Nursing & Health Studies

A Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Leadership and Management in Health Systems degree is being planned at UW-Green Bay. The UW System Board of Regents gave final approval for this new graduate degree on June 8, 2012. Tentative plans are for this online, distance-education program to be up and running by fall of 2013. Information about the degree will be posted as it becomes available on the Professional Program in Nursing website News Page at http://www.uwgb.edu/nursing/ starting in August.

 The MSN Leadership and Management in Health Systems will provide high quality graduate preparation for nurse leaders in an array of  healthcare systems. The MSN degree is composed of a 34 credit curriculum delivered through a part-time 6 semester model. The curriculum includes leadership, economics and policy, informatics, financial management and program planning. Practicum courses and a final master’s project are also part of the curriculum. The program is designed for BSN prepared adult learners.

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Susan Gallagher-Lepak, Associate Professor of Nursing, has been named the new Chair of the Professional Program in Nursing and Director of BSN-LINC, effective July 9.  Dr. Gallagher-Lepak has been with the Nursing Program at UW-Green Bay since 2003.  She has served as Interim Chair from 2009-2011.  Dr. Gallagher-Lepak earned a PhD in Rehabilitation Psychology from the UW – Madison in 1996; an MSN in 1989 from UW -Milwaukee (emphasis on adjustment to chronic illness); and BSN from Marquette University in 1983.  She holds current licensure in the state of Wisconsin as a Registered Nurse and Licensed Psychologist and is a current Sigma Theta Tau member. Additionally, she serves on the state-wide BSN@HOME Steering Committee and has played an important role in the development of the newly approved Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).

Congratulations to Dr. Gallagher-Lepak in her new role as Chair of Nursing.  We look forward to the program’s continued success under her leadership!

Dr. Derryl Block, Nursing Professor, Program Chair and Director of BSN-LINC has accepted the position of Dean of Health and Human Sciences at Northern Illinois University, effective July 16.  Dr. Block has been with the Professional Program in Nursing at UW-Green Bay since 2001 and has served as Chair and Director of BSN-LINC since 2004.  She also served as Interim Dean of Professional and Graduate Studies at the university from 2009-2011. Her last day at UW-Green Bay was July 6.

Dr. Block is a visionary leader who has been instrumental in growing the nursing program during her tenure and in developing the newly approved Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program.  She has been involved at the national level in Community Health Nursing and in advocating for nursing education.  While she will be missed, her legacy of achievements on behalf of the Professional Program in Nursing will endure for many years to come.  We wish her the very best in her new position with NIU.

Congratulations to our Spring and Summer 2012 graduates.  We wish you the best of luck in your careers!  For an opportunity to experience the graduation ceremony and recognition of each nursing graduate, click here:  http://youtu.be/xQl-QCBkW0s 

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

Brown — Jessica Landry, De Pere; Marie Brunner, Sarah Hickman*, Jewel Jamrosz*, Katherine Merrill, Danielle Miller, Anne Renquin, Elizabeth Stukenberg**, Houa Vang, Chanthorn Vu, Rebecca Walton, and Kristen Wiesner**, Green Bay; and Audra Kunesh* and Gina Tisch*, Pulaski.
Dane — Shannon Thielman, Madison.
Door — Shannon Rass, Brussels.
Forest — Sally Bruno*, Crandon.
Jefferson — Stephanie Schwind, Lake Mills.
Juneau — Alicia Edmonds and Molly Hassig, Douglas.
Kewaunee — Sandra Pelnar, Kewaunee.
La Crosse — Joshua Bentzen, La Crosse; and Jennifer Kendhammer, Onalaska.
Marinette — Carla Biehl* and Carrie Rupert, Marinette; and Nicole Swanson, Peshtigo.
Polk — Kathryn McElree, Altoona.
Rock — Valerie Oliver, Edgerton.
Sheboygan — Angela Montague***, Sheboygan.
Waukesha — Kelly Blackburn, Waukesha.
Wood — Karalyn Meitner, Arpin.
Other states – Nicole Langlois, Alaska; Patricia Schuler-Mahaney***, Bayfield, Colorado; Jill Bryon, Chicago, Illinois; Bridget Marchese-McBride, Coal Valley, Illinois; Martha Pettineo, Lake Bluff, Illinois; Vincent Abel, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Mollie Schonberg, Bessemer, Michigan; Rick Connolly, Apple Valley, Minnesota; Aimee LaMere**, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota; Osahon Enodunmwenben, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota; Romina Cruz, Rosemount, Minnesota; Beata Moniuszko*, Maspeth, New York; and Martha Mowry, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.

