Higher levels of...
Caring
Caring is the core of nursing. Individuals who choose nursing as a profession are driven by their desire to care for others. In the following stories you will learn how our faculty and students truly are changing lives. Witnessing Miracles
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t’s the little things that matter in a pretty building tucked behind the Charleston Police Department on Bees Ferry Road. Inside this building, patience is a virtue and progress is measured in the smallest of milestones. Children are doing things that many people considered impossible and the pride is overflowing from family and staff, who are helping these miracles take place. Many times the progress is measured in bright smiles or simple motions of one little finger, but to those who can interpret these actions, they are giant steps forward. College of Nursing faculty member, Carrie Cormack, is among the founding board members for Pattison’s Academy that opened in
2006 with the mission to improve the quality of life for children with multiple disabilities by integrating education and rehabilitation. In the beginning, Pattison’s Academy operated a successful four week summer day program. Strong parental and community support led to the creation of Pattison’s Academy for Comprehensive Education (PACE) in 2010. It now offers a year round innovative educational, rehabilitative, and nursing model of care. When the opportunity came for Ms. Cormack to work at Pattison’s Academy as director of nursing services, she never hesitated. “Integrating these two roles of
clinician and instructor has been extremely rewarding,” Ms. Cormack says. For the past several summers, College of Nursing students have visited Pattison’s Academy during summer camp. Until this year, their experience consisted of a one-day hands-on experience. “Introducing nursing students to this amazing population of children with severe and multiple disabilities, in an environment that is healthy and safe, where the children are learning, thriving, making friends, and meeting goals, is extremely important,” Ms. Cormack says. “Most interactions that medical professionals have with this population is in a hospital setting under very different circumstances. Here at Pattison’s Academy, nursing students are able to learn about the children’s abilities, more than their disabilities.” Feedback from students has been extremely positive. Mary Stone, Accelerated BSN student, remarks, “It was eye opening to see how much care and attention is put into each student, and the impact that the school has on their lives and the lives of their families. The outpouring of affection that the educators and therapists have for the students was apparent as soon as I walked into a classroom.”
practice grants A total of $152,409 practice grants were funded in fiscal year 2012-2013. Among those funded were:
$70,000 - Teen Health Advocate Leadership Program $23,416 - PASOs in South Carolina: Promoting Prevention and Bridging the Gaps for the Vulnerable Latino Population $20,000 - Education, Outreach and Advocacy to Reduce Health Disparities 6
Lifelines
Fall | Winter 2013