The CONnectionGAMECOCK

News and Views from the University of South Carolina COLLEGE OF NURSING

www.sc.edu/nursingwww.facebook.com/USCNursing - LIKE US!

Send Inquiries or Newsletter items to:Jan Johnsonjnjohnso@mailbox.sc.edu

Inside This Issue

Alumni & Development......2-3

Students’ Corner.................4-5

Faculty & Staff Notes.........5-8

Events...................................8

Online Institute...................9

NO LIMITS............................10

APRIL 2014

Applauding Generosity: Recognizing Our Donors

One of my favorite traditions in the College of Nursing is the Annual Scholar Donor and Award Recognition Luncheon. This is the opportunity that our donors are able to see, hear, and touch the “future of nursing.” Likewise, it is an opportunity for our next generation of nurses to experience, embrace, and understand the generosity of our donors. We heard from two of our current stu-dents---Kelsey Rolwood and Ashley Sirianni---and the 2013 Outstanding Young Nurse Alumnus---Dr. Lisa Williams. The theme of their compelling stories high-lighted how the generous gift of a scholarship allowed them to attend nursing school, in some cases “stay in” nursing school. They shared the very personal impact that these scholarships have had on their lives, extending far beyond any monetary amounts. We enjoyed hearing from Dr. Opal Brown, recipient of the Ruth and Ral-lie Seigler Spirit of Giving Award, and the long-term commitment, passion, and gifts that she has contributed to the College of Nursing. The SC Club of Atlanta, recipients of the Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy Award, burst out in song with their favorite Carolina anthem, and sparked the audience with their energy and spirit. They, too, have been generous and engaged donors to the College of Nurs-ing among many, many others who filled the room. In 2013, the College of Nursing provided approximately $300,000 in scholarships/fellowships to 89 baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral students. Al-though monetary gifts can be quantified and distributed, the lifetime impact and intangibles that scholarships provide to our students are “priceless”. We especially thank our donors for assuring the promise of a future with NO LIMITS for our students, College, and the profession of nursing.

I am already looking forward to next year’s event. It’s a privilege and honor to be a Gamecock Nurse!!

Jeannette O. Andrews PhD, RN, FNP, FAANDean & Professorj.andrews@sc.edu

VITAL SIGNS....An Update from Alumni and Development

Donors HonoredThe College of Nursing held it’s annual Scholar Donor and Award Recognition Luncheon on March 31st at the USC Cap-stone Conference Center. Scholarship donors and recipients were able to meet and share experiences over lunch and a brief program. The luncheon’s theme was “As Gamecocks, our Fu-ture has No Limits: Keeping the promise to nursing education.” Program speakers included Dean Jeannette Andrews, Jancy Houck, Kelsey Rolwood, Ashley Sirianni, and Lisa Williams.Dr. Opal Brown received the Ruth and Rallie Seigler Spirit of Giving Award, Colonel (Ret.) Edna Swartzbeck received the Legacy of Caring Award, and the SC Club of Atlanta received the Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy Award.

Click Here to see more event photos.

Sir Big Spur

Who doesn’t love Sir Big Spur? We sure do. So does the South Carolina General Assembly. They passed a resolution in the State House of-ficially declaring March 5 “Sir Big Spur Day.”

We have one of the most unique mascots in col-lege athletics and we are so excited to begin cel-ebrating this special day in South Carolina.

Read the WIS News Story Here.

DNP Student and program speaker, Ashley Sirianni, with Dr. Opal Brown, recipient of the Ruth and Rallie Seigler Spirit of Giving Award.

CON Director of Development, Monica Cromer and CON Caro-lina Promise Chair, Dr. Marilyn Chassie Sonnenberg with SC Club of Atlanta members BJ Lackey, Rubye Reid, Sue Stumm and Dean Andrews.

Read the Aiken Standard News Story Here.

Larry Fridie, Monica Cromer, Chase Mizzell, Sir Big Spur’s owners Ron Albertelli and Mary Snelling BSN (‘76), Chris Hartley, John Fridie.

