School of Nursing News
May 2008
Welcome to the May 2008 issue of School of Nursing News, an electronic newsletter designed to inform, engage, inspire, and connect with faculty, staff, alumni, and other constituents of the University of Maryland School of Nursing.
This Month in School of Nursing History
In May 1952, the School of Nursing formally adopted the four-year baccalaureate program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, thus becoming a degree granting institution. (In 1951, only 10 percent of the nation’s nursing students attended a collegiate school.)
Evidence-Based Practice Conference Explores Power of Collaboration
One of the biggest challenges facing health care organizations today is the creation and maintenance of partnerships in order to produce and enhance collaborative initiatives. The School of Nursing’s fifth annual Evidence-Based Practice Conference, “Your Practice Based on Evidence: The Case for Collaboration,” explored this topic as a powerful strategy to enable evidence-based practice. Tim Porter-O’Grady, DM, EdD, FAAN, senior partner and mediator, Tim Porter-O’Grady and Associates, delivered the keynote address at the April conference. “The move to an evidence-based practice environment represents a significant shift in global practices affecting every element of the human experience,” said Porter-O’Grady.
Safety of Care Workers is Subject of Cain Lecture
The 2008 Ann Ottney Cain Lecture in Psychiatric Nursing was held April 25 at the School of Nursing. Jane Lipscomb, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor; Jeffrey Johnson, PhD, professor; and Kathleen McPhaul, PhD, MPH, RN, assistant professor, all faculty members in the School’s Work and Health Research Center and national experts in workplace violence, shared findings from their research and offered models for prevention. "Mental health professionals are at high risk of workplace assault, so the need to identify and implement prevention strategies in their workplaces is particularly critical,” said Lipscomb. “At the same time, they have expertise in managing and preventing assaultive patient behavior, an expertise that could be shared with others working in a range of health care work environments who are also at risk of patient assaults."
Faculty and Staff Appointments/Transitions
Cynthia Renee Brooks, BA, has joined the Office of Student and Academic Services as an admissions counselor. She will be working with the RN to BSN/MS programs and several of the graduate programs. Brooks comes to the School of Nursing from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), where she most recently worked as an academic counselor/senior student affairs officer for the School of Engineering and Applied Science. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA.
Jan Buchanan, MBA, has joined the School of Nursing as manager of professional development in the Office of Professional Development. Buchanan has an extensive business background, and most recently owned and managed her own consulting company. Her past experience includes positions with CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield of Maryland, Sylvan Learning System/Laureate, and CitiFinancial/Citigroup. She holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Loyola College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan.
Karen Clark, PhD, RN, assistant professor, Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health and program director at the Universities at Shady Grove, has been named interim assistant dean at Shady Grove. Clark will be responsible for recruiting and mentoring faculty for the School of Nursing’s expanded Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, as well as graduate courses offered at Shady Grove. She will work closely with Patricia Morton, PhD, RN, CRNP, FAAN, associate dean for academic affairs; Kathryn Montgomery, PhD, RN, associate dean for organizational partnerships, outreach, and clinical enterprise; and School of Nursing department chairs and academic deans as she carries out this role.
Faculty & Staff Kudos
Carole Staley Collins, PhD, MSN, RN-BC, assistant professor, Department of Family and Community Health, participated in a panel presentation, "Being-With: Caring Connections," at the 30th Annual International Association for Human Caring Conference, held recently in Chapel Hill, N.C. Panel members addressed their dissertation work, in the context of being companions in scholarship through a writing circle, as graduate students and post-PhD.
Elizabeth Galik, PhD, RN, assistant professor, Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health, presented “Sexuality in Later Life: Dispelling Myths and Eliminating Barriers” at the 16th Annual Southern Maryland Caregivers Conference, held recently in Great Mills, Md.
