University of South Florida College of Nursing alum, Sarah Jo Spears, helped Pre-Nursing Living Learning Community (LLC) students achieve their dreams while accomplishing hers. Spears, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing in spring 2013, tutored LLC students for two years while working on her degree at USF.

“I wanted to help the students navigate through the obstacles that came their way during their first year of college,” Spears said. “Above all, I feel like this position helped me hone my patient teaching skills, which is very valuable as a nurse.”

As a tutor, Spears helped students learn how to study, in addition to teaching them good study habits. Spears was also the go-to-person for other subjects and a resource for general questions on admission tips, clinicals, and even College life.

“Anatomy is really another language and the biggest hurdle is learning how to study it…for example, I taught them to focus on concepts rather than rote memorization,” Spears said. “I just wanted to be a resource for the students, and be someone they could go to for any questions.”

“Spears has been such a great tutor for two years in the pre-nursing LLC,” said USF College of Nursing Academic Advisor for Pre-Nursing Freshman, Astride Edouard. “Students have really appreciated her knowledge and dedication in tutoring them. There were several students within the two years that would come into USF confused with Nursing courses, but Spears really helped them learn the material and gain a better study habit. She will truly be missed by pre-nursing LLC.”

USF Nursing undergraduate student, Kyla Hoffer, said Spears was not only an amazing tutor, but also a great friend to everyone. “She did her job wonderfully making difficult topics easy to understand,” Hoffer said. “She taught us how to study and always reassured us that we could do well if we worked hard. As the new tutor for the fall, I have a lot to live up to, but an amazing example to follow. I only hope to emulate her job well done and her great spirit.”

Throughout her education at USF Nursing, Spears stayed involved in the local community doing more than 40 hours of volunteer work. In the past two years, she has been on five medical mission trips abroad including Panama, Jamaica, and Nicaragua, Honduras, and Dominican Republic.

“Service really is my passion and the reason I went into the field of nursing,” Spears said. “I believe that is the duty of medical professionals to devote their lives to the less fortunate and to do their best to provide care to all people. I am also a member of Grace Bible Church of Tampa for nearly three years where I volunteer. My faith is really what guides me as a nurse. I believe that God cares for the oppressed, poor and downtrodden, and, therefore, so should I.”

Before Spears graduated, she was one of the only 26 students of spring 2013 graduating class to receive the Undergraduate Scholars Award from USF. She also received the USF College of Nursing’s Service Award, and graduated Cum Laude from the Honors College. Spears is spending three weeks this summer studying abroad in London, England where she is studying infectious diseases and medical anthropology.

For related stories on Sarah Jo Spears click here.

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.

An unlikely reunion between a wounded warrior and a former Air Force medic at the “Boots on the Homefront: Introduction to Military to Military & Veteran Health Issues” event at the University of South Florida College of Nursing, was the focus of a Tampa Tribune article.

The article written by Tampa Tribune’s Staff Writer, Howard Altman, highlighted the emotional reunion of wounded warrior, MSgt. Christian “Mack” Mackenzie, and USF College of Nursing student, Andrew Armstrong, at the USF Nursing’s event on April 15, 2013.

Armstrong, who was in the Air Force as a medic serving with MacDill Air Force Base’s 6th Medical Group at Balad, recognized Mackenzie while he was speaking at the USF Nursing event about his poly traumatic injury when serving in Iraq. During his speech, Mackenzie spoke about his experience as a wounded warrior and the military nurses who cared for him.

“…Armstrong thought MacKenzie looked familiar, but didn’t know why,” Armstrong said in the article. “He is the first patient I have been able to talk with after deployment. It was a special treat for me to be able to lay eyes on one of these guys and see they are doing well and functioning in society. It was very gratifying.”

Mackenzie was happy to meet the nurse who cared for him too. “It sent a chill down my spine,” he said in the article. “I had no idea he was in the audience and I never had the opportunity to meet or say thank you to the individuals who were at Balad when I was there. The fact that he was in the room was amazing.”

USF College of Nursing Military Liaison, Instructor and Coordinator, Graduate Simulation, Alicia Rossiter, MSN, ARNP, FNP, PNP-BC, witnessed the reunion firsthand, and she said it was touching to see them reunite at our conference.

“Having cared for critically wounded warriors during the Gulf War, I know that there are patients that I still think about today and wonder where they are and how they are doing–there are just some patients you never forget,” Rossiter said. “There is no greater moment than to find out that someone you cared for, someone so critically wounded, is telling his story…just amazing!”

