Advance for Nurses highlighted in a Regional News article the University of South Florida College of Nursing’s 40-year partnership with Sarasota Memorial Hospital and USF Sarasota-Manatee, and the impact it has made in the Sarasota-Manatee community.

“Our powerful partnership has made a tremendous impact on the Sarasota-Manatee area in both money and health,” the article quoted USF College of Nursing Dean and Senior Associate Vice President of USF Health, Dianne Morrison-Beedy, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN. “This collaboration in wellness, education and research will benefit every member of the community as we continue working together.”

ADVANCE for Nurses is a print and online magazine for nurses that provides concise, practical information on clinical, management, professional and career development issues for nurses practicing in all areas of the profession.

To read the Advance for Nurses’ full article visit, “Sarasota Memorial, USF College of Nursing, USF Sarasota-Manatee Impact Community.”

To read the USF College of Nursing’s original press release on the College’s 40-year impact in the Sarasota-Manatee community 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 alum, Christine Hilderbrandt, MSN, ARNP, CNM, ’93, received one of the USF Alumni Association’s Fast 56 award during a ceremony held at USF Marshall Center on April 12, 2013.

The award, sponsored by USF Alumni Association, recognizes the 56 fastest growing alumni owned and/or operated businesses. The 56 finalists were selected from a field of more than 200 companies.

 

“It was amazing!” said Hilderbrandt. “With the diversity of businesses represented, we were thrilled to be honored, and surprised to be number 17. It was a fabulous event, and I had a huge grin on my face the entire night, for all of us who were honored.”

Hilderbrandt and the company she directs, the Breath of Life Women’s Health & Birth Center, received 17th place. She has been the Director of the center since 2007. The Women’s Health and Birth Center provides women’s health services, prenatal, birth, postpartum, and newborn care.

“We had one baby our first year, and we are now close to 450 babies born in the center!” Hilderbrandt said. “We have also cared for some families who have had to transfer for various reasons to have a baby in the hospital. Our goal, which we explain to all prospective clients, is a healthy mom and baby. Breath of Life Birth Center is the only nationally-accredited birth center in the entire state of Florida!”

Hilderbrandt received her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from USF in 1993. Since then, she has had a successful career. Prior to directing Breath of Life Women’s Health & Birth Center, she worked in labor & delivery at Bayfront Hospital as a nurse, and as a nurse-midwife at Morton Plant Hospital, and in Tarpon Springs.

She is a member of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and American Association of Birth Centers. She also received the Woodruff Fellowship from Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff College of Nursing in Atlanta, Ga.

For more information on the 2013 USF Fast 56 companies or to nominate a company for next year, visit USFalumni.org/fast56finalists.

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 Professor and Endowed Chair, Meredeth Rowe, RN, PhD, FGSA, FAAN, will present at the USF Health Senior Alert for Effective Return of Older Adults with Dementia (SAFEROAD) Public Awareness event at the USF Westside Conference Center (MHA) on May 3.

This event, hosted by Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute (FMHI) and USF Health, will provide information on the process of alerting law enforcement and citizens when persons with dementia go missing in the community.

Dr. Rowe will present at this event as co-investigator on a team led by USF College of Medicine Assistant Professor, Eric Rinehardt, PhD. Their research team will talk on the Florida Silver Alert program, the problem of missing incidents in persons with dementia, and strategies to prevent and respond to a missing incident.

“The purpose of our grant is to bring together leaders in the field to define model procedures for alerting law enforcement agents and good Samaritans about a missing person with dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Rowe said. This project will define the important characteristics of an alert as well as provide community education about alerts and prevention.”

The grant for this research has been issued by the Department of Justice Award.

For related stories on Dr. Meredeth Rowe click here.

University of South Florida College of Nursing Diversity Committee joined the USF Department of Psychology to offer a Diverse Speaker Series, which brought many prestigious presenters to the College and USF Campus.

The USF Nursing Diversity Committee, under the leadership of Chairperson and College Support Specialist Kimberly Brown, worked with the Psychology Department, American Psychological Association-Graduate Student Division, USF Graduate School, College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, School of Social Work, Department of Psychology, and College of Public Health to secure presenters for the Diversity Speaker Series events that appealed to a broad audience.

“As a result, for the last ‘official’ speaker of the series, we were able to bring in Health Psychology Professor from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Hector Myers, PhD,” said Brown. “He came to the USF campus to present on ‘Racial Discrimination in the Context of Lifetime Adversity, Trauma and Mental Health in Low-Income African American and Latino Men and Women’ on March 29.”

During Dr. Myers’ visit, the USF Nursing Diversity Committee hosted a lunch and a Q & A session with him to speak to USF Nursing faculty and discuss similar research interests. Several faculty members attended the session including Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean for Global & Community Affairs at USF College of Nursing, LaRon Nelson, PhD, RN, NP.

“Dr. Myers’ work really tackles a complex social issue that has serious implications for health disparities,” said Nelson after the Q&A session with Dr. Myers. “There are a number of researchers here, including myself, who study people’s experience of stress. After hearing his talk, I have started to think more seriously about the intersecting sources of stress that impact the populations I study and what types of strategies are needed to address them.”