Toolkit Description:
Public health finance is a complex system involving funding streams, economic factors, and policy and political changes. This complexity along with the lack of transparency and the wide variation in local public health discretionary spending make it difficult to develop a “blueprint” for all public health agencies to embrace.  Use of this toolkit can help students and PHN staff to better understand and employ principles which not only help make public health funding more transparent and appropriately focused, but also establish its relevancy to the overall health of the population.

The toolkit contains an overview of public health funding, grants as a source of revenue, sample public health department budgets, information about evaluating effectiveness, activities to illustrate funding allocation decisions, financial definitions, an annotated bibliography, and critical thinking questions.

The following link takes you to the toolkit: https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/groups/leap/LEAP-Resources.xapp/Public%20Health%20Finance%20Toolkit.xapp/panel_filesfolder_0/Making%20Sense%20of%20LHD%20Funding_PH%20Finance%20Toolkit.pdf

Authors of the toolkit are:

Christine Vandenhouten, PhD, RN, APHN-BC, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Professional Program in Nursing
Tracy Mrochek, MPA, BSN, RN, The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing
Jean M. Beinemann, BSN, RN, Sheboygan County Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health
Sandy Fryda, BSN, RN, Fond du Lac County Health Department
Linda Behm, MSN, RN, Waupaca County Department of Health and Human Services, Health Services Division
Judith M. Hansen, MS, BSN, RN, (Formerly, The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing)

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Professional Program in Nursing is celebrating its 30^th year of offering Registered Nurses (RN) a baccalaureate completion program.  The UW-Green Bay RN to BSN program was approved by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin system in 1980. Professor Agnes Janoscrat was named the first Chairperson and Dr. Mimi Kubsch was hired to plan and implement the program.  (Dr. Kubsch has been the “face and hands” of the program for many years and remains on the faculty today.) Classes began in the fall of 1981. 

The program received national accreditation from the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission in 1987 and has been subsequently accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.  In 1995, in collaboration with University of Wisconsin (UW) Nursing Programs in Madison, Milwaukee, Oshkosh and Eau Claire, the program began an online track for RNs across Wisconsin now known as BSN@HOME.  This was followed by the development of the BSN-LINC track in 2000 through which RNs from across the United States can complete their BSN online from UW-Green Bay.  In 2007, funding was obtained to extend the program’s reach to northern areas of the state resulting in classes offered in Rhinelander and Marinette.  That same year, a 5 year federal grant was awarded to the 5 UW nursing programs to enhance technology in nursing education.  The grant culminated in 2011 with an “E-Learning in Nursing” conference hosted by UW-Green Bay.  2011 also was the year in which the Professional Program in Nursing graduated its 1000^th BSN prepared nurse and planning for a Masters of Science in Nursing program began. (Planning for the MSN in Leadership & Management in Health Systems is ongoing.)  Dr. Derryl Block, the current Chairperson, leads a department of 11 faculty and staff.  The program has 36 Associate Degree Campus Partners from 24 states across the US. 

Those visiting the Professional Program in Nursing Office located on the 3^rd Floor of Rose Hall (Suite 325) on the beautiful UW-Green Bay campus can view the “History Wall”, a recent addition detailing more of the program’s highlights.  Additionally, the program is posting a retrospective video and asking alumni and friends for their memories. The piece by student marketing assistant Ariel Weishoff is online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-jWMRw3V4w.

