Author: Jan Malchow

The UW-Green Bay Professional Programs in Nursing are undergoing accreditation review by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).  (BSN program is seeking reaffirmation of accreditation and MSN program is a new applicant for accreditation.)  In preparation for the March 1-4, 2015 accreditation site visit, we are requesting “Third-party” comment letters to be sent to CCNE.  For more information, read more here: CCNE_community of interest

Congratulations to our Fall 2014 graduates. We wish you the best of luck in your careers! For those unable to attend the graduation ceremony, we have assembled a “Virtual Graduation” on our You Tube channel. The video uses actual video from the December 13 ceremony and recognizes all of our Fall 2014 graduates. Click the following link to experience the sights and sounds of commencement on the UW-Green Bay campus. 2014 Fall Nursing Video

The following is a list of the graduates sorted according to Wisconsin county of residence followed by those from other states. The students receiving bachelor’s degrees with academic honors are indicated by * cum laude, **magna cum laude, *** summa cum laude.

Brown — Alyssa Adams, Anjali Bircher, De Pere; Heather Boucher, Tricia Drake, Holly Hajny, Tamara Marshall, Alicia Radliff, and Candace Zilisch, Green Bay; Carrie Lemke, Greenleaf; Jessica Bostwick* and Jenna Katers, Suamico.
Dane — Angela Vieau, Columbus; Cheryl Bauer and Lyndsay Brecka*, De Forest; Erin Thomas, Madison.
Door — Nancy Herrick and Kimberly Kasten, Sturgeon Bay.
Iowa — Dawn Herrmann, Barneveld.
Marathon — Jolene Finger, Wausau.
Marinette — Kristin Abbs, Nicole Drees, and Amel Elshaier, Marinette; Tammy Lobner and Heidi Olson, Niagara.
Oneida — Emily Beard, Rhinelander.
Outagamie – R. Artez and Kurt Thomas, Appleton; Samantha Everard, Seymour.
Pierce — Staci Maves, Elmwood.
Vernon — Candice Herman, Coon Valley.
Winnebago — Jessica Bickler and Christopher Taber, Neenah.
Other states — Jennifer Changamveetil, Half Moon Bay, California; Jennifer Danforth, Denver, Colorado; Theresa Ashey***, Hudson, Florida; Sarah Moore, Atlanta, Georgia; Connie Belcher, Meridian, Idaho; Barbara Oliff, Arlington Heights, Illinois; Cornelia Pintescu, Lindenhurst, Illinois; Teresa Choi-Kim, Vernon Hills, Illinois; Megan Temple, Baltimore, Maryland; Holly Seaver, Marstons Mills, Massachusetts; Michael Wales, Iron Mountain, Michigan; Sara Johnson, Vulcan, Michigan; Sara Tharaldson, Crystal, Minnesota; Donna Majewski, Lino Lakes, Minnesota; Susan Lawrence, Lees Summit, Missouri; Barbara Clendinning, Bethel, North Carolina; Malinda Wohlrabe, High Point, North Carolina; Allison Bauer, Hanahan, South Carolina.

Congratulations goes out to the following Nursing students have been appointed to the College of Professional Studies Dean’s Student Advisory board for the 2014-2015 Academic Year:

Kathy Beaulieu-Sanders (MSN)

Sue Cavallin (HIMT)

Megan Rhode (BSN-LINC)

We are proud to have our students represent Nursing on this important advisory board!

 BSN@HOME student, Amel Elshaier, was recently nominated for the December student commencement speaker. Although she was not selected, we wish to recognize Amel and her achievements. As the graduation committee noted, “It was clear Amel has a great number of positive attributes and was well deserving of the nomination.”

 

Amel, who was born and began her academic journey in Egypt, exhibits the qualities of a motivated, life-long learner. She is an engaged student who, despite her advanced degrees, dedicates herself to her studies 100%. Professionalism is demonstrated in all of her work. She has been able to infuse cultural aspects into class discussions enhancing the dialogue between students.

 

In addition to a full academic course load and working as an RN, Amel manages a busy household that includes helping her husband with his work while being attentive to her four children. She has been an active parent volunteer in her local school district, helping teachers from kindergarten through middle school with class projects, field trips, and events.

 

Amel exemplifies the mission of the Professional Program in Nursing, building on her prior experience, knowledge and skills as a registered nurse and life-long learner. She is able to think critically and address complex health issues in this multicultural and evolving world in which we live. She is an asset to her profession as a registered nurse and will impact healthcare delivery worldwide.

 

Amel plans to continue her work as a registered nurse at Bay Area Medical Center in Marinette, WI.  Ultimately, she would like to return to Egypt to develop a nursing program.  In her words, “Egypt does not have the quality of nursing education she has received in the U.S.”

UW-Green Bay Nursing students got the practicum experience of a lifetime this summer, working hands-on with the marginalized Roma people of Slovakia.  Traveling with Associate Prof. Janet Reilly, Nursing, and Prof. Sarah Meredith Livingston, Music and Women’s and Gender Studies, the students spent their days caring for and educating the occupants of five Roma settlements scattered throughout the Eastern European country. They worked with residents who had little to no access to health care, dealing with issues ranging from Tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases to labor and delivery, tobacco cessation, child development and mental health.

