Lifelines - Fall/Winter 2012

MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA | COLLEGE OF NURSING

Lifelines

OPENING THE GATES OF HEALTH CARE How advanced practice nurses can benefit the country during the health care crisis

Fall | Winter 2012

www.musc.edu/nursing

The Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing seeks

ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR RESEARCH The associate dean for research (ADR) is responsible for developing a visionary strategic plan for research, mentoring and facilitating faculty research, managing a full service-oriented research center, and providing research expertise. The ADR is part of the senior administrative team and directly reports to the dean of the College of Nursing. The position rank is at the associate or full professor.

Qualifications include an earned doctorate in nursing or related health field, significant record of extramural research funding and peer-reviewed publications, demonstrated expertise in mentorship of f aculty, and experience in academic administrative leadership.

THE MUSC COLLEGE OF NURSING ...

• resides within a leading academic health sciences center.

• plays a pivotal role in MUSC’s South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Institute (SCTR).

• ranks 30th in NIH funding among schools of nursing.

• houses the Center for Community Health Partnerships (CCHP) and the Technology Applications Center for Healthful Lifestyles (TACHL).

TO APPLY • Qualified applicants apply to: www.bit.ly/CON-ADR (only electronic applications will be accepted).

Position also can be searched by requisition ID at www.jobs.musc.edu. The requisition ID# is 048648.

• For more information: Teresa Kelechi, PhD, RN, Department Chair

Phone: 843-792-4602 | Email: kelechtj@musc.edu.

MUSC is an equal opportunity employer supporting workplace diversity m/f/v/d.

A publication of the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing

MUSC NURSES CHANGE LIVES

Lifelines Volume X, Issue 2, Fall/Winter 2012

DEAN’S COLUMN

O

pen gates can invite welcoming access. Closed gates often suggest selective exclusion. As such, open gates are the ideal visual image for

this edition of Lifelines that focuses on the role of advanced practice nurses in primary care.

For too long our health care system has been one of “gate-keeping”— allowing access to some and denying access to others. The result is that patients and families in need of care often do not receive it, and when they do they are often more seriously ill. It also

Gail W. Stuart, Dean

limits opportunities for preventive care and

Jo Smith, Editor

the economic outcome is a rising spiral of

Beth Khan, Design & Production Mardi Long, Director of Student & Alumni Affairs Laurie Scott, Director of Development

chronic care self-management. In the end, health care costs for our country.

The solution is to redesign models of health care that fully open all gates to clinical care. In some ways the mounting challenges in health care have both uncovered and highlighted the many existing skills and untapped capacities of nurses. We are the largest, most sustainable health care workforce. We are closest to patients and their families. And we are intimately tied to issues of

PUBLISHED BY

access, efficiency, quality and safety in clinical outcomes.

However in order to fully enact our roles as nurses we must be more effective in “making the case” for our contributions. We need to educate the public and, most importantly, the legislators to allow us to practice to the fullest extent of our education and training. We must be more effective in making our often invisible profession far more visible.

99 Jonathan Lucas Street MSC 160 Charleston, SC 29425-1600 www.musc.edu/nursing

Here at the Medical University of South Carolina we are particularly proud of our advanced practice students. We have over 160 students in our primary care focused Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. We are building the workforce that will populate our state and beyond, bringing personalized, compassionate and competent health care to every neighborhood and

HAVE FEEDBACK? Send comments to: Jo Smith Lifelines Editor MUSC College of Nursing 99 Jonathan Lucas St., MSC 160 Charleston, SC 29425-1600 E-mail: smithjo@musc.edu Phone: (843) 792-3941

community.

But this can only happen if changes are made in our Nurse Practice Act. Curious about the details? Then I invite you to turn the page, open the gate, and pass over the threshold into the world of advanced practice nurses.

Gail W. Stuart, PhD, RN, FAAN POSTMASTER: Send corrections to Lifelines, MUSC College of Nursing, 99 Jonathan Lucas St., MSC 160, Charleston, SC 29425-1600. © Copyright 2012 by the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced without permission from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing.

Dean and Distinguished University Professor

CONTENTS features ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES: OPENING THE GATES TO HEALTH CARE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Examining the issues and raising a call for change.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Read first person accounts on advanced practice nursing.

departments DEAN’S COLUMN . . ............................................................................................................ 1 AROUND THE COLLEGE.. ............................................................................................... 18 FOCUS ON FACULTY......................................................................................................22 STUDENT SPOTLIGHT................................................................................................... 30 ALUMNI CONNECTIONS............................................................................................... 36 GIVING BACK. . ................................................................................................................ 37 LINES OF LIFE................................................................................................................ 40

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Advanced Practice Nurses: Opening the Gates to Health Care

Health care change is moving forward. While there is a difference of opinion about what should be done, it is clear that action is taking place on many fronts, as the American public struggles with issues of quality, safety and access to affordable health care.

In June 2012 the United States Supreme Court ruled to uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that was passed by Congress and signed into law in March 2010. It is intended to provide quality, affordable health care for all Americans. As millions of Americans gain health coverage for the first time, the American Association of Medical Colleges Center for Workforce Studies predicts that there will be a shortage of about 63,000 physicians by 2015, a number that is predicted to more than double to 130,600 by 2025. The obvious question becomes, who is going to provide care for these newly insured individuals?

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) stand ready and able to answer the call and help fill this critical need. Studies have demonstrated that APRNs deliver the same quality of care as that of physicians, however, in many states, including South Carolina, they are not allowed to practice to the fullest extent of their education and training.

The time has come for all health care professionals to work together to develop a system that fully utilizes the knowledge and expertise of each discipline to provide quality health care that is safe, accessible, and affordable.

KEY MESSAGES OF THE INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE 2010 REPORT 1) Nurses should practice to the

full extent of their education and training.

2) Nurses should achieve higher

levels of education and training

system that promotes seamless

through an improved education academic progress.

3) Nurses should be full partners

with physicians and other health

health care in the United States.

care professionals, in redesigning

4) Effective workforce planning

and policy making require better

data collection and an improved information infrastructure.

Even before the ACA was passed, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) identified the inability of advanced practice nurses to consistently practice to their full scope as a major concern. In 2008, they launched a two year initiative to assess and transform the nursing

It further states that “readily available” means the physician

profession. A committee was appointed that was tasked with

must be in near proximity and able to be contacted either in

producing an action-oriented blueprint for the future of nursing

person or by telecommunications or other electronic means

(see box above). In preparing their report, The Future of Nursing:

to provide consultation and advice to the NP, CNM, or CNS

Leading Change, Advancing Health, the committee considered all obstacles nurses face, paying particular attention to the legal barriers in many states that prohibit advance practice registered nurses from practicing to their full education and training. The committee determined that such constraints must be lifted in order for nurses to play a significant role in meeting increasing health care demands and the decreasing pool of qualified providers.

The legal barriers vary widely among states. In South Carolina, the Nurse Practice Act states that a licensed Nurse Practitioner (NP), Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM), or Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) performing delegated medical acts must do so under the general supervision of a licensed physician or dentist who must be readily available for consultation. The Practice Act defines “delegated medical acts” as additional acts delegated by a physician or dentist to the NP, CNM, or CNS and may include formulating a medical diagnosis and initiating, continuing, and modifying therapies, including prescribing drug therapy, under approved written protocols as provided in Section 40-33-34. Both the Board of Nursing and the Board of Medical Examiners must approve the delegated medical acts.

performing delegated medical acts. When application is made

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for more than three NP’s, CNM’s, or CNS’s to practice with one physician, or when an NP, CNM, or CNS is performing delegated medical acts in a practice site greater than 45 miles from the physician, the Board of Nursing and Board of Medical Examiners must review each application to determine if adequate supervision exists.

So what is the real issue here? Currently South Carolina has some of the poorest health outcomes in the nation and yet many areas of the state go without primary care because of restrictions on APRN practice – restrictions that do not exist in many other states. It is as if we are asking our APRNs to practice with one hand tied behind their back. Why educate someone to be a competent primary care clinician, and then limit their ability to practice?

In this publication of Lifelines we will challenge the rhetoric and critically examine APRN practice as it relates to access, quality, safety and the economics of care. This is about your health and your health care. We ask you to decide what is the right thing to do and when is the right time for change.

South C arolina ’s Health Report Card

SOUTH CAROLINA’S HEALTH REPORT CARD South Carolina excels in many ways, but it leaves much to be desired in terms of the health of its residents. The negative health statistics reported on the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s (SCDHEC) web site are staggering. South Carolinians suffer from chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, at rates significantly higher than the national average, and that require a higher utilization of services.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability in South Carolina. According to SCDHEC, heart disease accounted for 57,794 hospitalizations in South Carolina during 2010, with costs totaling more than $2.86 billion. Hypertension contributes to 30 percent of heart disease deaths each year and in South Carolina, one out of every three adults has hypertension.

South Carolina is included in a group of Southeastern states, referred to as the “stroke belt,” that have high stroke death rates.

Health

Overall

In 2007, South Carolina had the fifth highest stroke death rate in the nation. Hospitalization costs of stroke totaled more than $560 million in 2010 for South Carolina.

An estimated 300,000 to 350,000 people in South Carolina are living with diabetes. It is often accompanied by complications, such as blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes, and

Indicato

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Rank

Grade

45

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37

C

34

C

45

F

42

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15

B

46

F

24

B

41

F

47

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38

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39

F

45

nationa

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F

40

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45

G F 1-12 = A rading - If a sta te 13-25=B ’s national ran k 26-38=C ing is: 29-50=F

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Foundatio

amputations. High blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol

n America’ s Health R

ankings 20

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levels also are frequent findings. Medical costs rise with increased duration of the

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disease, and lifespan is shortened by five to 10 years in most patients. In 2006, the total amount for hospital charges related to diabetes in South Carolina was $199.5 million and approximately 3,000 South Carolinians die from diabetes every year.

In 2010, three of every five adults in South Carolina were either overweight or obese. This is alarming especially because overweight and obese persons are at risk

Did You Know?

for many serious health conditions, including but not limited to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. In 2009, it is estimated that $1.2 billion was spent due to obesity in South Carolina, with the projected increase to $5.3 billion in 2018 or about $1,505 per adult in South Carolina. Obesity is impacting individual lives as well as health. For the first time in two centuries, the American Heart Association reports that the current generation of children in America may have shorter life expectancies than their parents.

In 2011, the United Health Foundation documented health rankings of all states based upon a number of indicators. South Carolina’s health rankings are summarized

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have removed barriers and allow APRNs to practice independently.

These states have better health outcomes than South Carolina.

in the Report Card on this page. On fully two-thirds of these health indicators South Carolina did not receive a passing grade. Sadly, one can only conclude that we are failing to meet the health care needs of our citizens.

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WHAT IS AN ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSE? APRNs are registered nurses who have a masters or doctoral degree and are certified for practice by a national examination and credentialing body. Many APRNs assume the role of nurse practitioners (NPs) who provide primary care. They take health histories, provide complete physical examinations, diagnose and treat common acute illnesses, manage chronic conditions, interpret lab results and other diagnostic tests, prescribe medications, and counsel patients and their families about health and illness.