Chris Hartley, Cocky, Ron Albertelli, Larry Fridie, John Fridie and Mary Snelling.

Do you know an outstanding

College of Nursing Alumnus?

2014 NOMINATION FORMS

can be found here.

The deadline for applications is

May 30, 2014.

All Gifts and Pledges to support Nursing can be sent to:

USC College of Nursing1600 Hampton Street, Suite 736

Columbia, SC 29208Gift Processing

Checks Made Payable to the USC Educational Foundation or at our website

http://giving.sc.edu/

To learn how you can make a difference at USC College of Nursing

contact the Development Office

at 803-777-3468.

Save The Date Viana McCown Lectureship

FRIDAYOctober 17, 2014

Partnership Board MembersRenatta Loquist and Justin Chavis greeted students at the March 22nd Upper Student Division Orientation. Students received notes of congratulations, water and treats to enjoy.

CON Alumna, Amanda Coleburn, PhD, MN (‘75), FNP featured in the Morning News Online article, Florence County latest to have on-site health care. She is a McLeod Occupational Health nurse practitioner. Read the Story Here.

H. Michael Dreher, PhD, RN, FAAN, has been ap-pointed the new dean for the College of New Ro-chelle School of Nursing. Dr. Dreher received his BSN (‘88) and MN (‘91) from the USC College of Nursing. Read More Here.

Working on the inpatient unit for their Capstone course at Moncrief Army Hospital, Morgan Wolf and Rachel Lutz pose with The Chief of the Army Nurse Corps, Major General Jimmie Keenan.

Jessica Grimes is the Peer Leader Spotlight from the office of Student Engagement at the University of South Carolina. Jessica is a senior nursing major from Poolesville, Maryland. For the past two years, she has served as peer tutor for Anatomy and Physi-ology and Biophysical Pathology through the University of South Carolina Student Success Center. Jessica greatly enjoys being able to help lower division nursing students succeed in their academic goals and aid in the progression into upper division nursing coursework.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Samantha Nicholson, Class of 2014Samantha is on the USC NCAA Equestrian Team. She says balancing practices, work-outs, clinical and class has been a challenge, but it’s definitely been worthwhile and she has loved every second of it. They won the SEC championship last year, which was the first official SEC championship for their sport. On March 29th, they won the second SEC title at home, making them back to back champions. She says, “It has been an amazing experience to be a part of this team during my time here at USC. This past season has been the most successful season our team has had in school history and the energy that brings has made juggling everything else easy. I have been riding since I was four and couldn’t imagine college without it. Both my coaches and the nursing program have been so accommodating and I am so thankful for their support. Being a nurse and being a college athlete have both been dreams of mine and accomplishing side-by-side has been surreal.”

Samantha said time management is a very important part of nursing school and she has learned just as much about this in clinical as she had outside of it. She believes every nurse needs to be able to see things from the patient’s perspective and that empathy is a huge part of working with patients. She thinks to be able to fully care and provide for a patient, nurses need to treat their situation as if it were their own.

She really enjoyed her pathophysiology class with Dr. Sabra Smith. This class was one of the first classes that really started to piece things together for her. Dr. Smith’s famously challenging tests were hard, but she loved going to her class. Samantha said, “Dr. Smith is a great professor and makes class very interesting. Having her several times has been amazing. She is tough, but genuinely wants her students to do well, which is another reason I enjoyed her class so much.”

Her advice to future nursing students is to embrace everything, the good and the bad. Every second is a learning experience that brings you one step closer to having such a fulfilling career.

After graduation she wants to work in an ICU setting. She loves patient care and prefers to work closely with patients. She has applied to several programs across the country that offers new nurses an orientation that leads them directly into an ICU. She says, “I am beyond excited to start working. Capstone has been such an eye opening, amazing experience and it has only made me want more. Although I cannot wait to graduate and become a nurse, I will miss my time here at USC.”

