All posts by Dorothy Nulty

BSN Student Impacts Community

HuelleupcloseKelley Huelle is the recipient of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Outstanding Student Project for the graduating class of Summer, 2015. In the BSN program, students are provided the opportunity to become acquainted with the nurse’s role in the community through our Community Nursing course. During this course and practicum experience, students assess their local community and identify its health risks and needs. Building on their assessment, they select a community agency to work with and develop a health promotion project to implement.

During Kelley’s community assessment, she discovered that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in her county of Pasco-Hernando. This ignited her to want to address the youth in her community of Lutz.

For her practicum experience, she worked with the middle school youth that attend Great Family Church’s youth group. She decided to tackle the subject of suicide prevention for her health promotion project.

With the approval of her agency, she developed a presentation based upon the ACT model, from the organization Screening for Mental Health, Incorporated. The ACT model (Acknowledge, Care & Tell) deals with suicide prevention and education.

This student’s initial project presentation was to 40 members of the Great Family Church youth group. Her talk was so successful that she was asked to present at the church’s Summer Camp called CLASH. This time, she presented to about 200 teenagers. In addition to the group talk, she spoke to some of her audience one-on-one afterwards.

The topic of teen suicide is both incredibly important, and difficult to discuss. With the enactment of this project, this student not only made an impact on her community, she proudly represented St. Petersburg College’s BSN program and the nursing profession.

We’re having a baby!

maternity teaching experience

Lucina has arrived – SPC College of Nursing has received the latest birthing simulator !!

The CAE Fidelis Lucina Maternal Fetal Simulator was developed for clinicians and interprofessional teams who manage normal deliveries as well as childbirth complications and obstetrical emergencies. The birthing simulator provides our students with reliable, realistic training for childbirth maneuvers as well as pre-gestational and post-partum nursing care.

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On Tuesday, June 23, 2015, the simulation coordinator, resource lab staff, academic chairs and our Dean Susan Baker had the chance  to experience a short training session to run the simulator. A representative from the medical simulation company, CAE Healthcare, demonstrated a normal birthing scenario. It was a very educational and exciting training for everyone present.  SPC’s College of Nursing resource lab staff and the simulation coordinator are ready to give our students a wonderful maternity teaching experience through the use of such amazing technology !!

Now what should we name Lucina’s baby?

Egophony, brochophony and whispered pectoriloquy…Oh my?

cardiovascular exam

Heather Johnson and Adam Carroll practicing their cardiovascular exam

Students in our RN to BSN program are diligently continuing their studies over the summer here at SPC College of Nursing. Our Fall 2014 cohort class are currently in the Health Assessment class where they are learning to build on their physical assessment skills and ability to analyze and synthesize these findings to determine the health risks and health promotion needs of their patients. Each week, a new body system is reviewed.

Debra Baumberger and Stacey Ann Cunningham practicing the respiratory exam
Debra Baumberger and Stacey Ann Cunningham practicing the respiratory exam

This past week, the students focused on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems and got the chance to practice their new skills on each other.  Egophony, bronchophony, and whispered pectoriloquy are words that initially invoke concern – not only with what they mean – but also how to pronounce them!

 They are special assessment skills that we, as nurses, can perform at the bedside to determine if the patient has a consolidation in their lungs, such as pneumonia.

Next week the students move on to the gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal systems……

 

Kimberlee Hinrichs and Tracie Barber pracicing the cardiovascular exam
Kimberlee Hinrichs and Tracie Barber practicing the cardiovascular exam

The Gift of Nursing

Nursing Pinning ceremony 2015

Today I watched Tracy Morgan, a comedian who was critically injured in a motor vehicle accident last year, give his first interview since his accident. He shared that one of his first memories as he came out of his coma was “Nurse Jackie.” He said that after he came out of his coma, he remembered cursing and throwing things at Nurse Jackie. Her response was “everything’s gonna be alright”.

After discharge, Mr. Morgan returned for a visit to the nursing unit. When he saw Nurse Jackie, he says he “grabbed her and wouldn’t let her go. I said I was sorry.” Her reply: “I told you everything was going to be alright.” He also spoke of another nurse who rubbed his hand everyday and gave him words of encouragement.

