philosophy and ethics frm UNC-Chapel Hill and retired as a full professor. Pierce also served as department chair, director of statewide AHEC, associate dean for Administration and Planning and associate dean for Community Outreach, while continuing her scholarship in the area of ethics and end-of-life care. In her retirement on Oak Island, N.C., she remains active in the American Nurses Association, serving as the Board of Directors Secretary, as an American Nurses Foundation Trustee, and as an American Nurses Credentialing Center director. Retirements ❯ 1967 Nancy Rankin Crutchfield (BSN) was chosen as North Carolina School Nurse of the Year by the School Nurse Association of North Carolina for 2006-2007. This spring, she also became one of seven members for the National Board for Certification of School Nurses, a board that over-sees the examination for school nurses to achieve certification. ❯ 1981 Deborah Allen (BSN, MSN) recently received a Mary Lewis Wyche Fellowship from the North Carolina Foundation for Nursing. The fellowship acknowledges registered nurses dedicated to advancing their education with either a master’s or doctorate in practice, education or administra-tion on a full-time basis. The award is for $5,000 annually. Allen is currently a nurse practitioner at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University Medical Center. ❯ 1983 Jean Hix McDonald (BSN) recently took a position as the school nurse at Glenwood Elementary School in Chapel Hill. She lives in Chapel Hill with her husband Cary and their triplets. ❯ 1984 Sandra Wilusz (BSN) will soon complete her education and receive her MSN/FNP degree from East Carolina University. ❯ 1992 Lynne Russell Brophy (MSN) is an Adult Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist at Bethesda North Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. She currently serves on a national Oncology Nursing Task Force, preparing an online oral antineoplastic agent course. She lives in Loveland, Ohio, with her husband Jon and two children, Ned and Erin. ❯ 1997 Jennifer Foster McCracken (BSN) was promoted to Health Services Manager for Catawba County Public Health in Hickory, N.C. She oversees all clinical and community-based programs for the department. Beth McBride Barber (BSN) recently graduated with an MSN in Nursing Education from Western Carolina University. ❯ 2000 Sabrina Walton (MSN) was elected as Treasurer for the Sigma Theta Tau, Lambda Rho Chapter at Large in Jacksonville, Fla. Ben Murray (MSN) was named 2007 Idaho Nurse of the Year for Nursing Management. Murray is the Director of Nursing at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, Boise, Idaho. Saint Alphonsus is a 400-bed regional medical center and the only trauma center between Salt Lake and Portland. Janice Tedder (BSN) recently won a gold medal World Wide Web Health Award from the Health Information Resource Center for her Web site www.hugyourbaby.com. Her Web site, selected from nearly 1,000 entries, teaches par-ents how to calm and play with their baby, as well as how to help the baby sleep. The Web site also received an award for best graphic design. Tedder is a family nurse practitioner in the UNC Health System. Cheryl Speight Chapman (BSN) graduated from UNC Charlotte’s Nurse Anesthesia program in December 2006. She now works at Carolinas Medical Center-Pineville in Charlotte, N.C. ALUMNI Alumni Notes 28 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 Henry and Frances (BSN ’58) Read enjoy a lunch with 24-month BSN student and 2007 Frances A. Read scholar Kati Blodeau and her son R.J. Henry established the scholarship 10 years ago to celebrate Frances’ 40th reunion, anniversary and retirement. Wilmington area alumni gather frequently for social activities and to hear the latest SON news. The group poses poolside during an April luncheon at the home of Foundation Board President Denise Taylor Darden, BSN ’77. What’s new with you? Keeping up with each other is hard to do these days. Please let Carolina Nursing share your news! Whether it’s a new job, special accomplishment or an addition to your family, we’ll be happy to get the word out for you. Be sure to include your name (and maiden name), class year, any change of address and your news. Please send news to: Alumni Association Director, School of Nursing UNC Chapel Hill, Carrington Hall, CB #7460, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7460 or sonalum@unc.edu January 23, 2008 Writing for Publication January 25, 2008 Pediatric Update January 30, 2008 Evidence-Based Practice February 2, 2008 Test Construction February 8, 2008 Diabetes Conference February 13, 2008 EKG Interpretation February 21, 2008 Lessons in Leadership February 27, 2008 TIAs & Stroke March 5–6, 2008 Neonatal Nursing Institute March 8, 2008 19th Annual PACU & Ambulatory Surgery Conference March 14, 2008 Evidence-Based Maternity Care March 15–April 26 Clinical Research (Saturdays) April 4, 2008 Women’s Health Issues April 6–9, 2008 International Association of Human Caring Conference April 16, 2008 Safe Patient Handling April 18, 2008 End of Life Care April 18–June 6, 2008 History Taking & Physical Examination April 22, 2008 Cultural Sensitivity/Diversity April 24, 2008 Legal Update April 30, 2008 Magnet Status & Research May 2, 2008 Orthopedic Update May 5–8, 2008 Basic Principles of Teaching May 8, 2008 Pain Conference May 14, 2008 Psychiatric Mental Health Institute May 21, 2008 Summer Bad Bugs August 4–7, 2008 Advanced Principles of Teaching For more information or to register, contact Continuing Education at (919) 966-3638 or visit http://nursing.ce.unc.edu. Continuing Education Spring 2008 Programs Carolyn Nifong Morgan, BSN ’61 with a patient. SON then... Do you remember when? Tell us your memories about these photos or share new ones. Write whitney_howell@unc.edu or call (919) 966-4619. Correction The Office of Advancement misiden-tified an alumna in the historical photo in the Annual Report. The alumna should have been identified as Carolyn Nifong Morgan, BSN ’61. We regret this error. Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 177 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1110 The UNIVERSITY o f NORTH CAROLINA at CHAPEL HILL CB# 7460 CARRINGTON HALL CHAPEL HILL, NC 27599-7460 http://nursing.unc.edu The mission of the UNC School of Nursing is to enhance and improve the health and well being of the peo-ple of North Carolina and the nation, and as relevent and appropriate, the people of other nations, through its programs of education, research, and scholarship, and through clinical practice and community service.
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Full Text | Carolina Nursing WINTER 2007 Nurse Practitioners Teach by Example PAGE 9 Carolina Nursing is published by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing for the School’s alumni and friends. Dean Linda R. Cronenwett, PhD, RN, FAAN Contributing Writers Barbara Geddie, ’64 Melissa LeVine, ’77 Candi Newsome, ’08 Megan Murphey, ’07 Denise Darden, ’77 Norma Hawthorne Anne Webb Images and Photography Barbara Geddie, ’64 Tamara Starr Dan Sears Whitney L. J. Howell Paul Braly Mark Cornelison (Lexington Herald-Leader) Amy Joseph istockphoto Design and Production Duncan Design Office of Advancement Norma Hawthorne, Director Anne Webb, Associate Director, Alumni Affairs and Annual Fund Whitney L. J. Howell, Associate Director, Public Relations and Communications Talat Qazi, Assistant to the Director School of Nursing The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Carrington Hall, CB# 7460 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7460 (919) 966-4619 E-mail: sonalum@unc.edu http://nursing.unc.edu The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is open to people of all races, is committed to equality of educational oppor-tunity and does not discriminate against applicants, students or employees based on age, race, color, sex, national origin, religion, or disability. It is the policy of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that sexual orientation be treated in the same manner. Any complaints alleging failure of the institution to follow this policy should be brought to the attention of the General Counsel and the Assistant to the Chancellor and Director for Minority Affairs. Dear Alumni and Friends, The School of Nursing’s Baccalaureate Enrollment Expansion Plan enters its second year in January, and I am pleased to report that the program is going well. Our enrollment numbers from the first two admissions rounds this past January and May indicate we are on track to graduate up to 50 percent more baccalaureate-educated nurses this year than we did in 2002–2003. Admitting students twice a year continues the SON’s commitment to combating the nursing shortage. But, more importantly, it also makes us accessible to more qualified applicants, both undergraduate and second-career students who can now choose the application time that is most convenient for them. Our flexibility to offer required classes more than once a year also benefits current students. The admissions process continues to be very competitive, including students with excellent educational credentials who have already made contributions to their communities, locally, regionally and globally. Along with more talented students, we have also attracted many more outstanding faculty members anxious to teach energized and commit-ted nurses-in-training. Your SON is growing in all ways! Many groups in the School con-tributed to the program’s success, and the faculty have worked tirelessly to create an undergraduate curriculum that can run seamlessly year-round. It’s quite a feat to implement a new plan and have it unfurl so well in its first year. Our faculty’s com-mitment to the work required to increase enrollments is a tremendous service. Now that we have faced and met the challenge of producing a larger number of well educated nurses for the state of North Carolina, another hurdle looms on the horizon. We must ensure that the SON can provide enough financial assistance for students most in need. Our School is known to be one of the few nursing schools that provide a superior education at an affordable price —we must work to keep that perception a reality. As always, this academic year will be an exciting one—stay tuned for new developments. Sincerely, Linda R. Cronenwett, PhD, RN, FAAN Dean and Professor From the Dean Your thoughts and opinions matter to us. With this issue of Carolina Nursing, we’re devoting this space to ask you to tell us what you think about a current issue in the nursing world. We’ll publish selected answers in our next issue. Nursing leaders across the country are discussing whether nursing should develop a residency program similar to the one for medical students. What’s your opinion? Would this benefit nursing students? How and why? Send your response to whitney_howell@unc.edu, and we’ll publish your thoughts in the next Carolina Nursing. Readers Respond CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 1 Contents WINTER 2007 2 “You Become a Safe Place for Them” SON Program Trains Nurse Practitioners to Help Their Neighbors 6 Out of My Comfort Zone and Into Nakuru Africa SON Graduate Helps Treat Sick African Adults and Children 9 Nurse Practitioner Faculty Teach by Example Ongoing Clinical Experience Enriches Faculty Instruction, Inspires Students 12 SON Alumni Reunite Class of 1957 50th Reunion Celebration 16 Noteworthy Nurses 2007 Alumni Award Winners 18 Alumni Support Generous Giving Pushes SON Beyond Campaign Goal Advancement 17 Briefs 22 Faculty Notes 26 Alumni Notes 28 Features