Upcoming EvEnts

November 3 • 12 p.m.“Daring, Dames, and Demograph-ics: The Early History of nursing in charleston” presented by carole Bennett; con-Room 220

November 6 • 12:15 p.m.Unnatural causes screening - Episode 7: “not Just a paycheck”; BSB-Room100

November 7 & 21 • 12 p.m.Research Think Tank; Historical Library (see p. 5)

November 12 • 4 p.m.con Town Hall meeting; BSB-Room 302

November 13 • 6 p.m.Sigma Theta Tau induction; Lightsey chapel, charleston Southern Univ.

November 17 • 12 p.m.Research for Lunch; Historical Library (see p. 5)

November 17 • 4 p.m.Retirement Reception for Susan Benedict; Historical Library

* The CON will be closed from noon on December 23 to January 5

for the holidays.

Budget Woes and WindowsBy Dean Gail Stuart, PhD, APRN, BC, FAAN

VoLUmE 5 | noVEmBER | 2008

eConnectionsMEdical UnivErsity of soUth carolina

collEgE of nUrsing

The global economic crisis has struck home. MUSC has received another

state budget cut that far exceeded our projections. In total, MUSC’s state

budget cut for this fiscal year is 17.58%, which translates into a

functional 19.45% cut. Imagine being told to cut 20% of your personal

budget—starting right now! The other bad news is that there might be

another mid-year budget cut, and the cuts are likely to be permanent and

perhaps progressive in the years to come. A very grim picture indeed.

Your MUSC leadership team has been working diligently to explore how we will address

this massive cut. Various plans and strategies are being developed and each will be carefully

reviewed not only by central administration, but also by our Board of Trustees. This does

take time but we do want to proceed in the best way possible, so please bear with us over

the next couple of weeks.

What has been determined is that each MUSC unit will take the 19.45% cut. However,

since each unit operates differently the implementation plans will be specific to that unit. We

are busy working on plans for the College of Nursing and will share them with you when they

are approved.

That said, we do know a number of things for sure. The first is that an organization

cannot absorb a 20% cut without downsizing. The timing could not be worse for MUSC as all

of the health professionals we educate are in short supply – nursing being at the top of the

list. Nonetheless we must work with current realities.

Given the reduction we must do some “school-searching” in the days ahead. Specifically,

can we maintain our same CON vision and mission with far fewer resources? If not, then

we must strategically decide on the outcomes that we see as central to our mission and the

activities that will sustain and build them, while necessarily eliminating others.

Everything we do is not of equal value. So what do we value most and how will we

reallocate the resources we do have to excel in those areas? What skills do we need in our

continued on page 2

Getting to Know...Stephanie Name: Stephanie Brown-Guion

Position: Grants Coordinator

How many years at CON? 11 months

How many years at MUSC? 4 years

Most rewarding thing about your job?

Helping and serving others

Hometown: Charleston

Describe your hometown in 3 words: Historical, small, friendly

What did you listen to on the way into work today? Israel

Houghton and New Breed: A Deeper Level

If you could invite three guests (living or deceased) to

dinner, who would they be? Jesus Christ because His great

love and sacrifice is a powerful influence in my life; my mother

and father because they worked hard to ensure that we could

have a better life than theirs; and Nelson Mandela because he

devoted his life for the freedom of others.

What book(s) are you currently reading?

Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College

Teachers; Assessment of Student Achievement; Research

Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods

Approaches; and The Foundations of Special Research

Meaning and Perspectives in Research Process

Last movie you saw? American Gangster

First concert you ever attended? Chaka Khan and Rufus (I got

her autograph)

Favorite place you’ve traveled to? Hawaii

If you could attend any sporting event what would it be?

Wimbledon

One thing you’ve never done, but hope to accomplish one

day? Travel to France

In which store would you like to win a $3,000 shopping

spree? Dillard’s, Belk and TJ Maxx

What do you enjoy most doing in your spare time?

These days I do not have much time to spare, but when I do I

like to spend it with my husband and children.