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ACCESS TO CARE According to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ website

One thing that all health professionals

HealthCare.gov, by the end of 2011, 50,000 young adults in South Carolina had

can agree upon is that intervening early in a

gained insurance coverage as a result of the new health care law. An additional

disease process leads to better outcomes for

755,000 South Carolinians with private health insurance gained preventive service

the patient. For instance, complications from

coverage for things such as mammograms, colonoscopies, or free annual wellness

diabetes can be delayed or prevented if the

visits without a co-payment. With the enactment of the ACA it is estimated that

patient follows a prescribed protocol. The

an additional 544,000 people will have health insurance in South Carolina. The

South Carolina Department of Health and

question that looms before us is who will provide care for these large numbers of

Environmental Control’s Burden of Diabetes

individuals?

Report 2009 estimates that the physician-topopulation ratio is as low as two per 1,000 population in 12 of 15 counties that have a high prevalence of diabetes.

If nurse practitioners in South Carolina were allowed to practice independently, they could fan out into these rural counties and provide greater access to care for this population, assisting those with diabetes to learn how to effectively manage their illness and prevent many of the complications associated with the disease. Nurse practitioners can manage the patient’s routine health exams, intervene early in the course of chronic illnesses and make referrals to specialty care as indicated. This can avoid costly emergency room visits and lengthy hospital stays. But for APRNs to care for patients with chronic illnesses, they must have access to them.

Currently APRN practice in the South Carolina Nurse Practice Act is cumbersome to say the least. The APRN must first find a physician within 45 miles of their desired practice location who is willing to provide the mandated supervision. If that physician takes a vacation, attends a national meeting, or is otherwise unavailable, can that APRN see patients in clinic and prescribe medications that day? The answer is no.

What happens when the physician decides to retire, or has a sudden illness and cannot

The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in February 2011 designated all or parts of all 46 counties in South Carolina as medically underserved (see map). The majority of physicians in South Carolina are located in the metropolitan areas of Charleston, Columbia and Greenville, not in the rural areas of the state where those with the highest rates of chronic illnesses reside.

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) reports that compared to other primary care providers, NPs are most likely to practice in rural communities.

AANP further reports that in states with both a favorable regulatory environment and a large percentage of rural residents, NPs are significantly more likely to practice in rural settings. But current South Carolina law prohibits APRNs from doing this autonomously.

MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED AREAS IN SC (AS OF FEB. 2011)

Medically Underserved Not Designated

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Data Source: Federal Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Map Source: Division of Informatics, PHSIS, SC DHEC 02/04/2011 (J.A., S.J.K)

RURAL CARE In states where practice barriers for nurses have been removed, approximately 50 percent of nurse practitioners choose to work in rural areas. And in these states physicians’ incomes have not been decreased or compromised by allowing full scope of practice for nurses.

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practice. Is the APRN one physician heart attack or retirement away from being out of business? If that were to happen, two primary care providers would be lost – both the physician and the APRN. On a national level nurses have already been thinking “out of the box” on ways to provide greater access to care. In 2006, the Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation published the white paper titled, Nurse Practitioner Services in Retail

Locations, in which it advocates for small nurse practitioner run clinics to be made available in both urban and rural settings, such as grocery or pharmacy store chains.

The bricks and mortar are already in place. Every family visits the grocery store or pharmacy on a regular basis. Parking is available and these retail locations are an integral part of the community. This innovative approach could open a world of services to people who otherwise would likely not have access to them.

Currently in South Carolina, Minute Clinics have been established in select CVS Pharmacies and are staffed by nurse practitioners. However, once again because of the restrictions on practice for APRN’s in South Carolina, they are only located in Charleston, Columbia and Greenville – not in the rural areas of the state where they could have the biggest impact.

Did You Know?

According to the SC Nurse Practice Act, Advanced Practice Registered Nurses must practice within 45 miles of a physician. No other state has such a mileage regulation. The effect of this regulation is that nurses who wish to provide primary care in rural settings that do not have physicians close by cannot set up a practice.

So this regulation makes it impossible for APRNs in the state to provide care in rural communities.

QUALITY AND SAFETY OF CARE An article published in the January 2011 issue of The New England Journal of Medi-

National Council of State Boards of Nursing

cine confirms that well-designed research studies have proven repeatedly over four decades that nurse practitioners provide high value care in managing the health of people with chronic disease. It further states that the additional training physicians receive does not translate into measurable differences from that of a nurse practitioner in the quality of basic primary care services. According to the IOM report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, there is no evidence to suggest that care is better in states with more restrictive scope of practice regulations for APRNs. Simply said, APRNs have proven themselves to be effective providers of primary care services. In addition to providing comparable care, patients often report greater satisfaction with the care provided by APRNs because the care includes health information that is tailored to the needs of the individual and encourages adherence to preventive guidelines. In South Carolina specifically, the South Carolina Board of Nursing’s website publishes data on disciplinary actions against APRN’s dating back to 1993. A review of the data shows that less than 0.1 percent of APRNs have received any disciplinary action against them.

On a national level, the recent demand and support for utilizing APRNs in the expansion of primary care providers has resulted in a push to standardize the regulation of APRNs, which will in turn add to the safety and quality of the care they provide. In 2008, the Advanced Practice Nursing Consensus Work Group and the

APRN Committee came together to form the

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APRN Joint Dialogue Group that developed the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation:

Licensure, Accreditation, Certification & Education.

The report provides a model for regulation that ensures: APRN education and certification as a valid and reliable process based on nationally recognized and accepted standards; uniform recommendations for licensing bodies across states; a process and characteristics for recognizing a new APRN role; and a definition of an APRN specialty that allows for the profession to meet future patient and nursing needs. A target date of 2015 has been set for full implementation of the Regulatory Model.

EFFECTIVENESS There are numerous studies that show that in primary care, nurse practitioners have demonstrated an effectiveness equal to that of physicians with high patient satisfaction.

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COST SAVINGS When you think of how APRNs can save health care dollars, two important points come to mind. First, APRN salaries are considerably less than their physician counterparts. Second, the cost to educate an APRN also is far less than a medical school education, and the program takes less time to complete. The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners reports that in 2011 the mean, full-time NP base salary was $91,310, with average full-time NP total income of $98,760. The American Medical Group Association reports that during 2011, the average salary of a family medicine physician was $208,658.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the median total indebtedness of graduates of medical schools in 2011 was $155,000 for public institutions, $180,000 for private institutions, with an average of $162,000 for all schools combined. In South Carolina, the average cost to educate an APRN is $40,700.

In addition to the differences in the cost of education, there are differences in the length of training for primary care APRNs compared to primary care physicians.

Post-bachelor’s degree students spend four years in medical school and an additional three years in residency before they are ready to practice. For nurses, post-bachelor’s degree students can obtain a master’s degree in two years or a clinical doctorate in three years. Furthermore, enrollment and graduation rates of NP programs across

Did You Know?

the country are on the rise, while fewer and fewer medical students are choosing primary care as their specialty.

But salary and educational costs aside, APRNs are a lower cost alternative for providing primary care. This was demonstrated in a study conducted by the RAND Corporation for the state of Massachusetts after they adopted universal coverage legislation. In their analysis, RAND projected that the average cost of an APRN visit is 20 to 35 percent lower than the average cost of a physician visit, which could save the state a projected $4.2 to $8.4 billion for the period 2010 through 2020.

There are more than 155,000 nurse practitioners practicing in the United States with a mean age of 48 years and 12 years of experience

Finally, it has been noted that increased utilization of APRNs will result in major

as an NP.

economic benefits for the country as nearly 100,000 new permanent jobs could be created.

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IF ALL HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS WORKED TO THEIR FULLEST... ...they still would not be able to meet all of the health care needs in this country.

So the obvious question is, why restrict the practice of any clinician who is able to provide much needed quality health care?

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INNOVATIVE NATIONAL MODELS Innovative models in place in

their training. That shift, in

physician shortages by allowing

several states redefine nursing

M I N N E S O TA HealthPartners, a

turn, led to dozens of NP-

experienced APRNs to engage in

roles in primary care to extend

non-profit health

staffed convenient care clinics

solo practice.

access, improve care and

care organization,

opening around the state.

contain costs, according to a

empowers primary

Pennsylvania also began to offer

THE VA

policy brief in the Charting

care nurses to serve their

financial incentives to primary

At Veterans Administration

Nursing’s Future series by

patients. As part of an overall

care practices to implement

hospitals, where the equivalent

the Robert Wood Johnson

collaborative approach, nurse

the widely respected Wagner

of 8,500 full-time nurses are on

Foundation.

practitioners diagnose and

Chronic Care Model, relying

duty, nurses provide continuous,

treat common conditions in

on nurses to provide care

coordinated primary care to

Nebraska, Pennsylvania,

person and via the Internet.

management.

the nation’s veterans, playing

Vermont, Washington, DC,

The approach has helped

The models in Minnesota,

multiple roles as part of

and Veterans Administration

HealthPartners provide a

VERMONT

Patient-Aligned Care Teams

hospitals nationwide emphasize

standard of care that exceeds

Vermont’s Blueprint

(PACT). Each PACT includes a

the care coordination at

state averages as measured by

for Health program

primary care provider (an NP,

which nurses excel, employ

specific quality measures, at a

deploys nurse care

physician or physician assistant),

interprofessional teams

cost 10 percent lower than the

coordinators statewide

a nurse care manager (an RN),

that share responsibility

state average.

in clinics and private practices,

a clinical associate (an LPN

where they collaborate with

or nursing assistant) and a

social workers, behavioral

clerical associate. Each veteran

technology to enhance patient

The reform series,

health counselors and others

has a PACT RN responsible for

communication, track care

“Prescription for

to transform the delivery of

coordinating care over the long

and improve clinical decision-

Pennsylvania,”

primary care. Nurses often serve

term, in person or via telehealth

launched in 2007 in response

as team leaders, and they and

technology. This continuity of

to concerns about the cost and

other members of the teams

care over an extended period

care is paid for and allow

quality of care for patients with

meet with patients to make

of time serves to create strong

nurses, physicians and others

chronic conditions, included

sure they receive the preventive

bonds between nurses, patients

to practice to the full extent of

relief from state restrictions

and coordinated care they

and their families, according to

their knowledge and skills.

on NPs, allowing them to

need. The state also changed its

the VA.

practice to the full extent of

nurse practice act to mitigate

for health outcomes and exploit information

making.

Some also change the way

P E N N S Y LVA N I A

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MUSC IS PART OF THE SOLUTION The MUSC College of Nursing is the largest educator of doctorally prepared primary

and safety in health care, influence patient

care nurse practitioners in South Carolina. Our Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

care outcomes by incorporating evidence

program currently enrolls 166 students, and 75 percent of them are residents of

based practice into every day care, and

South Carolina (see map). All of these graduates are educated as primary care

serve in leadership and executive level

practitioners as either pediatric nurse practitioners, adult/geriatric nurse practitioners

positions in major health care organizations

or family nurse practitioners and could significantly increase access to primary care

to impact change. This degree focuses

services in our state.

on the implementation of evidence from

The purpose of the program is to prepare graduates who will practice nursing

research, and provides the graduate with a

at the highest clinical level. Our DNP program is offered online and addresses the

framework for process improvement that will

most contemporary aspects of expert clinical practice and in-depth knowledge and

allow them to lead initiatives to improve the

experience in leadership, health systems design and evaluation, evidence-based

quality, safety and cost of care in any health

practice, health policy, and applied research. If nurses enter the program with a

care setting. In an era of health care reform,

Bachelor of Science in Nursing, the course of study is three years. If students enter

the DNP graduate will be well prepared to

with a Master of Science in Nursing, the course of study is one year.

both navigate and lead a rapidly changing

According to Robin Bissinger, PhD, APRN, NNP-BC, associate dean for

health care system.�

academics, “The DNP is the degree of choice for those who wish to impact quality

CURRENT MUSC COLLEGE OF NURSING DNP STUDENTS

Did You Know?