Departments Carolina Nursing By Whitney L.J. Howell When a mother brought her two adolescent boys into the Child and Family Center for Health in Durham, N.C., for treatment, Cliff Thompson, RN, knew he didn’t just have two patients. He had three. While trying to hold her family together, the mother was trapped in a vicious cycle of domestic violence and drug abuse. The woman’s husband and boys’ father routinely used drugs and physically abused his family. Over the next year, Thompson helped her realize that she had the strength to assume official control of her family and become the head of the household. “I helped her reframe her life and see what relationships were healthy and which ones weren’t,” Thompson said. “She was able to stand up to her husband and has filed separation papers. She and her sons have moved on to a much healthier place.” Thompson was able to make a difference for this family and others by being a student in the Nurses Enhancing Mental Health Options for the Underserved in North Carolina (NEMHO-UNC) program at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing (SON). This program recruits and trains students who are from either minority or disadvantaged backgrounds to be psychiatric and mental health clinical nurse specialist/nurse practitioners in their home communities. Thompson will graduate in August 2008 with an MSN degree and qualifications as both a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and a psy-chiatric- mental health nurse practitioner (PMH-NP) degree. After completing the program, Thompson, who is black, intends to become a psychiatric therapist and, even-tually, have his own practice. He hopes that he and other nurses like him will add to the quality and availability of mental health services in North Carolina. “With so many ongoing changes in the state mental health system, NEMHO graduates will prevent many people from slipping through the cracks,” he said. “It’s an amazing service we provide�� once you’ve developed a trust, people will tell you things they���ve told no one else. You become a safe place for them.” Current State of Mental Health Each year, North Carolina hospitalizes 1 million people for mental health reasons. In addition, according to N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) estimates, 322,000 non-hospitalized citizens have a diagnosable mental disorder that limits at least one major life activity, and an additional 99,000 have a severe and persistent mental illness that completely prevents them from managing daily life. On top of these numbers, more than 852,000 2 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 “YOU BECOME A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM” “You become a safe place for them.” SON Program Trains Nurse Practitioners to Help Their Neighbors citizens need help for substance abuse, but in 2000, only 1 percent actually received that aid. To make mental health services more accessible, widespread changes over the past six years have radically changed how state services are controlled. A 2001 law switched the mental health system from one directed by the public sector to one managed by private companies. Now, local governments monitor the companies to ensure patients receive the help they need. But, 15 percent of patients—those who are poor but don’t qualify for Medicaid or those with hard-to-treat problems—are still being left behind. According to DHHS data, along with privately-managed services, there are 15 state facilities to assist adults who request help, but only five facilities are psychiatric hospitals. Of those, two hospitals, Dorothea Dix in underserved Wake County and John Umstead in Butner County, will close in late 2007 or early 2008. A new facility, Central Regional Psychiatric Hospital in Butner, will replace these institutions, leaving Wake County without a state-run mental health hospital. Once Wake County has no public mental health inpatient institutions, nurse practitioners will become a critical part of psychiatric services there. “There is a definite community role for psychiatric nurse practitioners,” said Margaret Raynor, BSN ’67, director of medical education at Dix Hospital. “They can see people as individuals, treat them at home and have a better chance of keeping them out of a facility and on their medication.” The state is also experiencing a decline in the number of licensed psychiatrists who work in communities. With hospitals also closing, many people who need men-tal health services aren’t getting them. But that’s about to change, said Michael Moseley, director of the N.C. Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse. The N.C. mental health system is restructuring to bring more mental health services into rural communities. “We are shifting the system in terms of how we support people with mental health needs,” Moseley said. “We want to take services to the people who, historically, have not been served until they were in a crisis.” Where the SON Can Help This is where NEMHO fits in. It’s a bridge between these underserved communities and the state department of mental health, according to SON professor Linda Beeber, PhD, RN, CS, FAAN, who designed the program. Over time, she hopes NEMHO will be integrat-ed into the state mental health system. “I envision that psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners will really take the lead in helping build up capacity to care for people with mental health needs,” she said. “The state will still need to care for those with the most severe mental illnesses, and NEMHO graduates can relieve the state’s burden by providing consistent, high-quality care to those who need help but who can also function within the community.” The three-year project supports both Healthy People 2010, a national health promotion and disease prevention initiative, and the new state goal of bring-ing mental health services to minority and disadvantaged citizens who need them. The Health Research and Services Administration (HRSA) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funded the program with a $669,647 grant from 2004–2007. A continuation of the grant for $575,110, received in July 2007, will bolster efforts to recruit more qualified nurses. Faculty member Victoria Soltis-Jarrett, PhD, APRN-BC, clinical associate professor and coordinator of the MSN psychiatric-mental health program, is the principal investigator on this grant. The state department of mental health is also a stakeholder in the program, supplying it with $160,000 of funding. Currently, NEMHO has 17 students from 15 counties surrounding Chapel Hill and some from the western- and eastern-most portions of North Carolina. Approximately 50 percent of enrollees are minority or disadvantaged students. The CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 3 “YOU BECOME A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM” school is making a special effort to attract students from diverse backgrounds because it wants to extend psychiatric-mental health expertise to qualified nurs-es who would not otherwise enroll in a UNC program for financial or logistical reasons. Faculty actively recruit students with the help of an advisory board, a targeted recruitment plan and student recruiters. From the perspective of state mental health officials, these recruitment efforts are the first steps to enhancing and changing the face of healthcare. “Part of what we’re looking at in the mental health system nationwide is a workforce that is insufficient in numbers,” said Michael Lancaster, MD, chief of clinical policy for the N.C. Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse. “Graduates of the NEMHO program are attractive and exciting because they introduce a new type of clinical provider that hasn’t been part of the workforce before.” Once several classes of NEMHO students graduate, Lancaster said, the state will feel the benefit. Individuals suf-fering with mental illness who are treated as outpatients will have increased access to mental health assistance and the support services they need. NEMHO graduates will be in the unique position to provide more extensive and consistent care to this particular patient population than hospitals can, he said. As students graduate and begin their own practices, they create compassionate care environments as part of a healthcare team. They properly implement advanced nursing interventions, expertly dispense psychotherapy and prescribe and manage medications. According to the SON’s Beeber, NEMHO students will treat more than mental health conditions. “The care these CNS/NPs provide is not just related to mental health— it’s about health in general,” she said. “It’s treatment and help for mental illness and for life. And, it’s not just about the individual patient. It’s about the community in which they live.” That community could be a group living facility, the patient’s co-workers, the patient���s family and children or any group he or she cares about. NEMHO graduates are trained to help anyone associated with the patient learn how to live with the illness and help the patient be as healthy as possible. In order to do that, NEMHO students go through extensive training, and program coordinators have revamped the traditional curriculum to allow students to stay closer to their clients. Faculty are now using a Contextually Enhanced Learning (CEL) curriculum that combines distance education, intensive residential classes, partnerships with Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) and a mental health advisory board to train students. Pat Hayes, BSN Class of ’67 and direc-tor of nursing education at the Mountain Area Health Education Center, said using CEL will benefit areas that already have critical shortages of mental health providers. “Throughout parts of North Carolina, we are in a crisis without enough com-munity services,” Hayes said. “NEMHO students will be a great help because so many of them are native to underserved 4 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 “YOU BECOME A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM” “...it’s about entire health. It’s treatment for mental illness and for life.” NEHMO-UNC Student Tamara Starr, NP-C, works with patient files at her clinical rotation site. communities and will stay here to provide care.” The grant provides most equipment the students need to successfully complete the program, including laptop computers, Web cameras, software and telephone/ cable connections. Consequently, students only spend three long days on campus each semester. The rest of the time, they attend lectures and participate in discussion groups via the Internet. Learning in the Community To graduate, students must complete between 500 hours and 900 hours of clinical training at program-approved clini-cal sites. NEMHO administrators chose sites where clients of all ethnicities and mental health needs seek assessment and treatment. Preceptors monitor the students’ progress, offer guidance and prepare students to care for mentally-ill adults, children and adolescents. In most cases, students work at sites within one to two hours distance from their homes. Students conduct psychiatric intakes, often assessing walk-in clients, determin-ing what the problem might be and deciding on the best treatment plan. Working with these clients and their fami-lies helps students hone their psychother-apy and group therapy skills, as well as become proficient in drug prescription and management. If clients need daily help, students decide on a community support placement that will be the most beneficial, and, on occasion, students make referrals for primary care. This clinical