CON Wellness CommitteeMembers: Sue Heiney, Erin McKinney, Kathy Mercer, Re-becca Christopher (BSN Student)

The College of Nursing has been busy walking and focusing on good nutrition in March, which is National Nutrition Month. After having the #1 team in the Heart Beat Pedom-eter Challenge (Nursing Guys on the Run), 4 CON teams went on to the Sweet Sixteen Challenge (the top 16 teams compete for 4 more weeks). Currently, we have one team left in the competition, Team D & D (Deb McQuilken and Diane Scott). Many in the CON are saying that it really motivated them to walk more. We started a similar pedometer challenge for the students on March 24, so we will see how they do in comparison to the faculty and staff. Several of them have suggested a student versus faculty/staff competition for next year. We also had pedometers with the CON logo made and will be ready for more walking challenges.

Our focus on nutrition included a grocery store tour at the Rosewood Publix on March 12, which was attended by 5 faculty/staff. Kathy Mercer provided an informative tour with helpful handouts and nutritional details on every isle. We hope to schedule another tour later for those who are interested. We also had a Nurses Night In for students on March 26, which was sponsored by the SNA. We had a fun night cooking and eating a healthy meal at the Cancer Prevention and Control kitchen. The vegetable lasagna and vegetarian caviar were a hit with students. National Nutri-tion Month ended with 2 Fun Food Fridays for all fac-ulty, staff and students on March 21 and 28. We sampled healthy items like quinoa and avocados, black bean brown-ies, and kale chips. Many who attended were surprised how good the healthy foods were and took recipes to make the items at home.

The first Fun Food Friday was well attended by faculty, staff and students.

Check out the College of Nursing’s

Facebook page.Be sure to “LIKE” Us!!!

CON Supports the AHA

SNA sold paper hearts to raise funds for the American Heart Association for the awareness, prevention, and treatment of heart disease. Be-tween personal fundraising and the paper heart event, the SNA’s total raised was $476.

USC College of Nursing had a great turnout for the Midlands Heart Walk. Special thanks to Cheryl Nelson for leading the faculty and staff and to Samantha Cooper for lead-ing the Student Nurses Association’s partici-pation. The CON exceeded their team goal of $1500 and raised $2,159. Thank you to everyone who supported this worthy cause! Click Here For More Photos

Nurses Night In

Faculty and Staff Notes

Faculty Publications

Smith, G, Andrews JO, Wagner J, Austin J, Muel-ler M, Carter E, & Griesemer K. (2014). Caregiving in pediatric epilepsy: Results of focus groups and impli-cations for research and practice. Epilepsy & Behavior, 34: 34-41.

JSzadek LL, Scharer K. Identification, Prevention, and Treatment of Children With Decreased Bone Min-eral Density. Pediatric Nursing. 2013 Nov 19. [Epub ahead of print].

Culley, J, Herman, J., Smith, D., & Tavakoli, A. (October 2013). Effects of Technology and Connected-ness on Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Online Journal of Nursing Informatics (OJNI), vol. 17(3).

Greiner KA1, Friedman DB, Adams SA, Gwede CK, Cupertino P, Engelman KK, Meade CD, Hébert JR. Effective recruitment strategies and community-based participatory research: community networks pro-gram centers’ recruitment in cancer prevention studies. [PubMed - in process].

Faculty Presentations

Dr. Swann Adams and Dr. Sue Heiney’s abstract “A Comparison of Breast Cancer Treatment Received Between Participants and Non-Participants of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program in South Carolina” has been accepted for presentation at the 7th Biennial Can-cer Survivorship Research Conference, to be held June 18-20, 2014 at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta, GA.

CON Faculty and Staff wore BLUE to support Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

Drs. Ronit Elk and Tisha Felder conducted a research interactive workshop for DNP students and faculty where they used cooking as an analogy, complete with kitchen props, chefs, prizes etc. The goal was to remove the fears and anxieties often associated with research and to make it fun to attract people into the field of research.

Dr. Ronit Elk has been appointed as reviewer for ASPIRE-II grants.

Dr. Nathaniel Bell has been elected to serve a three-year term on the USC Faculty Senate Intellectual Property Com-mittee, beginning summer 2014.

