Caring Notes - UIW School of Nursing Magazine - Fall 2015

Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions

Caring Notes Vol. 3 Issue 2 • Fall 2015

Letter From the Dean Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Friends,

Inside This Issue 2

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Teaching Compassion for Families in Poverty Living the UIW Mission Through Nursing Gaining Insight to Bodies Revealed at the Witte Museum Athletic Training Program Obtains Nearly One Million Dollar Grant

Since I wrote last, the faculty and staff have been actively reaffirming the excellence of our programs and identifying new ways to meet UIW’s quality and access mission.

Nuclear Medicine Science received a full seven year accreditation reaffirmation from the Joint Review Committee on Education Programs in Nuclear Medicine.

Human Performance worked with the Dreeben School of Education to their Texas Education Agency Five Year Review which includes the Kinesiology Teacher Education Track.

The BSN, MSN, DNP, and Post Graduate Certificate Programs had a positive Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education on-site in November; however, a formal accreditation decision is not expected untill June 2016.

On the access side, over 15 students have selected as their major our new Community Health Education degree. An online Public Health minor is in the approval process. The DNP Program added a BSN to DNP Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner concentration. The recently approved Post-MSN Certification Program admitted its first student in the Clinical Nurse specialist track.

The startup phase of the 30 month evaluation study to demonstrate the effectiveness of athletic trainers in the reduction of basic training injuries at Lackland Air Force Base has begun. And, nine new faculty and three staff have joined the IFM SN & HP family since August.

All of this whirlwind of activity confirms the positive traditions and reputation of “our” school.

May the Christmas Season bring you joy.

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Butterfly Run Announcements

Dean, PhD, APHN-BC, RN-BC,ANEF

Caring Notes :: Fall 2015

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Teaching Compassion for Families in Poverty

By Linda Hook, Nursing Instructor Dr. Tilton, nursing assistant professor at UIW, talking to students that participated in the interprofessional poverty simulation offered in September at the Sky Room on the UIW campus.

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ow-income families face

functional pressures at every level of societal interactions. Some UIW students have little or no personal experience of what it is like to be part of a typical low-income family.

This lack of experience may affect their overall professional competency in managing patients and clients from this population. In an effort to increase the students’ awareness about the realities of life faced by low-income families, the UIW faculty members offered an interprofessional poverty simulation event on Sept. 8.

The Missouri Association for Community Action Poverty Simulation Project is a two-hour educational program designed to develop greater understanding of stress, frustration, confusion, exhaustion, and despair experienced by low-income populations. The students assume roles of 26 different families living in poverty. They live out one month using 15-minute simulations for each week. The families must find

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ways to meet the basic necessities of life, i.e., food, shelter, utilities, employment, transportation, health care, child-care, and education.

The simulation is staffed by faculty and community volunteers who portray the resources within the community, i.e., food market, employer, bank, police, social services, pawn-shop, community action agencies, homeless shelter, and school. Each week the family has specific activities that must be met, i.e., pay the mortgage, find work, and secure health care. At the end of the simulation, students, faculty, and community volunteers share insights about the simulation experience.

The students found the exercise to be powerful with many expressing that they did not know the difficulty a person could face trying to gain access to social services and expressed the stress and frustration of knowing your parents did not have the money for school activities. One student assigned to a child role said she felt helpless and wanted to stop trying in school.

Caring Notes :: Fall 2015

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China Mission Continues

By Dr. Irene Gilliland, Nursing Associate Professor

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tudents from the School of

Nursing and the Feik School of Pharmacy participated in a 16 day adventure in China in May and June 2015.

The trip was associated with an elective course in the spring, which prepared the students for travel as they learned about Chinese culture; health care, especially Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM); cuisine; religion; and travel safety.

First Annual SN & HP Tailgate Brings Students and Professors

By DanielleTogether Gunter, Nursing Assistant Professor

The trip included eight cities in different regions of China, with scheduled visits to pharmacies, hospitals and a TCM center where students attended a two hour lecture on the philosophy and science supporting TCM. In addition to health related attractions, students visited silk, jade, and pearl factories and learned how to tell the authentic from the reproduction; learned the health benefits of green tea at a green tea plantation; and made dumplings with a local family in Beijing. They saw the Terra Cotta

This is the seventh time the trip has been offered to the nursing students and the fourth time that nursing and pharmacy have joined together for an interprofessional study abroad elective.

