This semester the University of South Florida College of Nursing graduated a total of 146 students including one Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP), six PhDs in Nursing, 49 Master’s of Science (MS), and 90 Bachelor’s of Science (BS).

At the University of South Florida College of Nursing Spring 2013 Pinning Ceremony featuring the Alumni Path of Light, May 3, 2013,  Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Community Engagement, Connie Visovsky, PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, welcomed alumni, faculty, family and friends who were celebrating an incredible milestone in the graduates’  journey of lifelong learning as health professionals. The Pinning Ceremony is a nursing tradition which marks the transition of baccalaureate graduates from students to professional nurses.

Many of the students graduated with University honors: 20 Cum Laude, 22 Magna Cum Laude and 2 Summa Cum Laude. Additionally, 1 student,  Temre Smith, earning the highest honors, Summa Cum Laude, has been chosen by the USF Alumni Association to receive the King O’Neal Scholars Award at commencement for graduating with an outstanding 4.0 GPA. Exemplar students were also recognized with several awards including Academic Excellence, Clinical Excellence, Leadership Award, Spirit of Nursing Award, Service Award, Capstone Award, Evidence Based Practice Award, and Quality & Safety Award.

Class mates and room mates, Carolyn Steel and Rachel Tax, both became the third generation of nurses in their families, and both of their mothers and grandmothers were there to celebrate with them at the Pinning Ceremony on May 3, 2013.

“I am fortunate to be able to participate in this pinning tradition with all of our graduating students, and was delighted to meet these two families of 3^rd generation nurses (2^nd Generation Bull Nurses!),” said Assistant Professor, Melissa Molinari Shelton, PhD, RN. “A call to nursing is a special bond they share with one another.  As our College continues to educate the nursing leaders of tomorrow, I expect that we will certainly welcome many more Bull Nurse legacies into our family.”

At the USF Commencement Ceremony recognizing graduate students from all colleges of the university on Saturday, May 4, 2013, Spring 2013 Nursing BS-PhD graduate, Crystal L. Chapman-Lambert, MS, FNP-BC, ACRN, AAHIVS, spoke to more than 730 graduates and their friends and family during the student address. ”I cannot deny that I will forever be a bull, more specifically, a bull nurse,” she said, humbled and grateful for being selected.

“I was honored and horrified because my public speaking is something that I fear, but I was up for the challenge,” Chapman-Lambert said. “Thank you to everyone at the USF College of Nursing for recognizing my hard work and dedication to the advancement of nursing science.”

Chapman-Lambert has shown tremendous success throughout her education journey at USF College of Nursing. In 2007, she was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International, Honor Society of Nursing, and was the USF Nursing McKnight Doctoral Fellow. In 2011, she also received the Sigma Theta Tau International/Virginia Henderson Clinical Research Grant from Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Honor Society of Nursing to allow her to conduct research on HIV-infected women’s knowledge, perceived susceptibility and seriousness of cervical cancer.

“We are all proud of Crystal, and what she has accomplished,” said USF Nursing Distinguished Professor and Thompson Professor of Oncology Nursing, Susan C. McMillan, PhD, ARNP, FAAN, who has been Chapman-Lambert’s mentor during her dissertation. “My perspective is that she is bright and articulate and will be a talented researcher and teacher. I’m proud of her, and wish her an amazing career.”

To read Crystal Chapman-Lambert’s story in its entirety click here.

For related stories on Chapman-Lambert click here.

For information about USF Commencement visit www.usf.edu/commencement 

For more photos from USF Commencement  May3-5, 2013 click here.

For details about USF Commencement Ceremonies held May 3-5, 2013 click here.

University of South Florida College of Nursing alum, Hayley Suratt, RN, MSN, CRNA, ’12, returned to Guatemala for a second medical-surgical mission trip in spring 2013.

Suratt, who received her Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia at USF in December 2012, traveled to Guatemala with Faith in Practice, which is a non-profit Christian organization that seeks to improve the physical, spiritual, and economic conditions of the poor in Guatemala through short-term surgical, medical, and dental mission trips and health-related educational programs.

Suratt traveled as a volunteer with 30 other medical personnel to help performed surgeries on 104 patients over one week. During that time, Suratt and the medical-surgical team screened patients to make sure they have good candidates for surgery, set up the surgery suites and pre-op/recovery units, and performed surgeries such as Gallbladder removals, hernia repairs, knee/shoulder scopes, and more.

“I was stationed in the recovery room,” Suratt said. “I assisted patients in the transition from general anesthesia, which included airway management and pain control (IV medications/peripheral nerve blocks). The USF Nurse Anesthesia program equipped me with the knowledge, skill set, and confidence to reach beyond our borders and help people in far-away places – I am forever grateful!”