Bryan Hantman, BA, webmaster, Office of Communications, participated in a panel presentation, "2.0 @ UMB," at the Are You Connect.ed? Symposium, held recently on the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus. Hantman discussed the importance of social networking in higher education, and how the School of Nursing has created MySpace and Facebook pages for prospective, current, and former students.
Jane Kapustin, PhD, RN, CRNP, assistant dean for master’s studies and associate professor, Department of Family and Community Health, organized and presented in a workshop on “Faculty Mentoring” at the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF), held in April. She also presented a poster on “Doctor of Nursing Practice Capstone Projects.” In addition, Kapustin was elected co-chair for the NONPF Program Directors Special Interest Group.
Jane Kapustin and DNP candidate Jocelyn Farrar presented a lecture on “Evidence-Based Practice” at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Chesapeake Chapter Futures Conference, held in March.
Keith Plowden, PhD, PMHNP-BC, RN, associate professor, Department of Family and Community Health, was recently certified as a Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) recently hosted a Military Nurse Shortage Briefing in the U.S. Capitol Building, in collaboration with Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). Moderated by AACN Executive Director Dr. Polly Banish, a distinguished panel of nurse leaders presented their unique perspectives on the military nurse shortage. Panelists included Major General Gale Pollock, BSN ’76, deputy surgeon general for force management and chief of the Army Nurse Corps; Colonel Linda Kisner, director of Air Force Nursing Services at Headquarters Air Force, Office of the Surgeon General; Captain Kathleen Pierce, deputy director of the Navy Nurse Corps, Bureau of Medicine; and Kathryn Lothschuetz Montgomery, PhD ‘97, RN, associate dean, Organizational Partnerships, Outreach and Clinical Enterprise, University of Maryland School of Nursing. The event was attended by Congressional staff from both the House and Senate. For more information, visit: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Government/pdf/MilitarySummary.pdf.
Barbara Sattler, DrPH, RN, FAAN, research associate professor, Department of Family and Community Health, has been chosen by Health Care Without Harm and The Luminary Project as the 2008 recipient of the Charlotte Brody Award. Sattler was chosen because of the extraordinary example she has set as a role model, educator, author, and leader in improving public health by protecting the environment. The award will be presented at the 2008 CleanMed Conference, a global conference for health care’s environmental leaders, being held May 20-22 in Pittsburgh, Penna. At that same conference, the Maryland Hospitals for a Healthy Environment will receive a Champion for Change Award. This award is for outstanding organizational members who have succeeded in greening their own operations while helping others to reduce their impact on the environment.
Adjunct faculty member Lena Stevens, MSN, RN, received an award for her clinical poster, “Perioperative Nursing for College Credits,” presented at the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses 55th Congress, held recently in Anaheim, Calif. There were only 10 awards given for the 150 posters presented. Stevens is clinical education coordinator, Perioperative Services, University of Maryland Medical Center.
Sue Thomas, PhD, RN, FAAN, assistant dean for doctoral studies and professor, Department of Family and Community Health, and Erika Friedmann, PhD, professor, Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health, were among the authors of the following article:
Thomas, S.A., Chapa, D.W., Friedman, E., Durden, C., Ross, A., Lee, M.Y., Lee, H.J. (2008). Depression in Patients With Heart Failure: Prevalence, Pathophysiological Mechanisms, and Treatment. Critical Care Nurse 28(2), 40-55.
Rebecca Wiseman, PhD ’93, RN, assistant professor and director of the Governor’s Wellmobile program, received the 2008 Mobile Healthcare Leadership Award at the 4th Annual Mobile Health Clinics Forum, “The Economics of Mobile Healthcare: Challenges and Solutions,” held recently in Seattle. Wiseman served as co-moderator of the forum.
Mary Murray, senior partner/staff nurse, Neurotrauma, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, presented, “Incidence of Cumulative Traumatic Stress in Trauma Nurses,” at the annual Society of Trauma Nurses conference, held recently in New Orleans. The Principal Investigator on the study was School of Nursing Assistant Professor Kathryn Von Rueden, MS, RN, FCCM, with School of Nursing Professor Erika Friedmann, PhD, and Katie Green, MS, RN CCRN, School of Nursing doctoral student, collaborating in the data analysis. The study presentation received the Society of Trauma Nurses Oral Research Presentation Award.