From left to right, Cyndy Voyce, CLC coordinator, Erlinda Rodriguez, NMed clinical coordinator and Norma Green, NMed program director, enjoy their peers, students and families at the picnic by the river.

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la Faye Miller School of Nursing

and Health Professions held their first annual family tailgate on Oct. 3 at the headwaters of the San Antonio River on UIW’s campus. All

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Warriors and biked around the city wall in Xian, admired the scenery on a cruise on the Li River in Guilen, and climbed the Great Wall of China near Beijing.

students, faculty, staff, and their families were invited to participate.

The event was coordinated by Dr. Maureen Rauschhuber, and a small group of faculty from the school. Approximately 200 students and faculty/staff families attended.

Caring Notes :: Fall 2015

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Living the UIW Mission Through Nursing Achieving a Lifelong Dream

By Dr. Sarah Williams, Professor of Nursing

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ahra Garza always wanted to

be a nurse from the time she could remember while living in her native country – Tehran, Iran. She was off to a great start in achieving that goal. She first graduated from Azadegan University with a degree in nursing and worked in a local hospital as an Operating Room nurse. After one year, she was promoted to the director position of the OR unit at a local hospital in Tehran.

Then in 1989, alone and a single parent, she was forced to leave her country in exile due to the Iranian revolutionary government change over. She took asylum in Hamburg, Germany where she lived for over ten years. In 1999, she left Germany for the United States making San Antonio her new home.

It had been over 20 years since she left Iran and had the ability to practice nursing. She never lost her passion for it.

In 2005, she decided to return to school to refresh her skills in nursing.

Her initial application for eligibility for admission in a nursing program in the U.S. higher education system indicated that none of her nursing classes and experience that she received from Iran was

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acceptable; therefore, the reality was that she had to start over again in earning the appropriate credentials needed to practice nursing in the U.S. Zahra was disappointed but her desire to return to nursing overshadowed any doubt. This setback did not stop her. She enrolled in San Antonio College (SAC) and received an associate’s degree in Nursing in 2008. At the same time, she received her U.S. citizenship.

Shortly after graduation from SAC, she was immediately hired as a Telemetry nurse at the Specialty and Transplant Hospital in the Methodist Health System of San Antonio.

After 5 years of working as a RN on the Telemetry floor, she transferred to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) at the main Methodist Hospital and was promoted to assistant nurse manager of the CICU and the Intensive Critical Care Unit (ICCU).

By now, her skills, knowledge and outstanding performance were recognized by the nursing leadership at Methodist. She was offered the opportunity to advance to director of these units, but she needed a bachelor’s degree in nursing to be

considered. Again, Zahra made the decision to return to school, choosing UIW’s RN-BSN degree completion program to help her achieve this goal. She was looking for a faith-based, well established institution with Christian values, and a flexible, cost effective and supportive curriculum that would provide her the quality education she needed for advancement in the nursing profession. She found these at UIW. On Saturday, May 9, 2015, Zahra achieved one more milestone towards achieving that lifelong dream of being a professional nurse. She graduated with her BS in nursing.

Despite the adversities experienced in her life, Zahra continues to persevere in moving towards achieving even higher goals. She plans to continue her education through UIW’s graduate program in the fall.

Her long term plans are to continue to grow in the Methodist Hospital System and one day to become the chief nursing officer.

Zahra is married to Mr. Mario Garza and she is a mother and grandmother who loves to travel with her family.

Caring Notes :: Fall 2015

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Gaining Insight to Bodies Revealed at the Witte Museum

By Norma Green,Nuclear Medicine Program Director

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eeing a dissected organ,

brightly colored arteries or diseased body peaked the curiosity of the nuclear medicine students that attended the Bodies Revealed exhibit at the Witte Museum on Nov. 16, 2015.

The exposition features real human bodies donated for public education, and then preserved, dissected and respectfully and artistically displayed. “It was a different experience looking at real human bodies instead of textbook pictures,” Maram Alqurashi, UIW nuclear medicine student, said.