Favorite sports team or player: Pittsburgh Steelers

Favorite board game: Scrabble

Favorite TV show(s): Forensic Files

Favorite movie: Finding Forrester

Favorite fruit: Grapes

Favorite cookie: Nabisco Ginger Snaps

Favorite candy bar: Mr. Goodbar

Favorite thing about living in Charleston? The great weather.

collEgE BRiEfS

con town hall MeetingMark your calendars for our second College of Nursing Town

Hall Meeting. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, Novem-

ber 12 at 4 p.m. in room 302 of the Basic Science Building.

The last gathering was very successful and will follow a similar

format so bring your questions and ideas for a lively exchange!

We will address developments in the DNP program, budget

cuts, research opportunities, student life, and anything else on

your mind.

Budget continued from page 1College and what positions should be retained to achieve our

goals? Conversely, what skills and positions are no longer

needed or essential to our success? These are tough questions

but we must engage in this analysis knowing full well that there

will be no growth in the days ahead, only consolidation.

Now with every problem there is an opportunity. We have a

strong, supportive culture here in the College of Nursing. We

have worked hard to successfully establish a climate of trust,

honestly and team spirit. In our work to address the budget, I

want us to work equally hard to preserve the positive culture of

the College.

You see I believe that adversity can make us stronger and

better. We have accomplished so very much in the past six

years and we have much upon which we can continue to build.

Let’s see this as an opportunity to shed those aspects of our

work that are no longer useful, productive or resourceful, and

concentrate on continuing to build our strong nursing muscles.

Together, I believe that we can turn this woe into a window.

—Gail

~ Xerox Totals for october ~Student Services - 3,335 mail room - 2,702

3rd Floor - 4,559 4th Floor - 6,1465th Floor - 1,991

new study links Baccalaureate education to positive outcomesAn article published in Health Services Research in August 2008

examined the effect of nursing practice environments on out-

comes of hospitalized cancer patients undergoing surgery, Dr.

Christopher Friese and colleagues found that nursing education

level was significantly associated with patient outcomes. Nurses

prepared at the baccalaureate-level were linked with lower mor-

tality and failure-to-

rescue rates. The

authors conclude

that “moving to a

nurse workforce

in which a higher

proportion of staff

nurses have at

least a baccalau-

reate-level education would result in substantially fewer adverse

outcomes for patients.” This same finding has been confirmed in

at least four other major studies since 2003. For a summary of

the research linking nursing education level to patient outcomes,

visit www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/FactSheets/NursingWrkf.htm.

(Source: American Association of Colleges of Nursing)

collEgE BRiEfS

$125,000

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

$70,000

$80,000

$90,000

$100,000

$110,000

$120,000

College of Nursing’s 125th Anniversary Scholarship Fund

The Finish Line is in SightTo date, we’ve raised a whopping

$103,495 to support nursing scholar-

ships! We would love to reach our

goal of $125,000 during the 125th

year at the College of Nursing so

please consider contributing to the

125th Anniversary Fund and help to

educate our future nurses today!

For more information, contact

Denise Ciccarelli at (843) 792-8421

or ciccarel@musc.edu.

Unnatural Causes episode ScreeningsEPISODE 7: NOT JUST A PAYCHECk

Thursday, November 6 • 12:15 - 1:15 p.m.

Basic Science Building, Room 100

Co-sponsor: Student Interprofessional Society

Lunch Provided by: College of Health Professions

Questions? Contact Meredith Van Ruymbeke at

(843) 792-4647 or vanruymm@musc.edu.

Clarion Competition Finals

The finals of the MUSC Clarion Competition will be held at the

Storm Eye Institute on November 20 at 6 p.m. The final teams

will present, be judged and winners selected. The winning team

will represent the University at the national competition. Everyone

should be proud of the excellent work these students have done.

Heavy hors d’ourves and wine will be served.

get your flu Shots!

Flu shots will be adminis-

tered every Wednesday

from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

throughout the month of

November at Wellness Wednesdays events. Check The Catalyst

each week for event locations.