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is the terminal clinical degree in nursing. The Doctor of Medicine (MD) is the terminal clinical degree for physicians. Thus the DNP is to nursing what the MD is to medicine.

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ACCOUNTABLE Advanced practice nurses practice under their own license and are fully accountable for the care they provide. Physician assistants, however, do not practice independently and their supervising physicians are responsible for all services they provide.

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THE RIGHT TIME FOR CHANGE South Carolina and the nation are in crisis as we face a critical shortage of primary care providers. Evidence has shown that APRNs are cost-effective providers of high quality primary care, and a large percentage of APRNs choose to practice in medically underserved, rural areas where the number of primary care physicians is practically non-existent. Enrollment in graduate programs in nursing schools is on the rise, while fewer and fewer medical students are choosing primary care.

Numerous national organizations including the prestigious Institute of Medicine are calling for states to lift their barriers and allow APRNs to practice to the full extent of their training and education. Funding is being allocated to increase the capacity to train APRNs to meet the critical primary care provider shortage. The long-term result would be better health for all South Carolinians.

What specifically needs to be done? First and foremost we must ensure that legislative regulations respond to the changes in nursing and remove barriers to practice. These barriers include mile rules, supervision requirements, prescriptive limitations and limitations to privileges that impede the APRNs’ ability to provide care to all people in the state.

Allowing APRNs to practice to the full extent of their education is the right thing to do. And now is the right time for change.

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IN THEIR OWN WORDS ON BARRIERS

Katherine Chike-Harris DNP, PNP, NE The nurse practitioner role has evolved and expanded greatly

I currently work in both a rural and underserved area as

since its inception in the 1960’s, however the profession still

a pediatric NP and have faced barriers to providing quality

has a long way to go before it is fully appreciated. This can be

care to my patients and their families due to these imposed

seen in the rural and underserved populations, where health

limits. One of the most frustrating limitations that I have experi-

care access is limited. With the ever-decreasing number of MDs

enced during my career is the inability to provide 100 percent

choosing primary care as their specialty, NPs are in a perfect

primary care to those patients who are on Class II controlled

position to fulfill this role and increase the access to quality

medicines. As an NP in the state of South Carolina, my license

care, while also decreasing overall health care cost. None-

does not allow me to write for these drugs, and thus results

theless, the restricted scope of practice imposed on NPs can

in fragmented care for those with attention-deficit hyperac-

severely limit their abilities to offer this quality care.

tive disorder (ADHD) in particular. An MD and I work in the

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become one of the best nurse practitioners in the nation. It is because of this that I believe I was named Pediatrician of the Year for Darlington County in 2009, an honor that I will cherish for a lifetime. To my knowledge no other NP in the area has won this award that is designed particularly for medical doctors, specifically pediatricians.

same office but on alternate days and thus, the MD is able to see these children with ADHD. However, parents become frustrated with his limited schedule and when he is out of the office for extended periods because they have to wait until he becomes available before getting new or additional Class II medicines. If my prescriptive authority included Class II drugs, then I would be able to manage the care of these children more fully and appropriately.

Another barrier that I face is when I am referring patients to get procedures or tests. The hospitals will not accept particular referrals directly from me, but rather it has to be in my supervising physician’s name. At times I can push the referral through, but most of the time the MD has to evaluate the chart and then approve the referral.

Parents who are concerned about potential diagnoses can be impatient and will end up going through the emergency department instead of waiting for the MD to approve the referral. This is unnecessary and results in higher health care costs. There are other barriers that I encounter in the rural, underserved area, but the two mentioned above are the most common that I have to overcome. Barriers to the scope of practice for NPs need to be lifted and normalized throughout the nation so that the profession can grow and increase the quality of care provided to their patients.

ON QUALITY

Jacob Coward, PNP After graduating from the MUSC College of Nursing in 2007, I became certified as a pediatric NP and began practicing for CareSouth Carolina with my father, Paul Coward, MD. The first time I knew what a nurse practitioner did was from my father’s pediatric office many years prior. He was one of the first physicians in Hartsville, South Carolina to hire a nurse practitioner, and now there are over 15 in Hartsville alone. Nurse practitioners are very capable of enhancing access to care, as well as providing exceptional health care to their patients. Much research has documented this fact. An individual’s knowledge base and expertise is based on the education they received and how much they put into it. At MUSC, I was educated to

ON WORKFORCE

Harvey L. Galloway, Executive Director, BlueCross and BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation The BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation, an independent licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association, provided a grant to the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing to support the enrollment of an estimated 70 doctorate-prepared nurse practitioners and ultimately to increase the number of primary care nurse practitioners in rural South Carolina.

This is a compelling need given that South Carolina ranks very high nationally in the number of pre-term births and low birth weight babies. In Williamsburg County, over half of the students are overweight or obese, and in Greenville County that number is nearly 60 percent. Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley counties have some of the country’s highest prevalence of heart disease, strokes, obesity, diabetes and infant mortality.

South Carolina ranks 35th nationally in the number of nurse practitioners, and yet we see these nurses as being key to improving access to quality health care, patient education, chronic care needs and care coordination. This is an excellent investment to improving the health of our citizens.

ON TEAMWORK

William M. (Chip) Dixon III, MD, FAAFP Partner at Lovelace Family Medicine, PA Lovelace Family Medicine, PA, a rural family medicine practice in Prosperity, South Carolina, has employed nurse practitioners since 1996. I myself joined the practice in 2001. I have worked with many nurse practitioners both in my 11 years here and during my training. The FNPs at Lovelace Family Medicine are an integral part of our team. We have a very busy practice that would be unmanageable without their hard work. Our nurse practitioners manage the acute and chronic illnesses of complicated patients, perform child health checks, adult physicals, and some office procedures as well as rotating with our doctors for phone triage at night. All of our providers, whether doctors or nurse practitioners, work together to help each other manage FALL | WINTER 2012

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the work load for the day so that no individual is overwhelmed.

With the increasing demands of rural primary care, having help with the work load is a necessity.

Because nurse practitioners come from a different educational background than doctors, they can provide a very different

ON ACCESS

perspective. In health care, having multiple points of view and

Amanda Haltiwanger, FNP

persons with different strengths can only improve the overall

I am a family nurse practitioner in a rural, private family practice

care of the patient. Sometimes having a nursing background

in Prosperity, South Carolina. Our practice is a full scope, rural

allows FNPs to anticipate roadblocks to care, thus helping the

family medicine clinic that provides a complete spectrum of

patient avoid the potential problem. Working together as a

services from pediatrics to geriatrics, obstetrics to obesity coun-

team, our providers all have the opportunity to learn from each

seling and local hospital services to laser hair removal. Prior to

other. The family environment that is created helps us to provide

my arrival in 2008, there were four physicians, one part time

the best possible care for our patients.

nurse practitioner and a large backlog of patients needing appointments. At that point there was a wait of approximately six

ON PREPARATION Paul A. Coward, MD

My son Jacob Coward, PNP completed MUSC’s BSN program in 2005 and pediatric nurse practitioner program in 2007.

He has been working with me since that time and is a great asset to our practice. The education he received at MUSC, and especially in the PICU during his training process prepared him more than adequately to assume the role of provider of children’s health care.

In Hartsville, I was the first pediatrician to see the value of using nurse practitioners in the office setting, hiring my first nurse practitioner in 1987 at a time when it was difficult to find practitioners. I have employed one or two ever since and they have proved invaluable in lightening my load (which at one

months to schedule a physical with a physician and often there were no open slots for acute patient visits. By adding myself and another nurse practitioner, we have greatly reduced the wait times for physicals to where most patients are able to schedule a complete physical exam within one to two weeks and there are usually open slots for acute walk-ins daily. By staffing more nurse practitioners it has freed up the physicians to be able to provide health education counseling classes weekly, more hours for hospital work including admissions, deliveries and colonoscopies and reduce the wait time for scheduling routine visits with the physicians. Overall we have improved our patients’ access to care by staffing more nurse practitioners in our clinic.

ON BUILDING CONSENSUS

time was up to 75 to 80 patients per day) and giving me the

South Carolina Hospital Association

comforting reassurance of a second opinion that is sometimes

Because of the rapidly changing health care environment in

needed. Jacob has done such a wonderful job. I have complete

South Carolina, and the future health care challenges 79 million

confidence in his skills and he has diagnosed some very unusual

baby boomers represent, the members of the South Carolina

and rare conditions. He has also worked for another group on

Hospital Association are very interested in the Future of Nursing

Fridays and has made diagnoses that had been overlooked by

report from the Institute of Medicine. We discussed the report

physicians. I would say he is a very special PNP and someone

at our recent Leadership Summit and asked our members to

whom has made MUSC very proud. Thank you for the educa-

respond to recommendations contained in the report. Because

tion you provided to him.

of the policy implications of many of the recommendations, we will be working through several of our committees to craft our position statements, and then present those to our SCHA Board in November for final approval. We believe the IOM report created a great stimulus for these discussions to occur.

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REFERENCES: • American Academcy of Nurse Practitioners. (2010). Nurse Practitioner Cost Effectiveness. www.aanp.org.

• American Academcy of Nurse Practitioners. Nurse Practitioners in Primary Care. www.aanp.org.

• American Academcy of Nurse Practitioners. (2010). Quality of Nurse Practitioner Practice. www.aanp.org.

• American Academcy of Nurse Practitioners. (2010). Scope of Practice for Nurse Practitioners. www.aanp.org.

• American Academcy of Nurse Practitioners. (2007). Standards for Nurse Practitioner Practice in Retail-based Clinics. www.aanp.org.

• American Medical Group Association. (2011). 2011 Medical Group Compensation and Financial Survey.

• APRN Joint Dialogue Group. (2008). Consensus Model for APRN Regulation: Licensure, Accreditation, Certification, & Education. APRN Joint Dialogue Group.

• CVS Pharmacy. (2012). The medical clinic in CVS/pharmacy. Retrieved 2012, from Minute Clinic: www.minuteclinic.com.

• Fairman, J., Rowe, J., Hassmiller, S., & Shalala, D. (2011). Broadening the Scope of Nursing Practice. New England Journal of Medicine, 364 (3), 193-196.

• Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. (2010). The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative.

Washington D.C.: Institute of Medicine.

• Mann, S. (2011, April). Addressing the physician shortage under Reform. AAMC Reporter - Newsroom. Retrieved 2012, Association of American Medical Colleges: www.aamc.org/newsroom/reporter/ april11/184178/addressing_the_physician_shortage_under_reform.html.

• Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation. (2006). Nurse Practitioner Services in Retail Locations. Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation. Bellevue: Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation.

• Nurse.com News. (2012). Report: Nurses at the center of primary care models. Gannett Company, Nurse.com.

• South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. (2009). State of the Heart: Heart Disease in South Carolina. Office of Chronic Disease Epidemiology and Evaluation.

• South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. (2009). Burden of Diabetes in South Carolina. SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, Columbia.

• South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. (2009). Diabetes in South Carolina. SC Diabetes Prevention and Control Program.

• South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. (2010). Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention: Strengthening the Chain of Survival. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Columbia.

• South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. (2012). Nurse Practice Act. Retrieved 2012, from SC Dept of Labor, Licensing and Regulation: www.llr.state.sc.us/pol/nursing • RAND. (2009). Controlling Health Care Spending in Massachusetts. RAND. Retrieved July 2012, from RAND Health, www.rand.org.