work isn’t just real-world experience—it has theory and research applications, as well, Beeber said. “Students use what they’ve learned hands-on to design what they envision as their own dream mental health facility,” she said. “They have to determine what’s good and bad in the current system and create something they think would provide the best care.” When presenting their dream facility, students outline who the facility would serve, what evidence-based services would be appropriate and what strategies would be in place to target and reach underserved populations. The exercise pushes students to see where they can make improvements in the mental health system, Beeber said. NEMHO students and graduates understand the importance of what they’re studying and the commitment they’re making to underserved populations in need, Soltis-Jarrett said. Even though many of them are already working with psychiatric-mental health patients, they realize they could do much more with extensive training. “Students recognize the huge problem out there with mental health. Many of them are already contributing much-needed services, but they want more education,” Soltis-Jarrett said. “Working with the mental health patient population without training is like hitting a golf ball without taking lessons. You can do it, but with lessons, your shot is much better.” Editor’s Note: We have a critical need for scholarships to underwrite program tuition. Call Norma Hawthorne @ 919- 966-4619 to discuss. “YOU BECOME A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM” ONE STUDENT’S Perspective Attending class and studying via her computer has been an asset to Tamara Starr, NP-C, who is a NEMHO student, as well as a mental health NP with a community support agency, providing assessment and medication management to the underserved urban population in Charlotte, N.C. She wanted to pursue additional education, but leaving her patients wasn’t an option. “Having a distance learning option definitely makes NEMHO more doable,” said Starr, who is in the first semester of the program. “Being able to stay closer to my patients means I can fulfill all of my clinic requirements each week.” Before enrolling in NEMHO, Starr provided the same services at a women’s prison in Texas, but now, at her clinical site — a private psychiatric practice — she works with patients who need mental health services before they end up in the criminal justice system. She said she gets great joy and satisfaction from providing preventive mental health assistance rather than solely pro-viding aftercare. After graduating, Starr intends to continue her practice, treating underserved populations in smaller counties that are unable to attract psy-chiatrists. Like her fellow student, Thompson, Starr believes the NEMHO program will pro-foundly affect communities. “As psychiatric-mental health NPs, we’ll be able to cut back on the delinquency rate, the drop out rate, drug abuse, legal troubles, the incidence of broken families and the inability to live life to its fullest,” she said. “We’ll be able to help people move past bereavement and depression and help communities as a whole to live happier and more productive lives.” CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 5 6 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE By Barbara Geddie, RN, MSN, CS BSN Class of 1964 When my church announced it was sponsoring a medical mission trip to Nakuru, Kenya, I signed up to be one of the medical personnel. We partnered with Nakuru United Methodist Church. In col-laboration with the Nakuru church’s pas-tor, Rev. Josam, a pharmacist, and other healthcare professionals, we provided much needed healthcare to the people in the area. Light snow and ice glazed the roads in February 2007, as the medical team head-ed to the airport in Detroit to fly to Nairobi, Africa. We would then go to Nakuru the next day. Our team leaders had been planning every last detail of this project for more than a year. There were two teams— the medical team and the “Vision” team who came five days later and who would meet with officials to plan future projects. The medical team consisted of four nurses, one nurse practi-tioner, two physicians, four support work-ers, a dentist, dental assistant and dental hygienist, a lab technician and two fourth-year medical students from Carolina. After we arrived, we were taken to the clinic building that serves a community of 480,000 people. Each month, the clinic serves approximately 600 adults, in addi-tion to 250 children who are immunized for Hepatitis A and B, measles, polio, and yellow fever. Rev. Josam started a de-worming program this year and has provided de-worming medication to more than 20,000 children. His goal is to de-worm 55,000 more children. Often, these children have bowel obstructions. By the time they travel 65 miles to the nearest government hospital, they often have a bucketful of worms removed! Initially I was told I would assist a pharmacist who was coming in, only to discover I was the pharmacist! Fortunately, Rev. Josam obtained the proper permits from the government so our supplies were not confiscated at the customs areas. The pharmacy room had one window with bars to prevent people from reaching or climbing in. I spent two afternoons organ-izing 24 cases and crates of supplies and medications, including some unfamiliar medications seldom prescribed in the United States. I grouped the medications according to therapeutic drug categories and then alphabetized each category. On our first clinic day, I filled approxi-mately 1,000 prescriptions! A Kenyan doc-tor joined us along with two Kenyan med-ical officers. To prescribe, they would write down the generic name of the medica-tions— often different than the names we knew—with no further instructions or diagnosis. After brief conferences with them, they wrote more specific orders with a diagnosis, and I became familiar with their orders and practices. We developed a treatment sheet. The front included triage information, chief complaint, diagnosis and recom-mended treatment information, and the back listed pharmacy orders based on the available medications. All patients receiv-ing medication came to me after seeing the doctors or nurse practitioner. I was almost overwhelmed, both in trying to figure out the medications and commu-nicate dosing instructions either with my very limited Swahili or sign language. The second day I began prepackaging the most prescribed medications, prepar-ing dosage packs for the physicians to give directly to the patients. This plan-ning helped me manage special pharma-cy needs more effectively. I also divided up the intramuscular and intravenous medications among the doctors and put them in each examining room for ready use. Those changes decongested the pharmacy area and reduced the length of time each patient had to wait. Out of My Comfort Zone. . . AND INTO NAKURU, KENYA NAKURU, KENYA Two children play outside a hut in Nakuru. CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 7 OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE During the seven clinic days, we had between 1,500 and 1,800 patient visits. An accurate count was nearly impossible as many returned on subsequent days for treatment of other problems. We diagnosed and treated a plethora of conditions, including worm-related prob-lems (ascariasis, toxocariasis, trichariasis, hookworms), dehydration of infants, prevalence of typhoid fever and malaria, parasitic infections, burns, HIV and respira-tory infections. Multiple people were referred for surgical procedures. Interestingly, most of the patients wanted to see the American medical team. Their actions may have been because the Kenyan doctor and two medical officers usually prescribed based on patient report rather than physical examination, as the American team did. And the line of patients never ended—many spent the night on the ground, waiting to be seen the next day. We saw several other maladies. One woman suffered head and facial burns after fainting into a pot of hot water. Worms were growing in another child’s eyelid, and several other infants and children were dehydrated. We saw a three- or four-month old girl A Kenyan girl sits on the ground waiting her turn for a vaccination. TOP: Barbara Geddie (third from right in back row) stands with the abandoned girls Rev. Josam Kariuki and his wife Anne rescued and took into their home. MIDDLE: Donated medications and saline solutions Geddie used to set up the pharmacy. There were 24 crates of supplies. BOTTOM: Abraham was abandoned after birth when he was diagnosed as being HIV positive. He was taken to the New Life Home, an infant orphanage that houses more than 80 children, many of whom have AIDS. With good nutrition and appropriate medication, Abraham switched from HIV positive to HIV negative status. 8 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE named Susan who had an axillary temper-ature of 108.7! We attempted to admin-ister a rehydration salt solution orally with a syringe and bathe her down, but she still convulsed for two hours. Although her heart never stopped, we bagged her to maintain her respirations. Our doctors worked on her until the ambulance finally arrived, and they went with her to the nearest government hospital. Most of the rural roads were dotted with potholes with little to no paving, so the long ride to the government hospital was difficult. When they arrived at the emergency room, the hospital had no oxygen or other appropriate equipment, so the doctors continued to bag the baby as they ran four buildings away to the pediatric inten-sive care area. There they saw five babies hooked up to one bottle of saline in piggy-back fashion. Eventually, the doctors were able to get a line into our little Susan. She was in a coma for several days. However, when we left she was breathing on her own, her eyes were open, and she was moving around. The staff at the hospital and people from the community were amazed we had worked so hard for one child. Hopefully Susan will make a full recovery. It was especially hard seeing mothers pass their babies to strangers over the fence just to make sure doctors saw the infant, but it was equally hard reassimilat-ing to American culture. The intensity of our work got to all of us. The younger medical team members often came to the pharmacy for some words of encourage-ment and stability or a hug, as they felt so overwhelmed with the needs of the people of this area. I maintained compo-sure and reassured them until members of the “Vision” team arrived. At that point, I was almost “compassion-spent” and I felt free to reach out to that team for the assurance and comfort others had needed from me. Re-entry into our society brought about a sense of personal disorientation. The cultural change from poverty to wealth was dramatic. We were all hungry for our own families. Because so many had needed my support and skills, both as a nurse and as a psychiatric clinical specialist, I found that I just wanted to withdraw with family for a couple of days to regroup and replenish. While in Nakuru, I developed a new sensitivity to the conspicuous consumerism and wastefulness of our cul-ture. I realized our “success” could not be measured in the numbers we saw, but in the hope we instilled. I experienced frus-tration as I listened to travelers in our air-ports complain about being delayed and not having the food options they wanted. It aggravated me when others became upset about slow access to conveniences the Kenyan people will never enjoy. My personal and professional relation-ships will be forever changed, and now I will go about