Student News
A very successful Senior Practicum Poster Day was held recently at the School of Nursing. Congratulations to student award winners, and many thanks to the wonderful judges!
The School of Nursing was well represented at the National Student Nurses Association Convention held recently in Grapevine, Texas. Pictured left to right are BSN students Cherish Payne, Christopher Kuligowski, Lauren Koenig, Candrea Cherry, and Hershaw Davis, Jr.
The annual Student Achievement Breakfast for Universities at Shady Grove, which honors students for excellence in academics and leadership, was held March 28. Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) student Amy Bauer (center) won for School of Nursing academics, and BSN students Itamar Simhon (left) and Theresa Robinson (right) were two of the four award winners for campus-wide leadership. More than 500 students and guests attended the event.
The Universities at Shady Grove UMANS (University of Maryland Association for Nursing Students) organization has announced its officers for the 2008-2009 academic year. Pictured (left to right) are: Junior BSN students Katy Lawnick, Maria Negron, Corey Simmons, Tiffanie Moran, Anna Soule, Candy Zammit, and student advisor Barbara Dobish, MSN, RN, assistant professor.
Doctor of Nursing Practice student Kimmith Jones, MS ’92, RN, CCNS, presented a poster, “The Agreement Between Axillary Temperature Measurement and Core Body Temperature Measurement in Critically Ill Adults: A Systematic Review,” at the Nursing Practice Based on Evidence Conference, held recently at the School of Nursing.
Doctor of Nursing Practice student Jan Wilson, MS ’94, BSN ’74, RN, CRNP-BC, presented, “Building the Evidence for the Measurement of NNP Competence Through the Use of the Electronic Medical Record,” at the annual Academy of Neonatal Nurses’ Advanced Practice Conference, “Building the Evidence: Supporting the Practice,” held recently in Miami, Fla. Wilson is a neonatal nurse practitioner working in a clinical and administrative role at Mercy Medical Center.
Doctoral students Mary Ellen Haisfield-Wolfe, MS, RN, OCN, and Myra Wooley, MN, RN, CPON, have received competitive renewals of their national American Cancer Society (ACS) Doctoral Scholarships. Haisfield-Wolfe’s one-year award is for $15,000, and Wooley’s two-year award is for $30,000. The scholarships are awarded by the National Home Office of the ACS in Atlanta, and are a result of very rigorous and competitive review by oncology nurses from across the United States.
Alumni News & Notes
Judith Levine, BSN ’89, RN, is currently working for D.C. Chartered Health Plan, where she manages the HIV/AIDS and cancer programs. She is part of the D.C. Cancer Consortium, a group charged by the D.C. Department of Health to rewrite the way in which Washington, D.C. will approach cancer from both the preventive and disease management areas.
The School of Nursing proudly acknowledges Clola M. Robinson-Blake, BSN ’07, RN, and Marlene M. Clements, MS ’89, CRNP, who were named “2008 Health Care Heroes” by the Baltimore Daily Record, a statewide business and legal publication. PhD student Denise Choinière, RN; Patricia D. Isennock, BSN ’77, RN, CHES; and Marian H. Muth, MS ’96, RN, were finalists in the competition.
Nursing Informatics Alumni Reception to be Held at SINI Conference
The University of Maryland School of Nursing Alumni Association cordially invites Nursing Informatics alumni who are registered for the Summer Institute in Nursing Informatics (SINI) Conference, as well as current and former UMSON Nursing Informatics faculty members, to a complimentary reception at the School on Friday, July 18, from 4:30-6:00 p.m., following the conclusion of the day’s SINI activities. For more information or to RSVP by July 7, contact the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, 410-706-7640, e-mail alumni@son.umaryland.edu, or visit nursing.umaryland.edu and click on “Alumni/Events.”