• U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2012). Take health care into your own hands. Retrieved July 2012, from Healthcare.gov: www.healthcare.gov.

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AROUND THE COLLEGE

>> VANA JOINS FORCES WITH FIRST LADY, STARTS RESIDENCY PROGRAM

By Tonya C. Lobbestael, Public Affairs Office, Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center Charleston VAMC’s VA Nursing Academy (VANA) was one of two VANA programs selected to participate in First Lady Michelle Obama’s national launch event for the Joining Forces campaign held in April at the University of Pennsylvania. VANA also received approval from the VA Office of Academic Affiliations for the Post-baccalaureate Nurse Residency Program.

“Our VA Nursing Academy program has grown into one of the best nursing education collaborations in the country,” said Mary Fraggos, associate director of patient care nursing at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, who attended the Joining Forces event on behalf of VANA along with Dean Gail Stuart. “I am so proud of the wonderful work our staff is doing in partnership with the MUSC College of Nursing to train the next generation of nursing professionals.”

First Lady Michelle Obama, joined by Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, announced a commitment from more than 500 nursing schools to enhance the care and treatment of military service members and veterans as part of the one-year anniversary of the President’s Joining Forces initiative to help Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans and their families. With the VA and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing taking the lead, nursing schools across the country DEAN GAIL STUART AND MARY FRAGGOS ATTEND THE JOINING FORCES KICK-OFF EVENT IN PHILADELPHIA have committed to prepare nurses for treating veterans suffering from such injuries as posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and post-combat depression.

The Post-baccalaureate Nurse Residency Program will provide a comprehensive plan of study incorporating didactics and clinical experiences to facilitate the transition of the novice nurse to a competent professional skilled in the care of veterans and their families. Four quartermesters will provide training in general care, acute care, complex care and leadership, and nurse residents will also have opportunities for elective, observational experiences based on their interest. Each resident will be assigned a formal mentor and a preceptor in each clinical area as part of the 12-month program. The first cohort of residents include three Accelerated BSN May graduates: Amanda Green, Ashleigh McCall, and Edwin Triplett.

STUART CO-CHAIRS JOINING FORCES TASK FORCE Dean Gail Stuart, PhD, RN, FAAN, is co-chairing the Joining Forces Veterans Care Tool Kit Task Force. The task force has been charged with developing a document that delineates resources and exemplars to assist faculty with the implementation of curriculum elements that will appropriately address the unique needs of the veterans and their families. The task force is seeking a wide range of opinions and feedback from representatives of the Veterans Administration, the US Military, and professional nursing education in developing its recommendations.

The task force will complete its work by December 2012 for review and potential approval by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Board of Directors in January 2013. Upon approval by the AACN Board, the tool kit will be presented to the membership at their annual meeting in March.

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>> MUSC BESTOWS HONORARY DEGREE ON NURSE PIONEER MUSC paid tribute to Loretta C. Ford, EdD, RN, co-founder of the nurse practitioner movement, by conferring an Honorary Doctor of Science degree upon her for her revolutionary approach to the healing arts at MUSC’s 183rd Commencement ceremonies that were held on May 18, 2012.

Dr. Ford, former dean and professor emerita at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, is an internationally known nursing leader who has devoted her career to practice, education, research, consultation and influencing health services, community health and military nursing.

Dr. Ford received a diploma in nursing from the Middlesex General Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1942, where she was a staff nurse until commissioned an officer in the US Army Air Force in 1943.

Following World War II, Dr. Ford began her studies at the University of Colorado School of Nursing where she earned a BS in 1949 and a master’s degree in 1951.

(L TO R) DR. GAIL STUART, DR. LORETTA FORD AND DR. BARBARA EDLUND

Upon matriculating from graduate school, Dr. Ford joined the Boulder City-County Health Department as nursing director from 1956 to 1958. In

1955, she was appointed assistant professor at the University of Colorado School of Nursing in Denver and became professor in 1965. In 1961 she received her doctorate in education from the University of Colorado.

While practicing in rural Colorado, Dr. Ford realized that nurses with an advanced education, could take on additional responsibilities in the areas of prevention, risk reduction and health promotion in the care of their patients laying the groundwork for the nurse practitioner program. In 1965 she collaborated with Henry Silver, MD, and thus began the nation’s first nurse practitioner program at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Nursing.

Today there are more than 155,000 nurse practitioners working throughout the United States, filling a vital need in the American health care system. According to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, there are six million visits to nurse practitioners each year and nearly half of all NPs work in a family practice setting. Dr. Ford believes the nurse practitioner philosophy is a holistic approach to the health of the patient. Nurse practitioners focus on health, functionality, daily living, and patient communication.

>> INTERNATIONAL STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM In March 2012, the College of Nursing hosted an International Nurse Practitioner Student Exchange Program with the Hogeschool Leiden, Netherlands. This Exchange Program was initiated and organized by Annemarie Sipkes Donato, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, assistant professor at the College of Nursing. “It is important that students from Europe visit us, as we increase our global outreach,” says Ms. Donato.

Three student nurse practitioners and one docent of the masters program of Hogeschool Leiden traveled to MUSC to learn about the role and education of nurse practitioners in the United States. Ms. Donato previously had developed a relationship with the Hogeschool Leiden and travelled to the Netherlands for presentations and international consultations. It was now Hogeschool Leiden’s turn to travel here to learn about the MUSC College of Nursing. The objectives of the visit were to provide clinical experiences for the Dutch students, educate MUSC faculty and students regarding nurse practitioners in the Netherlands, and for the Dutch students to attend lectures in the DNP program. The Dutch nurse practitioner students also gave two presentations while on campus regarding their roles as nurse practitioners in Holland and the Dutch health care system.

After visiting some of Charleston’s shops and plantations the students and docent returned to the Netherlands. Their exchange experience was very successful in meeting all of their visit objectives. The College of Nursing looks forward to continuing this international exchange in the future.

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AROUND THE COLLEGE

>> NATIONAL NURSE LEADERS SHARE THEIR EXPERTISE The College of Nursing continues to offer faculty and students the opportunity to interact with national nursing leaders on a one-on-one basis. Two such leaders visited the campus in July.

During the PhD Residency Week held July 10 -11, the College of Nursing welcomed Marion Broome, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean and distinguished professor at DURING RESIDENCY WEEK, PHD STUDENTS RELAX AT THE HOME OF DEAN STUART

Indiana University School of Nursing. In addition

to presenting to the PhD students, Dr. Broome also consulted with faculty and covered topics including “The Nurse Scientist in Translational Science,” “Top Ten Management Tips in Your Career,” “Scientific Misconduct,” and “Funding Sources, Funding Priorities, and Using Them to Refine Your Dissertation Focus.”

Widely regarded as an expert, scholar, and leader in pediatric nursing research and practice, Dr. Broome has been externally funded by the American Cancer Society, the National Institutes of Health as well as private foundations over the past two decades to conduct research in which she developed and tested interventions designed to assist children to cope with acute and chronic pain. Her recent research has extended into research ethics related to informed consent and assent for children in research, and research misconduct in clinical trials. Her research is published in over 72 papers in 50 DR. MARION BROOME

refereed nursing, medicine, and interdisciplinary journals. She also

has published five books and 13 chapters in books as well as in several consumer publications.

In 1997, Dr. Broome was appointed to a four-year term as a member of the Nursing Science Study Section at the NIH. In June 2004, she was appointed as a charter member of the new Nursing Science Study Section: Children and Families.

Dr. Broome also has served as president of the Society for Pediatric Nurses, and has been on the boards of the Association for the Care of Children’s Health and the Midwest Nursing Research Society. Currently, she is serving as editor-inchief of Nursing Outlook, the official journal of the American Academy of Nursing.

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JANELLE OTHERSEN ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIP SERIES For the second annual Janelle Othersen Visiting Professorship on July 25, the College of Nursing welcomed Vicki D. Lachman, PhD, MBE, APRN, FAAN, a clinical professor in the Division of Graduate Nursing at Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions where she teaches ethics and is the track coordinator for the Innovation and Intra/Entrepreneur Advanced Practice Nursing program.

During her visit, Dr. Lachman presented to the Accelerated BSN students enrolled in the community health course and consulted with faculty at both the

DR. VICKI LACHMAN

undergraduate and graduate levels. Topics included “Innovation and Intra/ Entrepreneurship: Attitude and Skills Necessary for Real Health Care Change,” “Moral Courage: Needed Ingredients for Patient Advocacy,” and “How to Incorporate Ethics Education into the Nursing Curriculum.” She concluded the day by giving a campus-wide presentation titled, “Moral Courage: Antidote to Moral Distress.”

Dr. Lachman has consulted with over 350 health care organizations and given over 2,500 presentations at various organizations and conferences. In 2008, Dr. Lachman was selected to serve on the American Nurses Association Center for Ethics and Human Rights Advisory Board. She also serves on two ethics committees and writes the quarterly Ethics, Policy and Law column in MedSurg Nursing Journal. She has authored over 100 publications and her third book, Ethical

Challenges in Healthcare: Developing Your Moral Compass, was released in June 2009. In 2011, she received the President’s award from the International Society for Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurses for her 15 years of dedicated service as membership chair, and in October, she was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing.

DR. BIEMANN OTHERSEN AND MRS. JANELLE OTHERSEN

>> CON STUDENTS HELP LAUNCH HEALTHLINKS

BY CRYSTA SCHAFF AND ANNA TECKLENBURG, HEALTHLINKS PROGRAM COORDINATORS HealthLinks, a new MUSC program, utilizes student volunteers to connect MUSC patients and their families to non-medical resources in the community in order to improve their overall health and well-being. The pilot for this program began June 4 in the Pediatric Primary Care Clinic where College of Nursing students spent Tuesdays helping connect patients with the resources needed to be healthy.

Health literature continues to demonstrate the acute influence that social determinants have on the biophysical health of an individual.

A person’s location, mobility, and opportunity within a given physical and social environment can directly influence that patient’s ability to prevent, manage, and seek treatment for potential health concerns.

With the help of student volunteers, patients have the opportunity to better navigate services offered in their local communities.

HealthLinks volunteer and College of Nursing student, McRae Hamer, reports, “Nursing theory stresses treating individuals and families with a multifaceted approach rooted in the social, economic, cultural and biological determinants of health. Achieving positive health care outcomes requires more than simple referrals to seek additional services. Implementing a program to assist patients with

(L TO R): CON STUDENTS ALLYSON DODSON AND MCRAE HAMER CONNECT PATIENTS WITH HEALTHY RESOURCES THROUGH HEALTHLINKS

identifying and navigating community resources is a huge step in the right direction.”

By having an avenue to identify available services, patients can leave their health care visit with resources to meet not only their biophysical health, but the economic, social, and safety factors that also influence health. Deborah Williamson, DHA, MSN, RN, associate dean for practice states, “HealthLinks is a great opportunity for students to learn about the non-medical needs that contribute to health disparities and the available community resources to meet these needs. As health professionals we give advice and prescriptions for a medical condition, but we aren’t improving the health of the individual until we address basic needs such as food, housing, and low literacy.”

College of Nursing students who participated in the pilot included Caroline Dawson, Allyson Dodson, McRae Hamer, and Elsie Sabone.

Their participation and input were integral to the shaping of HealthLinks.

