USF Health || College of Nursing | News & Announcements

USF Home Page - A-Z Index - Campus Directory - USF Search

USF HealthCollege of MedicineCollege of NursingCollege of Public HealthSchool of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation SciencesUSF Health Office of ResearchClinical StudiesMy Healthcare at USF HealthShimberg Health Sciences LibraryUSF Health Human Resources USF Health Alumni OfficeGiving to USF HealthUSF Health Information Systems

USF Home > USF Health Home > College of Nursing

News & Announcements

USF Health - College of Nursing

	Exchange Mail \| Blackboard \| Oasis
	Archive News and Announcements for: January 2008 to March 2008 Natl Publication Showcases Creative Teaching at USF Nursing ADVANCE for Nurses has showcased the creative educational models in place at the USF College of Nursing. In their recent edition, the national biweekly focussed on the college’s Center for Virtual Learning. The story, entitled “USF Nursing Students Experience Virtual Care”, gave readers got a closer look at the innovative methods being used to teach USF nursing students about obstetrics, gynecology, pediatrics and more. More about the publication: ADVANCE for Nurses is a biweekly magazine and online publication covering clinical, management, professional and career development issues for nurses practicing in all areas of the profession. AVANCE has a national circulation, from New England states to Southern California, and is produced in the form of 10 regional editions. Govenor Places Florida Nursing Students in Spotlight In a strategic move to raise awareness about Florida’s growing need for more nurses, Governor Charlie Crist is shining the spotlight on nursing students and the need for more of them! Florida’s governor has declared February 25 - March 2 “Nursing Students Week”. It’s a week when citizens will, no doubt, hear more about advances in life-sustaining technology, how that technology is driving the need for more nurses, and how the growing sector of home health services has created nursing jobs nationwide. Here at home, the USF College of Nursing has plenty of reasons to shine in this spotlight. U.S. News & World Report moved their Master’s Program in Nursing up 43 spots on its national ranking list in April 2007. The nursing school’s web-based instruction, better known as e-learning, is ranked third in the nation – with larger enrollments for its graduate nursing program than 70 other schools across the U.S. “As the Dean of the College of Nursing at the University of South Florida, I see young women and men follow their dreams everyday as they embark on a path to a successful and fulfilling career in the ever-expanding world of healthcare”, says Patricia Burns, PhD, RN, FAAN. “When I was a student considering my own future in healthcare, my dreams and goals were – and still are – the same as those who have chosen to pursue their education and careers in nursing at USF today. Nursing is my life”, says Dean Burns. It’s that level of passion that has helped to create a student life here that is unique and intense. At USF, nursing students don’t just share classrooms with the best and brightest of applicants; they travel the world soaking in new learning opportunities – from the mountains of Panama to the villages of Africa. Here, students have the advantage of learning patient care in “real-time”. For example, their pediatrics and obstetrics lessons include a birthing simulator, where nursing students work with a computerized mannequin that simulates labor & delivery. This hands-on experience is even peppered with a variety of complications for students to grapple with and learn from. “Students learn to think on their feet…”, says Laura Gonzalez, RN, MSN, ARNP, Director of the Virtual Simulation & Clinical Experience lab at the USF College of Nursing. “Memory and retention are clearer with simulation”, notes Fred Slone, MD, and expert in disaster management and bioterrorism training, and Asst. Professor in nursing. “The feelings that they’ve ‘been in the situation’…unless you’ve practiced it and done it, you don’t have that.” The college’s Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Director of Global Health provides another slice of the student life pie here. Sandra V. Cadena, PhD, ARNP, is now on her second year traveling with USF nursing students to the Universidad de Panama in Central America. “From an educator’s perspective, it’s interesting to watch the growing pride our students feel for their profession. They can make an incredible difference in peoples’ lives, no matter what corner of the world they choose to nurse in”, says Dr. Cadena, who notes that students come back with a greater understanding and sensitivity to cultural differences in healthcare. “I think the immersion can increase a student’s awareness of his/her own cultural identity and, in turn, helps make them more sensitive to a growing culturally diverse patient population in our own country”, she adds. For post-graduate nursing students like Afriyie Johnson, the college has allowed her to fulfill many a dream. Last year she travelled to Accra, Ghana in Africa as part of her evidence based project for her Doctorate in Nursing Practice degree. This summer she will return to help Valley View University in Africa shape its curriculum to meet the requirements for its nursing program to obtain accreditation for a Bachelor of Science. “It was a lot of work”, says Johnson, “…it was certainly rewarding and I hope to be involved in more such endeavors as it will hopefully further bring nursing education and care, all over the world, to similar standards.” At