integrating my new experi-ences with my old ones. I learned so much from my fellow workers, from the Kenyan people and about myself through this mission trip. I want to be sure this experience is not wasted and the lessons are not forgotten. I encourage each of you to consider being a part of such an opportunity. Our success will not be measured by the number of patients we saw, diagnoses we made, or treatment we provided, but rather by the hope and compassion we shared. Read more about other SON international efforts and find guidance on how to volunteer, page 23. ���Our success will not be measured by the number of patients we saw, diagnoses we made, or treatment we provided, but rather by the hope and compassion we shared.” Geddie stands in the doorway of the pharmacy, holding an infant infected with malaria. CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 9 NP FACULTY TEACH BY EXAMPLE LAURA NASIR: Laura Nasir’s day planner looks like a rainbow—some-thing important is written in red, yellow, blue or green on every page. But it’s the green entries she prizes above all others. Those notations mark her time as a family nurse practitioner (NP) with patients at the Caswell County Health Department clinic in Yanceyville, N.C. “I always knew that I wanted to be a family nurse practitioner, helping people in rural and underserved populations,” said Nasir, MSN, RN, FNP-C. “I find it intellectually stimulating, and I feel as though I’m really helping people who don’t often have access to good healthcare.” Every month, Nasir, who is also a clinical assistant professor at the School of Nursing, spends between two and 10 days at the Yanceyville clinic as the back-up NP to the clinic’s director. In those nine-hour days, she is the only NP on site, and she sees between 10 and 30 patients, ranging from well-child or well-woman visits to chronic care patients to individuals diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease. During class time, Nasir peppers her lectures with anecdotes about her patient interactions during the week. The student response, she said, has been enthusiastic, with many telling her she has given them insight into the real life of a nurse practitioner. MAUREEN KELLY: Maureen Kelly, MS, RN, CPNP, bookends her weeks with tummy aches and heartburn. Every Monday and Friday, she treats pediatric patients, up to age 21, for a variety of gastrointestinal maladies. Mostly, Kelly sees young patients, between birth and 5 years old. On any given day, she will see children suffering from gastroesophageal reflux, inflamed bowel disease or liver disease. Often she brings undergraduate students into the clinic to learn more about treating these types of illnesses in younger patients. Including students in her practice is part of her other role as a School of Nursing faculty member. Kelly, who is a clinical assistant profes-sor, said being a practicing NP while teaching students the diagnostic, decision-making and primary care skills they need to be successful requires careful balance. “It’s a juggling act, but I have the beauty of having two different things going on,” she said. “I can switch back and forth and never get bored. Plus, I have the opportunity to give students first-hand experiences with patients who are similar to the ones they may one day treat.” JULEE WALDROP: Julee Waldrop, MS, RN, FNP, PNP, spends half of her professional time sur-rounded by healthy cooing, sleeping and crying new-borns. She is the director of the Normal Newborn Nursery in the UNC Children���s Hospital, where she not only treats patients, but she also oversees medical interns and students, as well as nurse practitioner students. “The nursery is a very fun place to work because I get to help babies transition from intrauterine life to their lives outside the womb,” Waldrop said. “I also get to teach new parents how to take care of their infants—my practice is something I will never give up.” For a full seven-day week each month, Waldrop assesses how well newborns are feeding, performs daily exams to monitor blood sugar and temperature and watches for compli-cations. She also teaches parents about safety issues related to their babies. When she isn’t caring for the hospital’s smallest patients, Waldrop, a clinical associate professor, teaches pediatric NP students in their first clinical course. In addition, she is involved with an online pediatric pharmacy course and is working on an independent study trial of holistic nursing and advanced practice. Teach by Example Nurse Practitioner Faculty By Whitney L.J. Howell The old adage “lead by example” easily translates to “teach by example” at the School of Nursing (SON). Yes, students do learn facts and nursing theory from textbooks, but they glean some of the most important knowledge—how best to interact with patients and to react to unanticipated situations — from nurse practitioner faculty during lectures. Currently, there are 10 practicing faculty who either bring real-world healthcare experience to the classroom or take the students to the patients. The practices span the gamut of health-care specialties, and time with patients is something each faculty member treasures. Without it, they said, they couldn’t effectively teach SON students to be the best nurses possible. 10 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 NP FACULTY TEACH BY EXAMPLE CARRIE PALMER: Patients with chronic dis-ease occupy most of the American healthcare sys-tem, and Carrie Palmer, MSN, RN, ANP, CDE, spends half of her profes-sional time treating them. Most of her patients have diabetes, but she also sees those who take blood thinners and others who need chronic pain management. “Whenever a patient comes in to see me, in addition to providing care, there is an aspect of social work to what I do,” Palmer said. “I try to help them get quality medications and help them figure out how to make healthcare affordable for them.” Palmer, who practices in UNC Hospital’s Ambulatory Care Center general internal medi-cine clinic, sees patients of all ages, with the majority between ages 50 and 60. Palmer mostly sees Medicare patients, many of whom are also indigent. No matter what their life circumstance, Palmer said she views all patients as individuals with responsibilities and valid healthcare concerns. It’s that perspective on providing care that Palmer tries to impart to her students in the classroom. As a clinical instructor in the School of Nursing, she shares her clinical experiences, she said, because she wants her students to be close enough to patient care to really understand what happens. TOM BUSH: Every Monday and Tuesday after-noon, Tom Bush, MSN, RN, FNP-C, can be found at UNC Hospital’s Ambulatory Care Center, twisting wrists and bending knees. It’s all done to alleviate pain—he is an orthopedic NP who works with both pediatric and adult patients. He also sees patients on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, totaling up to 60 visits per week. It’s a heavy workload that never gets boring, Bush said, because he can walk from a patient who has an elbow injury to one who is experi-encing foot pain to one with a neuromuscular disorder. “My days are never repetitious, and main-taining a clinical practice gives me a great bal-ance in my professional life,” said Bush, who also has a joint appointment as clinical assistant professor in both the School of Nursing and Carolina’s School of Medicine. “My practice informs my teaching, just as my teaching informs my practice.” Bush ameliorates the majority of his patients’ ailments, sending roughly 10 percent to an orthopedic surgeon. Residents and students rotate through his practice to gain hands-on experience in treating musculoskeletal pain. In addition, Bush directs the only orthopedic nurse practitioner fellowship in the country. The one-year program focuses on sports medicine and primary care orthopedics. WANDA WAZENEGGER: Almost every day, Wanda Wazenegger, MSN, RN, FNP, travels an hour and a half on the highway to fulfill her two profes-sional desires — her devo-tion to teaching at the School of Nursing and her love of treating patients in the gastrointestinal clinic at Mid Carolina Gastroenterology Associates, P.A., in Sanford, N.C. Wazenegger sees adult patients with med-ical ailments ranging from difficulty swallowing to heartburn to rectal bleeding. “With gastrointestinal patients, you really are treating the beginning and end of the human system,” she said. “My patients are often wor-ried about their problems, and I explain what’s going on at an easy-to-understand level. It also helps to have a sense of humor in this specialty, as it puts patients at ease.” Working with patients and treating problems that can cause great discomfort and affect everyday living helps Wazenegger, a clinical instructor, teach students to look at each patient as a distinct individual. “If you see a needy spot and can help someone, do it politely and with respect. You may never know how much your help has been appreciated,” Wazenegger said. “I tell my students, if you can solve just one problem every day, then you have not lived in vain.” REGINA MCCARTHY: Women’s health isn’t just about a yearly exam for Regina McCarthy, MS, CNM, CPNP—it’s about looking at the whole woman and helping her achieve her highest level of health. As a certified nurse midwife in the UNC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UNC North, she treats women every Thursday. She also occasionally sees patients at the UNC Women’s Hospital. “I find my practice very satisfying as it is a vital complement to my role as a faculty member,” said McCarthy, who is also a clinical assistant professor in the School of Nursing. “I love my patients, and my primary goal is to empower women by helping them find their best physical, emotional and social health for their stage in life.” While she no longer delivers babies, she does provide prenatal and postpartum care for obstet-rics patients. She also sees women of all ages for annual exams and more specific problems, includ-ing hormonal transitions and contraception. Additionally, she is the attending NP one weekend a month in the Normal Newborn Nursery at North Carolina Children’s Hospital, educating medical students and residents who rotate there. McCarthy said her practice keeps her updat-ed on the newest and best approaches to clinical care, helping her maintain her position as a solid role model for students. VICTORIA SOLTIS-JARRETT: Victoria Soltis- Jarrett, PhD, APRN-BC, PMH-NP, has two profes-sional homes—the School of Nursing and her psychi-atric practice in Winston- Salem, N.C. Every week, she spends one to two days, and even some weekends, seeing patients who suffer from some form of mental illness. She specializes in helping women with the most severe forms of mental illness, including treatment-resistant mood disorders, personality disorders, life-long depression and somatoform disorders—disorders for which physical symp-toms seem unfounded. On occasion, she takes pro bono clients who have no insurance and are unable to pay. “I take care of the invisibles,” said Soltis- Jarrett, who is also a clinical associate professor at the SON. “If I don’t treat them, they will likely go without the counseling and medications they need to be healthy.” In addition to her practice, Soltis-Jarrett coordinates the SON’s master’s level mental health program. She also teaches assessment, family therapy and community mental health. And, her practice time enhances all of her teaching. “You can’t teach without drawing from your own practice,” she said. “You can’t just talk about theory.” DIANE BERRY: One day a week, Diane