Nurses make a difference. It is the intangible that we cannot explain to people when they ask us about our job. Yes, we learn to provide assessments, individualized plans of care, interventions, and evaluate outcomes, but why do we really do all of these things? Why do we have the ability to deal with unpleasant bodily secretions? Who else does this? Well, because we bond with the patient, no, the person, in the bed. We help give them strength. We help them to believe that they will get better every day. Nurses do this with a touch, a kind word, and sometimes a joke.

It was very moving to watch Mr. Morgan tear up as he talked about his care givers. What do nurses appreciate about their job? The privilege of helping a person through some of the most difficult times of their life. This is the gift that nurses give themselves.

Marla Sutton is an instructor in SPC’s A.S. Nursing degree program. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia and her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania. During her career, she has worked in adult health nursing, with a focus on critical care and emergency nursing experience.

BSN degree leadership luncheon celebrates graduating students

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On May 5, 2015, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program held its Leadership Luncheon for our graduating students. At this event, we recognize our BSN degree graduates as well as our preceptors for Leadership practicum. Leadership Theory and Practicum is the final course in our RN-BSN degree program and provides our students the opportunity to work one on one with a nurse in a leadership role. This experience helps our students realize how a baccalaureate in nursing enhances their professional career and personal growth.

At this luncheon, we take the opportunity to acknowledge several of our outstanding students. The first award is for the Outstanding Community Project Award. This semester’s award went to Matthew Knowlton. Matthew conducted his community practicum at the Salvation Army. During this time, he found there were needs for the homeless population regarding foot care especially for those with diabetes. He devised a comprehensive foot care program which educated this population about how to care for their feet to prevent the development of infections or foot ulcers. This education was invaluable since the impact of foot conditions or infections in this population would greatly impact their activities of daily living and livelihood.

Dee Williams with Nursing Dean Susan Baker
Dee Williams with Nursing Dean Susan Baker

This second award is for the most outstanding graduating BSN degree student. This semester, we chose to honor two students for their contribution to the College of Nursing community as well as SPC.

Our first recipient was Dee Williams. Dee embodied all the qualities of an outstanding  BSN degree student through her actions and academic performance. She demonstrated excellent school involvement by being supportive and encouraging to her peers. She consistently submitted high quality work in the program and utilized nursing evidence-based practices and sources in their development.  In addition to her involvement in school, Dee has been a long-standing volunteer at her church and with the Salvation Army. Dee is an exemplary BSN degree graduate and an asset to the nursing profession.

Law
Nikita Law with Nursing Dean Susan Baker

Our second award for outstanding BSN degree student was  presented to Nikita Law. This student has been able to go beyond  her role as a nursing
student to work to make the nursing school experience better for all students at SPC. Nikita has been a member of our college’s Student Government Association, giving a voice  to the concerns of our students here at SPC. She recently went to Tallahassee to speak up for our SPC students  regarding the future of baccalaureate programs at community colleges and the issue of concealed weapons on campus. This desire to positively impact the educational experience for SPC students was recognized by her receipt of the prestigious Florida College System Student Government District Leadership Award.

We are so proud of all of the achievements of our BSN degree graduates and look forward to their growth in the profession as our future nursing leaders.

BSN Nursing Honor Society inducts new members

BSN Nursing honor society inducts new members

Induction for new members from St. Petersburg College into Sigma Theta Tau International, the official Honor Society of NursingOn April 14, 2015, we proudly inducted 33 new members from St. Petersburg College into Sigma Theta Tau International, the official Honor Society of Nursing.

We proudly recognize these students and their academic achievement. And we look forward to their growth within their profession role as a BSN graduate.

About the Honor Society of Nursing

There are more than 500 chapters located within colleges and universities around the world. Our chapter at St Petersburg College, Upsilon Psi, started on April 8, 2009.  Our chapter has 104 active members.

Membership requirements

To be an eligible member in this Honor Society, a nursing  student must meet distinct criteria. Only those students who are working on their BSN are eligible for admission provided they have a 3.0 GPA and rank in the upper 35 percent of their graduating class.