the USF College of Nursing when the dean talks about “walking in her shoes” she’s not joking. In a unique exercise with students across USF Health, 4 year nursing student Anna Pate was Dean for a day on Sept. 21, 2007. No, she didn’t wear Dean Burns’ shoes, but she did get a philosophical and practical taste of what life is like in the driver’s seat of a nursing industry leader. “I think our college is unique because they motivate and encourage us to seek the best opportunities that nursing has to offer”, says Pate during her interview post dean-ship, “…pushing us to dive into intensive care areas, and offer fabulous opportunities such as Dean for a Day that I was part of, to see the variety of places that nurses can go! Being able to see the administrative aspect of nursing through Dean for a Day is just one of the many opportunities USF CON offers to broaden the horizons of its students and the future nurses of the community.” It’s exactly the type of learning the college is after – determined not to just graduate a cadre of new nursing graduates each year, but to grow the type of nursing graduates who stay in the profession and become leaders in this ever changing industry. “I see veteran healthcare professionals returning to the USF College of Nursing to further their educations, and ultimately their career”, says Dean Burns. “Leading all of them is a group of talented educators who generously share their knowledge, experience and support. To all of these remarkable people, nursing is more than a job. It is their life. These bright individuals are dedicated every dat to the art & science of nursing because within them lies the inherent desire to help, to health, to nurture, to explore.” Nursing Students Check Out Career Options More than 100 undergraduate nursing students — many with resumes in hand — mingled with representatives from hospitals and other health agencies across Florida on Feb. 15 at the USF College of Nursing’s annual Nursing Career Day. Nurse recruiters from hospitals affiliated with the College of Nursing — including Tampa General, Moffitt Cancer Center, University Community Hospital, Bay Care and All Children’s – staffed booths in the Rotunda. Officials from the Army and Air Force also came, as did nurse staffing services. In addition to USF baccalaureate nursing students, nursing students from Hillsborough Community College, Pasco-Hernando Community College, St. Petersburg College and Manatee Community College were invited to the event. “The turnout was great,” said Karen Ricardi, president of the Florida Nursing Students’ Association at USF. “The Career Day gives nursing students who are preparing to graduate the opportunity to network with potential employers and find out what kinds of internships, graduate nurse programs, tuition reimbursement, and other benefits that all the different hospitals offer.” Even students just beginning their nursing studies, or considering a career in nursing, benefit from learning about all the options available, said Ricardi. “Regardless of what happens with the economy, the demand for nurses will always be there. There are so many opportunities – in medical surgical nursing, critical care, rehabilitation, mental health, and home health, just to name a few.” Ricardi is a senior nursing student who plans become an emergency room/trauma nurse when she graduates in August. She said she was pleasantly surprised to find out at Career Day that many hospitals now offer internships allowing graduate nurses to work in operating and emergency rooms without first requiring a year in a general medical surgical unit. “They provide closely supervised internships that pair you with a more experienced nurse, so it eases you into those more intense settings,” she said. Nurse researcher helps clarify safety of drug-coated stents The important new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, supports off-label use of drug-eluting coronary artery stents. New generation drug-eluting stents are no more likely than bare metal stents to increase the risk of heart attack or death in patients receiving stents for off-label indications and appear to be more effective in reducing the need for a repeat procedure, reports a new study in the Jan. 24 New England Journal of Medicine. The study contrasts earlier research suggesting the drug-eluting stents were not as safe as their bare-metal counterparts, especially when used for purposes not officially approved by the FDA. “On balance, this study provides strong evidence that the use of drug-eluting stents in routine clinical practice is safe, and is, in fact, associated with a significantly lower risk of the need for a second revascularization procedure,” said Principal Investigator Kevin Kip, PhD, executive director of the Research Center at the University of South Florida College of Nursing. It is not necessarily the type of stent, per se, but rather the clinical characteristics of the patient that are most likely to predict long-term prognosis.” Dr. Kip, senior author, conducted the rigorous observational study with lead author and interventional cardiologist Dr. Oscar Marroquin and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where he worked before joining USF last year. The team compared the outcomes of patients who received drug-eluting stents with those who received bare-metal stents, using data from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s Dynamic Registry. The researchers looked at 6,551 registry patients with significant coronary artery disease who were treated with angioplasty. Both earlier generation bare metal stents and newer drug-coated