This is Suratt’s second trip to the Latin country. Last summer, she traveled with the Faith in Practice’s surgical team to Antigua, Guatemala where she helped many patients in desperate need of medical help. They performed an amazing 93 surgeries including knees, shoulders, gallbladders, hernias, and other general surgeries in just one week.

“I traveled back to Guatemala because I knew Guatemalans needed all the help they could get,” Suratt said. “Last year, I witnessed the hurt and joy of so many faces before and after surgeries that I knew I had to go back and help them as much as possible. But, Guatemalans always give way more back to me than what I give to them,” Suratt said. “They inspire and remind me to become more and reach for more through God’s grace and strength.”

Since 1991, Faith In Practice, has been committed to serving the poor in Guatemala. The organization sees more than 20,000 patients annually, according to Faith in Practice’s website. Every year, over 1,000 medical professionals and support personnel from across the United States and world travel to Guatemala, to serve the poor of Guatemala through Faith In Practice.

For more stories about Hayley Suratt click here.

University of South Florida College of Nursing Nurse Anesthesia Program released their third edition of their newsletter titled Student Registered Nurse Anesthetist (SRNA) @ USF. The newsletter is written, designed and edited by the Nurse Anesthesia Student Organization (SRNAF @ USF). Click here to see the SRNA Newsletter-March 2013 issue.

“I’m always proud of how involved the Nurse Anesthesia Student Organization is with our College, our profession, and our community,” said Assistant Professor and Concentration Director for Nurse Anesthesia (CRNA) at USF Nursing, Eric Rauch, DNP, CRNA. “Enjoy the read.”

The SRNAF @ USF was created to promote the ongoing education of graduate nurse anesthesia students at USF to increase visibility of the USF nurse anesthesia program and provide education and increased awareness of the nurse anesthesia profession.

For more information about the USF Nursing Anesthesia Program click here.

University of South Florida College of Nursing Nurse Anesthesia Master’s Program student, Kelle Logan, RN, BSN, SRNA, has been invited to present at the Veteran Affairs for Nurse Anesthetists (AVANA) Annual National Meeting in Portland, Ore. on April 23 through 26, 2013. Logan will present a  lecture on Anesthetic Implications for Ventricular Assist Device Patients.

“I recognized this meeting as an excellent opportunity to inform VA anesthesia personnel of the anesthetic implications of ventricular assist device patients,” Logan said. “Several VA centers across the nation are ventricular assist device centers and the number of implanting hospitals continues to increase. Due to the improvement of technology, and increase in the number of patients with VADs, it is imperative for the anesthesia provider to maintain a general knowledge base on how to care for this patient population.”

Logan has presented at other conferences and workshops including Pan-American Ventricular Assist Device and Transplant Workshop, Tides American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Annual Conference, and Tampa General Hospital (TGH).

“Caring for ventricular assist device patients has had a profound impact on my nursing career,” Logan said. “Although my dream of becoming a nurse anesthetist will soon be met, I will never forget what I learned from these patients. Facing advanced heart failure, these patients exude bravery and compassion.  I feel informing anesthesia professionals about ventricular assist devices is my commitment as an advocate for this specialized population of patients.”

Logan is currently on clinical rotation at the James A. Haley VA and expects to graduate in Dec. 2013.

To see Logan’s full citation click here.

The University of South Florida College of Nursing is partnering with organizations and universities across the country to join the National Interprofessional Education and Practice Consortium to Advance Million Hearts to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes in the United States by 2017 through the Million Hearts initiative.

Million Hearts, a public-private initiative launched by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2011, focuses on improving care for people suffering from heart disease through the “ABCS” method. ABCS is a technique that addresses the major risk factors of cardiovascular disease and helps prevent heart attacks and strokes.

The ABCS method stands for:

1. Aspirin for people at risk
2. Blood pressure control
3. Cholesterol management
4. Smoking cessation

USF College of Nursing, under the leadership of Assistant Professor and Concentration Director for Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) at the College, Debra A. Friedrich, DNP, ARNP, FNP-C, CLS, FNLA, is joining the initiative to educate and train nursing students to empower ten patients to make healthy choices utilizing the ABCS. To accomplish this goal, the students will complete a four-hour Million Hearts educational module, which is available online and free of charge.

Debra A. Friedrich, DNP, ARNP, FNP-C, CLS, FNLA, Assistant Professor and Concentration Director FNP

“Upon completion, each student will login in the educational module and enter data on the ten people for whom they conducted Million Hearts screening and/or education for, so they can track the number of people the College has reached through our efforts,” Dr. Friedrich said. “This module is intended to help students learn about how they can impact the population suffering from the disease through Million Hearts and assist the Department of HHS in preventing one million heart attacks and strokes by 2017.”