A highlight of the 30^th Anniversary celebration is an April webinar for alumni and students of the program.  The webinar, “Caring Theory”, will be presented by internationally recognized nursing scholar Jean Watson in honor of the program’s anniversary.  Dr. Watson is Distinguished Professor of Nursing and holds an Endowed Chair in Caring Science at the University of Colorado Denver and Anschutz Medical Center Campus. She is founder of the original Center for Human Caring in Colorado and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.  She is a widely published author and recipient of several awards and honors and holds six (6) Honorary Doctoral Degrees, including 3 International Honorary Doctorates.  

For more information about the Professional Program in Nursing history, the 30^th Anniversary activities or about the program in general, please email nursing@uwgb.edu .

Members of our Nursing faculty, Dr. Janet Reilly, Dr. Christine Vandenhouten and Lecturer Rebecca Hovarter collaborated with Dr. Jill Collier (UW-Oshkosh), Dr. Janice Edelstein (UW-Oshkosh), Dr. Stephanie Stewart (Chamberlain University), Judith Hansen (Wisconsin Center for Nursing), and Mary Jo Turner (Winnebago County Health Dept.) to author an article recently published in the Journal of Public Health Nursing.  The article is titled, “Collaborative Design and Use of an Agency Feedback Form (AFF) for Student Practicum Experience in Community/Public Health Nursing”.  It appears in Public Health Nursing. 29(2), 160-167. doi: 10.1111/j.1525-1446.2011.00969.x.  Congratulations to our fine faculty!

An exciting art exhibit and panel discussion will be held at the Lawton Gallery on the UW Green Bay campus!  The traveling art exhibit entitled, TAKE CARE: Biomedical Ethics in the 21st Century, features the work of nine female artists in relation to biotechnology and ethical issues. The art exhibit can be viewed online and in person from Thursday, March 1st through Thursday, March 29th at the Lawton Gallery, in the Theater Arts Building, Room 230.  

 An interdisciplinary panel discussion entitled, MODERN FAMILY: Ethics and Biotechnologies will occur on Wednesday, March 7th, in the Lawton Gallery foyer from 10:30 -11:30 AM.  Individual panelists are listed below alphabetically:

1. Dr. Derryl Block, Chair of Professional Program in Nursing, UW Green Bay
2. Ms. Joan Groessel, Professional Programs in Social Work, UW Green Bay
3. Dr. Warren Johnson, Chair of Human Biology, UW Green Bay
4. Dr. Hye-Kyung Kim, Chair of Philosophy, UW Green Bay
5. Mr. Ben Kosewski, genetic counselor at Bellin Health
6. Ms. Carmen Tust, fertility nurse, Women’s Specialty Care

 The panel discussion will be facilitated by Dr. Janet Reilly and Dr. Susan Gallagher-Lepak, Faculty with the Professional Program in Nursing.  For more information contact Dr. Reilly at reillyj@uwgb.edu or Dr. Gallagher-Lepak at gallaghs@uwgb.edu.

The Community Health Theory class will be conducting a Health Fair on March 6 from 2:30 to 4:00 pm on campus in the main Kress Events Center entrance door walkway located to the right of the desk.   The interesting list of topics to be covered by our Community Health Nursing students include:

Skin Cancer Prevention- Staying Safe in the Sun
… 54218: Brown County’s Innovative Approach to increase the Health of its Youth (5 fruits & Veggies, 4 bottles of water, 2 hours of exercise, 1 hour of screen time per night, and 8 hours of sleep/day).
The Dangers of Binge Drinking
The Ugly effects of Tobacco Use
Triglycerides and your Health
Danger: High voltage Energy Drinks may be hazardous to your health!
Stress
Headaches vs. Migraines: What is the difference and how to make best use of OTC pain meds.
Health effects of Marijuana use

Stop by the table in the Kress Center located near the Main Entrance Door Walkway to find out about these important topics. Make your spring break safer!