stents are used during angioplasty to permanently prop open blocked arteries, improve blood flow, and relieve symptoms like chest pain. The drug-eluting stents are coated with an anti-inflammatory drug to slow the growth of scar tissue that occasionally renarrows stented arteries in the months after the procedure. But, earlier studies called into question the safety of the drug-eluting stents, particularly when used “off label” – that is, for the types of patients not enrolled in the pivotal clinical trials leading to FDA approval of the newer stents. Based on these studies, an FDA Advisory panel last year concluded that drug-coated stents may increase the risk of blood clots, heart attacks or death when used off label. Off-label includes patients who underwent previous coronary bypass surgery, and those with exceptionally small or large vessels or other anatomic circumstances making the stent more difficult to insert. Dr. Kip and colleagues confirmed that physicians frequently use both drug-eluting stents and bare-metal stents for off-label indications. They also noted that patients receiving stents off label — whether bare-metal or drug-eluting — had more co-existing conditions and poorer one-year outcomes than did patients treated with stents for approved indications. The researchers found that the drug-eluting stents were at least as safe as their bare-metal counterparts in terms of subsequent deaths and heart attacks. Furthermore, Dr. Kip and Dr. Marroquin found that patients treated with drug-eluting stents experienced significantly reduced risk of a repeat procedure to reopen a blocked coronary artery. Earlier studies were limited because they did not directly compare bare metal to drug-eluting stents for the same types of patients and procedural indications, Dr. Kip said. “Overall, previous concerns about higher risk of death or heart attack when drug-eluting stents are used in off-label settings appear to have been premature.” Dr. Kip cautions that drug-eluting stents may not be appropriate in all circumstances, and their clinical cost-benefit must be weighed by the interventional cardiologist and patient. Patients receiving these stents must be able to take one or more blood thinning medications, such as aspirin or copidogrel (Plavix) for an extended period to help reduce the risk of a blood clot forming in the stent and blocking the artery. An accompanying NEJM editorial comments on the importance of the study by Drs. Kip and Marroquin and another observational study comparing drug-eluting stents and coronary bypass surgery. While randomized clinical trials are needed before the findings for off-label use of drug-eluting stents can be considered the final word, Joseph Carozzara Jr., MD, of Harvard Medical School writes, “these two studies go a long way toward making (clinical) decisions more evidence-based.” Birthing Simulator - Eye Opening Experience for Nursing Students USF College of Nursing’s Center for Virtual Learning comes complete with birthing experience for students. On January 23 and January 30, the “Noelle” computerized mannequin will simulate a patient going into labor. As educators begin to adopt and understand all the possibilities that come with using technology in education, the USF College of Nursing is creating unique ways for its students to get hands-on, real-time experiences. On Tuesday, January 23rd and Wednesday, January 30th, a group of nursing students will take part in a 4 hour labor and delivery session in the college’s Center for Virtual Learning. The patient is a computerized manequin named “Noelle”. She’s able to simulate complications, as well, giving students the chance to deal with and learn from their actions during high-stress situations. After all is said and done, nursing students meet Noelle’s “bundle of joy” - a SimBaby! This unique, pregnant mannequin also simulates a fetal heart rate, providing students with both aspects of the labor & delivery process - caring for mom and newborn. USF nursing students get a complete, first-hand experience before, during and after delivery. Students can view cardinal movements internally and externally as the birth progresses. Professors note the virtual reality learning is also a big help to students during their clinical learning at local hospitals, where they are often called upon as observers. “Skills that may not be available for practice in a clinical environment are practiced in the lab to increase their exposure,” said USF College of Nursing faculty Jenny Molloy MS, ARNP, RNC, “Because their roles would primarily be as an observer, the skills students may not be able to practice there can be practiced in the simulation lab.” After the birthing simulations, students spend considerable time debriefing - allowing them to review their actions, step by step. Noelle is by no means the only simulator in nursing’s simulation lab. Other computer-controlled mannequins, include Sim Man and METI Man. These human like simulators are programmed to exhibit human health conditions. Instructors program the physical symptoms to be manifested in the mannequins. In the case of Sim Man, his symptoms can be changed manually as students administer treatment. METI Man, on the other hand, responds and changes on its own. METI Man is considered the most sophisticated simulator available - adjusting physiological symptoms based on student activity. With the Noelle simulator, students attend lab sessions approximately once a month during their concentration studies in on obstetrics and pediatrics. “Students learn to think on their feet and enjoy using the simulation lab for practice