Berry, PhD, CANP, works in the fast-paced environment of the North Carolina Memorial Hospital emer-gency department. On any given day, she sees patients over age 13 who have any number of urgent medical needs. “The emergency room is usually very busy” said Berry, who is also a SON assistant professor and director of Outreach and Dissemination for the Center for Innovation in Health Disparities Research. Berry’s practice centers on minor trauma and includes anything from bicycle and mild car accidents, kidney stones, women's issues, orthopedics needs, psychiatric concerns and minor surgical procedures. Treating these various minor medical and surgical problems helps keep her evidence-based practice current, she said, adding that she learns something new everyday. When Berry is not working with the emer-gency room staff, which includes several recent School of Nursing NP graduates, she teaches the capstone course on the complex management of patients for adult nurse practitioner students. Whenever an apropos moment arises, she said she injects one of her practice-related experi-ences into the classroom discussion. “I find that these examples really help students link what they are learning in the classroom with real practice,” she said. ANN JESSUP: Ann Jessup, PhD, RN, CFNP, started her clinical nurse practitioner career working with children. Now, she works specifically with those whose bones break too easily. Once a week, Jessup joins a pediatric endocrinologist, seeing children who have osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disorder that causes a defect in the collagen in bones, making them easily susceptible to fracture. Although it is difficult to work with children who have a debilitating disease, she said her practice is rewarding. “I get satisfaction working with patients and their families,” Jessup said. “It’s rewarding to know that I’ve helped them and their parents through a difficult time.” Weekly, Jessup may work in the clinic, treating children for regular visits, or she may visit the hospital for a consult while they receive an intravenous treatment of pamidronate, a drug that reduces bone deterioration. After a hiatus to earn her doctorate, Jessup began this clinical practice, allowing her to both see patients and teach. “As a clinical faculty member, it’s important to keep up your own skills,” she said. “I don’t ever want to lose the appreciation for how practitioners and clinics work with parents and children, and I value the fact that my practice gives me extra experience to offer my students.” CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 11 NP FACULTY TEACH BY EXAMPLE “I love my patients, and my primary goal is to empower women by helping them find their best physical, emotion-al and social health.” —REGINA McCARTHY A Golden Weekend 12 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION The BSN Class of 1957 BSN Class of 1957 Celebrates 50 Years The BSN Class of 1957 celebrated their 50th reunion weekend May 11–13, 2007. In addition to many campus-wide events, the group enjoyed a luncheon just for School of Nursing alumni on Saturday, May 12. Class members gathered on the Class of ’57 Balcony of the new addition, a room they gifted to the SON in 2004 with their collective contributions. Reliving memories and celebrating each other was the order of the day. CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 13 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 1st ROW: Ann Page Ransdell, Ruth Holmes Benedict, Nancy Johnson Montgomery, Frieda Bryant Bruton, Shirley Coggins Mason, Sarah Buie Coffey, Barbara Hedberg Self, Mary Lou Norwood Booth 2nd ROW: Sara Burt Mursch, Martha Lentz Levitan, Margaret Davis Reed, Anne Glenn Johnson, Katherine Randall Peck, Nancy Matthews Hamann, Jacquelin Van Hook Long, Rachel Humphries Stevens 14 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Celebrating Milestones and Success The School of Nursing (SON) honored four alumni award recipients and cele-brated the 50th reunion of its first Master’s Graduate, Audrey J. Booth, MSN ‘57, at an awards and recognition recep-tion this fall. Alumni, faculty, emeritus faculty, students and friends of the SON gathered for this evening of celebration. Alumni Association President Nancy Barrett Freeman, BSN ‘73 and Awards Committee Chair Donna Winston Laney, BSN ‘80 presented the Alumna of the Year Award to Nancy Lou Nicks Stephenson, BSN ‘69, and the Carrington Award for Community Service to Michelle Bowie Brooks, BSN ‘83. Kristin Levoy, BSN ‘03 is the 2007 Graduate of the Last Decade Recipient, and Dean Linda Cronenwett presented the Honorary Alumna of the Year Award to Anne C. Wilson, mother of Katherine Wilson, BSN ‘04. Each award recipient is featured on page 16. Booth’s North Carolina journey began in May 1954 when she arrived in Chapel Hill to organize the pediatric nursing staff at Memorial Hospital. She later began studies as a master’s student in the School. “As the only student in the master’s program, I was the prototype,” Booth said. “For some seminars, I could select any one I wanted from the hospital to teach me. And, I had seminars alone with Dean Kemble, too. That was quite an experience!” Booth’s education greatly benefited UNC and her adopted state. She served the School as faculty member, including 12 years as associate dean, and she also held positions as director of statewide activities for the Area Health Education Centers program and chair of the N.C. Board of Nursing from 1975 to 1980. She has been involved at the leadership level of many statewide nursing initiatives. At the time of Booth’s retirement from the faculty, Dean Laurel Copp summarized her numerous contributions. “Her interest in and loyalty to the School of Nursing has manifested itself in many accomplishments, including initia-tion of fundraising, alumni activities and first publication of the alumni magazine,” Dean Copp said. The Alumni Association honored her as Alumna of the Year, and The School of Nursing Foundation, Inc. expressed its gratitude to Booth in March 1995 by granting her status as an Honorary Lifetime Director. Dean Linda Cronenwett with the 2007 awards recipients: Michelle Bowie Brooks, BSN ’83, Anne C. Wilson, and Nancy Lou Nicks Stephenson, BSN ’69. Dean Linda Cronenwett visits with Bill Booth, Mary Lou Norwood Booth, BSN ’57, Faculty Emerita Eleanor Browning and Carolyn London, BSN ‘56 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 15 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION LEFT: Audrey J. Booth, ’57, the School’s first MSN Graduate. RIGHT: Donna Winston Laney, BSN ’80 (L) presents the 2007 Alumna of The Year Award to Nancy Lou Nicks Stephenson, BSN ’69 (R). Barbara Jo Foley, BSN ’67, and Dee Lowdermilk greet Audrey Booth, MSN ‘57 Marge Bye, MSN ’78, Dean Emerita Cynthia Freund, MSN ’73, Associate Dean Maggie Miller, MSN ’77, Faculty Emerita Laurice Ferris, and Gwen Waddell- Schulz, BSN ’70, MSN, ’76 enjoy the celebration. An Evening of Celebration SON Honors Alumni for Achievement NOTEWORTHY NURSES 16 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 Nancy Lou Nicks Stephenson received an Alumna of the Year Award at the SON 2007 Alumni Award Ceremony for her exemplary dedication to education and research. Stephenson has steadily impacted nursing for the past 33 years, both as an educator and a researcher. Not only is she an assistant professor at East Carolina University School of Nursing, teaching undergraduates, graduates and doctoral students, but she is also the chair of the Graduate Curriculum Committee there. Her research has taken her influence beyond academia. As a complement-ary and alternative medicine researcher, Stephenson focuses on reflexology with cancer patients, using her national funding to teach the partners of cancer patients how to deliver foot reflexology interventions. Her studies have appeared in several journals, including Applied Nursing Research and Journal of Holistic Nursing. Stephenson received her BSN from Carolina in 1969 and returned from 2000 to 2002 for a postdoctoral fellowship. Anne Campbell Wilson received an Honorary Alumni of the Year award for her tireless efforts in promoting nursing edu-cation and the SON in memory of her daughter Katherine Craig Wilson, BSN 2004. Katherine died in February 2005 at age 28 after valiantly surviving small cell lung cancer for five years. Katherine was diagnosed during her first year at the SON. Wilson tutored her daughter, and when Katherine’s eyesight failed her, Wilson recorded notes and lectures so Katherine could study. Katherine graduated with honors, Sigma Theta Tau. Before Katherine died, her friends and family established a scholarship in her name. Wilson and her husband John D. Wilson, Sr. serve on the selec-tion committee. Wilson has become an international spokesperson for investment in cancer research and improved care for cancer patients. As a director of the SON Foundation Board, she honors her daughter’s spirit. Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals recognized Wilson in early 2007 with a first place award for a photo she took of Katherine and John, both displaying bald heads—Katherine’s as a result of chemotherapy and John’s in symbolic sympathy and support. 2007 UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing Alumna of the Year NANCY LOU NICKS STEPHENSON, BSN ’69, MA, MSN, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellowship ‘02 Michelle B. Brooks received an Alumna of the Year award during the SON 2007 Alumni Award Ceremony for her tireless efforts to bring quality healthcare to underserved populations in eastern North Carolina. In the last decade, Brooks served as the coordinator for Community Care of North Carolina, a pilot site for locally-driven care for the Medicaid population. The program included a network of providers and organizations that work to improve access, healthcare quality and efficient use of resources. Through Brooks’s leadership, the program expanded to 27 counties, helping 100,000 Medicaid recipients. In addition, through the East Carolina Community Health Consortium, she secured six years of federal funding to start HealthAssist, a program that provides medical care, prescription drugs and case management to the working poor. Brooks also helped develop the James D. Bernstein Community Health Center, a 15,000-square-foot facility with medical and dental services, a full-service, low-cost pharmacy and an educational/ social service component. Brooks graduated from the SON in 1983 and later received a Master of Nursing degree from East Carolina University. 2007 Carrington Award for Community Service MICHELLE B. BROOKS, BSN ’83, MSN, RN Kristin Levoy received the Graduate of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) award at the SON 2007 Alumni Award Ceremony for steadfastly caring for patients and mentoring new nurses who join her team of hematology-oncology nurses at Duke University Medical Center. In her four years since graduating from the SON, Levoy has worked as an inpatient and outpatient oncology nurse and taken on additional roles as charge nurse, preceptor and pain champion. For the past year, she has worked as a nurse clinician for a physician in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology, helping patients undergoing chemotherapy for ovarian, endometrial or cervical cancer manage their symptoms. As a mentor, Levoy modeled professional behavior daily, never leaving work unfinished, maintaining a collegial and helpful attitude and giving recent nursing school graduates the support they need to find their niche in the nursing profession. And, even in her spare time, she finds ways to serve patients—she is on the Patient Services Committee for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Levoy graduated from the SON in 2003. 