spring community newsletter
DESCRIPTION
Update of the College of NursingTRANSCRIPT
ed the new studio classroom on the second floor,
where students engage in faculty facilitated collabo-
rative learning experiences with their fellow stu-
dents.
President Barron serves as the 14th Presi-
dent of the University. To read more about Dr.
Barron and past FSU Presidents please visit —
http://president.fsu.edu/presidents/
On Monday, April 5, 2010, Dr. Eric J.
Barron, FSU President, toured Duxbury Hall to
learn about nursing education, fund-raising
needs, and our student-centered activities and
areas. He met with Dean Plowfield, Associate
Dean Dianne Speake, and faculty program co-
ordinators to learn more about nursing educa-
tion and the issues the College addresses in
light of budget reductions, faculty and nurse
shortages, and health reform issues.
During his visit he toured the student
computer labs, student services office, graduate
student meeting space and the 3rd floor simu-
lation center. While visiting the simulation
center, President Barron had the opportunity
to observe students in action as they cared for
children (manikins) with asthma and stroke
patients and their families (manikins & student
actors). He noted the real-life simulated expe-
rience and the emphasis on patient safety with
nursing education. President Barron also visit-
Senior nursing student
and Florida State Student Nurs-
es‟ Association President, So-
phia Khawly, has been recog-
nized for a wealth of accom-
plishments and ongoing out-
reach activities this spring. Most
recently, Sophia received the
University's 2010 Humanitarian of
the Year award from President
Barron. This prestigious award is
given for tremendous commit-
ment to service.
When nominated, stu-
dents are honored by receiving a
$200 award given to the non-
profit agency of their choice; the
overall University award provides
an additional $1,000 to the non-
profit agency of his or her choice.
Sophia chose to have her award
funds donated to Hope for Haiti’s
Children, a non-profit organization
to give the children in Haiti the
opportunity to attend school for
free. Sophia is also responsible
for founding this organization.
In addition to achieving
this honor, Sophia was named as
one of three 2009 Excellence in
Service Award winners by Flori-
da Campus Compact. To read
more about Sophia‟s recognition,
for her commitment to commu-
nity service, please go to http://
www.fsu.edu/News-
Archive/2010/January/FSU-
student-honored-for-
commitment-to-community-
service.
President Barron Visits Nursing
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
New Programs, New
Students 2
Alumna Pursues
Political Career 3
FSU Day at the
Capitol 3
Hands-On
Learning
3
Creativity in the
Simulation Center
4
Nursing Student Awarded FSU’s Humanitarian of the Year - 2010
THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Nursing M A Y 2 0 1 0 C O M M U N I T Y U P D A T E
President Eric Barron meets and greets junior nursing stu-dents on the steps of Duxbury Hall.
P A G E 2
Accelerated BSN for Second Degree Students
The College of Nursing
has 27 Doctor of Nursing Pro-
gram (DNP) students in its first
class. Beginning August 2009, 11
students enrolled in the Family
Nurse Practitioner specialty
and 16 students enrolled in
the Health Systems Leadership
specialty. The students come
from a wide variety of nursing
career expertise and geo-
graphic locations throughout
Florida.
The program has
satellite locations in Panama
City and Bradenton where
students participate via inter-
active video. This hybrid de-
livery of courses was made
possible through partnerships
with Manatee Memorial Hospi-
tal and the State College of
Florida. A gift from the Man-
atee Memorial Hospital
Partnership for Nursing
Education Fund made it pos-
sible for nine DNP students
in Bradenton to participate.
A collegial arrangement with
the State College of Florida
provided access to a class-
room on the Lakewood
Ranch campus with video-
conferencing technology.
All students across the
three campus sites can in-
teract in real time with fac-
ulty as they pursue advanced
educational degrees.
This spring, the first
class of accelerated BSN degree
students began their studies at
the College of Nursing. Seven-
teen students are enrolled in the
program. These student nurses
have a variety of educational and
career backgrounds that include
religion, microbiology and immu-
nology, therapeutic recreation,
pre-professional healthcare, fam-
ily and child sciences and psy-
chology. These students take
courses at a pace more rapid
than the traditional program and complete their BSN degree in 12 consecutive months. For
more information about FSU‟s Accelerated Nursing Program, please see http://nursing.fsu.edu/
Academics/Accelerated-BSN.
Eight students in the Accelerated BSN degree program were awarded the first Helios
scholarships. The financial support provided by the Helios Education Foundation, Inc, will
allow the recipients to spend more time focused on their studies. The mission of the Helios
Foundation is to enrich the lives of individuals in Arizona and Florida by creating opportu-
nities for success in postsecondary education. For more information about the Helios
Foundation, visit them online at http://www.helios.org/.