honing their skills,” said Laura Gonzalez RN, MSN, ARNP, Director of Virtual Simulation and Clinical Experience at the USF College Of Nursing. Experts say the simulation lab compliments traditional teaching methods as a step away from the didactic. The use of simulators is not intended to replace traditional education, but rather to enhance it. It allows students to make judgements and errors, which experts say improves learning. The process of learning through assessment, evaluation, decision making and error correction is considered a stronger learning environment than passive instruction. “Memory and retention are clearer with simulation” said, College of Nursing Assistant Professor, Fred Slone, MD, an expert in disaster management and bioterrorism training. “The feelings that they’ve ‘been in the situation’…unless you’ve practiced it and done it, you don’t have that.” Story by Ashlea Hudak, USF College of Nursing & Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications Photography by Luis Battistini, USF CONECT A Closer Look: Afriyie Johnson I teach in both the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. I currently teach undergraduate Community Health Nursing and Community Health Nursing Clinical, I also teach graduate level Advanced Physical Assessment and Family Populations in Health Promotion. Other classes that I have taught include Undergraduate Physical Assessment, Primary Care of Young Adults and Women, Adult and Family Nurse Practitioner Practicum Seminar. How long have you been teaching at our nursing school? I have taught at full time USF CON since August 1999 (8) years. I was a clinical preceptor with students from Michigan State University while working as a Family Nurse Practitioner for Ingham County Health Department for the Colleges of Human Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine and the College of Nursing for Family and Adult Nurse Practitioner students. What advice do you give students who may be apprehensive about traveling to distant places? There are very few things more rewarding than facing your fears. When given the chance to see other countries and places, reflect on the fact that there are many more things that make the family of mankind alike than different. Fear usually springs forth from the unknown. Daily we are faced with the unknown so why not take the opportunity to enrich your life with the privilege of learning and growing via the opportunity of travel. Until you have seen other places you will never fully appreciate what it is to live in America. There is so much to learn and you have so much to teach, why rob yourself or others of the opportunity of sharing. My advice is to take your required shots, take the prophylaxis recommended for where you are going, find out as much as you can about the place and be open to new experiences and people. Expect the best, be prepared to be flexible, listen and follow the instructions of the native people, above all, leave your arrogance at home and be polite. Be careful to only drink safe water, dress appropriate to the climate and to the activity within culturally acceptable parameters, do not take unnecessary risks, and eat food that is identifiable, well cooked (hot) and expect the priceless experience of a great adventure. Where would you like to travel to for your next adventure? I have had the privilege to travel extensively around the center of the globe: to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Eastern Europe and continental North America. However, I have never traveled to the poles. I plan to go to Ghana and Nigeria next summer to do some faculty enrichment however I would love to go to South/Central America, the Caribbean, the South Sea Islands, and Australia and to Greenland in the future. Nursing Program Leads to Unique Experience in Africa Over the summer, University of South Florida College of Nursing faculty member and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student, Afriyie Johnson traveled to Accra, Ghana in Africa as part of her evidence based project for her DNP degree. Her project took place at Valley View University in Oyibi, a suburb of Accra. Initially Johnson sought to develop a protocol to move diploma prepared registered nurses (RNs) to baccalaureate prepared nurses in a shorter time than current progression. Johnson’s plans changed when she found that her visit coincided with Valley View University’s baccalaureate nursing program accreditation visit. The visit came just four days after her arrival and Johnson became very involved in the processes of assisting VVU in meeting the recommendations made by the National Accreditation Board of Ghana. Johnson felt that if there wasn’t a school of nursing in the area, there could not be a bridge program for diploma nurses to become bachelors-prepared nurses. This realization resulted in a priority shift and Johnson’s subsequent change in project focus. During the next four weeks Johnson was instrumental in making revisions and fulfilling the recommendations of the accreditation board in order to bring Valley View University into compliance with the standards required to receive accreditation for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Johnson helped prepare curriculum and accreditation documents as well as affiliation agreements for their clinical sites, one of which is in a remote mountainous location. As part of the ongoing effort, Johnson and a few others from the United States, spearheaded by a nurse from New York and in collaboration with the head of the nursing school at Valley View University; are planning faculty development workshops for