News and Grants
Nursing News
Interterm Travel Course Took Students to England
During December 2010, students enrolled in the course "Examination of
Culture and Health Care in England" traveled to England to study their
culture, history, and health care. Follow along by reading their blog.
Nursing Alumni Named Knox County (Ohio) Health Commissioner
Julie
Miller, MSN, RN, a graduate of Otterbein with her BSN in 2001 and her
MSN in 2004, was named Health Commissioner of Knox County by the Knox
County Board of Health. Julie has 30 years experience in the health
field including work as a nursing administrator, educator and public
health professional. Most recently Julie served as director of nursing
at the Union County Health Department in Marysville.
While serving in her new position, Julie plans on continuing her
Otterbein connection as a part-time clinical faculty member. We are very
excited that Julie will continue to teach in the Department as her rich
background in public health nursing will provide students with
clinically rich expertise related to nursing in the public health
sector.
Clinical Experience Turns to Post-Graduate Employment
For
one 2010 BSN graduate her time in clinical during winter quarter, 2010
provided a direct road to her first job as a registered nurse! Allison
Huettel, BSN, RN (’10) worked with a Columbus city school nurse 8 hours
each week during her community health nursing rotation last winter
quarter. This summer, Allison was hired as a Columbus city school nurse
thanks to strong references from her preceptor and faculty. Allison is
the first new registered nurse graduate to be hired by Columbus city
schools. She started her new position the first day of school in August.
We are very proud of Allison’s accomplishments and wish her well in her
professional career as a school nurse!
BSN Graduate Commissioned as Army Officer
Alex
Ailer, BSN, RN (’10) completed his ROTC training along with Otterbein’s
nursing program in June, 2010. Alex was enrolled in ROTC at Capital
University and commuted between Otterbein and Capital during his four
year of study in nursing, completing both his BSN and ROTC training.
Alex was officially commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army during
the 2010 Nursing class pinning ceremony in Cowan Hall on graduation day,
June 13th, 2010. Alex was joined by his wife, mother, and U.S. Army
officers at the ceremony where he was acknowledged with a standing
ovation from all in attendance. The Department of Nursing wishes Alex
success in his Army Nursing career. Alex will begin his professional
nursing career and Army service in the state of Washington where he is
currently stationed.
Faculty News
Swedish Research Collaboration
A summer trip to
Sweden resulted in multiple opportunities for research, grants and
presentations between Otterbein nursing faculty and nursing faculty from
Linnæus University (formerly Kalmar University) located in the southern
part of Sweden. Sharon Carlson PhD, RN has developed a
strong connection over a ten year span. Her most recent sabbatical leave
in Spring 2010 included travel to Sweden to continue collaboration with
Swedish researchers.
Dr. Carlson continues work with Dr. Christen Erlingsson on issues
related to elders. They are in exploratory phases of a nursing
implementation project in Swedish and American nursing homes with a
focus on health promotion. This project extends their relationship that
began when Dr. Carlson served as an advisor on Dr. Erlingsson‘s doctoral
research committee at Umeå University in Sweden. As a result, Dr.
Carlson along with Dr. Erlingsson and other Umeå faculty have published
three qualitative research studies on elder abuse. These studies focused
primarily on understanding elder abuse from a variety of perspectives
including those of the perpetrator, the abused elder, health care
providers, police and others.
In addition, while in Sweden this past spring, Dr. Carlson attended a
conference on Forensic Nursing developed by Dr. Erlingsson
that concentrated on the issue of elder abuse. The opportunity to attend
the conference has aided Dr. Carlson’s current work with a master’s
student who is completing a scholarly project titled “Emergency
Department Nurses’ Knowledge and Beliefs on Sexual Assault Nursing”.
Over the years, the collaboration yielded results that included the
development of a partnership between Otterbein College and Kalmar
University and other US and European Community partners in development
of the AGE:NICE grant (Advancing Gerontological Education through
Nursing International Cooperative Endeavors). Along with Otterbein
Nursing faculty, Dr. Carlson was a part of the team that wrote the grant
funded by FIPSE. The grant allowed for both student and faculty
exchanges between three U.S. universities and three EC universities. Dr.
Carlson’s spring sabbatical leave provided her the occasion to meet
with nursing faculty at the new Linnæus University to explore additional
efforts that may link this new university that now has two campuses
with Otterbein University.
Welcome New Faculty
The Department of Nursing is very pleased to welcome Dr. Kay Ball
(BSN at Otterbein, '93) as a visiting Associate Professor for the
academic year 2010-2011. Dr. Ball comes to Otterbein from her work in
professional organizations and as an educator in the corporate America.
Dr. Ball is an international expert in nursing care of patients having
laser surgery and has written the only textbook on “Lasers: The
Perioperative Challenge”, third edition. Dr. Ball is a Fellow in the
American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), has held national positions in the
Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) and the American
Nurses’ Association (ANA).