T H E F L O R I D A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y C O L L E G E O F N U R S I N G
New Programs, New Students
Community Support Promotes Nursing Education at FSU
Dr. James Whyte IV, Associate Professor, talks with
DNP students Susan Bulecza and Theresa Winton.
Inaugural class of accelerated nursing students at FSU.
Helios Scholarships Awarded
FSU Nurse Alumna Pursues Politically Active Career
P A G E 3 C O M M U N I T Y U P D A T E
Donna Campanella Allocco,
RN, BSN „72, is pursuing a new career
direction in local education policy. She is
running for the District 1 Leon County
School board seat in Florida. Donna has
lived in Tallahassee for 22 years. She
watched her son grow up in the Leon
County School System and understands
the impact of involved parents.
Donna says “she understands
Hands-On Learning about our Hearts - Nursing Outreach at FSU’s 2010 Origins in Science
FSU Day at the Capitol: Handling the “Pressure” of the Legislature
the importance of strong leadership to ensure
that every young person has access to a quali-
ty education.” Her teaching career and par-
enting experiences have allowed her to live
this educational philosophy.
A creative and energetic FSU Nurs-
ing alumna, Donna has served the College for
the past two years as a member of the Alumni
Advisory Board. Donna serves on the nursing
faculty at Tallahassee Community College.
The American Heart Association
defines high blood pressure, or
hypertension, in an adult as a sys-
tolic pressure of 140 mm Hg or
higher and/or a diastolic pressure
of 90 mm Hg or higher. The AHA
guidelines posted at http://
www.americanheart.org/
presenter.jhtml?identifier=4623
are:
Students and faculty provided
blood pressure screenings and
education about hypertension and
stroke during FSU‟s Day at the
Capitol.
Blood Pressure (mm Hg)
Normal Pre-hyperten-
sion
Hyperten-sion
Systolic < 120 120-139 140 or higher
Diastolic < 80 80-89 90 or higher
What better place to learn about our bodies and heart healthy living than at a community science fair for chil-
dren! The 2010 Origins in Science took place on April 10, 2010 with nursing students and faculty teaching
young children about heart health. A pediatric manikin was used to palpate pulses and hear heart sounds.
practice as a Labor and Delivery nurse led to
the creation of an amniotic sac model to fit
and attach inside the birthing manikin, Noelle®.
Noelle® is the high fidelity birthing manikin
used to teach undergraduate students obstet-
ric nursing practice. Students witness the
birthing process, monitor fetal heart tones,
care for a newborn, which may be cyanotic or
in distress, assess Apgar scores, and handle
obstetrical complications. These images
demonstrate the addition of more real-life
birthing with the introduction of “amniotic
fluid” (water) surrounding the infant. More
information about this creative application can
Mrs. Mandy Bamber, RN, MSN,
alumna (BSN „00, MSN „08), and College
of Nursing faculty member, won national
recognition for her creative simulation
work. Mandy serves at the College‟s Sim-
ulation Center Director. Her years of
be found in an article by Nancy Kreger,
titled Five fast fixes: Finally, a good use for
okra? The article can be found in the jour-
nal Clinical Simulation in Nursing (2010) 6,
e67-e70.
Creativity in the Simulation Center Wins National Recognition
The Florida State University College of Nursing P.O. Box 3064310
Vivian M. Duxbury Hall
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4310
Phone: 850-644-3299
Fax: 850-644-7660
URL: http://www.nursing.fsu.edu
Join us on facebook!
www.facebook.com - The Florida State University, College of Nursing
A Note from Dean Lisa Ann Plowfield
Every week I am asked about student admissions into
FSU‟s nursing programs. Our stakeholders want to know how
many students are we accepting, how soon might we expand our
numbers, and what can we do to get more nurses into the
workforce. These are important questions that need to be ad-
dressed, and these are challenging times for the College of Nurs-
ing. Budget reductions have limited our enrollments. The avail-
ability of clinical nursing faculty limit our undergraduate student
numbers. Access to clinical teaching space is difficult to find. I
find that our alumni, friends of the College, and the public are
more versed than ever before in the complexity of our current
nursing shortage and the educational issues involved.
In response to the questions I am asked so often, here
is our status today: with our faculty of 25 nurses, we are able to
teach 200 traditional BSN students, 25 accelerated BSN stu-
dents, 40 MSN students, and 30 DNP students annually. In al-
most all programs, only 50% of those applicants who are quali-
fied gain admission due to our limited clinical and faculty re-
sources. This means that we deny admission to the other 50%
who are highly qualified to be an FSU nursing student.
You can help! With your support we can hire more
faculty, we can build clinical education sites beyond Tallahassee,
and we can provide scholarships for our students. I would be
pleased to talk with you about investing in our future. Please
contact me at [email protected] to discuss these issues.
Your gift today means someone will have a ca-
reer in caring tomorrow.