Summer 2008. The goal is to train nurses, physicians, and scientists as nursing faculty. They also plan to expose the local nurses to the expanding roles of nursing in the global market. Here in the United States we rely heavily on technology based education however nurses in Ghana rely on their exceptional nursing skills and educational techniques due to the lack of resources in the region. Area hospitals where students work see between five and six hundred outpatients every day, providing students a wealth of hands-on-experience in patient care. “The nursing experience is so different and our practice realities are so different,” said Afriyie Johnson. In Ghana, there are often long wait periods between certification and employment. Upon receiving a nursing degree and passing the certification examination nurses are placed in hospitals where there is a need, sometimes in locations far from their families. As a result, nurses in Ghana often seek employment in Europe, Canada and the United States. As in any discipline, people in search of a better lifestyle look for opportunities for better working conditions and rewards. Nurses in Ghana, are no exception. It is Johnson’s hope that, in time, her dream of developing a bridge program for diploma nurses to become bachelors-prepared nurses in Ghana will come to fruition at Valley View University. The result would be to curb the nursing exodus that currently exists. In the mean time, VVU’s school of nursing received official accreditation two weeks after Johnson’s departure and is currently educating its first cohort of students. “This experience was very satisfying. It was a lot of work and it was not what I expected to do, but it was certainly rewarding and I hope to be involved in more such endeavors as it will hopefully further bring nursing education and care, all over the world to similar standards”, said Johnson. Brandy Lehman, RN, MS, CNS, CNOR will be presenting, “Psychoneuroimmunology and Sleep in Dementia Caregivers” as first author, along with Maureen Groer, RN, PhD, FAAN as second author, at the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s 29th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions in San Diego, California. Lehman will be also be defending her dissertation at the University of Florida on April 4, 2008 at 10 AM. Cecilia Jevitt, CNM, and Nadine Thomson, FNP, provided well woman screening exams for 38 women at the San Jose Mission on March 12th. This health fair is sponsored by Catholic Medical Services and organized by College of Nursing courtesy faculty member, Sr. Sarah Proctor, PA. Jevitt and Thomson, both Spanish speaking, were a good fit for the fair which provides health screenings for indigent women from Hillsborough County who are mainly Spanish speaking. Mammography was provided by Moffitt Cancer Institute with serum cholesterol and glucose screening provided by the Suncoast Community Health Center. Consultation for complicated cases is provided by the USF Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology. For the prior 5 years, this was an optional student experience for College of Nursing nurse practitioner students. Jevitt and Thomson hope to re-establish this experience for students. Doctoral student, Teresa Russo RN, MSN was chosen to present, “Developing and Implementing a Research Proposal: 'Factors Affecting the Process of Clinical Decision-Making in Pediatric Pain Management by Emergency Department Nurses'” at the Florida Summit on Health Sciences Education, April 10-12th, in Orlando. Cecilia Jevitt, CNM, PhD; Shannon Morse, ADN, RNC, LCCE, CLC; and Yong Sue O’Donnell, MSN, ARNP published “Shoulder Dystocia: Nursing Prevention and Posttrauma Care” in the January/March 2008 issue of The Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing (Volume 22, pp.14-20). Shannon Morse is a dual nursing education and family nurse practitioner master’s degree student. Yong Sue is a doctorate in nursing practice student. Anne Phillips, Dr. Sandra Cadena and Dr. Mary Webb graduated Wednesday February 13, 2008 as Fellows of the USF Health Leadership Institute. Dr. Cecile Jevitt presented strategies for weight optimization in pregnancy and the postpartum period for more than 150 Healthy Start Coalition outreach workers on February 21, 2008 at the Alfano Center. Health Start Coalition family support workers, counselors and administration from Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco Counties attended. Dr. Jevitt’s morning workshop included the health risks obesity and excessive prenatal weight gain impose on pregnancy and birth for both mother and newborn, nutrition counseling including food models, calculating body mass index and using waist measurements for risk prediction. And physical activity for pregnancy. Prenatal weight optimization is a priority for Healthy Start Coalition as obesity is an increasingly common factor in maternal deaths. Dr. Jevitt has been a member of the Health Start Coalition of Hillsborough County Board of Directors for the last 5 years. Marjorie A. Rutherford’s manuscript submitted for partial completion for the requirements for candidacy in the PhD program, “Standardized Nursing Language: What Does It Mean for Nursing Practice?”, has been published in the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing (OJIN) on January 31, 2008. This past weekend Dr. Lengacher and her research team presented two posters at the American Psychosocial Oncology Society 5th Annual Conference. The conference was held in Irvine, California from February 28th to March 2nd. APOS is dedicated to integrating psychosocial services in quality cancer care. The meeting brings together people dedicated to helping patients get though their experience of cancer and beyond. Conference attendees include oncologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, researchers, policy makers, patient advocates and students dedicated to improving care. Lengacher, C. A., Molinari, M., Johnson-Mallard, V., Post-White, J., Barta, M. K., Klein, T., Newton, C. Widen, R., Moscoso, M., Jacobsen, P., Mierzejewski, A., Llauget, R., Cox, C.E., and Kip, K. Participation, Adherence, and Compliance to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) among Breast Cancer Survivors. A poster presentation to the American Psychosocial Oncology Society, 5th Annual conference, California March 2008. Lengacher, C. A., Boutilier, S., Buck, H., and Molinari, M. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: Research Synthesis and State of the Science. A poster presentation at the American Psychosocial Oncology Society, 5th Annual conference, California March 2008. Allison Edmonds contributed to two interdisciplinary posters displayed in the Annual USF Health research day: Dietary Supplement Use Among Low-income, Uninsured Patients Attending Public Sector Medicine Clinics Stephanie Kolar, MS Daley, E., PhD, MPH, USF Health Woodard, L., MD, Fanning, J. PhD, ARNP, Edmonds, A., MS, ARNP, Ward, J., MPH, USF Health, USF COPH, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics Assessing the Mental Health Status of Uninsured Women Attending Public Sector Clinics Heather Blunt, MPH, Daley, E., PhD, MPH, Woodard, L., MD, Edmonds, A., MS, ARNP, Fanning, J., PhD, ARNP, Dyer, K., BA USF COPH, Department of Community & Family Health Nursing education masters student, Toni Dobson, presented, "Adroit and Maladroit Caregivers of Cancer Patients with Pain" at the Annual USF Health Research Day and won First Prize out of 250 entries. Don Kurtyka presented his dissertation research study, “The Effects of a Structured Adherence Intervention to HAART on Adherence and Treatment Response Outcomes” to the Southern AIDS Coalition in Atlanta, GA. Laura Gonzalez, MS, ARNP successfully defended her dissertation, “Health-Care Seeking Behaviors of Puerto Ricans with Diabetes Mellitus who live in South Florida: An Exploratory Study.” Congratulations Dr. Laura Gonzalez! Helen Acree Conlon, MS, MPH, ARNP-BC, COHN-S was notified that she passed the National Certification Exam for Occupational Health Nurse Specialist, an exam given by the American Board of Occupational Health Nurses. Dr. Cecile Lengacher and Dr. Lois Gonzalez have an article in print: Lengacher, Cecile, A., Bennett, Mary P., Gonzalez, Lois., Gilvary, Danielle., Cox, Charles E., Cantor, Alan., Jacobsen, Paul B., Yang, Chiu., and Djeu, Julie. (2008) Immune Responses to Guided Imagery During Breast Cancer Treatment. Biological Research for Nursing. 9; 205. Maureen Groer, R.N., PhD, F.A.A.N, presented a podium presentation, “Vigorous Exercise in Early Breastfeeders is Associated with Milk Inflammatory Cytokines and Decreases Mucosal IGA Production”, to the 200 delegates attending the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation, in Perth, Australia, January 31- February 5, 2008. Harleah Buck, MS, RN, CHPN, had a concurrent session titled, “’Please Don’t Bother My Patients’: Conducting Hospice Research”, for the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association Annual Assembly, in January, 2008. Buck also has an article in print, Buck, H. G., & McMillan, S.C., (2008) “The Unmet Spiritual Needs of Caregivers of Advanced Cancer Patients”. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, 10(2 A warm welcome to our new College of Nursing faculty members: Louis Caballer, MSN, BS, RN, Instructor Michael Murphy, MSN, RN, CCRN, Visiting Instructor Nadine E. Thomson, RN, MSN, ARNP, Instructor Louis Caballer, MSN, BS, RN, Instructor Specializing in Nursing Education, Caballer obtained both his BS and MS in nursing from the USF College of Nursing. Caballer has been an adjunct faculty member at the USF College of Nursing since 2006. His professional experience also includes Advanced and Basic Cardiac Life Support Program coordination at the James A Haley Veterans Hospital and outlying facilities as well as staff, charge and head nurse positions in operating rooms and intensive care units in Florida and New York in addition to serving as Operating Room Specialist and Combat Field Medical Corpsman in combat environments aboard Navy ships. Louis Caballer served as US Army Nurse Corp Lieutenant Colonel until 2006. He received numerous awards for his service in the military including Army Achievement Award, Army Commendation Award, National Defense Award and the Army Service Ribbon in addition to Employee of the Quarter from James A. Haley Veterans Hospital. Michael Murphy, MSN, RN, CCRN, Visiting Instructor Murphy obtained both his BS and MS in nursing from the USF College of Nursing. He served on the Dean’s List and received his AA and AS in nursing from Polk Community College. Michael Murphy’s professional experience includes serving as a graduate teaching assistant at the USF College of Nursing and numerous intensive care and operating room nurse positions in hospitals across the state of Florida including Tampa General Hospital, Florida Hospital in Sebring, Winter Haven Hospital, Bartow Regional Medical Center and Lakeland Regional Medical Center in addition to various business accounting positions. Murphy is also active in attending continuing education programs. Murphy has also served on the AACN Heartland Chapter Board of Directors, Florida Nurses