CoN Clean-UpLet’s end the year by cleaning out

the old and ringing in the new in

2009. On Thursday, December

18 and Friday, December 19, the

College will have large receptacles

available to accept your old papers,

books and other items. Let’s get

all of our offices uncluttered and

organized. Mark your calendars now for our end of year clean

sweep! (Please note: CON will be closed from Tuesday,

December 23 at noon and will reopen Monday January 5, 2009.)

officE of acadEMics

December Convocation NewsThe College of Nursing will hold Convocation to celebrate the Class of December 2008 at 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 6 at

St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church (405 king Street). There will be a light reception in the adjacent Fellowship Hall following the

ceremony.

Graduates should read their e-mails for information regarding regalia and invitation distribution. There will be a rehearsal for

graduates on Friday, December 5, from 3 to 4 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church.

This year’s speaker, Emma Forkner, MA, RN is a graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina

College of Nursing and is the current Director of

the Department of Health and Human Services

(DHHS) in South Carolina.

Forkner is a nurse with 35 years experience.

Prior to her appointment at DHHS, she rose to

the rank of Colonel in the United States Air Force

and served as Chief Nursing Officer during a number of postings.

She also served as the Director of Telemedicine at Alaska’s Elmen-

dorf Air Force Base. After her military retirement, she served as

a Senior Policy Analyst in the area of Health Quality Research at

Altarum Institute, a non-profit healthcare research institute in San

Antonio, Texas.

Forkner also earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration

and her published research spans a variety of important health care topics including the relative clinical and financial effectiveness of

disease management and the use of data to optimize care delivery systems. One of her top priorities at Health and Human Services

is to improve outcomes for Medicaid beneficiaries through enhanced care coordination.

oral Health elective offeredTo support the cross-campus interprofessional education initiative (Creating Collaborative Care), a two-credit elective course is avail-

able for the Spring semester!

This course will address the need for educational reforms in response to the emerging science, which includes oral-system link-

ages. This class will also focus on cross-cutting competencies for all health professions students to promote the common attitudes,

knowledge, and skills necessary for effective practice and interprofessional collaboration in today’s health care environment, as well

as other demographic, sociocultural, and environmental factors.

Course enrollment is limited. If you would like to enroll please contact Wanda Gonsalves at gonsalvw@musc.edu or 792-4404, or

Paul Jacques at jacquesp@musc.edu or 792-2649.

IP 704: Smiles for Life: An Interprofessional Education Oral Health Elective

During the Spring ‘09 semester, MUSC will offer a two-credit elective that will meet on Wednesdays from 12 to 1

p.m. The goals of this course are to educate a group of medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy, PA, PT, OT, and CSD

students on oral health assessment and to participate in a service learning project. The course will use Power-

Point modules for knowledge acquisition, case-based discussions and reflection for assimilation of the concepts

and service learning for application of the knowledge and skills.

Forkner

savE thE datERESEARCH FOR LUNCH

Monday, November 17 • 12 p.m. Historical Library

Research and practice proposals

that require a mock review

and other scholarly products

in need of “expert eyes.”

Facilitated by Jane Zapka.

Also, Sheila Smith will be presenting her

work on her R21 application concerning

exercise in pregnant women.

doctoral student KudosCongratulations to BSN-PhD student Robin Matutina, who

turned a paper from Susan Benedict’s “Ethical Aspects of Re-

search Involving Vulnerable Populations” course into a manu-

script that was published. Look for this interesting rationale for

why people enroll in Phase 1 clinical trials: Matutina, R. Hope

springs eternal. Cancer Nursing Practice, 2008, 7(8), 26-28.

Faculty AchievementsSeveral CON faculty members had posters at the prestigious

2008 National State of the Science Congress on Nursing

Research that was held in Washington, DC from October 2 – 4.

They include:

• PARTNERSHIP READINESS TO CONDUCT COMMUNITY

BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH

by Jeannette Andrews, Elaine Amella, Jane

Zapka, Gail Stuart, Carolyn Jenkins, Gayenell

Magwood, Janet Grossman, Otha Meadows and the

Charleston Trident Urban League

• TESTING OF THE THEORY OF SENSORISTASIS IN

MEALTIME BEHAVIORS

by Elaine Amella and Christine kovach (University of

Wisconsin at Milwaukee)

Think Tank: preparing a proposalIt’s never too early to start fine tuning and getting feedback

from your peers as you develop a proposal. The Research

Committee will be offering a bi-weekly Research Think Tank

beginning Friday, November

7 at noon. This gathering is

intended to provide support

for researchers at all levels of

their career and at all stages

of writing. All faculty and stu-

dents interested in research

are invited to participate. Dr.