To read Howard Altman’s full article visit Tampa Tribune’s website at “Warrior wounded in Iraq has unlikely reunion.”

To read the USF College of Nursing’s story on the “Boots on the Homefront: Introduction to Military to Military & Veteran Health Issues” event and their special reunion click here.

University of South Florida College of Nursing’s Dean, Professor and Senior Associate Vice President for USF Health, Dianne Morrison-Beedy, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN, held a breakfast event with USF Nursing’s 2012-2013 Community Service Student Award winners on April 24, 2013.

Dean Dianne Morrison-Beedy treated the Community Service Award honorees with the breakfast to thank them for their community involvement and for proudly representing the College through their service.

USF College of Nursing Student Council President, Danielle Steele, who attended the breakfast, said she appreciated the Dean’s efforts to recognize the students’ work in the community.

“The Dean understands the tremendous effort it takes when students are already busy and consumed with their studies, families, and jobs,” said Steele. “This event was a great way to continue inspiring students to remain active in their communities. It also served as an open forum for ideas.”

USF College of Nursing student, Sarah Jo Spears, enjoyed the breakfast with the Dean too. “I really enjoyed speaking to her face to face,” Spears said. “It really meant a lot to me that the Dean was interested in me, as an undergraduate student, and what I thought about serving the community.”

University of South Florida College of Nursing faculty and students volunteered at a special health screening event hosted by Florida Hospital Tampa-Pepin Heart Institute at the hospital’s Wallace Conference Center on April 11, 2013. The event was sponsored by Florida Hospital Tampa and USF Health Service Corps in conjunction with ABC Action News Channel 28 ‘Taking Action for your Health’ series.

Florida Hospital Tampa, a USF College of Nursing clinical partner, teamed up with ABC Action News to encourage the Tampa Bay community to take 15 minutes for their health. To accomplish that, they offered free health screenings including cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and one-on-one consultations with a healthcare professional to discuss results.

USF College of Nursing students assisted with those health screenings performing blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol levels and BMIs. USF Nursing Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Student Affairs and Community Engagement, Constance Visovsky, PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, and Associate Professor and Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Programs, Cheryl Zambroski, PhD, RN, also were available on site to answer students’ questions if needed.

“This was a great opportunity for students to work with other health professionals in meeting the needs of the community in Tampa bay,” said Dr. Zambroski.

University of South Florida College of Nursing Instructor and USF CREATTE Scholar, Debra Gottel, MSN, MHS, RN, along with 15 undergraduate nursing students, presented a poster at the Undergraduate Research and Arts Colloquium held at the USF Marshall Center, April 17, 2013.

The students, under Gottel’s mentorship, presented a project titled “The Impact of a Simulated Auditory Hallucination Experience on Nursing Students’ Attitudes toward People with Mental Illness.”  They were among the 88 USF undergraduate students presenting at the event.

The USF Nursing students who were part of this project include: Sara Dominic, Ula Armashi, Summer Abukhodeir, Jessica Benette, Janel Canty, Brittany Durant, Ashley Huesman, Cintli Jauregui, Kathryn Garcia, Maria Klammer, Jaymie McAllister, Jessica Nemerovsky, Desiree Monnot, Larissa Pollock, and Noor Tamari.

The project was created through CREATTE (Creating Research Experiences and Activities Through Teaching Enhancement), a scholarship program developed by the USF Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR). As a CREATTE Scholar, Gottel enhanced the curriculum for undergraduate students by mentoring them through an advanced undergraduate research course.

This program helps stimulate interest and activities in research among undergraduate students within the classroom setting. OUR also offers small grant opportunities and support for undergraduate research incorporated within didactic courses. Gottel was named 2012-2013 CREATTE Scholar in August 2012. She received a grant to purchase equipment for the simulation and to develop a research project with students from the psychiatric mental health nursing course.

USF College of Nursing Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, Cindy Munro, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FAAN, congratulated Gottel and all the undergraduate students for the successful completion of their CREATTE project.

“I was very impressed with both the project and with your presentation of results,” Dr. Munro said. “I know that this project, exploring how a simulated auditory hallucination experience affected the attitudes of nursing students toward people with mental illness, has been intellectually stimulating for you as undergraduate researchers. However, I am particularly excited by the potential contribution to nursing education and practice of the knowledge you have generated (and will seek to publish!). I believe that this experience will have a lasting effect- making you more thoughtful consumers of research in your clinical practice, with great benefit to the patients you care for!”