Association, District 12 Board of Directors, Lakeland Regional Medical Center Procedures and Standards Committee and as Lakeland Regional Medical Center Employee Ambassador. Nadine E. Thomson, RN, MSN, ARNP, Instructor Nadine Thomson holds a Master of Science in Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner with a minor in Curriculum Development and Teaching in Nursing Education from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas in addition to a BS in Nursing from Columbia University School of Nursing in New York. Thomson’s recent professional experience includes serving as Family Nurse Practitioner Senior Instructor and Nurse Practitioner Distance Education Instructor at the University of Victoria School of Nursing in British Columbia, Canada in addition to performing clinical consultant work and serving as Executive Director of the Camino de Vida Center for HIV Services in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Previous experience also includes work as a Family Nurse Practitioner administering primary health care to adult HIV/AIDS patients, as a Site Manager and Family Nurse Practitioner providing primary health care to patients of all ages in US/Mexico border clinics as well as serving on the National Health Services Corps as an Alaska SEARCH Recipient in King Cove, Alaska as a nurse practitioner student in a remote clinic in the Eastern Aleutian Islands. Thomson is active in the community and has volunteered service to groups such as the International AIDS Empowerment, American Heart Association, Inner City Development and Big Brothers and Big Sisters. A warm welcome to our new College of Nursing adjunct faculty members: Susan Givens Bell, MS, MABMH, RNC Susan Eileen Kennel, PhD Tina Malone, ARNP-C Lynn Alan McCasland, MS, ARNP, BC Anita R. McCoy, MS, RN, CNAA, BC Rosaline A. Olade, PhD, RN, FWACN Maria Russ, PhD, CPNP, ARNP Patricia I. Wahrenberger, MSN, PMC, ARNP-BC, DrNP Susan Givens Bell, MS, MABMH, RNC Susan Bell is currently working on her Doctor of Nursing Practice at the USF College of Nursing. Bell holds and MA in Bioethics and Medical Humanities, a MS in Child Health Nursing and a BS in Nursing all from the University of South Florida. Bell has been active with the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, the National Nursing Staff Development Organization, the Academy of Neonatal Nursing, The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi University of South Florida Chapter and Sigma Theta Tau International, Delta Beta Chapter. Susan Bell has experience as previous adjunct instructor as well as clinical experience with All Children’s Hospital in Saint Petersburg, Florida. Bell received the Florida Perinatal Association Robyn Main Award in 1994 Susan Eileen Kennel, PhD, RN, CPNP Susan Kennel holds a PhD from the University of Virginia School of Nursing, a MSN with a specialty in primary care from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA., completed graduate coursework in nursing education at Villanova University in Villanova, PA., a BSN from Millersville University in Millersville, PA. Kennel’s prior professional experience includes that of Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program Director, Family and Community Mental Health Systems Assistant Division Director and Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia School of Nursing in Charlottesville, VA. Tina Malone, ARNP-C Tina Malone holds a Masters of Science and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of South Florida College of Nursing. Malone has completed clinical rotations in Family Practice Transitions, Pediatrics, Women’s Health, Adolescent Women’s Health and Adult Health in addition to earning more than 40 continuing education credits annually between 1994 and 2007. Malone’s recent work experience includes positions at Brandon Family Medical Care in Brandon, Fl and at Tampa Community Health Center in Tampa, Fl. Lynn Alan McCasland, MS, ARNP, BC Lynn Alan McCasland has over 23 years of experience in Mental Health and Hospice and currently serves as a Gero-Psych ARNP at the Johnnie B. Byrd, Sr. Alzheimer's Center & Research Institute in Tampa, Florida and has over 15 years of experience working as a consult-liaison psychiatric nurse in general medical hospitals. McCasland’s research interests include Alzheimer's disease, end of life issues, Psychosomatic Medicine, Adult Psychiatry and HIV/AIDS. McCasland will be teaching HIV/AIDS NUR 4194 this semester. McCasland is certified in both Gerontology and Psychiatry and also holds a certificate in Hospice, Palliative Care, and End of Life Issues in addition to a BSN from West Texas A&M. Recent publications include: McCasland, L. (2007). "Providing Hospice and Palliative Care to the Seriously and Persistently Mentally Ill" Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing Anita R. McCoy, MS, RN, CNAA, BC Anita McCoy’s current and recent areas of responsibility include serving as Administrative Clinical Supervisor at Tampa General Hospital and Clinical Instructor at the University of South Florida. McCoy holds a MS in Nursing with a specialty in administration from Florida Atlantic University as well as a BS in Nursing from Hunter College/ Bellevue School of Nursing. Anita McCoy has also completed educational preparation at the Legal Nurse Consultant Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fl in addition to Risk Management and Post Masters Nursing Education at The University of South Florida. Rosaline A. Olade, PhD, RN, FWACN Rosaline Olade completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship and Post Doctoral Research in