Dr. Tena Hunt McKinney has been selected as a featured scholar on the Office of the Vice President for Research’s web-site which highlights faculty excellence, innovation, and cre-ativity.

Hero Award: Erin McKinney, MN, RN Faculty Spotlight: Beverly Baliko, PhD, RN

Dr. Beverly Baliko has been a faculty member at the College of Nurs-ing since 2006. An expert in Psychiatric-Mental Health, Dr. Baliko has conducted research involving sur-vivors of trauma, spe-cifically the homicide of family members

and intimate partner violence. Her findings have been disseminated through presentations in local, regional, national and international venues. She has published in numerous journals and has authored 3 book chapters. She has been active in the community through agencies such as the SC Coalition against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Parents of Murdered Children, and the Richland County Coro-ner’s Office. In collaboration with a colleague from the Department of Psychology, she has completed a pilot study exploring the neurocognitive sequelae of intimate partner violence-related head trauma, and is currently involved in the facilitation of a multi-year interprofessional SAMHSA training grant to teach SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) techniques to graduate students/resi-dents in nursing, social work, rehabilitation therapy, and primary care medicine. As an educator, she has a special interest in online delivery strategies, as well as the use of interprofessional education opportuni-ties to improve communication, collaboration, and healthcare outcomes. She is an active member of the USC Interprofessional Education Committee and co-facilitates an introductory interdisciplinary course for health sciences students. She has taught extensively in the undergraduate and graduate nurs-ing programs, with an emphasis on psychiatric men-tal-health nursing and leadership, and frequently mentors doctoral students. She has collaborated on teaching presentations at the Center for Teaching Ex-cellence, as well as national and international confer-ences and webinars, and has gained recognition for using innovative strategies to engage students in large online classes.

The annual Hero Awards, given by Stand Up Carolina, recognize ac-countable bystanders—community members who stand up, take action and make a difference in the life of another. They are Carolinians who have helped others in ordinary ways that had an extraordinary impact.

In early October a man attending a spin class with College of Nursing Faculty member, Erin McKinney, at a local health club went into cardiac

arrest. She used the club’s AED and performed compressions. He began to respond after two rounds of compressions and was taken to the hospital via EMS. A day later, on his 60th birth-day, he received a pace maker/defibrillator. He is now partici-pating in a cardiac rehab class and doing well.

Erin was honored at a ceremony on March 26th and awarded with a plaque containing the Carolinian Creed. Congratula-tions Erin! Read More Here.

NP Lobby Day a SUCCESS

NPs and CNMs held a Lobby Day at the SC Statehouse April 3, 2014. Over 100 NPs and CNMs from across the state attended and met with key legislators to discuss health care issues, the Handicapped Bill (H. 3722) and scope of practice issues as it relates to barriers to care and access. The event commenced with a breakfast followed by the NP/CNM Introductions in the SC House and Senate. Finally, the day concluded with a General Assembly Concurrent Resolution Proclaiming April 3, 2014 as NP/CNM Day in South Carolina.

Interested in the DNP Program at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing?The Clinical Doctorate Program is for Post Baccalaureate, MSN, and Post Masters Nursing Graduates. Curriculum is based on leadership, health policy, advanced practice, and evidence based outcomes. All didactic courses for the DNP program can be completed online, and there is no GRE requirement for admission to the program. The program can also be completed at your own pace, with part-time and full-time options available for working professionals. The college also offers scholarship opportunities for qualified students.

South Carolina College of Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice Points of Pride:• Online program ranked top in the country by

US News and World Report• 100% pass rate for FNP and ACNP graduates on

certification exams• One of the first four nationally recognized DNP

programs in the country• Location of the first recognized NP Medical

Home Practice in South Carolina• Fully implemented Practice Plan, with all NP

professors active in an NP practice• Health policy internships available for all DNP

students• All students collaborate with dynamic faculty

mentors on evidence based projects• A wealth of opportunities for grant

development

Doctor of Nursing Practice

The application deadline for Fall 2014 admission is May 1, 2014. Visit our website for more information, email the Office of Graduate Studies, or call us at 803-777-7412 to apply today.