Check out Dr. Friedrich in the video below where she explains details on the innitiative, which can also be seen on the official USF College of Nursing YouTube Channel.

Dr. Friedrich said by having the students enter anonymous and basic information about the individuals they will screen or educate will allow USF College of Nursing to document the outcomes achieved through this initiative.

According to HHS, there are more than two million heart attacks and strokes in the United States, and more than 2,000 deaths from the disease each year. Cardiovascular disease is responsible for one in every three deaths every year, and takes up 70 percent of the national healthcare spending, the HHS website states.

“Our goal here at USF College of Nursing is to help improve care for people who do need treatment by encouraging a targeted focus on “ABCSs,” Dr. Friedrich said. “This is an outstanding service learning project for students and could be built into a course requirement to teach them about how to improve population health through Million Hearts. Those goals are audacious, but they are achievable through the actions of powerful partnerships. By working together, focused on a common goal, Million Hearts partnerships are taking on the nation’s number one killer and leading the way to a heart-healthy America.”

To learn about Million Hearts initiative visit millionhearts.hhs.gov. To learn about the Educational Module click here.

University of South Florida College of Nursing faculty and students took part in the USF Health’s 23^rd Annual Research Day event at the USF Marshall Center on Feb. 22. Seven USF Nursing students gave oral and poster presentation during the event while USF Nursing faculty served as judges.

At the event,  USF College of Nursing graduate student, Julie Daugherty, MS, won the best Nursing poster presentation, which was titled “Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program in Patients with Chronic Tinnitus Disturbance.”

“Jessica Gordon’s oral presentation was very well done, and well received- congratulations to her,” Dr. Munro said. “And congratulations to all of the poster presenters, who did a marvelous job of representing student scholarly work in the College; special kudos to Julie Daugherty, who was the CON poster award winner. And finally, thanks to the College of Nursing Faculty who served as judges for the event. Let’s go even bigger next year!!”

The following students presented on Research Day:

Oral Presentation:

Jessica Gordon, MS, USG Nursing graduate student
            “Stabalization of Extra-uterine Life with Skin to Skin Contact”

Posters:

Irina Carranza, BS, USG Nursing graduate student
            “State of the Science: Evaluating Cognitive Functioning and Genes in Breast Cancer”

Pao-Chu Hsu, MS, Graduate Student
            “Prenatal Stress, Depression and Herpes Viruses Reactivation”

Julie Daugherty, MS, USF Nursing graduate student
            “Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program in Patients with Chronic Tinnitus Disturbance”  

Carly Paterson, MS RN, USF Nursing graduate student
           “Body Image in Younger Breast Cancer Survivors: A Review of the Literature”

Chun-Yi Tai, MS, USF Nursing graduate student
            “Understanding How Taiwanese Registered Nurses Make Clinical Decisions Regarding Patient Care: A Grounded Theory Approach”

Pinky Budhrani, MS, USF Nursing graduate student
             “Subjective Sleep Quality, Physical and Psychological Symptoms in Breast Cancer  Survivors”

USF Nursing faculty members such as Dr. Munro judged oral presentations at the event. While Jason Beckstead, PhD, Associate Professor, John Clochesy, RN, PhD, CS, FAAN, FCCM, Professor and Faculty Mentorship Program Director, Versie Johnson-Mallard, PhD, ARNP, MSN, MSMS, Assistant Professor, and Melissa Molinari Shelton, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor at USF College of Nursing, were on the judges panel to judge student’s posters.

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENTS

October 2012 Undergraduate Student recipient: Sarah Jo Spears

Sarah Jo Spears volunteered to participate in the Medical Brigade to the Dominican Republic with the USF Morsani College of Medicine, the Health and Wellness Screenings at USF Employee Benefits Fair and the Flu Shot drive at the USF College of Public Health. Sarah Jo Spears humbly pointed out, “During the Dominican Republic trip we were able to serve over 800 patients from the city of Jarabacoa and the surrounding community. Many of these people have no other access to health care. At the employee benefits fair we were able to provide blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol screenings to USF employees. For many people, this served as a wake-up call and alerted them to the need to see their primary care physician. At the flu shot drive we administered 1500 flu shot vaccinations to the USF community.” Sarah Jo Spears chose to serve with the USF MCOM because she has volunteered on three previous international service trips with the Honors College and loved it. She contributes her drive to become a nurse to her love of serving local communities and abroad.