Save the Date! – Nursing Informatics All-Class Reunion
The year 2008 signifies 20 years since the start of the graduate program in Nursing Informatics at the School of Nursing. In celebration of this milestone anniversary, all Nursing Informatics alumni, friends, and faculty are invited to join us on Saturday, July 19, at 12:30 p.m. for a reunion program and luncheon, following the conclusion of the Summer Institute in Nursing Informatics (SINI) Conference. Stay tuned for further details, including event location and cost. (Please note: This reunion event is not included in the SINI registration fee.) For more information, contact the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, 410-706-7640, e-mail alumni@son.umaryland.edu, or visit nursing.umaryland.edu and click on “Alumni/Events.”
In Memoriam
We regret to announce the recent passing of Margaret G. Tyson, BSN ’53, MS ’56 (see link to obituary below).
School of Nursing “In the News”
SUBJECT: Nurse Staffing Levels Linked to Workplace Injuries
SOURCE: NurseZone.com - May 5
SUMMARY: Recent research has linked nurse staffing levels to patient safety, but a new study shows that nurse-to-patient ratios also significantly affect the safety of workers. The study, authored by Alison Trinkoff, ScD, MPH, BSN, RN, a professor in the School of Nursing’s Work and Health Research Center, concluded that there was a direct relationship between low staffing levels and high rates of worker injury in the nursing home environment. “The kinds of injuries suffered by nurses and other workers in nursing homes are not distinct from those that could occur in a direct care situation in a hospital,” she explained. “Musculoskeletal injuries occur anywhere there is lifting and moving of patients.”
http://www.nursezone.com/nursing-news-events/more-news.aspx?ID=14064
SUBJECT: Remedy Our Shortage of Nurses
SOURCE: The (Baltimore) Sun - May 5
SUMMARY: A report released in March on "The Future of the Nursing Work Force in the United States" says the shortage of registered nurses could reach 500,000 by 2025. An older report by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration projects a shortage of more than 1 million registered nurses by 2020, including 5,600 in the District of Columbia, 18,200 in Maryland, and 26,300 in Virginia. In February, Gov. Martin O'Malley announced the allocation of $3.4 million to the School of Nursing to address the shortage through enhanced and expanded space, faculty and staff recruitment, and tuition for additional students.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.nurses05may05,0,6944804.story
SUBJECT: Wellmobile Program Comes to the City of Seat Pleasant
SOURCE: WTTG-TV Ch 5 10 p.m. - May 1
MyFoxDC.com – May 1
SUMMARY: The Governor’s Wellmobile Program, operated by the School of Nursing, has opened its newest location in the City of Seat Pleasant in Prince Georges County. The program is directed by Rebecca Wiseman, PhD, RN, and uses family nurse practitioners to provide primary health care services for underserved and uninsured residents throughout Maryland. Last year, the program saw more than 7,000 patients and saved the state over $2.7 million in averted emergency room fees.