University of South Florida College of Nursing collaborated with James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital to host the “Boots on the Homefront: Introduction to Military to Military & Veteran Health Issues” event at USF’s Oval Theater in the Marshall Center on April 15, 2013.

More than 350 people attended the event including invited guests, USF Nursing students and faculty, and many nurses from James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital.

The goal of the program was to set the stage with an overview of the military culture, military families, and the deployment cycle followed by presentations from invited guests. The speakers focused on the key health issues of the current military conflicts including traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), blast injuries, and military sexual trauma.

Presenters included:

• USF College of Nursing Dean, Dianne Morrison-Beedy
• USF College of Nursing Military Liaison, Alicia Rossiter, ARNP
• USF College of Nursing Instructor and Clinical Collaborative, VA Nursing Academy Faculty, Carla Nye, DNP, ARNP
• Colonel Edward “Tim” Nye
• Benny Lloyd, BSN, RN
• Tracy Kretzmer, PhD
• MSgt Christian “Mack” Mackenzie

“There are roughly 26 million veterans in the United States and approximately 75% of our veterans seek care in the civilian sector,” said USF Nursing Military Liaison, Instructor and Coordinator, Graduate Simulation, Alicia Rossiter, MSN, ARNP, FNP, PNP-BC. “At some point in our student’s career they will care for a veteran and his or her family.  It is imperative that we prepare our future nurses to have the insight and the skills needed to recognize the unique healthcare needs of those who have served in harm’s way.  This was just one more way that the College of Nursing is transforming the healthcare, transforming the lives of our active military, our veterans, and their families.”

This program, the first of its kind at the USF College of Nursing, was created by Associate Professor and Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Programs, Cheryl Zambroski, PhD, RN. Dr. Zambroski came up with the idea after dreaming of having an All School Assembly, where all the undergraduate students had an educational program on a specific topic.

The USF College of Nursing’s strong focus on Veterans health, one of the Colleges Priorities under the umbrella of Research and Education to Rehabilitate and Restore the Lives of Veterans, Service Members and their Families (RESTORE LIVES), made the topic an obvious choice.

Under the leadership and coordination of USF College of Nursing Instructor and Clinical Collaborative, VA Nursing Academy Faculty Carla Nye, DNP, ARNP, CPNP-PC, CNE, the idea became a reality.

“I have been in the military as a reservist or a family member- literally my entire life,” Dr. Nye said. “I love the life I chose, and I am passionate about our active military and veterans receiving the highest quality and most appropriate care.  I truly wanted the students and other participants to learn, to understand, but even more, I wanted them to become passionate about this courageous and selfless population.”

The event concluded with a powerful story from an inspirational military speaker, MSgt. Christian “Mack” Mackenzie, who had experienced a poly traumatic injury while serving in Afghanistan. During his speech, he spoke about his experience as a wounded warrior and the military nurses who cared for him. MSgt. Mackenzie was critically injured in a helicopter crash during a mission.

“During his presentation, a USF Nursing student in the audience named Andrew Armstrong, realized that he was the medic that cared for MSgt. Mackenzie at the Air Force Field hospital on Balad Air Force Base, Afghanistan,” said Rossiter. “They were reunited at our conference. It was very touching! 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.  There is no greater moment than to find out that someone you cared for, someone so critically wounded, is telling his story…just amazing!”

The event had a huge impact on the students. Many of them were amazed at the amount of information they learned. USF Nursing student, Mallory Mettler, said after the event, “From this experience, I have gotten a better insight on PTSD, blast injuries, and deployment troubles. I have never witnessed these stories, but it is important for us as nurses to be able to take care of soldiers…. This experience/assembly is something that I will apply when I work as a nurse.”

Faculty and staff from University of South Florida College of Nursing attended the 2012/2012 USF Faculty and Staff Campaign Ride the Wave Challenge at the USF Marshall Center Plaza on April 15, 2013.

The Faculty & Staff Campaign for USF is a fundraising effort that allows USF employees to become engaged and involved with the fundraising effort in support of USF’s students, faculty, staff, and programs. The 2012-2013 Faculty & Staff Campaign “Ride the Wave” Challenge was held to celebrate the results and recognize the participants. USF College of Nursing met and exceeded its goal this year, with a final participation rate of 80 percent. Dean Morrison-Beedy, Dean Dianne Morrison-Beedy received a special USF medal and a “Ride the Wave” challenge award during the event.

USF Nursing Dean, Dianne Morrison-Beedy, Riding the Wave

As one of the winners and the campaign leader, Dianne Morrison-Beedy, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN, Professor, Senior Associate Vice President at USF Health and Dean of the USF College of Nursing, also took a shot for the team and rode the waves in front of hundreds of spectators. Other Deans and Vice Presidents from USF Tampa campuses that met the goal grabbed the board to catch a gnarly one!

During the event, Rocky made an appearance and took pictures with everyone. Attendees were also served ice-cream and refreshments.

To learn more about the 2012/2012 USF Faculty and Staff Campaign visit USF College of Nursing’s Giving Page click here.

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!