The experience counted towards their fulfillment of hours for their clinical segment of the course, Population

CON Building Renovation News

Focused Nursing. The other members of their clinical group were also involved with the shaping of the program and the group’s clinical project focused on the evaluation of HealthLinks and developing recommendations for the future of the program. This fall, HealthLinks opened its applicant pool to include graduate, undergraduate, and law students from

Beginning January 2013, the College of Nursing building will undergo a much needed two year renovation. During this time faculty and staff will be located on the 3rd and 10th floors of Harborview Office Tower (with the exception of Student Services—which will be located at 49 Bee Street).

Although we will not be physically present in our building, our mailing address and phone numbers will remain the same.

local colleges and universities.

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FOCUS ON FACULTY

BISSINGER NAMED ASSOCIATE DEAN

Robin L. Bissinger, PhD, APRN, NNP-BC assumed the role of associate dean for academics on June 1. In this role, Dr. Bissinger provides leadership in managing various facets of the college’s academic nursing programs including faculty and student affairs, program coordination and resource development and allocation. In addition, Dr. Bissinger continues to serve as the director of graduate programs leading the Doctor of Nursing Practice and master’s degree programs. Dr. Bissinger previously functioned as the manager for the neonatal nurse practitioner team at the Children’s Hospital and dedicated her clinical work to support, educate and advance the role of the neonatal nurse practitioner.

College of Nursing Dean Gail Stuart, said she is proud to bring someone of Dr. Bissinger’s leadership and clinical and academic experience to the role.

“Dr. Bissinger is an excellent addition to my leadership team as she brings exceptionally strong skills in clinical practice, national nursing leadership and expertise in quality care and patient safety. I anticipate continued academic growth and outstanding outcomes in the days to come.”

First appointed to the College of Nursing faculty in 1994, Dr. Bissinger is board certified by the National Certification Corporation as a neonatal nurse practitioner. She also is founder and past chair of the National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners, past president of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses, past president and executive director of the Carolina’s Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners and liaison to the perinatal executive board for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Currently, Dr. Bissinger is president of the National Certification Corporation and vice-chair of the Congress on Nursing Practice and Economics. She is an active member of the National Alliance and LACE groups, which are moving the advanced practice registered nurse toward a consensus model.

Dr. Bissinger earned a Bachelor of Arts in biology and psychology from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Western Carolina University, and her master’s and doctoral degrees in nursing from the MUSC College of Nursing. She was presented with the Distinguished Leadership in Neonatal Nursing Award and the South Carolina League of Nursing Excellence Award.

The author of numerous publications, Dr. Bissinger’s clinical and research interests involve the study of secondary surfactant dysfunction and deficiency in neonates. She is active in the South Carolina Neonatal Medical Consortium and has worked to help the state initiate and publish process improvement efforts on “The Golden Hour: A resuscitation strategy for very low birth weight infants.”

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STUART’S 10TH EDITION PUBLISHED

>>

>>

Since its initial publication in 1979, generations of nurses have been educated using Dean Gail Stuart’s award-winning textbook,

Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing. More than 30 years later, publisher Mosby Elsevier released the 10th edition in summer 2012. Previous editions were honored with four Book of the Year Awards from the American Journal of Nursing, and the text has also been translated into six languages.

This 10th edition continues to be the true leader and standard-bearer in the field as it takes content to a new level, reflecting contemporary aspects of health care.

Specifically, this edition includes new content on motivational interviewing, traumatic brain injury, substance use screening and brief interventions (SBIRT), lateral violence in nursing, health care reform including integrated physical and mental health care, virtual mental health care, patient-centered health care homes, and care management and collaborative care models. In addition, there are new chapters on Policy and Advocacy in Mental Health Care and The Military and Their Families, and in response to the important work of the Institute of Medicine, there are Quality and Safety boxes included in each clinical chapter. Finally, this text, in conjunction with the Evolve website, presents an innovative and complete educational package that includes videos and podcasts and goes well beyond the pages of the textbook.

>> ANDREWS RECEIVES INAUGURAL RESEARCH AWARD Jeannette Andrews, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN, associate dean for research and director of the Center for Community Health Partnerships, received the inaugural Peggy Schachte Research Mentor Award that was presented during Faculty Convocation in August 2012. The award was established to recognize individuals at MUSC who have excelled in mentoring faculty in obtaining research support from private and public organizations or government agencies.

Dr. Andrews has served as a mentor to not only the junior research faculty in the College of Nursing, but to junior research faculty across disciplines and colleges at MUSC. Dr. Renatta Leite, DDS, MS, assistant professor in the College of Dental Medicine, shared, “I first met Dr. Andrews and became familiar with her work through the Community Engaged Scholars Program (CES-P). Her passion to promote the development of scholarship goes beyond the MUSC College of Nursing community. Following the completion of the CES-P, she agreed to take me, a faculty member from the College of Dental Medicine, under her guidance. Her outstanding level of personal involvement fosters a desire to ‘follow in her footsteps;’ a desire to ‘pay it forward’ and become a mentor to someone else.”

College of Nursing faculty Gayenell Magwood, PhD, RN and Susan Newman, PhD, RN, CRRN, echo those sentiments. “A highly productive and successful research scientist herself, she is eager to guide others through what can be a very daunting process and environment. I am delighted to report, among many other benchmarks for success, Dr. Andrews selflessly encouraged and supported me through my K01 submission, which earned an “Exceptional” NIH score. Notably, the reviewers described my Primary Mentor (Dr. Andrews) as ‘impressive and with a strong commitment to the candidate’s success’ and I fully concur,” says Dr. Magwood.

Dr. Newman relates, “My first mentoring relationship with Dr. Andrews evolved around the development of my NIH K23 Career Development award application shortly after completing my PhD and joining the College of Nursing faculty as a Junior Researcher.

She was an integral part in the development of this successful application that was funded on the first submission. Dr. Andrews’ leadership as a mentor in her role as associate dean for research has been the primary contributing factor to the rapid growth in the College of Nursing’s ranking in National Institute of Health funded research and we are now ranked 30th among all US colleges of nursing.”

>> SPRUILL SELECTED FOR ETHICS AWARD The Robert J. Rutland Institute of Ethics at Clemson University selected Ida J. Spruill, PhD, RN, LISW, FAAN, assistant professor, as the first recipient of the “Bringing Ethics into Focus” Award. Presented during the Institute’s 10th Anniversary Gala on April 10, the award recognizes significant efforts to bring about a more ethical environment in South Carolina. Dr. Spruill was recognized for her accomplishments in health care research resulting in dramatic health improvements in individuals and communities.

“Dr. Spruill’s engagement of African-American communities in communitybased participatory research reveals a deep ethical commitment to treating people with respect and to making access to health care more equitable for underserved populations,” said Dan Wueste, Director of the Rutland Institute. “Her approach to medical research, which emphasizes building trust and achieving buy-in from the study participants, increases the significance of and confidence in the results.”

MUSC President Dr. Raymond Greenberg nominated Dr. Spruill for the award, noting: “The principles underlying her efforts to report to the communities and share the outcomes of the research demonstrated a quality of respect and understanding rarely found in the most sophisticated methodologies.”

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>> JENKINS RECEIVES DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD Carolyn Jenkins, DrPH, RD, LD, APRN-BC-ADM, FAAN was presented with the 2012 MUSC Foundation Distinguished Service Award at the Faculty Convocation on August 21. The award was enacted by the MUSC Board of Trustees to recognize and honor faculty members who, over a substantial portion of their careers, have provided exceptional and sustained service and contributions in teaching, research, health care, or public service to the University and the citizens of South Carolina. Dr. Jenkins has provided this service selflessly at MUSC for over 32 years.

Dr. Jenkins’ career has focused on communities throughout South Carolina and across the Southeast to improve health outcomes related to diabetes and its complications, especially for underserved African American communities, and in creating effective academic community partnerships. Her work has been recognized nationally by the American Diabetes Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Community Campus Partnership for Health and recently as one of four exemplars in population health by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovations. Continuously funded by CDC since 1999, Dr. Jenkins has the longest funded grant that has generated more funding than any other faculty in the history of the College of Nursing ($13 million in federal funding).

Major initiatives lead by Dr. Jenkins are the statewide South Carolina Diabetes Initiative where she served as a founding member of the initiative, the Director of Outreach, Chair of the Board, and Charleston’s Enterprise/MUSC Neighborhood Health Program. All of her efforts have included a three-pronged care delivery, research, and education approach. The emphasis is on a community driven model of care, a model for which Dr. Jenkins has received national attention. The model involves players from the highest levels of state or local government to professionals and students to grass roots community residents.

“Dr. Jenkins has continuously and selflessly given her time and energy to South Carolina communities and beyond to significantly improve health through education, research, and practice and is truly deserving of this high recognition,” says Dean Stuart.

>> SPRUILL RECEIVES DEVELOPING SCHOLAR AWARD In 1985, MUSC established an award to recognize junior faculty who have made outstanding contributions to the research mission of the University and to promote the continued development of these scholars. During the 2012 Fall Faculty Convocation, Ida Spruill, PhD, RN, LISW, FAAN, assistant professor, was chosen to receive the Developing Scholars Award – Clinical Science.

Dr. Spruill’s career as a scholar spans several decades in South Carolina and at MUSC. During the 1990’s, her work as the nurse manager and co-investigator of Project SuGar lead to several discoveries related to

“

diabetes and obesity in the Gullah population. This spring Dr. Spruill received R01-level funding to study ethno-cultural barriers to health literacy among African Americans in South Carolina and the management of chronic disease, one of the few studies nationally to investigate the effect of health beliefs and culture on health literacy.

Since completing her post-doctoral program two years ago, Dr. Spruill already has produced over

We consider Dr. Spruill a star in the university” - Dean Stuart

15 peer-reviewed publications, one book chapter, and well over 25 public and professional presentations.

“We consider Dr. Spruill as a ‘star’ in the university,” says Dean Gail Stuart. “The quality of her work is outstanding, as evidenced by her post-doctoral funding and publications. Receiving an R01 within two years of post-doctoral studies is outstanding. With her strong background in clinical and translational science, her successful track record, the high quality of her work, and her passion for science and social change, she has superb potential to significantly impact the health and quality of life of people with chronic diseases.”

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>> CON RESEARCH FACULTY RAISE THE BAR During the past five years, the MUSC College of Nursing has risen from no National Institutes of Health ranking among Colleges of Nursing in 2007 to 52nd in 2009, to 48th in 2010, and now to the top 30 in 2011. The college also has the second highest level of research funding among all MUSC colleges (behind Medicine). Our research faculty continue to be extremely productive as evidenced by the list of new funding received since January 2012. o Gayenell S. Magwood, PhD, RN received $273,018 in funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH)/National

Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) for a K01 award titled “Personalized Bio-behavioral Weight Loss Intervention for

African American Women.”

o Ida J. Spruill, PhD, RN, LISW received $1,114,211 in funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH)/National

Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) for an R01 titled “Ethno-Cultural Barriers to Health Literacy/Disease

Management in African Americans.”

o Frank A. Treiber, PhD received $392,125 in funding from The Duke Endowment for a Health Care – Advancing

Innovation Grant titled “Smartphone Medication Adherence to Stop Hypertension (SMASH)” to develop a medication

adherence program using smartphones to manage hypertension.

o Frank A. Treiber, PhD and Prabhakar K. Baliga, MD (College of Medicine) received $1,290,625 from the National

Institute of Health (NIH)/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) for an R01 titled

“Enhancing Kidney Donation Through Live Organ Video Educated Donors (LOVED).”

o Pamela H. Williams, JD, PhD, RN received $425,286 in funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research

Institute (PCORI) for a grant titled “A Community Partnership Approach For Advancing Burden Measurement in Rare

Genetic Conditions.”