For related story on Debra Gotttel and her CREATTE Scholar students click here.

Ninety-six incoming USF Bull Nurses from University of South Florida College of Nursing were matched to their clinical teams for summer 2013 during the College’s Orientation/Match Day event on April 12. The new nursing students were assigned to their clinical collaborative partner, which is a local hospital system, for their clinical rotations.

“This is a very exciting day for the incoming nursing students and for us (the faculty),” said Brittny D. Chabalowski, RN, MSN, CEN, CNE, CHSE, Instructor, Program Director, Upper Division/2nd Degree Nursing Sequence, Coordinator, Undergraduate Simulation. “Students are matched to their clinical collaborative partner.  This will be their new ‘home away from home’ while they are in nursing school. Having consistent facility placement is a win-win for our students and our clinical collaborative partners.  The students become very familiar with their facility so they can focus on learning rather than orienting to multiple clinical sites.  They are also immersed in the culture of the facility which makes for an easy transition from nursing student to hospital employee.”

Incoming undergraduate students were matched to their specific clinical teams, and they include:

     These and more photos available on the official University of South Florida College of Nursing Facebook Page!

On Wednesday April 10, 2013, the University of South Florida held its 10th Annual Diversity Summit at the USF Marshall Center Ballroom. A crowd of approximately 200 enjoyed the days events that included: a breakfast welcome, two sets of workshops, a luncheon that featured a keynote speech by USF Trustee and USf Alum Brian Lamb, the screening of a video on bullying, a diversity expo, a panel that showed the diverse faces of success and finally an awards ceremony – one message came through loud and clear: diversity matters at USF.

Associate Vice President, Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, Ted Williams, along with Trustee and Student Body President William Warmke, welcomed the crowd that filled the ballroom. Then USF President Judy Genshaft set the tone for the day’s events at the by emphasizing the importance of creating an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere on campus.

As part of the event, USF College of Nursing students like  Sherley Dorvil (pictured below) participated in health screenings. The workshops and presentations followed. More than 37 panelists, including USF faculty, staff, students, corporate partners and community leaders took part in discussions that touched on many of the areas of life where diversity plays a role.

“The theme, ‘Paths to Success: Student Growth, Innovations and Solutions,’ was inspired by President Genshaft’s Fall Address which touched on diversity’s role as part of the university’s strategic plan,” said Patsy Feliciano, director of Diversity and Inclusion. She added, “I think just about everyone on today’s program has underscored the point that individually and collectively, embracing diversity is key to success in a world that is changing every day.”

Reflecting both the broader society and the USF community, 2013 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellow Cameron Ainsworth; Executive Director of the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) Karen Berkman; 2011 Gilman Scholar Farah Britto; College of Pharmacy Dean Kevin B. Sneed, and 2013-14 Trustee and Student Body President William Warmke comprised the diverse “Faces of Success” segment of the program.  They shared inspiring stories about their individual paths to success. Hard work, the need to focus on a career you love and the decision to never give up were the themes.

Original story Diversity Summit Highlights was written by Barbara Melendez of USF News. 

Photos by Aimee Blodgett.

Tampa Bay Rays Reserve Outfielder, Sam Fuld, spoke to more than 50 students and faculty from University of South Florida College of Nursing about his Type I diabetes at Tropicana Field on April 4, 2013.

USF College of Nursing Instructor and Team Coordinator at Morton Plant Mease, Cassandra Vonnes, invited Fuld to speak to undergraduate students in the Medical Surgical Nursing 1 course to discuss how he incorporates managing his diabetes into his daily activities. But, since Rays were playing the Baltimore Orioles, Fuld invited the students to the Tropicana Field instead to listen to him speak and stay for the game. Students couldn’t be more thrilled!

Fuld spoke to students on being diagnosed since he was 10-years-old, growing up with diabetes, and how his parents dealt with it when he was growing up. He also spoke about his experience as a professional baseball player living with diabetes, and how he deals with it every day.

Fox Sports Florida’s Andrew Astleford highlighted the event in an extensive story published on TV Channels’ Web site on April 4, 2013.