2007 Graduate of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) Award KRISTIN LEVOY, BSN, ’03, RN 2007 Honorary Alumna of the Year ANNE C. WILSON, Mother of Katherine Craig Wilson, BSN ‘04 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 17 ADVANCEMENT Please join me in celebrating the success of our Carolina First Campaign. We did it! We have topped our $15 mil-lion goal and exceeded it. And, I want to thank you, again, and applaud your loyalty and commitment. Over the last seven years, you have stepped up to answer the call to support your School of Nursing with a gift to the capital campaign and with regular gifts to the unrestricted Annual Fund. Some of us have joined with our classmates and contributed to a class gift, naming a collective space in the building addition opened in 2005. Some of us have created scholarships that will sup-port students far into the future. Some of us have named the School of Nursing in our wills, leaving a bequest that will live long after we are gone—making a difference for one or many students. We continue to demonstrate through our giving how much the School has meant to us in our lives and our careers, opening doors, creating opportunities and being of service, regardless of our personal path. Thanking you is especially meaningful to me because I know that every gift, small or large, matters. When I read the endowment reports, see how our funds have grown and realize that this is how we provide financial security for the School, I appreciate even more how personal each gift is because it touches so many. Please take a moment to celebrate with me. We did it! Sincerely, Denise Taylor Darden, BSN `77 When Susan Adonika Troutman marched in Carolina’s 2005 commence-ment, she swelled with pride. Her weekly commutes from Hickory, N.C., and nights spent in a Chapel Hill hotel were worth the sacrifice—she had earned her MSN degree from the School of Nursing (SON). Even though the logistics were challenging for the mother of four and practicing nurse, Troutman said she chose Carolina’s nursing school without hesitation. “When you graduate from Carolina, it means something,” she said. Troutman said she is reminded every day that she made the right decision. As a nurse practitioner in occupational health clinics, she diagnoses and treats a wide range of health issues. Her Carolina edu-cational background is often helpful whether she’s recalling how to best present a case to a physician or employ-ing her learned ability to listen effectively and ask questions that lead to improving a patient’s health. Gratitude for an education that has served her well and a desire to “pay it forward” led Troutman to make her first gift to the SON shortly after graduating. Nursing students and the nursing profes-sion have many needs, she said, and an investment in Carolina is an investment in future practicing nurses and nursing fac-ulty in a time of shortage. “Students need extra support to make it through, and any additional ben-efits my annual giving can provide will be worth it,” she said. “My students days weren’t that long ago, and I remember what a big difference even something as small as a pizza break during exam week made.” Other items, including technologi-cal upgrades and scholarship support, are also significant, and Troutman said she wants to help provide these things and humanize the educational experi-ence for current students. Troutman makes decisions daily that affect the health of her patients. Last year, when she decided to start supporting the SON financially, she made a choice to positively impact the healthcare of us all. We Answered the Call . . .And More! Making the Decision to Give Susan Adonika Troutman, MSN ’05 Susan Adonika Troutman, MSN ’05, began giving to the SON to benefit students. 18 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 ADVANCEMENT Melissa Dixon LeVine, BSN `77, MSN `81, and her husband, Harry LeVine III, have made a bequest to the School of Nursing that will create The Melissa D. and Harry LeVine III Distinguished Professorship in Quality of Life, Health Promotion and Wellness. The LeVines believe that nurses are influential examples for students and the public, and as such, are important role models for healthy behavior. They are committed to wellness, quality of life, workplace health and well-being and have supported programs in the School of Nursing that help achieve these goals. In 2000, they established the LeVine Wellness Program for SON faculty members and staff that promot-ed healthy lifestyle activities, including exercise and weight control. The bequest is one more way the LeVines are implementing their values to create their legacy. Melissa and Harry also wanted to remember Harry’s mother with a tribute to her memory. They made a gift to recognize her by designating a rooftop garden tile for the new building addition as part of the Carolina First Campaign. The LeVines are one example of how deferred giving can make a big difference for the School of Nursing to ensure its future. Thank you, Melissa and Harry, for your generosity and thoughfulness. $600,000 Bequest From LeVine Family Takes SON Over the Top I want to give to Carolina in a meaningful way because I have received so much from my alma mater. The School of Nursing accepted me when my husband and I learned, after the application deadline, that we would be moving to the Research Triangle Park. My faculty believed in me and role-modeled the skills that they would have me learn. Through their example I learned the importance of "walking the talk." I knew that this was a different and exceptional place because of that. They not only gave me the knowledge I needed to pass the boards and do my job, but taught me how to be a nurse. I discovered I can use my nursing education in whatever way I want to apply it. I didn’t realize at the time that they were teaching me these things. After I left North Carolina and after I set aside the hustle-bustle of career nursing to “do the mom thing,” I focused my energies on my family and volunteer work. I learned then how important it was to pay attention both to physical fitness and to emotional fitness. I saw how my family and community benefited from my regular exercise: taking the time for my own needs enabled me to meet the needs of others with more grace and efficiency. As my life has progressed and I have been blessed with good health and family, I look for ways to give back to the School that gave me so much. I want Carolina to keep teaching those valuable lessons to the people who can pass them along to others. So, I’ve included the School of Nursing in my will, intending to fund a professorship that will attract top faculty with a focus on quality of life, health promotion and wellness. What better way to contribute to a healthy future for the School and North Carolina, while keeping the circle alive? Why UNC School of Nursing is in My Will Melissa LeVine, BSN `77, MSN `81 About the photo: Melissa D. Levine was a featured gardener in the Lexington, Ky., Herald-Leader, March 17,2007, www.kentucky.com CAROLINA NURSING FALL 2007 19 Nursing actions are grounded in caring science. From early conceptualizations to grand theory development, to current caring based professional practice models, caring science informs our thoughts and actions. We request abstracts that synthesize, integrate and examine the broad area of caring science. Strands include: Scholarship development, Health care interactions, Caring based interventions, Workplace environment, Self-care and Spirituality. To register, contact the Continuing Education Department at (919) 966-3638. Keynote Addresses Margarete Sandelowski, PhD, RN, FAAN Cary C. Boshamer Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Kristen M. Swanson, PhD, RN, FAAN Professor, University of Washington Medical Center Pamela Triolo, PhD, RN, FAAN System Chief Nursing Officer, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Panelists Samantha Pang, PhD, RN Professor, Head of School of Nursing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University Jean Watson, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN Distinguished Professor of Nursing, Murchinson-Scoville Endowed Chair in Caring Science, University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center at Denver For program information, contact Valerie Lunsford, Assistant Clinical Professor, UNC Chapel Hill SON and Conference Co-Chair, at vlunsfor@email.unc.edu REGISTER TODAY! The Laurel Archer Copp Literary Award 20 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 ADVANCEMENT The importance of scholarly writing to the future of the School of Nursing is emphasized through a faculty award established by Dean Emerita Laurel Archer Copp. The award, named after Copp who served as the school’s dean from 1975 to 1990, is designed to promote scholarly writing among nursing faculty. Scholarly writing, for the purpose of this award, is defined as the creative use of words to achieve insight or impact on patient care, teaching, research or service. “This is something I wanted to do from the first day I started as dean,” Copp said. “It was very important for me to promote and foster writing and publication among both the tenured and non-tenured faculty.” Margarete Sandelowski, PhD, RN, FAAN, winner of the first annual award, said she appreciates that faculty will be recognized and encouraged to record their work in a way that is accessible to future faculty and students. “This award acknowledges Dean Emerita Copp’s legacy and the impor-tance of writing to academic life, and it offers faculty inspiration to leave their legacy in words,” Sandelowski said. “I was honored to be the first recipient of this award. Dean Copp set a high standard for elegant and significant schol-arship and for showcasing the beauty and weight of the word.” During her tenure, Copp said she consistently encouraged faculty to write, fine-tune papers and submit them for publication. Her mantra to help faculty improve their writing was to always write something every day. Every year this monetary award will go to a faculty member or group of facul-ty members who have published. The award will be announced publicly, and individuals will receive plaques. Their names will be added to a group plaque on permanent display in the School. Two review panels, one including writing experts from within the school and one consisting of writing experts from the community and the university as a whole, will review the submissions. Articles published within the last two years in a peer-reviewed journal or magazine are eligible. Nominations will be judged based on their effectiveness of expression, creativity, literary quality, excitement or energy, stylistic excellence, stimulation of thought or action. Dean Emerita Laurel Archer Copp (L) presents the first Laurel Archer Copp Literary Award to faculty member Margarete Sandelowski, PhD, RN, FAAN (R). Setting the Standard for Academic Writing Excellence This year, Elizabeth Ryan from Fayetteville and Amanda Hodges from Greensboro each received a $2,500 scholarship for the academic year. Because both received small amounts of other financial assis-tance, they said the award is a welcomed addition to the money they have to apply to school expenditures. Ryan, an Army wife whose husband is deployed for 15 months in Iraq, is a for-mer circus trapeze artist. She said she decided to pursue nursing as a profession because it’s a job that always offers new experiences and opportunities to learn. For Hodges, being a scholarship recip-ient demonstrates that people in the community appreciate and value the career she has chosen for her life’s work. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and working on clinical trials at Duke University Medical Center, she entered the School of Nursing’s BSN program. The Dean’s Merit Scholarship was created by an anonymous donor who wanted to support academically talented and deserving students. The $200,000 endowment gift will grow over time to support at least four BSN students per year. It is a legacy for Carolina’s future nursing students who will care for the state’s citizens. CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 21 ADVANCEMENT Scholarships Awarded Dean’s Merit Scholarships: Financial Aid for Outstanding Students Dean Linda Cronenwett presents the first Dean’s Merit Scholarship to BSN students Elizabeth Ryan (L) and Amanda Hodges (R). The Katherine Wilson Scholarship was awarded this year to Martha Gardner Anders, a BSN candidate in the School of Nursing (SON). The first Wilson Scholar Michelle Landin graduated in May 2007. Before enrolling in the SON, Anders worked extensively with children who are living with cancer. During her undergradu-ate career at the University of Washington in Seattle, Anders worked with Side-by- Side, a program that offers support to families of children battling cancer. “In college I began volunteering with programs that would prepare me for a career in nursing,” she said. “These expe-riences further solidified my desire to become a nurse, and I want my life’s work to reflect my passion for the wellness of individuals and their communities.” The scholarship honors Katherine Wilson, a 2004 SON graduate who lost her five-year battle with small cell lung cancer at age 28. The award is given to a student who has meritorious academic achievement, has a desire to pursue either end-of-life or oncology nursing and who has overcome significant obstacles throughout his or her life. “I was so thrilled to learn I had been named the Katherine Wilson Scholar— I cried when I got the news,” said Anders, who is the second recipient of the award. “As far back as I can remem-ber, nursing was what I wanted to do. It’s something that called to me from an early age, and this scholarship will allow me to fulfill that life-long desire.” Anders, who is in her first year at the SON, has also experienced several personal struggles, including her father’s diagnosis with coronary artery disease when she was 9 years old and the death of her father-in-law from multiple myeloma cancer. Second Katherine Wilson Scholarship Awarded Martha Anders (BSN ’09, R) stands with Anne and John Wilson, parents of Katherine Wilson. 22 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 BRIEFS By Candi Newsome, BSN ’08 For the community health nursing component of our nursing school educa-tion, we were required to create a project that benefited an assigned community. My project partner, Jody Allen, BSN ’08, and I were assigned to downtown Durham’s Center for Senior Life, where we organized a health fair for the seniors of Durham County. We concluded that through a health fair, we would increase awareness of and use of the newly built senior citizen center, as well as encourage health promotion and education from the various organizations that we invited. We invited 29 different organizations, including Senior PharmAssist, Meals on Wheels, Main Street Pharmacy and Beltone Hearing. We estimated that 100 participants would attend, but 250 came! Planning a health fair in two months was a big challenge for me, a first-year nursing student. But the strong nursing knowledge I have learned equipped me with the confidence and determination to make the health fair successful. I applied what I have been learning—skills, leader-ship and communication abilities—to create an outstanding event. Without the essential nursing know-ledge that I have acquired thus far from the School of Nursing, the health fair would not have been the success that it was. I feel we set the bar for future health fairs at the center. Health Fest 2007 We concluded that, through a health fair, we would increase awareness and use of the newly-built senior citizen center, as well as encourage health promotion and education. BELOW: Candi Newsome, BSN ’08, (C) with her project partner Jody Allen, BSN ’08, (R), standing with the El Centro Hispano repre-sentative (L) during Health Fest at the Durham Center for Senior Life. CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 23 BRIEFS By Megan Murphy, BSN ’07 Undergraduate students, with help from the Global Health Committee (GHC), staged the second annual School of Nursing (SON) Global Health Fair. The event took place in Carrington Hall and its new addition April 9–13, 2007. Organizers hosted several events that spanned the week. During the week, activities included airing the documentary, Salud, a film about Cuba’s healthcare system and its global contributions, and a moderated panel of students and faculty with global nursing experience, including Bill Powell, SON adjunct assistant professor, Chris Harlan, SON clinical assistant professor, Erin Mingrone, BSN ’07, Anna Kate Owens, BSN ’07, and Joan Smith, SON clinical assistant professor. In addition, students who recently traveled to the Mississippi Gulf Coast for a Katrina relief service trip and to Guatemala and Honduras over the spring break gave excellent presentations, describing their experiences. The Fair was intended to bolster global health awareness across all student groups and faculty in the SON. Given the diversity within North Carolina, along with the school's commitment to impart cultur-ally competent care, global health has a role to play in the future of nursing at Carolina. In the months to come, look for expanding SON global health programs and events. Undergraduate seniors Korey Christian, BSN ’08, and Will Morrow, BSN ’08, will lead student participation. The SON-GHC will continue to meet monthly and host brown bag lunches open to everyone. Watch for events online at http://nursing.unc.edu/global-health/ or by searching global health on the SON homepage. We hope to see all of you next spring at the Third Annual Global Health Fair. The Second Annual SON Global Health Fair Raising Global Health Awareness Across the SON– LEFT: Students take a moment to read about their classmates’ experiences providing healthcare in other countries. Presentations featured trips to Honduras, Guatemala and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 24 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 BRIEFS News from Macau In June, the SON co-sponsored the Macau Polytechnic Institute's international nursing conference, Quality and Safety in Nursing Practice. Dean Linda Cronenwett presented the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded “Quality and Safety Education for Nurses” and led a discussion with 500 attendees from 17 countries about how competencies identified for pre-licensure education match expectations for global nursing education. Associate Dean Gwen Sherwood, through a presentation entitled, “Educational and Clinical Partnerships for Quality and Safety in Nursing,” challenged attendees to consider new ways to create partnerships that achieve quality and safety goals in a changing healthcare system. Macau Polytechnic Institute's department of nursing signed a Memorandum of Understanding in August 2005 with the SON, becoming a global partner for the School. Already faculty exchanges have enriched both schools, and a student exchange program begins in June 2008. CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 25 BRIEFS BSN Students Megan Allison Kristin Atkins Erin Barry Molly Beal Jennifer Bernhardt Lisa Biltz Timothy Black Michelle Blau Allison Booth Tracy Brown Dianne Bruton* Margaret Bryant Katherine Bumgarner Brandon Camire Kelly Campbell Cari Castrodale Kelly Crockett Emily Davis Jennifer Davis Lauren Dickerson David Dirito Ashley Edwards Beth Erickson Matthew Fields Jessica Forby Shannon Gorrell Jennifer Grabe Lessley Harwell Catherine Hill Heather Hunt Tiffany Johnson Anna Kairalla Sara Kanar Amber Kirkley Michelle Landin Mary Ellen Lincicum Claire Manning Matthew Moody Elissa Moore Leigh Mullen Lauren Musolf Megan Myers Laura Niday Christine Norton Laura Osteen Katie Price Tara Purohit Elizabeth Purvis Brenna Remsburg Tracie Rivet Adrienne Rose Charles Rowlett * Donald Salguero* Camille Scronce Bethany Sellers Page Spencer Ashley Sprouse Lindsay Stortz Mary Tate Katherine Watson Lisa Whitmire Mallory Williams Brooke Winchester Melody Wong Amy Young Nurse Leaders Steven Anderson Jennifer Borst Deborah Flowers Heather Fund Donna Jernigan Karen McCain Megan Parpart Mary Lynn Piven Courtney Rawls Heather Willis Graduate Students Lindsey Austin Sandra Barr Katherine Baylor Amy Coghill Kathy Dayvault Deborah Fallen Chiuyugh Hsiao Karen Hurka Richardson Karen Jakub Crystal Keen Dianne Lore Anastasia Masino Virginia McLean Danielle Mitchener Wendy O’Brien Sara Owens Eric Parker Janice Pickney Anastasia Robbins Jennifer Schmitz Cheryl Simons Laura Thomas Julie Wilson Sigma Theta Tau Inductees Thirteen members of the Class of 2007 earned the right to graduate with Honors by completing year-long research projects. Each year, the School of Nursing presents honors students with a Tammy Flake Award. The monetary award was established by the classmates and friends of Tammy Flake, a member of the class of 1989, who passed away shortly before graduation. The awards are made possi-ble through an endowed fund created by Tammy’s parents, Jimmy and Jean Flake. To read more about this year’s Honors students, visit http://nursing.unc.edu/cur-rent/ honors/2007. With Honors The SON recently created a “Hall of Honor” as a way of proudly displaying the accomplishments of Honors students. *RN-BSN students New inductee Matthew Moody (R) received the Sigma Theta Tau International Honors Society BSN Outstanding Achievement Award in the 14-month BSN option. 