>> HAPPY TRAILS TO AN ASSOCIATE DEAN On May 21, the College of Nursing hosted a retirement reception honoring the accomplishments of Sally Stroud, EdD, APRN-BC, ANP, associate dean for academics.

Dr. Stroud joined the faculty of the College of Nursing in 1993. During her tenure she served as track coordinator, director of graduate programs, and most recently associate dean for academics. Dr. Stroud will be remembered most for her strong advocacy for students and faculty, but also for her sense of humor, infectious laughter, decadent desserts – particularly the chocolate truffle – and always imaginative Halloween costumes.

For her retirement, Dr. Stroud plans to spend time with husband, Michael, camping, kayaking, and biking, and looks forward to exploring great rivers and trails along the way.

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FOCUS ON FACULTY

>> CON WELCOMES NEW FACULTY CATHERINE DURHAM

has experience in family practice as

Catherine Durham, DNP, APRN, FNP-C joined the faculty on August 15 as an instructor in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program.

Dr. Durham earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Purdue University, her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of South Carolina, and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the Medical University of South Carolina.

An ANCC certified family nurse practitioner, Dr. Durham is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also an active drilling Reservist in the US Navy and holds the present rank of Commander.

She works closely with the Department of the Navy Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (DON SAPRO) assessing sexual assault in the Reserve community and drills with a busy hospital unit in Greenville, South Carolina.

Dr. Durham has experience in both family and occupational medicine. Her interests include primary care, chronic disease management, and work injury

well as hospital medicine. Her interests include chronic disease management, sepsis, and hospital medicine.

She is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners,

degrees from the Medical University of South Carolina. An American Academy of Nurse Practitioners certified family nurse practitioner, Dr. Fowler 26

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Dr. Pearson earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Southern College, a Master of Science in Nursing

Association and currently serves as the

from Vanderbilt

annual conference co-chair.

University, a postmaster’s acute care nurse practitioner

JOY LAUERER Joy Lauerer, MSN, PMHCNS, BC joined the faculty on August 1 as an instructor in the undergraduate and graduate programs. Ms. Lauerer earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Toledo and her Master of Nursing from Wayne State University. She is currently completing a Doctor of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama.

Ms. Lauerer is a child and adolescent psychiatric mental health clinical nurse specialist. She has maintained a private practice treating preschoolers to

interests include adolescent self-care

master’s and Doctor of Nursing Practice

Nursing Practice program.

Grand Strand Advanced Practice Nurse

TERRI FOWLER

Dr. Fowler earned her bachelor’s,

an associate professor in the Doctor of

Dr. Fowler is an active member of the

for the past 10 years. Her research

the Doctor of Nursing Practice program.

FNP joined the faculty on July 16 as

and the Society of Hospital Medicine.

young adults with mental health issues

the faculty on July 1 as an instructor in

Tamera Pearson, PhD, APRN, ACNP,

American College of Nurse Practitioners,

prevention.

Terri Fowler, DNP, APRN, FNP-C joined

TAMERA PEARSON

and teaching children and adolescents strategies to promote and protect health over a lifetime. She has received numerous awards for her work in the community with vulnerable populations, and is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, and the American Holistic Nurses Association.

certificate from the University of South Carolina, a post-master’s family nurse practitioner certificate from Tennessee State University, and a PhD from the University of South Carolina. Dr. Pearson is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties.

Dr. Pearson comes to MUSC with many years of experience in clinical practice and nursing education.

Her clinical experience as a nurse practitioner includes practice in a variety of acute and primary care settings.

Her research interests focus on women and cardiovascular disease and she has completed several studies aimed at identification and prevention of cardiovascular disease in women in rural areas.

JENNIFER SHEARER Jennifer Shearer, PhD, RN, CNE joined the faculty on July 1 as an assistant professor and coordinator of the undergraduate community health nursing course.

Dr. Shearer received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University

of South Carolina, a master’s and PhD in Nursing from MUSC. She also holds certification in nursing education

>> FACULTY PROMOTIONS

through the National League for

Congratulations to two faculty

Nursing.

who were promoted in rank

Dr. Shearer has taught

effective July 1. Teresa Kelechi,

undergraduate courses in community/

PhD, GCNS-BC, CWCN, FAAN,

public health nursing and health

department chair, was promoted

education for health promotion undergraduates. She has also

to professor while Susan KELECHI

NEWMAN

developed curricula and taught

Newman, PhD, RN, CRRN, was promoted to associate professor.

graduate online nursing courses in theory, research, and faith integration in practice. Her practice background includes public health nursing, case management with vulnerable

>> FAREWELL TO McDOUGALL

populations, home health nursing,

On August 20, the College of Nursing hosted a retirement

nursing home administration, as well

reception honoring the accomplishments of Carol

as acute care with adults and children.

McDougall, MSN, RN. Ms. McDougall first came to the

Professional affiliations include Sigma

Medical University of South Carolina in 1992 and joined

Theta Tau International, National

the faculty of the College of Nursing in 1999 where she

League for Nursing, Association of

served for a number of years as the director for continuing

Community Health Nurse Educators and

nursing education and as an instructor. Ms. McDougall

Baptist Nursing Fellowship.

plans to do some consulting and teaching at a local technical college.

>> BENNETT JOURNEYS TO RWANDA Carole Bennett, PhD, APRN, PMHCNS-BC boarded a plane on August 20 bound for Rwanda, Africa where she will work for two years. Dr. Bennett is participating in a program that was initiated by former President Bill Clinton that is aimed at training the next generation of medical practitioners in Rwanda - the first program of its kind in the world. The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) is working with the government of Rwanda on pioneering a seven-year program, Human Resources for Health (HRH), which aims to build health education infrastructure and a health workforce to strengthen the health care system in Rwanda. Today, Rwanda’s health system consists of 633 doctors and 6,970 nurses for a population of more than 10 million people. The HRH program has convened an academic consortium of 13 topranked US schools that will provide 100 faculty members to be based in Rwanda to improve the quality and quantity of Rwandan health educators, doctors, nurses, and health managers. After the seven-year program, Rwanda will be able to sustain a high quality health care system and health education infrastructure without need of foreign assistance.

Dr. Bennett will be teaching psychiatric nursing in the Kigali Health Institute, the country’s only baccalaureate program, and she will be providing clinical mentoring to the nurses at the Ndera hospital, the country’s only psychiatric hospital. During her first few weeks in Rwanda, Dr. Bennett helped villagers carry rocks from a quarry below the village to lay a foundation for a school.

The current school only goes through the 6th grade, but the new foundation will allow the school to expand to the ninth grade.

After the work was done, Dr. Bennett joined the villagers as they celebrated with signing and dancing.

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FOCUS ON FACULTY

>> USING HER MUSE: DEAN BRINGS ARTISTIC TOUCH TO NURSING LEADERSHIP STYLE

BY DAWN BRAZELL, MUSC PUBLIC RELATIONS | REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION. THE CATALYST, MARCH 15, 2012

H

anging in Gail Stuart’s office is an elegant art piece of

has allowed her to develop good working relationships and

an Asian woman. She laughingly calls it her muse, and

gain momentum to effect change. “I’m someone who likes to

it brings back fond memories of an overseas trip she took.

grow and develop things. I like to see the possibilities. I think

More than that it embodies visually her goals of instilling

MUSC is uniquely positioned to grow in amazing ways.”

compassion and self-efficacy in the students and faculty who traverse the halls of MUSC’s College of Nursing where she has served as dean for the past decade.

“I love seeing minds blossom,” she said of the journey

“

she witnesses of the students, staff and faculty in the college.

“It’s very much a visual thing where you see the flower opening up, particularly in nursing. You see people come in here and they just bloom. They take in information. They

If you have a healthy organizational climate and a respectful culture, you can truly do great things.”

have insights they never had before. They have new ways of reaching out to people.”

Dean Stuart, PhD, RN, FAAN, has seen many positive changes. The college boasts a 94 percent graduation rate

JERSEY GIRL

for 2011-12 and a 99 percent pass rate on the registered

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Stuart lived in a fourth-floor

nurse licensing examination in 2011. It has doubled student

apartment with no elevator. “I don’t think I ever saw a riding

enrollment and gone from having no National Institutes of

lawn mower. I was a real city girl. I went to Greenwich

Health ranking for research to being ranked 30th in the

Village on weekends. I was very much brought up in the

country. It also has added to its online nursing programs.

New York City environment.”

Though all are welcomed changes, they are not what

Not many fields were open to women as she was

stand out to Stuart. “I’m proudest of the emotional climate in

considering college. “I have a confession. I type with two

this college. That’s probably not what you’d expect a dean

fingers because when I was growing up you only took

to say. I’m proudest of the fact that in the MUSC Excellence

typing if you wanted to be a secretary. I knew I wanted a

survey, 97 to 100 percent of the faculty and the staff said

college degree, so I went to Georgetown University, which

they made the right choice in coming to work at the College

was a fabulous experience.”

of Nursing. If you have a healthy organizational climate and a respectful culture, you can truly do great things.”

Many times organizations do good things, but they

Nursing turned out to be the perfect match for her. She loved the holistic view and ability to interact with patients.

After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing

foster a competitive, cutthroat climate that is not healthy.

from Georgetown University, she went on to get her master’s

“Ultimately, that’s not going to win the day. We are a team.

in psychiatric nursing from the University of Maryland and

The more stars that shine, the greater the light that’s given

her doctorate in behavioral sciences from Johns Hopkins

out. It’s not about individuals. It’s about all of us growing to

University, School of Hygiene and Public Health.

be the best that we can be.”

Her relational style of management that blends the art

Stuart said she realized she was drawn to psychiatric nursing while working in the emergency room at George

and science of nursing is one factor that has made Stuart

Washington University Hospital. “What I noticed is that

stand out in her role as dean. She was recognized as part

every time someone came in with an overdose or suicide

of the MUSC’s National Women’s History Month program

attempt of any kind, the staff always used to triage those to

in March celebrating “Women’s Education – Women’s

me. I started thinking maybe there was a reason why they

Empowerment.”

don’t want to do it, and I liked working with those patients.”

Stuart has had many offers during her career to move on to other institutions. She has stayed because her continuity

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- Dean Stuart

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Stuart would go on to make major contributions to psychiatric mental health nursing. She has just published the

10th edition of her textbook, Principles

Pragmatic to the core, Stuart

and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing, which has been honored with four Book of the Year Awards from the American Journal of Nursing and has been translated into six languages.

“What I most enjoy about writing the book is the sense of generativity it allows me. There’s a sense of giving back. It’s a legacy as many people have been touched by the content.

It’s more than just numbers and facts.

It really tries to humanize the mental health and substance use field through the use of stories from patients, families and practicing nurses. I think people really relate to that and it facilitates learning.”

exudes resiliency. “You have to adapt and change as your situation changes.

This shouldn’t be frightening. It should be an exciting challenge. I tell my faculty there is no failure here in the College of Nursing. If we try something that we all thought was a good idea and it doesn’t work out, we are smarter than we were the day before. It’s like making a ‘rule-out’ diagnosis. I think that’s how women have to feel.

I think oftentimes women feel more constrained and held back and less able to take risks.”