“At the exhibit we learned about the inner human body and many abnormalities within the body. The exhibit allowed us to explore many systems such as: the skeletal system; the cardiovascular system; the digestive system; the male and female reproductive systems; the muscular system; and the central nervous system,” Christina House,

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Students and Norma Green, senior instructor, at the Bodies Revealed exhibit at the Witte Museum in San Antonio. Front row,

left to right, Delinda Moore, Spencer Ayala, Christopher Franklin Andrea Redona, Stephanie Garza, Maram Alqurashi, Sebastioan Sebastian Ramirez, Srah Flores. Back row, left to right, Norma Green, RoseLee Espericueta, Fatimah Alshayeb, Jonathan Morales, Christina House and Adrianna Ramos.

UIW nuclear medicine student, said. “Anatomy has never been made so realistic to me in such a unique way.”

This exhibit features preserved whole human specimens, individual organs and partial body specimens. It teaches the viewer about the body from the inside out.

“Although I have seen pictures of the inner body in textbooks, I was still so amazed how so many organs are compacted into a little space,” said Delinda Moore, nuclear medicine student at UIW. Students were able to see the contrast of diseased and healthy organs, giving them the opportunity to learn about healthy lifestyle choices. UIW nuclear medicine student, Andrea Redona, thought seeing cancerous organs side by side with healthy organs was an impressive part of the exhibit. “You hear about smoker’s lungs and you know the consequences, but seeing it in person surpasses any imagery I previously had.”

The exhibition enabled the students to see and understand medical conditions friends and family members face in a whole new way by highlighting pressing health concerns such as smoking, cancer, cirrhosis, arthritis hydronephrosis, cholecystitis and fractures.

RosaLee Espericueta, UIW nuclear medicine student believes the exhibit relates to area of study because in imaging they are able to see the anatomy and physiology.

“Just being able to see the organs and systems we image in nuclear medicine was a realization of what we do rather than just looking at them on a computer screen,” Christopher Franklin, nuclear medicine student, said.

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Learning Through Service

By Dr. Christina Hansen, Human Performance Visiting Instructor

UIW student Michael Vasquez is volunteering at the multi-acre-farm of the Food Bank in San Antonio during an initiative of the Dimensions of Wellness course in November.

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tudents in the University of the

Incarnate Word’s (UIW) Dimensions of Wellness (DW) course were able to exemplify UIW’s commitment to service by volunteering together at the San Antonio Food Bank and at the multi-acre-farm during the month of November.

“When I volunteered at the Food Bank, I got to see how I could make a difference in people's lives.

It helped me look at why I do community service from a different perspective, not for the hours, but to give back to those less fortunate than I am. It meant so much to me knowing that I can make a difference simply by taking some time out of my day to give back. It contributed to my intellectual wellness by opening my mind to what is going on not just in the community, but in the world,” Gianni Montero, a biochemistry freshman, said.

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Students from DW were able to learn about growing vegetables as they planted onions and served alongside fellow classmates on the almost 30-acre-farm. “Although the work we did was a little more demanding than sorting cans, it was all the more rewarding. The produce is used in the kitchen to help feed those less fortunate or is sold at local markets. The proceeds go right back into the San Antonio Food Bank operations,” Carlos Flores, DW student, said. “I would definitely recommend those in need of volunteer opportunities to keep the food bank in mind.”

Serving made students more aware of the issue of food insecurity and how they can make a difference. “It was amazing knowing that, for the few hours I was there simply sorting out food, I was able to contribute to feeding families and changing lives,” nursing major, Leena Gonzales, said.

A number of DW classes came together to serve and experience social wellness in action. “As I was putting different items into the boxes, I stopped for a moment and noticed something. What I noticed was remarkable. Everybody was helping each other out. People I have never seen before were bringing different food items to my area and were being so kind. It was great to see so many people there volunteering,” Jason Salinas, a freshman theatre major, said.

This service opportunity was a great tie-in to our class discussion on nutrition. Students thought that working in the Food Bank’s 27-acre farm was a different experience from working in the warehouse, and it maintained students engaged in different methods of serving and utilizing their talents. “A little brow sweat today helped us feed the hungry tomorrow.” Flores said.