“In all of the camps, the nurses did some health visits,” Reilly said. “People would come outside and they would ask about their blood pressure, their swollen legs, growth and development of their kids, parenting, polio, TB. … I, in my 30 years of nursing, have not seen such young polio patients.” Meredith Livingston added, “It was kind of shocking to everyone, I think,” she said. “I don’t think most people expected that level of (poverty). And the fact that many of them didn’t have water — they had to walk a mile and a half to get water every day.”

Still, the students began to adjust — and to get to work. In addition to working hands-on to address residents’ health concerns, they did group teaching with health mediators — a group of specially trained Roma citizens whose purpose is to address concerns and help raise the standard of health in each community. The group also visited the Auschwitz concentration camp, where half a million Roma were killed during the Holocaust. And they saw firsthand how discrimination against the group persists today.

Dr. Reilly plans to take another group of students to Slovakia in two years.

Dr. Mimi Kubsch and Dr. Chris Vandenhouten were recognized as 2014 Founders Award recipients during the UWGB Fall Convocation.  Dr. Kubsch was named the recipient for Excellence in Teaching and has been described as the “hands and heart” of the program for over three decades.  She was recognized for her passion for teaching and her connection with students. For video of the presentation, click:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErqNnQiPd3w

Dr. Vandenhouten was recognized as part of the Cuernavaca (Mexico) Partnership team which won the 2014 Founders Award for Collaborative Achievement for embodying both the global and the interdisciplinary ideals of UW-Green Bay education.  Faculty from Education, Social Work and Business Administration were part of the team and were recognized for their annual trips to Cuernavaca with students performing interdisciplinary projects.  For the presentation video, click:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGXGbA0l5g8

Linda Hurst – Recipient 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award

The Professional Program in Nursing is pleased to announce Linda Hurst as the 2014 recipient of the Nursing Distinguished Alumni Award. The award is given annually to a UWGB nursing graduate for distinguished nursing scholarly achievement, service or leadership to the community and society s/he serves and who models values of the nursing profession (e.g., caring, altruism, social justice).

Linda, UWGB BSN class of 1990, was nominated by her supervisor at the Mayo Clinic Arizona Transplant Center. She holds MSN and MBA degrees and is a Certified Clinical Transplant Coordinator; an Adjunct Faculty member at Grand Canyon University; author of a dialysis center pamphlet; presenter at a regional conference; initiator of a Transplant Waitlist Group; and leader in the pursuit of Magnet status for the clinic nursing department. Congratulations to Linda!

Assistant Prof. T. Heather Herdman of the Professional Program in Nursing was keynote speaker at the International Conference on Nursing Knowledge – From Concepts to Translation, held Sept. 12-13 in Porto, Portugal. Dr. Herdman presented a lecture on “Clinical Reasoning in Nursing Practice” to nurses from 22 countries. She also shared “Best Poster” honors presenting with scholars Bartira de Aguiar Roza, Rita Simone Moreira, Janine Schirmer and Marta José Avena on the topic “Propostas de cuidados para o doador vivo e o doador falecido com morte encefálica”(Proposed care for living donors and those donors with brain death). This work was also published in Transplante Renal – Manual Prático – Uso Diário Ambulatorial e Hospitalar, a Brazilian medical manual dealing, with among other topics, role of nursing professionals in organ donations and transplants. Dr. Herdman and Associate Prof. Susan Gallagher-Lepak, chair of Nursing, also presented a pre-conference, “Knowledge translation in nursing.”

UW-Green Bay’s Health Information Management and Technology (HIMT) program (offered in collaboration with UW partner campuses in Stevens Point, Parkside and La Crosse) has experienced significant growth due to quality marketing efforts.  The program’s national marketing and course technology is coordinated by the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Division of Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning (CEOEL).  CEOEL has won three awards in the University Professional and Continuing Education Association’s (UPCEA) 2014 Marketing Awards competition. CEOEL will receive a gold award in the “Website” category, as well as a silver award in the “Most Improved” category, for the UW Health Information Management and Technology (UW HIMT) website. The new joint site (for the collaborative program) has helped to increase web traffic and lead conversions by 56 percent, achieve a page-one national rank in Google organic search results for multiple keywords, increase organic search traffic by 134 percent, and increase the leads from organic traffic by 229 percent.

The growing HIMT program is a degree completion program designed for students who already have some college credits or an associate degree.  The program is hosted at UW-Green Bay by the Professional Programs in Nursing.  Nursing Assistant Professor, Dr. Brenda Tyczkowski is the Academic Director.  For more information about the marketing awards, see:  http://www.marketwatch.com/story/university-of-wisconsin-extension-division-of-continuing-education-outreach-and-e-learning-earns-three-upcea-marketing-awards-2014-09-19 .  For more information regarding the program, see: http://www.uwgb.edu/himt/program/overview.asp.