She also believes in being proactive. Stuart said “I really don’t like whining at all. I don’t like worrying about things you can’t change. I don’t

RISK TAKER

find that productive. There are plenty

Although she has a growing family

of things to worry about that you can

with her married daughter, married son

change — concentrate on those. I tend

and two grandchildren who live in Charleston, Stuart said

to be optimistic and persevering. If I believe in something, I

she has much she wants to accomplish before retiring. She’s

pursue it. If you close the front door, I’m very likely to go to

particularly excited about the renovation of the college that

the back door and see if that’s open.”

will be starting in the new year.

She also believes that there’s still work that needs to be

The college is on a very positive trajectory, and she wants to continue to see an increase in students and in the

done to mentor women in leadership roles. “Women have

research agenda. Her goal is for the college to be one

not yet won the day. There still are challenges. There are a

of the best schools in the country — in the top tier of its

lot of subtle and unexpressed biases. I don’t think women

peer group. More importantly, she wants its graduates to

have been totally unleashed as far as the potential that they

have mastered the two traits that she believes are essential

can really bring into the workplace and the workforce.”

to success: compassion and self-efficacy. With those two

Her advice to women is to ignore some of the negative images that can surround working women and find creative

qualities, they can handle any situation.

“Sometimes I see the work of our students and I think

ways to balance family and career work. There’s an art in

‘you make me so happy for the future of nursing.’ I know

learning to be true to oneself, she said.

that’s the kind of nurse I want at the bedside, in the

“Don’t second-guess your own beliefs and feelings

community and in the boardroom. It gives you a sense of

and let the outside voices override your own voice.

longevity and a sense of hope in the future. I understand that

And experiment: experiment with careers, experiment

times are tough and sure there are huge challenges ahead,

with childcare arrangements, experiment with unfolding

but I am proud that here in the college, we are graduating

adventures. Sometimes certain things work at one point in

dedicated women and men whom I would want to be my

time and then they don’t work at another. When a window

nurse.”

of opportunity opens, go for it. Take the risk.”

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

>> SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS GREEN AWARDED GIS SCHOLARSHIP Cameo Green, the top honor graduate (May

cum laude from East Carolina University

communications. In December 2011,

with a major in Chemistry, then went

she traveled to Uganda for a medical

on to earn a Master of Business

mission trip. Since graduating from

2012) of the Master of Science in Nursing degree program, has been awarded a Graduate Incentive

GREEN

Scholarship through the Office of Diversity and state of South Carolina. This $10,000 scholarship is awarded to a student who agrees to work in the state of South Carolina for a specified number of years upon graduation. Ms. Green began the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program this fall.

Currently, Ms. Green is the assistant nurse manager at Palmetto Health Baptist Hospital Progressive Care Unit. She is a member of the American Nurses Association and American Association of Critical Care Nurses. She has been recognized with awards and honors such as the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale Certificate, Palmetto Health Leadership 200 Graduate Award, and Palmetto Health Leadership 100 Graduate Award.

After completing her MSN (nurse educator track) in May, Ms. Green shares that she “is excited about entering the DNP program and expanding her knowledge and skills to enhance the overall health of her community.” She is particularly interested in making a difference in her home community of

YEE

Administration, also

the College of Nursing, Ms. Carraher

from East Carolina

has started her nursing career in the

University. She is

Antepartum/GYN

fluent in French and

Services unit at the

intermediately fluent

MUSC Medical

in Mandarin and

Center.

Cantonese Chinese.

Ms. Thomas also

Having many career

is a stellar student

options, Ms. Yee was drawn to health

THOMAS

and completed an

care, and since November, she has

undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech

been working as an emergency room

with a major in Biology. She is currently

technician at the MUSC Level One

a Master Teacher at the MUSC Wellness

Trauma ED, Comprehensive Stroke

Center, instructing swimming classes to

Center and Accredited Chest Pain

persons of all ages and assisting with

Center. The MUSC Medical Center

childcare and campers. In addition, she

Scholarship recipient has a two year

has been selected for the prestigious

work commitment to the hospital

Presidential Scholars Program and has

following graduation.

been active with volunteer programs

PROVOST’S SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED TO CARRAHER AND THOMAS Lisa Carraher, an Accelerated BSN graduate (May 2012) and incoming DNP student, and Marie

through MUSC Gives Back such as the Ronald McDonald House, Relay for Life, the 2012 Cooper River Bridge Run, and Habitat for Humanity.

ANONYMOUS FUND OF COASTAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SC SUPPORTS TWO DNP STUDENTS

Thomas, Accelerated

Anne Porcher

BSN Class of May

CARRAHER 2013 have been selected to receive

Chalmers Goforth

the Provost’s Scholarship. Annually, the

have been selected

Provost’s Office provides each college

to receive the

two $3,000 scholarships to recognize

Anonymous Fund

outstanding students.

Ms. Carraher demonstrated

and Tishana Gary

PORCHER

of the Coastal Community

excellence throughout her undergraduate

Foundation of South Carolina

of South Carolina.

degree program. She graduated

Scholarship for the 2012-2013

magna cum laude and was invited for

academic year. This $30,000

MUSC MEDICAL CENTER SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED TO YEE

membership in Sigma Theta Tau, the

scholarship, in honor of Dr. Kay Chitty,

International Nursing Honor Society.

a former member of the College of

She participated in the Simulated

Nursing Dean’s Advisory Board, is

Interprofessional Rounding Experiences

awarded to two doctoral students with

(SIRE Project) and received TeamSTEPPS

a serious intent to practice as a provider

training focusing on interprofessional

of reproductive health services to women

Hopkins-Hanover, an impoverished area

Incoming Accelerated BSN student, Libby Yee, has been selected to receive the MUSC Medical Center Scholarship for $30,000. Ms. Yee graduated summa 30

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Population-Focused

academic program. There were 39

Nursing course. The

applicants for the scholarships.

recipient receives a

Ms. Goforth is a graduate of the

$1,900 scholarship

Accelerated Bachelor of Science

and is recognized at

in Nursing degree program and is

Convocation.

currently a student in the post-BSN–

FRASER-KHAN

Deborah Williamson DHA, MSN, RN, who

DNP degree program. A stellar student, Ms. Goforth has been a registered

nominated Ms. Fraser-Khan shares,

nurse working in labor and delivery at

“Ms. Fraser-Khan has the soul of a

Trident Medical Center until recently.

public health nurse. She understands

Her family relocated to Colorado

that healing is more than technical

and she accepted a position with the

skills. One of the most remarkable

Reproductive Medicine and Fertility

characteristics about Ms. Fraser-Khan is

Center in Colorado Springs.

her frame of reference that we are all

Ms. Gary is a post-MSN–DNP

one people. This approach allows her

student who began her coursework

to look at community health broadly

in fall 2012. Ms. Gary earned a

and seek solutions that improve the

Bachelor of Science in Nursing and

health and well-being of populations.”

Master of Science in Nursing from

Ms. Fraser-Khan’s engagement

Clemson University. She is a family

with meeting community health needs

nurse practitioner for New Horizon

was expressed in her coursework and

Family Health Services, Inc. where she

in activities she organized outside

works with a diverse population at a

the course. She participated in multi-

government subsidized health center.

agency community health fairs to serve

She also is an assistant professor

the migrant population. As president

for Greenville Technical College’s

of the Student Nurses Association,

Associate Degree in Nursing program.

she and several of her classmates

Ms. Gary shares, “As a family nurse

organized a service project to provide

practitioner, I have been trained to

dinner to the migrants and their families

conduct gynecological examinations

during one of the health fairs at the

through the Best Chance Network.

camp.

Through this network, women who

>>

following the completion of their

Dr. Williamson concluded, “Aminah

meet the criteria are given free breast

will be the nurse who exudes caring

examinations, cervical cancer screens,

and understanding to her patients. She

and mammograms. It has been such a

will promote quality health care for all

rewarding part of my professional and

persons.”

RWJ NEW CAREERS IN NURSING AWARDS CON $150,000

The College of Nursing received a $150,000 award from the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJF) New Careers in Nursing (NCIN) program to allocate to 15 students enrolled in the Accelerated BSN degree program during the 2012-2013 academic year. Eight students received a one-time award of $10,000 during the fall 2012 semester and another seven students will be awarded during the spring 2013 semester. All recipients must have an earned baccalaureate degree in another area. Fall 2012 recipients are: Meghan Behlmer, Crystal Bell, Courtney Benjamin, Desmond Capers, Kara Edmond, Adam Miller, Grace MoranHanna and Shanice Strobart.

The RWJF NCIN scholarship program is a national program of RWJF and the American Association of College of Nursing (AACN). The prestigious program is designed to help alleviate the national nursing shortage, increase the diversity of nursing professionals, expand capacity in baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs, and enhance the pipeline of potential nurse faculty.

According to Nancy Duffy, DNP, RN, CEN, CNE, program coordinator, “I believe our continued funding of this important project is due to the success of our participants and the positive effect it has had on increasing the diversity of the students enrolled in the BSN program.”

personal life.”

FRASER-KHAN SELECTED FOR RUTH JACQUI SKUDLAREK AWARD Aminah Fraser-Khan, Class of December 2012, has been selected to receive the Ruth Jaqui Skudlarek Award. This award is presented to a student upon completion of the

FALL 2012 ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON NEW CAREERS IN NURSING SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS. PICTURED LEFT TO RIGHT: KARA EDMUND, CRYSTAL BELL, SHANICE STROBHART, GRACE MORAN-HANNA, DESMOND CAPERS, COURTNEY BENJAMIN, ADAM MILLER, AND MEGHAN BEHLMER FALL | WINTER 2012

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

>> MAKING A DIFFERENCE: CULTIVATING A HEALTHIER COMMUNITY COMMUNITY GARDEN FOR HOMELESS WOMEN VETERANS One of the clinical groups in the third semester PopulationFocused Nursing course has been gardening with Crisis Ministries, a local non-profit agency, which provides basic human needs of food, shelter, and hope to the hungry and homeless. VANA faculty member Stacy Gaillard led the clinical group that included Dawn Alston, Anne K. Norris, Catherine Reeves, Brett Mills, Katie McDowell, Erin Robey, Lindsey Logan, Jessica Carney, Erica Rutledge, and Meagan Noble.

The project implemented a community garden for the homeless women veterans of Crisis Ministries.

The goal of the project was to promote mental and physical well-being in homeless women veterans to enhance overall health and quality of life through the establishment of a community garden. Some of the group’s actions included establishing partnerships with MUSC Gives Back, United Way, Low Country Food Bank, Charleston Master Gardeners and Clemson Extension, Ambrose Farms, Ohio LYFT church group, and Lowe’s. On July 12, students and the Ohio LYFT church group expanded and groomed the existing garden and developed a rain collection system as a water source.

An educational brochure and a seasonal planting guide poster were presented to the women on July 26 during a cooking demonstration where the women learned how to prepare a healthy vegetable stir-fry, the prices of common fruits and vegetables in comparison to fast food, and the physical and mental health benefits of gardening and a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Gardening items donated from Lowe’s such as a hoe, gloves, shovels, clippers, and additional hand tools were also presented to the women.

The hope is that the women will expand on the education 32

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and materials received during the semester, and in conjunction with partnerships, sustain the garden and incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their diet. “Seven to ten years from now, we hope our impact will positively affect women veteran’s long term health status, including both mental and physical health,” said student participant Catherine Reeves.

THE URBAN FARM Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree student Jake Schubert has been involved in the development of the MUSC Urban Farm. The mission of the MUSC Urban Farm is to build a healthier community by growing crops and social connections while educating and inspiring people with local, nutritious, and delicious food.

The MUSC Farm will host educational programs throughout the growing season demonstrating accessible, preventative approaches that can improve diet and impact health.