Caring Notes :: Fall 2015

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Athletic Training Program Obtains Nearly One Million Dollar Grant

By Dr. Reid Fisher, Assistant Professor of Athletic Training

UIW alumni Art Gonzalez (’14) and Jarod Spraggins (’15), are the two certified trainers that will be working within an Air Force squadron of 1200 trainee airmen at Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas.

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he University of the Incarnate

Word (UIW) along with Lackland Air Force Base (AFB) have been awarded a nearly one million dollar Clinical Research Initiative (CRI) Intramural Research Award to fund a project titled: "Athletic Trainer Integration in U.S. Air Force Basic Training: Reducing Injury and Related Costs.”

The project will take place in a 30month period, and it will be led by UIW Athletic Trainers Dr. Shandra Esparza and Dr. Reid Fisher in partnership with Lackland AFB. “This is an excellent opportunity to develop an avenue for the first military-based residency within the athletic training profession. Our students will have an opportunity to train under talented individuals to gain a unique skill set that will set

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UIW apart as one of the premier centers of education for athletic training in the military,” Shandra Esparza, Athletic Training Program director and co-Primary investigator on the grant, said.

According to Lackland AFB epidemiologist, Dr. Leo Cropper, many of the Air Force recruits that quit or have to restart bootcamp due to musculoskeletal injuries are costing the government upwards of $30,000 dollars per trainee.

The results of the study will be used as proof-of-concept for the newly established Air Force Versatile Injury Prevention and Embedded Reconditioning (VIPER) program which plans to expand the use of athletic trainers throughout military conditioning and injury recognition under their purview. “This is the beginning of a wonderful relationship between UIW and Lackland,” Esparza said.

The project expects to demonstrate the efficacy of applying a sports-medicine model of patient care to Air Force basic training program, thereby reducing the costs associated with musculoskeletal injury and subsequent recycling and attrition.

Activities such as gait analysis and early injury intervention will be the focus in order to reduce stress pathologies from progressing.

Caring Notes :: Fall 2015

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Cadaver Lab Excitement Rehabilitation science majors Cailyn Crossland (’16, pre-occupational therapy) on the left, and Adriana Pruneda-Baber (’17, premedical), on the right, take their knowledge from Functional Anatomy (ATHP 2305) into the cadaver lab to assist Professor Reid Fisher with a case study.

Butterfly Run

By Dr. Christina Hansen, Visiting Professor

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s a Dimensions of Wellness

(DW) instructor, I look for opportunities for students to concretely apply course material and increase self-efficacy in a variety of ways. On Sunday, November 8, a number of DW students participated in the San Antonio Young Women’s Leadership Academy (YWLA) Butterfly Run. The one-mile and 5K race routes traversed the beautiful San Antonio Botanical Gardens.

The race was a great opportunity for students to engage in physical activity, reach physical wellness goals and increase social wellness.

It was the first time that Veronica Alcantar, a DW senior student at UIW, participated in the run. The excitement and the unknown strengthened her physical and emotional endurance to further her running distance. “I challenged

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myself to do something I had never done, and it felt awesome! This is a perfect opportunity for DW students to socialize, challenge themselves, and improve on their self-efficacy as I did,” Alcantar said.

Abigail Mendoza, a previous student of the Young Women’s Leadership Academy and current UIW freshman, said that she felt that it helped her overall and kept a positive attitude that helped her not to stop when she felt like giving up. “Being a past YWLA student, it felt great giving back and I was able to talk to people in the community on what YWLA is and what their missions are for their young ladies,” Mendoza said.

Getting students outside of the classroom allows them the chance to directly apply course concepts and experience the benefits of engaging in healthy activities.

Caring Notes :: Fall 2015

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Announcements

Faculty Accomplishments: Publications

Dr. Shandra Esparza worked on a cooperative project with a School of Physical Therapy faculty member where they embedded a specific cultural competence curriculum within an existing course and had a service learning project after the formal course instruction.

Denton, J. M., Esparza, S. D., Fike, D. S., & Gonzalez, J. (in press, 2015).