26 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 FACULTY Pam Jenkins joined the School of Nursing (SON) in March as director of Continuing Education. Her appointment to clinical associate professor became effective in June. Before joining the SON, Jenkins worked as a public health nurse consultant for the N.C. Department of Public Health, as executive director of the CARE clinic, an organization that provided free healthcare to uninsured and low-income patients and as an HIV program administrator and health educator in the U.S. Army. The SON welcomed 12 new clinical assistant professors: Pauline Welborne-Brown, Victoria Cryer, Grace Hubbard, Anne Jessup, Beth Lamanna, Diana McCarty, Laura McQueen, Susan Pellicio, Anne Robinette, Joan Smith, Julie Vann and Diane Yorke. The SON also welcomed 10 new clinical instruc-tors: Andrea Biondi, Suja Davis, Ted Heiser, Marquita Ford, Rhonda Lanning, Christina Leonard, Mary Ann Meyer, Carrie Palmer, Mary Charles Sutphin, and Elizabeth Wells. Faculty Notes Gail Mazzocco, clinical associate professor and statewide AHEC liaison, was nominated to serve as the AHEC representative on the North Carolina Center for Nursing Board of Directors. Her term runs until June 2010. Debra Barksdale, assistant professor, was selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners this year. She was one of only 26 nurses chosen. Established in 2000, the program recognizes nurse practitioner leaders who have contributed to healthcare through nurse practitioner practice, research, education or policy. Dee Lowdermilk, clinical professor, as selected as one of the “100 Incredible ECU Women.” Recipients are chosen by their peers as outstand-ing leaders. As one of only two nursing gradu-ates to receive the award, she will be honored by the East Carolina University Women’s Roundtable as part of the University’s Centennial Celebration. Kathy Alden, clinical associate professor, was named to the 2007 list of the Great 100 Nurses for North Carolina. The Great 100, Inc. is a peer recognition organization that honors North Carolina nursing by highlighting the importance of registered nurses, acknowledging nurses annually who demonstrate excellence in practice and commitment and allocating funds for registered nurse education scholarships. Beth Lamanna, clinical assistant professor, was chosen as Chair-Elect of the Public Health Nursing Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA). In this role, she will work to promote the APHA’s missions, including ensuring social justice and eliminating health disparities; strengthening the public health work force; actively engaging students; and promoting environmental health. Charlene Garrett was promoted to clinical assistant professor. Mary Lynn was promoted to professor. Dustine Dix was promoted to clinical assistant professor. Elaine Harwood was promoted to clinical assistant professor. Julie Page was promoted to clinical assistant professor. New Faculty Honors and Promotions CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 27 ALUMNI Linda Brown received her MSN from Duke University and a postmaster’s certificate as an FNP from Carolina. During her years at the School of Nursing from 1982 to 2007, she taught in the undergraduate and graduate programs. Brown was certified by ANCC and held a joint appointment for practice. She practiced with Piedmont Health Services at the Caswell County Community Health Center. There, she was responsible for managing primary and prenatal care for adults and children. More than half her patients were of Hispanic origin. Brown had a particular interest in the prevention and management of chronic illness. Gayle T. Davis served the School of Nursing (SON) from 1971 to 2007. She received her EdD in adult education from North Carolina State University and her MSN from UNC Chapel Hill. She completed the postmaster’s pediatric nurse practitioner program at Carolina. Davis primarily taught undergraduate pediatrics at the SON. In later years, she also taught pediatric nurse prac-titioner courses. Her primary interests were health promotion in children, care of asthmatic children, ambulatory pediatrics and nursing education. Molly Dougherty made an impact as an edu-cator at both the University of Florida, where she received her bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees, and then at the School of Nursing. In 1996, Dougherty was named the SON’s first Frances Hill Fox Distinguished Professor. Dougherty contributed to the science of nursing with her research in women’s health, aging, minority health issues and community-based nursing interventions as chair of Academic Division II, professor and doctoral program faculty leader. She has received federal grants for her research on topics, such as pelvic muscle function and management of urinary incontinence. She also currently serves as the editor of Nursing Research, the premiere international nursing research magazine. Barbara Jo Foley, BSN ’67, was the chair of Academic Division II and a clinical professor prior to her retirement from the School of Nursing (SON) in February 2007. Foley first joined the SON as an instructor in August 1971 and was promot-ed to assistant professor in July 1973. In 1974, she joined the Fayetteville Area Health Education Center as the Director of Nursing Education, where she spent 12 years. During those years, Foley was also a nurse in the U.S. Army Reserve. She went on active duty in September 1986 and retired in 2000 at the rank of Colonel. Foley then rejoined the SON faculty as the Director of the Continuing Education Department, serving in that role from 2000-2004. She was named chair of Academic Division II in 2004. Foley received her MN from Emory University and her PhD from Georgia State University. Shirley Mason, BSN ’57, joined the faculty in 1973 as an assistant professor. Through her career in the School of Nursing (SON), she was also an associate professor and practice area coordinator. Mason started her 50-year career as a staff nurse at the North Carolina Memorial Hospital in the surgical and medical intensive care units. She became head nurse of the outpa-tient department in 1960. From 1963 until she came to the SON, Mason worked at both the Medical College of Virginia and the Veterans Affairs Regional Medical Program in Richmond. She received her master’s degree in nursing from the University of Maryland and her educational doctorate from North Carolina State University. Susan Pierce joined the faculty in 1975 after earning her MSN in medical-surgical nursing from UNC-Chapel Hill. During her 32-year School of Nursing career, she earned a PhD in philosophy and ethics frm UNC-Chapel Hill and retired as a full professor. Pierce also served as department chair, director of statewide AHEC, associate dean for Administration and Planning and associate dean for Community Outreach, while continuing her scholarship in the area of ethics and end-of-life care. In her retirement on Oak Island, N.C., she remains active in the American Nurses Association, serving as the Board of Directors Secretary, as an American Nurses Foundation Trustee, and as an American Nurses Credentialing Center director. Retirements ❯ 1967 Nancy Rankin Crutchfield (BSN) was chosen as North Carolina School Nurse of the Year by the School Nurse Association of North Carolina for 2006-2007. This spring, she also became one of seven members for the National Board for Certification of School Nurses, a board that over-sees the examination for school nurses to achieve certification. ❯ 1981 Deborah Allen (BSN, MSN) recently received a Mary Lewis Wyche Fellowship from the North Carolina Foundation for Nursing. The fellowship acknowledges registered nurses dedicated to advancing their education with either a master’s or doctorate in practice, education or administra-tion on a full-time basis. The award is for $5,000 annually. Allen is currently a nurse practitioner at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University Medical Center. ❯ 1983 Jean Hix McDonald (BSN) recently took a position as the school nurse at Glenwood Elementary School in Chapel Hill. She lives in Chapel Hill with her husband Cary and their triplets. ❯ 1984 Sandra Wilusz (BSN) will soon complete her education and receive her MSN/FNP degree from East Carolina University. ❯ 1992 Lynne Russell Brophy (MSN) is an Adult Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist at Bethesda North Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. She currently serves on a national Oncology Nursing Task Force, preparing an online oral antineoplastic agent course. She lives in Loveland, Ohio, with her husband Jon and two children, Ned and Erin. ❯ 1997 Jennifer Foster McCracken (BSN) was promoted to Health Services Manager for Catawba County Public Health in Hickory, N.C. She oversees all clinical and community-based programs for the department. Beth McBride Barber (BSN) recently graduated with an MSN in Nursing Education from Western Carolina University. ❯ 2000 Sabrina Walton (MSN) was elected as Treasurer for the Sigma Theta Tau, Lambda Rho Chapter at Large in Jacksonville, Fla. Ben Murray (MSN) was named 2007 Idaho Nurse of the Year for Nursing Management. Murray is the Director of Nursing at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, Boise, Idaho. Saint Alphonsus is a 400-bed regional medical center and the only trauma center between Salt Lake and Portland. Janice Tedder (BSN) recently won a gold medal World Wide Web Health Award from the Health Information Resource Center for her Web site www.hugyourbaby.com. Her Web site, selected from nearly 1,000 entries, teaches par-ents how to calm and play with their baby, as well as how to help the baby sleep. The Web site also received an award for best graphic design. Tedder is a family nurse practitioner in the UNC Health System. Cheryl Speight Chapman (BSN) graduated from UNC Charlotte’s Nurse Anesthesia program in December 2006. She now works at Carolinas Medical Center-Pineville in Charlotte, N.C. ALUMNI Alumni Notes 28 CAROLINA NURSING WINTER 2007 Henry and Frances (BSN ’58) Read enjoy a lunch with 24-month BSN student and 2007 Frances A. Read scholar Kati Blodeau and her son R.J. Henry established the scholarship 10 years ago to celebrate Frances’ 40th reunion, anniversary and retirement. Wilmington area alumni gather frequently for social activities and to hear the latest SON news. The group poses poolside during an April luncheon at the home of Foundation Board President Denise Taylor Darden, BSN ’77. What’s new with you? Keeping up with each other is hard to do these days. Please let Carolina Nursing share your news! Whether it’s a new job, special accomplishment or an addition to your family, we’ll be happy to get the word out for you. Be sure to include your name (and maiden name), class year, any change of address and your news. Please send news to: Alumni Association Director, School of Nursing UNC Chapel Hill, Carrington Hall, CB #7460, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7460 or sonalum@unc.edu January 23, 2008 Writing for Publication January 25, 2008 Pediatric Update January 30, 2008 Evidence-Based Practice February 2, 2008 Test Construction February 8, 2008 Diabetes Conference February 13, 2008 EKG Interpretation February 21, 2008 Lessons in Leadership February 27, 2008 TIAs & Stroke March 5–6, 2008 Neonatal Nursing Institute March 8, 2008 19th Annual PACU & Ambulatory Surgery Conference March 14, 2008 Evidence-Based Maternity Care March 15–April 26 Clinical Research (Saturdays) April 4, 2008 Women’s Health Issues April 6–9, 2008 International Association of Human Caring Conference April 16, 2008 Safe Patient Handling April 18, 2008 End of Life Care April 18–June 6, 2008 History Taking & Physical Examination April 22, 2008 Cultural Sensitivity/Diversity April 24, 2008 Legal Update April 30, 2008 Magnet Status & Research May 2, 2008 Orthopedic Update May 5–8, 2008 Basic Principles of Teaching May 8, 2008 Pain Conference May 14, 2008 Psychiatric Mental Health Institute May 21, 2008 Summer Bad Bugs August 4–7, 2008 Advanced Principles of Teaching For more information or to register, contact Continuing Education at (919) 966-3638 or visit http://nursing.ce.unc.edu. Continuing Education Spring 2008 Programs Carolyn Nifong Morgan, BSN ’61 with a patient. SON then... Do you remember when? Tell us your memories about these photos or share new ones. Write whitney_howell@unc.edu or call (919) 966-4619. Correction The Office of Advancement misiden-tified an alumna in the historical photo in the Annual Report. The alumna should have been identified as Carolyn Nifong Morgan, BSN ’61. We regret this error. Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 177 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1110 The UNIVERSITY o f NORTH CAROLINA at CHAPEL HILL CB# 7460 CARRINGTON HALL CHAPEL HILL, NC 27599-7460 http://nursing.unc.edu The mission of the UNC School of Nursing is to enhance and improve the health and well being of the peo-ple of North Carolina and the nation, and as relevent and appropriate, the people of other nations, through its programs of education, research, and scholarship, and through clinical practice and community service. |
OCLC number | 44489549 |