Research Tool Development and Cultural Sensitivity at the National Institute of Health Fogarty International Center in Bethesda, Maryland and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in Philadelphia, PA. Rosaline Olade holds a PhD in Educational Evaluation, with a focus on Health Care Programs, from the University of Ibadan International Institute of Education in Ibadan, Nigeria as well as an MScN in Community Health from the University of Toronto School of Nursing in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Olade also completed a BScN in Nursing with a focus in Community Health from the University of British Columbia School of Nursing in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and a RN Diploma in Nursing from the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria. Maria Russ, PhD, CPNP, ARNP Dr. Maria Russ received her PhD in Nursing with a minor concentration in Pediatrics/ Adolescents Health Nursing and Community/Public Health Nursing in 2001 from the University of South Florida College of Nursing. Dr. Russ also completed Post-Masters work in Nursing with a minor concentration in Child Health and Pediatrics Nursing as well as a Masters and a Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the University of South Florida College of Nursing. Russ’s recent experience includes that of a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Evening Pediatrics Urgent Care providing medical care to infants, children, adolescents and young adults including assessment, diagnosis, treatment and prescriptive authority. Dr. Maria Russ also has experience as a School Health Services Coordinator and Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner for Hillsborough Country School District in Tampa, Fl. Patricia I. Wahrenberger, MSN, PMC, ARNP-BC, DrNP Dr. Patricia (Pat) I. Wahrenberger is a USF nursing adjunct Assistant Professor. She graduated in May 2007 from Columbia University in their Doctor of Nursing Practice (DrNP) charter class. Recent publications include an original peer reviewed article: Wahrenberger, P. (March 2008). Stop the insanity! Get up-to-date, evidenced-based, patient education on demand. ADVANCE for Nurse Practitioners. Wahrenberger is a Family Nurse Practitioner with experience as a hospitalist. She lives in Clermont, FL and is currently practicing in a large private family practice clinic setting, but will be changing her practice site to “Take Care Health Systems.” Pat Wahrenberger is also a Legislative District Coordinator for FNA. Dr. Wahrenberger’s academic experience includes nursing education (Diploma, ADN, RN to BSN, and MSN/NP preceptoring), in addition to serving as a director of hospital education. Her pre-FNP clinical background includes a variety of settings (med-surg, cardiac step-down, cardiac rehab & testing, head trauma rehab, OB/GYN, pediatrics, and NICU This Friday, January 11, 2008 we will host Distinguished Lecturer Dr. Theresa B. Moyers who will be presenting “Motivational Interviewing in Health Settings” from 12:00 P.M. to 1:00 P.M. in MDN 2002. Dr. Patricia Gorzka presented her research study, Current Status of Role Model Behaviors of Nursing Faculty in the United States at the 39th Biennial Convention of Sigma Theta Tau, International in Baltimore, MD on Nov. 6. The presentation was part of an invited symposium entitled "A Cross-Cultural Research: Role Model Behaviors of Nursing Faculty in the United States and Japan, toward Enriching Faculty Development”. Japanese faculty also presenting in the symposium included, Naomi Funashima, RN, DNSc, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan, Kumiko Hongo, RN, MNs, Saniku Gakuin College, Tokoyo, Tomomi Kameoka, RN, DNSc, National College of Nursing Japan, Tokoyo, Hiroe Miura, RN, DNSc, and Nobuko Yamashita, DNSc, both of Gunma Prefectural College of Health Science, Maebashi, Japan. All members of the research team are members of the Delta Beta Chapter-at-Large. “Education and Practice: A Unique Bond Creates a Successful CNL Program” was accepted by the January 2008 CNL Partnership Conference with USF College of Nursing CNL program graduate Sue Hartranft MS ARNP as 1st presenter. Susan Hartranft and Daniel O’Neil, APRN, BC Evidence Based Practice Specialist in Nursing Services at James A. Haley Veterans Affairs Hospital and University of South Florida College of Nursing adjunct faculty member are also submitting an abstract for the Master's Education Conference. Janine Overcash, PhD. ARNP, BC has recently published, in press and under review articles including: Overcash, J. (In Press). Using the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment as a Framework for Cancer Related Treatment Decisions by the Healthcare Team. American Journal of Nursing. Overcash, J., & Beckstead, J. (Under Review). A Conceptual Model Based on the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment used to Enhance Understanding of Falls in the Older Cancer Patient. Geriatric Nursing. Overcash, J. (In Press). Vitamin D and the Older Cancer Patient. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, Pittsburgh, PA, Oncology Nursing Society. Overcash, J. (2007). Cancer Treatment and Intervention. In Capezuti, E., Zwicker, D., Mezey, M., Fulmer, T. (Eds.). Evidence Based Geriatric Nursing Protocols for Best Practice (3rd ed). NY: Springer Publishing Co. Evidence-Based Geriatric Nursing Protocols, 3rd Edition. Cancer in Aging, New York: Springer Publishing. Overcash, J. (In Press). Assessment/Management of Cancer. Senior-level Undergraduate Nursing Education Module, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Washington, DC.