Improvements in Cultural Competency through Classroom and Local Cross-Cultural ServiceLearning Activities. Journal of Physical Therapy Education.

As a member of a panel of experts from across the United States, Dr. Esparza worked in teams to develop a White Paper for the National Athletic Training Association on Interprofessional Education in Athletic Training. There has been a poster presentation at the 2014 NATA Annual Convention and Symposium and the White Paper has been condensed into a publication for the Journal of Athletic Training Education, which published in June 2015.

Breitbach, A., Richardson, R., Berry, D., Eberman, L., & Esparza, S. D. (2015). Interprofession Education in Athletic Training. Journal of Athletic Training Education.

Dr. Maritza Rodriguez’s abstract, Health Concerns of Mexican American Adolescents from a Bordertown High School in Arizona, was accepted that has been

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selected for poster presentation at the Ninth Annual Research Week at the University of the Incarnate Word, Feb. 22—26, 2015 Dr, Joanna Soles, submitted the following for publication in the Athletic Training Education Journal: Programmatic Indicators for Board of Certification Success in CAATE Accredited Undergraduate Programs. Soles, E. J. & Matthews, E. (under review). Programmatic indicators for Board of Certification success in CAATE accredited undergraduate programs. Athletic Training Education Journal. This correlational study looks at programmatic indicators correlated with first-time pass rates on the Board of Certification examination in undergraduate athletic training programs.

Dr. Gregory Soukup had an international peer reviewed article published.

Zhang, S. & Soukup, G. J. (2015). Factors that influence the selection and utilization of children's medical insurance.

Cogent Business & Management.

Volume 2, 1: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311 975.2015.1010882 He also had 2 podium presentations of research. One international in Chongqing, China over the summer and the other at UIW. Zhang, S. & Soukup, G. J. (2015). A study of rural Chinese students’

educational expenses, academic performance, and extracurricular activities. 2015 Chinese Economists Society Conference – Chongqing, China, June 13, 2015.

And the other at UIW: Zhang, S. & Soukup, G. J. (2015).

Education conditions in rural China.

Conference of Justice and Peace.

University of the Incarnate Word.

San Antonio, Texas, Oct. 29, 2015.

Dr. Katie Chargualaf, published a concept analysis earlier in 2015 entitled "Situational Transitions and Military Nurses: A Concept Analysis Using the Evolutionary Method." It is currently in press for Nursing Forum journal. Chargualaf, K. (2015).

Situational transitions and military nurses: A concept analysis using the evolutionary method. Nursing Forum. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/nurf.12123 Zhang, S. & Soukup, G. J. (2015).

Education conditions in rural China. Conference of Justice and Peace. University of the Incarnate Word. San Antonio, Texas, Oct. 29, 2015.

Caring Notes :: Fall 2015

Ms. Jennifer Browne, Nursing Instructor A long time San Antonio resident, she has intensive care and nurse informatics experience. She teaches level 1 and level 5 students in the Traditional BSN. Dr. Lisa Colvin, Kinesiology Professor Joins us from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She will primarily teach exercise physiology related courses.

Dr. Joanna Soles, Athletic Training/Rehab Science Assistant Professor Moved here from East Texas Baptist University. Her dissertation was titled Programmatic Indicators for the First-Time Success on the BOC Examination.

Dr. Maritza Rodriguez, Athletic Training/Rehab Science Assistant Professor Her dissertation titled Knowledge of Health Issues

by Mexican American High School Adolescents.

Dr. Kathleen Tilton, Nursing Assistant Professor Moved here from Minnesota and taught at Bethel University in St. Paul.

She teaches first semester (Level 1) students in the Traditional BSN program.

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Dr. Katie Chargulaf, Nursing Instructor Moved from Wichita Falls, Texas.

Her research interests include military nurses and role transitions. She teaches in the Traditional BSN. Dr. Holly DiLeo, Nursing Assistant Professor Came from UTHSCSA and teaches in the family nurse practioner BSN to DNP concentration.

Dr. Dianne Lavin, Nursing Assistant Professor Moved from Corpus Christi, Texas. She is a psychiatric nurse practitioner and a clinical psychologist. Much of her work has been with the active-duty military and with veterans with psychiatric disorders.