UPCOMING EVENTS

April 9th – 12th SNA Convention

April 17th

University Awards Day

April 18th Nursing Excellence Conference

April 28th Last day of classes

May 8th Convocation

May 9th and 10th Commencement

Welcome to the College of Nursing!

Heidi WaltzStudent Services Program Coordinator

Office of Academic Affairs

Robin Traufler, MN, RN, ACNP, BC

Clinical Assistant Professor

The University of South Carolina College of Nursing presents

The Online Teaching Institute: A Complete Beginner’s Guide for Building

a Successful Online Course

College of Nursing1601 Greene StreetColumbia, SC 29208

REGISTER HERE

FRIDAY - SUNDAY

June 6th - 8th

For more information contact Cheryl Nelson at cheryl.nelson@sc.edu or 803.777.8777

Do you need to know how to set up an on-line course? Would you like to improve an online course that you have already taught? This workshop is for you! Hands-on experience for everything you need to know to put a course online and teach it well.

Co-taught by a successful instructional designer and two ex-perienced online educators from the USC College of Nursing, this class is for instructors with no or limited prior experience with online teaching, academic program administrators, and anybody who is interested in online teaching and learning.

We are proud that U.S. News and World Report counts our online graduate programs among the nation’s best. In this workshop, we will take an evidence-based approach to online teaching and share with you the strategies that have proven to be successful both in our college and at large.

This workshop explores the basic components of on-line course delivery. Participants will learn how to:◆ Adapt existing course documents for online presentation◆ Build an attractive and easy-to-navigate course site in a course management system◆ Create engaging online activities◆ Communicate with large groups of online students in an efficient and effective manner◆ Assess student learning in multiple formats.

Meet your instructional team:

Vera Polyakova-Norwood, Director of Distributed Learn-ing at the USC College of Nursing, has extensive experience in developing online courses for a variety of student audi-ences and has achieved recognition for designing authentic and engaging online projects and activities for large and small groups of learners.

Dr. Mary Boyd and Dr. JoAnne Herman are senior faculty members at the College of Nursing. They are early adopt-ers and enthusiastic champions of online course delivery and student-centered approaches to teaching.

The Center for Nursing Leadership is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the South Carolina Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

No Limits to our Teaching• First and largest BSN and nursing graduate programs in the state of SC • 94%-100% NCLEX and Nurse Practitioner Board Pass Rates, exceeding both state and national averages • New PhD student fellowships and stipends• National and Internationally recognized faculty• Online graduate programs ranked top in the country by US News and World Report

No Limits to our Innovation • State-of-the-art Client Simulation Lab providing revolutionizing and quality education to students• Cutting edge research in health care delivery, cancer survivorship, health promotion, and vulnerable populations• 4th DNP program in the country, now provided online• Center for Nursing Leadership is leading state-wide action coalitions responsive to the national Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action

No Limits to our Caring • The College of Nursing’s Children and Family Healthcare Center is the only nurse managed medical home in South Carolina• Our dedicated expert clinical faculty provide comprehensive healthcare to all ages of an underserved population• Over 90 scholarships provided each year to our students, with the generosity from our alumni and donors• Well established partnerships with health systems and stakeholders across the state

No Limits to our Scholarship• National leaders in nursing research with 70% of our tenure track faculty having received NIH funding • Diverse portfolio of research funding from NCI, NINR, NHLBI, NLM, CDC, HRSA, Duke Foundation, & others• Two Research Centers: Healthcare Process and Redesign Center and Cancer Survivorship Center

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA COLLEGE OF NURSING

CONTACT USCollege of Nursing

University of South Carolina1601 Greene Street

Columbia, SC 29208

Office of the Dean:803-777-3861

Office of Academic Affairs:803-777-7412

Information Resource Center:803-777-1213

Office of Research:803-777-7413

Center for Nursing Leadership

803-777-3039

Employment Opportunities

www.sc.edu/nursingwww.facebook.com/USCNursing