Charlene Pope will be the

facilitator.

officE of rEsEarch & EvalUation

New resources for Investigators! Check the College of Nursing’s Research Office Web site for

updated resources that can facilitate your proposal submis-

sion. Especially notable is a new toolbox offered by the Na-

tional Institute on Aging that contains templates, sample forms,

guidelines, regulations and information materials to assist

investigators in the development and conduct of high quality

clinical research studies. You can visit their Web site directly

at www.nia.nih.gov/ResearchInformation/CTtoolbox.

Check it out!

Welcome backAs of November 3, Suzanne Gresle will return full-time to

the College of Nursing. Drop by anytime.

Upcoming Conferences & CoursesCONTINUINg NURSINg EDUCATION CONFERENCES

NEONATAL PHARMACOLOGY CONFERENCE 2008

November 16 - 19, 2008

FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS

December 5 - 7, 2008

For more details, contact Carol Whelan at

whelanc@musc.edu or 792-2651.

officE of prACTICe

Hispanic Health Initiative UpdateAs part of their community nursing clinical rotation, the Hispanic

Health Initiative (HHI) Scholars recently had the opportunity to

work with the migrant population on Johns Island. This group

includes nine third semester honors BSN students who thor-

oughly enjoyed interacting with the children and parents of the

Rural Mission Migrant Head Start program.

Each Scholar was responsible for planning and implementing

a teaching lesson pertinent to the health concerns of the partici-

pants in the Rural Mission Head Start program. This semester

the children learned about foods that harm and strengthen

teeth, healthy foods and snacks, proper tooth brushing and fire

safety. The Scholars also offered similar health teaching semi-

nars to the parents of the Rural Mission children. These “Coffee

Break” sessions focused on health issues determined by the

parents and covered a wide variety of topics from Domestic

Violence to Halloween Safety. In addition to Rural Mission, the

group provided these same teaching experiences to the moth-

ers involved in the Abrazos program in North Charleston.

The relationship they have developed with the Rural Mis-

sion Head Start program has benefited both the College’s BSN

program and the families and staff at Rural Mission who were

grateful for our interest and participation in the program. The

HHI Scholars were appreciative of the unique learning experi-

ence this opportunity provided them and look forward to offering

similar opportunities to the next group of HHI Scholars in the

Spring semester.

Survey finds nurses least satisfied among health care employeesAccording to a recent Press Ganey survey of more than

202,000 employees at 423 health care facilities–three-quarters

of which were hospitals–employee satisfaction decreased

between 2006 and 2007 across most operational areas, with

loyalty, pay, and organizational impression showing the greatest

decreases. The survey also found that employees’ willingness

to recommend their organization as a place to work and receive

care increased with the extent to which they were involved in

decision-making and felt that promotions were handled fairly

and that senior

leaders listened

to employees,

promptly respond-

ed to problems,

and were trusted.

RNs were the

least satisfied

employees, reporting a satisfaction level of 63.6 on a 100-point

scale, while administrative services staff were the most satis-

fied employees. In order to address employees’ concerns, the

report recommends that administrators create partnerships with

staff that allow for regular communication and create a forum for

suggestions about patient care and employee needs. (Source:

Press Ganey release, 10/13; Press Ganey report, 10/13; AHA News

Now, 10/13)

“I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique

as a fingerprint—and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you

love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of

the universe to lead you.”~ Oprah Winfrey

Funding UpdatesBarbara Edlund has been funded as a Co-investigator with Dr.

David Graber (PI) by the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation for a project

entitled, “Developing caring professionals: Infusing compassion and

humanism in health professions education,” that will teach health care

workers about compassion and caring.