Dr. Christina Hansen, Dimensions of Wellness Visiting Instructor As a visiting instructor, she teaches Dimensions of Wellness classes. She has integrated many new service learning activities in these classes.

Ms. Cynthia Voyce, Clinical Learning Center Coordinator Came from Hallmark University, San Antonio. Her specialty is in pediatrics and simulation.

Caring Notes :: Fall 2015

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Nuclear Medicine Accreditation Nuclear Medicine received a full seven years accreditation meeting all standards and no recommendations.

Faculty’s Extra Curricular

Cynthia Richardson and Yvonne Davila debuted in supporting roles in the UIW play Reckless during the second half of November.

Hosted Presentations The Charles Marie Frank Lecture entitled The Registered Nurse in Today’s Practice: Ethics and Law by attorney Cathy White took place Sept. 22, 2015. The presentation offered the participants the opportunity to enhance their knowledge in the areas of law and ethics by examining selected ethical issues and judicial rulings.

Dr. Jean Dols, Nursing Associate Professor, and Kimberly Harris, Director of Health Care Access San Antonio, presented a one hour program entitled: Nursing and the Health Information Exchange on November 18. The program was designed to enhance the registered nurse’s knowledge of HIPPA compliant cloud-based community health information exchange (HIE). By understanding the structure and benefits of Health Information Exchange in the patient care setting, the registered nurse is in a position to more effectively educate the patient and community on the HIE elements.

Hi! I am Cynthia Voyce

I

am a nurse and healthcare educator and have

worked in healthcare for over 30 years. I began my career as a respiratory therapist and found the critical care environment very rewarding. However, the holistic nature of nursing appealed to me so I returned to school as a non-traditional student. Over several years I completed my AS, BS and MS degrees in nursing. I went on to complete a postgraduate certificate in Simulation Education.

Teaching has always been rewarding for me. My first teaching job was at age 15 when I taught swimming lessons as part of my lifeguard

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training. In my early career I volunteered for projects in which I could teach my peers about various topics.

Eventually, I moved into formal teaching on a part time and then full time basis. I have been teaching in healthcare full time since 1994. Witnessing the growth and success in my students, especially the impact that education makes in their lives, keeps me motivated and happy to come to work every day.

My philosophy regarding healthcare education is that learning occurs most effectively through active processes. That's a good thing because I am the Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions Clinical Learning Center Coordinator. My aim is to provide a safe learning environment for our students by developing realistic patient care situations in which they can practice, err, reflect and learn through selfdiscovery. I also believe that healthcare professionals should work as a team, and I will work with our departments to facilitate a culture of collaboration and mutual respect.

Caring Notes :: Fall 2015

A Time of Giving ‌ Patricia Jimenez (left) and Yvonne Davila (right) proudly hold the sign indicating the amount of pounds donated at the School of Nursing and Health Professions. Faculty, students and administrators donated 3,020 lbs of green beans to use in the Jimenez Dinner annual event.

Heaven for Hope

Jimenez Dinner n n in g Begi 20 16 Jan.

The Community Heath Education program has admitted the first cohort of students to start in Jan. 2016.

Managing Editor

Contributing Writers

Patricia Reiss

Yvonne Davila Dr. Danielle Gunter Christina Hansen Dr. Mary Hoke Linda Hook Dr. Reid Fisher

Layout/Design Patricia Reiss

Dr. Michael Moon (Left) participated at the annual Haven for Hope event by helping children build gingerbread houses.

Cynthia Voyce Dr. Sarah Williams Contributing Editors Cynthia Voyce, UIW PR

Contributing Photographers Yvonne Davila, Dr. Reid Fisher, DR. Irene Gilliland, Dr. Danielle Gunter, Christina Hansen, Linda Hook, Cynthia Richardson,

This publication is available in alternate format by request.

To request an alternate format, please contact Patricia Reiss at (210) 829-3161 or at pfreiss@uiwtx.edu

University of the Incarnate Word ÂŽ 4301 Broadway, CPO 300, San Antonio, Texas 78209-3174 (210) 829-6029

http://www.uiw.edu/snhp

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Caring Notes :: Fall 2015