http://media.umaryland.edu:8080/ramgen/oea/080501-wellmobile-wttg.rm
http://www.myfoxdc.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=6444006&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.5.1
SUBJECT: A Leader in Nursing Education, Margaret Gould Tyson Dies
SOURCE: The (Baltimore) Sun - April 30
SUMMARY: Margaret Gould Tyson, 87, former vice president and dean of the School of Nursing at the State University of New York, Binghamton and a national leader in nursing education, died in her sleep Friday at the Fairhaven retirement community in Sykesville. A direct descendant of John Beale Davidge, founder of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1807, Tyson was born in Baltimore. Last year, she endowed the Margaret G. Tyson Dean's Fund for Excellence Award at the University of Maryland School of Nursing in support of professional development. “Dr. Tyson understood that learning is a dynamic process that does not end when one enters a career,” said Janet D. Allan, PhD, RN, CS, FAAN, dean of the School. “But she translated this understanding into action by using her generosity to motivate staff to explore continued learning opportunities,” Allan added.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bal-md.ob.tyson30apr30,0,1828373.story?track=rss
SUBJECT: Research Indicates Working Conditions Contribute to Needle-stick Injury
SOURCE: Advance for Nurses - April 14
ANASmart Brief.com - April 21
SUMMARY: One blood-borne pathogen infection case from a needle-stick injury could cost up to $1 million for testing, follow-up, lost work time, and disability costs. Multiply that number by the 1,000 health care workers estimated to contract serious infection annually from needle-stick and sharps injury, and the case is strongly made for adopting safer devices. Alison Trinkoff, ScD, RN, FAAN, a professor at the School of Nursing, says nurses’ working conditions contribute to the increasing risk of needle-stick injury. In her study, Trinkoff concludes, “Despite advances in protecting workers from needle-stick injuries, extended work schedules and their concomitant physical demands are still contributing to the occurrence of injuries and illness to nurses.”
http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Editorial/Search/AViewer.aspx?AN=NW_08apr14_n4p29.html&AD=04-14-2008
SUBJECT: School of Nursing Students Go Green and Run Into the Streets
SOURCE: The Associated Press - April 16
The Gazette - April 16
SUMMARY: At the corner of Scott and Carroll streets in the Washington Village/Pigtown community, an individual with a rake in one hand and a shovel in the other decided to dart out into the street from the sidewalk. “We’re cleaning up the Pigtown Pocket Park,” explained Mike Lorete, a student from the School of Nursing. A pocket park can be described as a single vacant lot in which a building or row house once stood, but now provides greenery for residents. Lorete and his colleagues were immersed in digging up weeds, picking up trash, spreading mulch, and planting new flowers as part of an Earth Day activity.
SUBJECT: Job Seekers, College Grads Find ‘Companies Aren’t In Growth Modes’
SOURCE: Baltimore Business Journal - March 28
SUMMARY: Recruiters, career advisors, and job seekers said they’re coming across many companies whose tight financial situations are limiting growth. But others don’t seem to be impacted, and long-standing and growing worker shortages have insulated some industries, such as nursing or engineering, from those effects. “The health care industry is also in full hiring mode, as it faces a shortage of pharmacists and certain types of nurses and physicians,” said Janet D. Allan, PhD, RN, CS, FAAN, dean of the School of Nursing.
http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2008/03/31/story3.html?page=2
Mark Your Calendar!
2008 Convocation – Thursday, May 16 – 9:30 a.m. – Lyric Opera House – Convocation speaker – Major General Melissa A. Rank, BSN ’75, RN, assistant Air Force surgeon general, nursing services, office of the surgeon general
2008 Commencement – Thursday, May 16 – 3 p.m. – First Mariner Arena – Commencement speaker – Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director of Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health
Conferences and Lectures
18th Annual Summer Institute in Nursing Informatics, “Building Connections for Patient-Centered Records” – July 14 to 16 (Pre-conference); July 16-19 (Conference) – School of Nursing
Keynote speaker: Stanlie Daniels, RN, Veterans Health Administration; Endnote speaker: Patricia Flatley Brennan, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, School of Nursing and College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison. For more information, visit nursing.umaryland.edu/sini
Research Seminars
Friday, May 9 – 12 to 1 p.m. – SON Room 730 – Kevin Frick, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, "Incorporating Economic Evaluations in Nursing Research." Call 410-706-2619 or e-mail gwill005@son.umaryland.edu to RSVP or for more information.
Friday, May 30 – 12 to 1 p.m. – SON Room 730 – Sandra McLeskey, PhD, RN, assistant dean for baccalaureate studies and professor, University of Maryland School of Nursing, “Factors Associated with Student Success in Pathopharmacology.” Call 410-706-2619 or e-mail gwill005@son.umaryland.edu to RSVP or for more information.