John Welton has submitted a proposal for R01 funding to the NIH/

National Institute of Nursing Research entitled, “Nursing intensity, nurse

characteristics, and patient outcomes.” If funded, this important work will

examine data from a consortium of over 30 hospitals across the US to

determine affects of nursing factors on patient outcomes.

presentations & publicationsBonham, P. “Optimizing wound care outcomes: WOCN ‘s 2008

clinical practice guidelines for management of wounds in patients with

lower-extremity arterial disease.” 9th Annual New Cardiovascular Hori-

zons National Conference, New Orleans, LA. September 2008.

Pope, C. “Lame jokes: Co-constructed humor and social inequalities

in health encounters,” supported by a previous dissertation grant from

the National Science Foundation. First North American Workshop on

Pragmatics at Glendon College at York University, Toronto, Ontario,

Canada. October 2008.

Pope, C. “Translating racial/ethnic membership categorizing in the

talk of health encounters.” American Academy on Communication in

Healthcare Research and Teaching Forum, Madison, Wisconsin. Octo-

ber 2008. (This presentation used examples collected from an observa-

tional study conducted during activities supported by the Duke Endow-

ment for the Hispanic Health Initiative.)

Kelechi, T., Bonham, P. Measuring venous insufficiency objectively

in the clinical setting. Journal of Vascular Nursing. 2008, 26, 67-73.

Lynne Nemeth had a manuscript accepted for publication that will

be available in 2009. The citation is: Nietert PJ, Jenkins RG, Nemeth

LS, Ornstein SM (in press). An Application of a Modified Constrained

Randomization Process to a Practice-Based Cluster Randomized Trial

to Improve Colorectal Cancer Screening. Contemporary Clinical Trials.

.

new faculty orientation ScheduleMEET THE OFFICE OF RESEARCH & CCHP

Monday, November 10 • 4:00 p.m. • Room 211

w Elaine Amella, Associate Dean for Research

w Jeannette Andrews, Director, CCHP

EDUCATION BEST PRACTICES THINk TANk

Thursday, November 20 • 3:00 p.m. • Room 211

w Sally Stroud, Associate Dean for Academics

w Nancy Duffy, Director, Undergraduate Programs

STUDENT ADVISING, REPORTING & CHANGING

GRADES, E-VALUE, FACULTY COURSE SUMMARIES

Monday, November 24 • 4:00 p.m. • Room 211

w Sally Stroud, Associate Dean for Academics

facUlty nEwS

save the datesMonday, noveMber 3 • 12 p.M

Daring, Dames and Demographics: The Early History of Nursing in Charleston

presented by Carole bennett;College of Nursing, room 220

Thursday, noveMber 27Nurses Giving Thanks

Serving breakfast to women and children at crisis Ministry

saTurday, deceMber 6 • 10 a.M.Winter Convocation

Guest speaker: emma Forkner, Director, Department of Health and Human Services;

St. matthew’s Lutheran Church

~ College of Nursing’s 125th Anniversary Events ~

Fuller presented rotary ScholarshipThe Sunset Rotary Club of Hilton Head Island, SC has present-

ed Rachel Fuller, a first semester student in the accelerated

BSN program with a $2,500 scholarship.

Fuller was described by one faculty member as the “ideal

student.” She is a graduate of the College of Charleston with a

Bachelor of Science in Biology where she was part of the Hon-

ors Program.

Prior to enrolling at the College of Nursing, Fuller lived in

Western China and studied Mandarin Chinese. She taught Eng-

lish as a second language, participated in a cultural exchange

program in Uzbekistan, and participated in a variety of mission

trips. Her hope is to use her nursing education with impover-

ished populations.

Charlebois receives CCmSA ScholarshipAshley Charlebois, a first semester acclerated BSN

student, is the recipient of the Charleston County Medical

Society Alliance Scholarship. The award will be presented to her

at their holiday luncheon at the I’On Club on December 4.

Charlebois is graduate of the College of Charleston and

West Ashley High School. She has extensive volunteer experi-

ence at MUHA and Roper-St. Francis Healthcare. Through

family and personal experiences, Ashley developed a deep

respect for the nursing profession and the value it puts on

helping others and making a difference to individuals and

communities.