Dr. Ball will share her vast nursing experience with students while
teaching in both the undergraduate and graduate programs in
medical-surgical nursing and leadership. Dr. Ball’s research interest
center around surgical smoke evacuation guidelines toward the promotion
of a healthy operating room workplace.
The Department of Nursing is also very pleased to welcome Professor Joy Shoemaker,
MSN, FNP (OC '00 and '02) who joined the faculty in November, 2009 as a
visiting Instructor. She is a practicing Family Nurse Practitioner
(FNP) that has worked in primary care in the Newark, Ohio area. Her
clinical areas of interest and expertise are women’s and child health.
We welcome Joy to teach in health assessment, maternal-child nursing and
the nurse practitioner program.
Joy is a member of Kappa Lambda chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, the
international nursing honor society and is active in the Ohio
Association of Advanced Practice Nursing (OAAPN).
Nursing Grants
Nurse Anesthetist Traineeships
Project Director: Elizabeth Seibert
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to increase the numbers of certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) in central Ohio and rural Ohio Appalachia. Before this program began at Otterbein in 2010, there had not been a nurse anesthesia program in central Ohio since 1987. This award will be used to 1) fund graduate nurse anesthesia students past their first 12 months of study, and 2) financially support minority and underprivileged nurse anesthesia students past their first 12 months of study.
Funder: Health Resources and Services Administration, 7.1.2011 through 6.30.2012
FLAME: Fostering Leaders, Advocates, Mentors and Educators
Project Director: Barbara H. Schaffner, PhD, CNP, RN
Purpose: This project, "Fostering Leaders,
Advocates, Mentors and Educators" (FLAME) helps prepare post licensure
nurses in the skill sets of nurse educator and clinical nurse leader
through an innovative education/leadership program at Otterbein
University.
About the Grant: Otterbein University will expand
on current collaboration with Fairfield Medical Center to collaborate
with the Department of Veterans Affairs Chalmers P. Wylie Ambulatory
Care Center (VA) to prepare students through intensive mentored
education and leadership immersion experiences. Through the use of
distance technology and an accelerated format, the FLAME model will be
implemented with students to complete a combined Nurse Educator and
Clinical Nurse Leader program leading to a Master’s Degree in Nursing
and a Nursing Education Certificate. These master’s prepared nurse
leaders will be encouraged to remain in their communities to improve
health care quality, promote patient advocacy and/or serve as educators
or mentors of pre-licensure nursing students.
An Instructional Designer and an additional faculty member at
Otterbein will be hired to revise courses to meet the educational and
leadership goals of these students. The FLAME project will have ongoing
evaluation that includes student performance in courses and clinical
related to the role of nurse educator and clinical nurse leader.
Academic courses will be evaluated by both faculty and students to
assure meeting of course and FLAME project goals and objectives. Results
of the FLAME project will be disseminated through a workshop for nurse
educators and leaders in Ohio.
Funder: Ohio Board of Nursing, Nurse Education Grant Program, 9/1/09 through 8/31/11.
Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship Grant for Master of Science in Nursing Program
Project Directors: Patricia Keane, Ph.D., R.N.
Purpose: To increase the numbers of advanced
practice nurses who provide health services to diverse underserved
populations in rural counties, central and Appalachia Ohio. These nurses
are located in counties that are in depressed areas of Ohio where
poverty and unemployment still contribute to a variety of health care
problems and intensify the need for quality health care. These nurses
also remain in their respective localities and are helping to improve
the health status of the residents in their communities.
Serving the Underserved: Students enrolled in one of the four MSN majors may choose a concentration consisting of three online courses focusing on the Advanced Practice Nurse Educator role. This Advanced Practice Nurse Educator concentration is also offered as a post-masters program.
Many
of the students at distant sites receive little or no educational
financial support from their employers. These students have a strong
need for traineeship funds to offset the costs of pursuing a masters
degree in nursing. The DON is very committed to continuing with distance
education to increase access to health care providers and services to
underserved residents living in rural Ohio counties. This project is
important to meet our mission and goals so that there is some financial
support for rural nurses who are pursuing a graduate degree in nursing.
Our Commitment: The Otterbein University
Department of Nursing (DON) is committed to preparing health
professionals to serve the medically underserved. The DON offers the
graduate nursing courses, via interactive video and online courses, to
rural nurses living in 23 Appalachian counties in Ohio and West
Virginia. 24% of the nurses enrolled in the MSN program are from rural
Ohio. Educational opportunities for nurses through distance education
addresses barriers of access and disparity in health care for residents
of rural central and Appalachia Ohio.
Throughout their graduate
education at Otterbein, these distant site students have clinical
experiences in hospitals, office or clinic settings in rural central and
Appalachia Ohio. These nurses continue to reside in these underserved
areas after graduation and provide the residents increased access to
advanced practice nursing health care providers. 18 (23%) of the
currently enrolled 78 nursing graduate students have signed commitments
to practice in HPSAs after graduation. 13 (33%) of the 39 June 2007 MSN
graduates live and work in rural underserved areas of Ohio.