October 2012 Graduate Student recipient: Jessica Cook

Jessica Cook volunteered at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children – Tampa hosted its annual Monster Mash Bash on Thursday, October 25, 2012. Children from all over the Tampa Bay area came to enjoy the festivities. Many of them suffer from various orthopedic related disabilities, making traditional “Trick-or-Treating” difficult. This is a warm environment where all areas are accessible to them and they feel comfortable and loved. Jessica Cook and three of her peers from USF Nurse Anesthesia program volunteered to man the Monster Munch booth. Kids had to eat a donut using only their mouths – no hands. It was a sticky job, but both the kids and adults enjoyed the activity. A great time was had by all. Jessica Cook warmly reported, “The children at Shriner’s have disabilities that prevent them from enjoying traditional fall activities in the community for fear of injury or immune compromise. During the course of their illness, treatment, recovery, and therapy, these children become a part of the Shriner’s family. It was an honor to be a part of something so special. The event helps to make the children feel as “normal” as possible. In this place, there are no limitations for them, only possibilities – and on that night, lots of fun and laughter.”

Students from University of South Florida College of Nursing helped put together a Baby Shower for mothers and their premature babies at Tampa General Hospital’s (TGH) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).The event was held on World Prematurity Day, Nov. 17, 2012.

USF Nursing baccalaureate students including Rebecca Koerner, Emma Adams, and Carly Territo helped raise money to provide gifts for mothers and babies in NICU through Bulls for Babies, a USF organization established in Sept. 2011. Bulls for Babies worked with organizations planning the event including Mommies Little Miracles, the March of Dimes, and Hillsborough Healthy Start to allow NICU families to have a baby shower.

During the Baby Shower, more than 20 mothers had the chance to receive many gifts including scrapbooks, bath time sets, play sets, picture frames, blankets, and other baby necessities.

Since its beginnings, Bulls for Babies has worked with the March of Dimes to help raise money and awareness for premature babies on the USF campus. Koerner and Adams created Bulls for Babies. The organization currently has four nursing students and two pre-nursing students.

“Bulls for Babies is very important to me because I have a special place in my heart for premature babies,” Koerner said. “My mother was a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, and that is where my drive to be a nurse began. I would love to follow in her footsteps and work with premature babies as well, and I think it is very important to help those little ones and their families as much as possible. I cannot imagine what it must be like to have a baby in an Intensive Care Unit, and I want to do everything I can to help those families and Bulls for Babies seemed like a perfect fit.”

Throughout 2012, Bulls for Babies has helped raise money and awareness through fundraisers and other related events. “We have donated onesies made by our members as well as handmade blankets and bonnets,” Koerner said. “We have also made ‘name plates’ which go on their babies incubators to make their room feel a little more ‘home-y’ instead of just a hospital room.”

Bulls for Babies will continue to make a difference in 2013. The organization along with other USF organizations will team up to participate in the March of Dimes’ March for Babies walk as “USF Team.” in April. “I believe if we all join together, we could make a really big impact by getting more participants and raising more funds than if we all did it individually,” Koerner said.

University of South Florida College of Nursing graduate student, Teresita Hardin, BSN, RN, received the Philippine Nurses Association of Gulf Coast Florida (PNAGF) scholarship. Hardin was recognized for the award during PNAGF’s 2012 Annual Scholarship and Care Awards held at the Innisbrook Golf & Spa Resort in Tampa on Dec. 7.

“I feel blessed of being a PNAGF scholar,” Hardin said. “I believe that in this country nothing will stop an individual from achieving their goal as long as they work hard to accomplish it. Believing in one’s self and giving it your best is the key.”

PNAGF gives these scholarships to nursing students who work hard and share their compassion and knowledge in patient care. In the past few years, more than a dozen students from USF College of Nursing have received this type of award.

Hardin said this grant will help her pay for tuition fees, books and other school supplies. “I appreciate all the efforts of the PNAGF organization in making this possible,” Hardin said. “Through my current membership I hope to help the organization in any possible way and be a part of producing more scholars in the future.”

PNAGF is an organization that helps promote a positive image of nursing to the community, helps unify and strengthen friendships among Filipino and American nurses, help promote professional career advancement and leadership of Filipino nurses, and helps support and provide assistance to worthy causes determined by the PNAGF Executive Board.

University of South Florida College of Nursing students took part in the Health Screenings at the 2013 Annual USF Employee Open Enrollment Benefits Fair on Tuesday, Oct. 16 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the MSC Ballroom.

USF Nursing students, under the direction of Debra A. Friedrich, DNP, ARNP, FNP-C, CLS, FNLA, Assistant Professor and Concentration Director for Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) at USF College of Nursing, were out in full force conducting general health screening assessments for hundreds of USF faculty, staff and administrators during the annual employee benefits fair.

During the fair, they also conducted patient education on diabetes, hypertension, and elevated cholesterol. They also assisted with blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood cholesterol screenings.