This scholarship, also known as the Sally Thompson

Seignious Scholarship is given to a native of Charleston County.

One $1,000 scholarship is presented to a College of Nursing

student and another $1,000 scholarship is presented to a

College of Medicine student.

stUdEnt nEwS

Nominate a Colleague for the CoN outstanding Alumnus AwardThe recipient of the Outstanding Alumnus Award for the College

of Nursing exemplifies excellence in nursing practice. The Col-

lege of Nursing has selected outstanding alumni to receive this

award since 1973. The tradition will continue this year with the

presentation of the 2009 award on March 28 during the nursing

alumni weekend. Past honorees include Mary Wilbur, an expert

in oncology; Ann Jonason, Chief Nursing Officer of Colleton

Medical Center; and Anne Hollerbach, Associate Professor in the

College of Nursing.

The College of Nursing Alumni Board needs your input to

help identify alumni who deserve this honor. The Board encour-

ages you to nominate a person for this award whose excellence

in professional practice, community service, academic perfor-

mance, leadership endeavors and other accomplishments merit

special notice. All nominations are due by November 30.

To make a nomination, download the nomination form found at

http://alumni.musc.edu/news/alumnus_award_form.pdf

and send it to Mardi Long at longm@musc.edu or drop it off at

the College of Nursing (room 307).

con graduate, air force colonel Wins award

Col. Roseanne Warner won the 2008

Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award. Warner is

a 1997 graduate of our master’s completion

program for certified nurse practitioners and

who has a distinguished career in the US

Air Force. She is currently the Deputy Group

Commander, 31st Medical Group, Aviano

AB, Italy. Congratulations!

alUMni nEwS

eConnections is published monthly by the mUSC College of Nursing.

Send inquiries, comments and suggestions to:

beth Khan • mUSC College of Nursing • 99 Jonathan Lucas St.,

rm. 208 • mSC 160 • Charleston, SC 29425 • barnette@musc.edu

Warner

College of Nursing MarketplaceGive a gift to your favorite MUSC College of Nursing alumnus from the College’s Marketplace. A variety of gift items such as books, pins, and bookmarks are available for purchase. Proceeds benefit the College of Nursing’s 125th Anniversary Scholarship.

ITEM QUANTITy PrICE PEr ITEM ToTAl

add $5 for shipping/handling per order

ToTAl

NAME

ADDrESS

CITy STATE ZIP CoDE

PHoNE

VISA #

NAME oN CArD

EXPIrATIoN DATE 3-DIGIT SECUrITy CoDE

MAIl orDEr wITH PAyMENT To: Marketing DirectorMUSC College of Nursing, 99 Jonathan Lucas St., MSC 160, Charleston, SC 29425 Questions? Call (843) 792-9690.

Personal checks and Visa accepted.Make checks payable to: MUSC Foundation.

BookThe School of Nursing of the Medical College of South Carolina written by ruth Chamberlin $20 provides a fascinating and fun account of the life and times of the College from 1886 - 1966.

DVDThe MUSC College of Nursing video: Embracing the Past, Envisioning the Future is a video $15 that chronicles the College from its founding in 1883 to current day.

PinA brass, gold-plated recreation of the lovely ironwork found on the front railing of the College. $18

BookmarkA brass, gold-plated recreation of the lovely ironwork found on the front railing of the College. $12

rePlicaA three-dimensional (6.5” x 5”) wooden, painted collectible of the College building by Sheila. $35

HoliDay ornamentA representation of the College in 24k gold flashed brass. ready to hang on a stand or tree. $12

WristBanDSupport nurses everywhere with a NUrSESTroNG wristband. Made of white silicon. $2

Great

Holiday Gift!

order by 12/10/08

for christmas

delivery.

THE SCHOOL OF NURSING

OF THE MEDICAL COLLEGE

OF SOUTH CAROLINA

ITS STORY

BY

RUTH CHAMBERLIN, M.A.

Embracing the Past, Envisioning the FutureA video retrospective on 125 years of

nursing excellence at MUSC College of Nursing

book

dvd

pin

bookmark

replica

holiday ornament

wristband