“A lot of times, the diagnosis is harder on the parents than it is on the actual kid,” Fuld told the students, according to the Fox Sports Florida article. “I know my parents definitely had a lot of long nights worrying about me, definitely more so than I did. But they did a good job of keeping track of what I ate, counting carbs and helping me learn that whole part of managing the disease. … It set the tone for how to manage the disease for the rest of my life.”

Rita D’Aoust, PhD, ACNP, ANP-BC, FAANP, FNAP, Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Interprofessional Initiatives at USF Nursing, was also quoted in Astleford article. “He portrays health. … He showed the nursing students what you can achieve with good management and good knowledge,” said Dr. D’Aoust in the article.

Tampa Bay Times’ Sport Reporter, Mark Topkin, tweeted a photo of Sam Fuld speaking to USF Nursing students and faculty. Topkin’s tweet can be seen here.

Fuld is always giving back to the community. Recently, Fuld held his second annual “USF Diabetes Sports Camps” in February, where 115 kids ages 8 to 18 with Type I diabetes took part in a number of activities that included baseball, football and basketball. For more information on the USF Diabetes Center click here.

To read Fox Sports Florida’s article in its entirety visit, “Fuld gains discipline from diabetic lifestyle.”

University of South Florida College of Nursing Instructor, Debra Gottel, MSN, MHS, RN, received recognition from USF Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) for being a CREATTE Scholar. As a CREATTE Scholar, Gottel enhanced the curriculum for undergraduate students by mentoring students through an advanced undergraduate research course.

CREATTE, a scholarship program developed by OUR, stands for Creating Research Experiences and Activities Through Teaching Enhancement. This program helps stimulate interest and activities in research among undergraduate students within the classroom setting. OUR also offers small grant opportunities and support for undergraduate research incorporated within didactic courses. Gottel was named 2012-2013 CREATTE Scholar in August 2012. She received a grant to purchase equipment for the simulation and to develop a research project with students from the psychiatric mental health nursing course.

“USF College of Nursing students taking the fall psychiatric nursing course were offered the opportunity to participate in a non-credit advanced research course that would entail designing a research project stemming from their simulation lab experience that they would have later in that semester,” Gottel said. “Fifteen students enrolled in the course, and throughout the fall and the spring semesters have engaged in the full research process.  They have been accepted to present their research poster entitled, “The Impact of a Simulated Auditory Hallucination Experience on Nursing Students’ Attitudes toward People with Mental Illness.’”

The poster they created has been accepted for presentation at the Undergraduate Research and Arts Colloquium which will be held at the USF Marshall Center on April 17, 2013. The students will be competing for scholarship awards and a best poster award at the symposium, Gottel said. All fifteen students will be participating in the poster presentation.

The undergraduate students were divided into teams in order to accomplish the research. In the fall semester, a group of students worked on the literature review, defined the research questions and hypothesis, and completed the IRB application–which included all students completing the required ethics and compliance training. For the spring semester, the group was divided between the intervention, analysis, and poster teams.  The intervention team worked with the faculty to fully develop the virtual hallucination experience by writing new activity templates, setting up the supplies, and working as “faculty” during the intervention.  The analysis team became familiar with basic use of the computer program used for statistical analysis, SPSS, and interpretation and presentation of data.

“My role as the CREATTE scholars faculty member was to provide leadership for the project, as well as to mentor the undergraduate students and the nursing doctoral student, Julie Daugherty, who has been the primary co-investigator for the project,” Gottel said. “Jerrica Farias, BSN- PhD student, has also assisted with the project.  Working with Daugherty has provided a wonderful opportunity to work as a team with a doctoral student knowledgeable in the research process.”

USF Nursing undergraduate student, Ashley Huesman, who is part of Gottel’s psychiatric mental health nursing course for spring 2012 said she has learned more than she expected from doing research through CREATTE Scholars.

“This research, with the help of Ms. Gottel, has given me the opportunity to collaborate with a team and build an experience from scratch,” Huesman said. “I am thankful for this experience because it has been a building block for my future as a nurse and has given me further guidance in continuing my education. For the College of Nursing, I believe this program gave an opportunity to undergraduate students that we otherwise might not have been able to obtain. I was also able to have a hand in providing the college with support for the Psychiatric/Mental health curriculum in how important it is to continue with the simulation as part of the program.”

For more information on CREATTE and USF Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) visit http://lib.usf.edu/undergraduate-research/.

For more stories on Debra Gottel click here.