Mr. Schubert shares that he grew up with a garden in his backyard. He has always had an affinity for the outdoors and has a particular interest in honeybees. He hosted an educational session about honeybees at the Urban Farm so “people could get up close and personal with the bees.”

Mr. Schubert, Class of May 2013, currently serves as the College of Nursing Student Government Association President and the college representative to the MUSC Student Government Association. Prior to his enrollment in the College of Nursing, Mr. Schubert received a Bachelor of Science in landscape architecture from The Ohio State University. “The similarities of the professions are interesting,” shares Mr. Schubert. “In design, everything is about evidence-based design – purpose and continuity. In nursing, everything is about evidence-based practice – doing something with meaning or purpose, not just because it has always been done that way.” When Mr. Schubert walks around the MUSC campus, he sees how it can become more beautiful and has created some drawings for utilization and beautification which he hopes may be actualized in the future.

RELAY FOR LIFE CON TEAM RAISES $6K, AWARENESS

STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN SURFERS HEALING CAMP

>>

>>

“When I was 13, the last thing on my mind was cancer. When

Alex Herlocker, Class of May 2013, an avid surfer,

severe abdominal pain led to the discovery of a carcinoid tumor

mentioned the Surfers Healing Day Camp, and his fellow

in my colon, the news I had cancer hit me hard. It is hard to

College of Nursing students thought being part of this event

explain the feeling when you are told you have cancer. I was

might be a good way to end their “summer vacation.”

confused and scared, but knew I could beat it,” shares Morgan Hudgins, Accelerated BSN student, Class of May 2013. Since

On August 22, the fifth annual Surfers Healing Day Camp, conducted by founder

then Ms. Hudgins has participated

Izzy Paskowitz and some of

in a Relay for Life event annually,

the most well-known surfers

inspiring others to join her in the

in the world, was held on the

fight. While a student at Clemson

beach in front of The Tides

University she served as the chair

hotel on Folly Beach. The Folly

of the local chapter of Colleges

Beach camp was the last on a

Against Cancer Committee.

summer tour of the East Coast.

In the spring of 2012, Ms.

(L TO R): STUDENTS KELLY BROTHERS AND LAUREN NASSR PARTICIPATED IN THE RELAY IN SUPORT OF THEIR FRIEND, MORGAN HUDGINS

Local organizers said

ALEX HERLOCKER SURFS WITH CAMPER

Hudgins organized a College

families of 200 children with

of Nursing student team that

autism signed up, twice as many as previous years. “It was

raised $6,172. There were 500

an awesome experience to work with the children. Mem-

participants from various colleges

bers of the Student Nurses Association provided gluten-free

in the Charleston area at the 12-

snacks for the children and provided educational materi-

hour, overnight event (because

als for the parents. We received a great deal of positive

cancer never sleeps). The College of Nursing was second in

feedback, but watching the children learn to surf and enjoy

overall fundraising and also placed third in the Relay Olympics.

themselves was the best part of the day.”

WOMEN’S CLUB RECOGNIZES CON STUDENTS

PhD STUDENT RE-ELECTED TO DELAWARE HOUSE

>>

>>

The Medical University Women’s Club has recognized three

PhD student Rebecca Walker (2010 Cohort) ran unopposed

College of Nursing students with scholarships for the fall

to retain her seat in the Delaware House of Representatives.

2012 semester. McRae Hamer, Class of December 2012,

Ms. Walker previously earned an Associate of Science in

Jake Schubert and Nadia Hall, both Class of May 2013,

Nursing from Delaware Technical and Community College,

were selected for the scholarships based on their academic

a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Wilmington College,

achievement, community service, financial need, and letter of

a Master of Science in Nursing from Wesley College and a

support from a faculty member.

Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

Each student has demonstrated leadership as a student

In addition to being a doctoral student, Ms. Walker is

in the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree

a nurse educator at Wesley College where she lectures on

program. Each student has also completed a college degree

clinical practice, health policy and nursing legal issues, and

in another area prior to enrolling in the College of Nursing

at Immaculata University, where she lectures on nursing law

and has brought a unique perspective to the College of

and policy. She is an experienced attorney who focused

Nursing learning environment. Scholarship awards are

on health care litigation when practicing. She maintains

generated through the proceeds of the Women’s Club’s various

a nursing practice in the Christiana Hospital Emergency

fundraisers. Scholarship recipients are recognized at the

Department, where she cares for trauma patients, works on

Fall Membership Coffee at the home of President and Mrs.

the transport team, and cares for victims of abuse.

Greenberg.

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GRADUATION & CONVOCATION ~ SPRING 2012

Dr. Benjamin Carson (pictured below with Dean Stuart), acclaimed neurosurgeon and director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, gave the commencement address. He is the first and only physician to successfully separate twins conjoined at the back of the head.

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FALL | WINTER 2012

Graduation is one of life’s most important and memorable milestones. The MUSC College of Nursing congratulates our graduates for a job well done. This year a brief shower failed to dampen spirits as degrees were conferred on more than 765 members of MUSC’s Class of 2012 on May 18 inside the McAlister Field House on The Citadel campus.

This year, the College of Nursing conferred 87 students:

> 56 Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees

> 4 Master of Science in Nursing degrees

> 23 Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees

> 4 Doctor of Philosphy in Nursing degrees

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ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

>> CLASS NOTES 1958

2003

Peggy Hazelton Alexander, Eunice

Veronica Scott Fulton graduated from

Driggers Fuller, Susan Brodie Sanders,

North Myrtle Beach for “Shag Week.

They are all looking forward to their 55th reunion in 2013.

the University of Miami in December 2011 with a Doctorate in Nursing Practice. Her previous education includes a BSN from MUSC, a Bachelor of Arts in sociology, and a master’s in public health, both from the University of South Carolina.

1986

Tanya F. Lott was elected as the North

Sharon Kay Harper is a retired,

America Region 7 coordinator for Sigma Theta Tau International. Her role covers all of the Honor Society of Nursing’s chapters in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, and Puerto Rico.

Sylvia Moore Freidner, Frances Jordan Hancock, Amelia Burke Alderman and Betty Dimery Atkinson all traveled to

Navy LCDR Nurse Corps Officer.

During her career, she attended the University of Maryland at Baltimore and completed her MS in Nursing Administration with an emphasis in peri-operative. Sharon served onboard the USNS Comfort (1,000 bed, Navy hospital ship) for 10 months during Desert Shield/Storm as the director of the general surgery service in the operating room. Sharon was recently selected as the clinical nurse leader for the new MUSC Physicians Specialty Care East in Mount Pleasant, SC.

HAVE SOME NEWS TO SHARE? Keeping up with your classmates can be difficult, so let us help you share your news by publishing it in Lifelines. Send us an update– whether it be a new job, promotion, accomplishment, award or even a new family member–and we’ll include it in our next issue.

Send news and photos (include your name and class year) to: Jo Smith, Lifelines Editor MUSC College of Nursing 99 Jonathan Lucas St. MSC 160 Charleston, SC 29425 or send an email to smithjo@musc.edu.

Bethany Hall Long ran unopposed to

retain her seat in the Delaware State Senate, a post she has held since 2008.

She previously served in the Delaware House of Representatives from 2002 to 2008.

1991 Karen Kelly Newsome is currently

enrolled in University of Cincinnati’s psychiatric nurse practitioner program.

1997, 2009 Cathy Landis, MN, RN, Outstanding

Alumnus Award (2009) recipient, has been named chief nursing officer at East Cooper Medical Center in Mount Pleasant, SC. 36

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PASSAGES

1988 Elizabeth Bryan, 1942

1950 Joyce McCroskey,1952 Pattie Ilderton,

Angelyn McGill Ladue, 1957 Patricia Kay (Jackson) Carroll,

1975

FORMER CON DEAN PASSES AWAY Faith Jefferson Hohloch passed away May 12, 2012.

In 1979, she assumed the position of Associate Dean of the College of Nursing and then Interim Dean from 1984 to 1986. She transferred to the MUSC College of Medicine where she worked in geriatrics from 1986 to 1991.

GIVING BACK

>>

INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE – A NEW SCHOLARSHIP FUND

The MUSC College of Nursing is pleased to announce that we have received an anonymous donation, given in honor of Kay K. Chitty, EdD, RN to fund partial scholarships for graduate students (MSN, DNP, PhD) from under-represented populations who have demonstrated financial need and a serious interest in and intent to practice as a provider of reproductive health services to women. These scholarships have been made possible through an anonymous Donor-Advised Fund at Coastal Community Foundation. The Foundation’s Regional Vice President Edie Blakeslee stated, “We are pleased to provide this gift in honor of Dr. Chitty. Having served on our board for many years we know first hand Kay is an inspiration and valuable resource.”

A long time friend of MUSC and the College of Nursing, Dr. Chitty has been quite instrumental in our success. She has served as a member of the MUSC Foundation Board of Directors and as the Chair of the College of Nursing’s Dean’s Advisory Board bringing her considerable insight and expertise to help the boards and the university move progressively forward to improve the lives of the state’s citizens.

Dr. Chitty is viewed as a leader and visionary in the nursing community and brings an informed and compassionate voice to the health care forum. She distinguished herself as a health care pioneer by establishing the first independent nursing practice in North Carolina in 1978. A prolific writer, Dr. Chitty has published over 100 articles and chapters for professional journals and authored the best selling nursing textbook, Professional Nursing: Concepts

“

and Challenges, which is used as a primary reference for nursing students across the country. She has held faculty appointments at the University of South Carolina, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Tennessee Chattanooga (UTC) where she retired as dean of the School of Nursing. Upon her retirement, Chattanooga’s Memorial Hospital established the Kay K. Chitty Professorship in Nursing at UTC to honor her service as chairperson of both that hospital’s board and the board of Women’s East Pavilion, a Memorial subsidiary. In 2010 MUSC awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Science degree, and the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University presented her - Edie Blakeslee, Coastal Community Foundation with the Distinguished Nursing Achievement Award.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Dr. Chitty has served in leadership roles on the boards of a number of not-for-profit agencies. While in Tennessee she led task forces and fund-raising campaigns that established both the Chattanooga Area Safe Space, a shelter for battered women, and the Rape Crisis Center.

After retiring from UTC, she returned to her native South Carolina and now resides in Mount Pleasant. Retirement for Dr. Chitty, however, has been as full and rewarding as her professional career. She has worked with several outstanding organizations, including the Coastal Community Foundation, Crisis Ministries, Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina, and Women Making A Difference.

It is, therefore, not surprising that a nursing scholarship has been established in her honor and the College of Nursing is grateful for all that Dr. Chitty has done, and continues to do, for both the profession and the university. Clearly, the generosity and support of individuals as this anonymous donor is essential to our success. Gifts such as these will benefit the lives of many nurses and the patients for whom they will provide care. If you would like to honor a friend or loved one by establishing a nursing scholarship in their honor, or make a donation to any one of our existing scholarships, please contact Laurie Scott, director of development for the College of Nursing, by calling (843) 792-8421 or email to scotlk@musc.edu.

Having served on our board for many years, we know first hand that Kay is an inspiration and valuable resource.”

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GIVING BACK

>> NURSING HONOR ROLL Many thanks to the alumni, parents, friends, students, faculty, and staff whose gifts have generated much needed funds for some of the College of Nursing’s most critical needs: scholarships and financial aid, building renovation, new technology, and much, much more. Your contributions go right to work to make a difference in the lives of our students and future nurse leaders. The College of Nursing would like to thank everyone listed below for their generous gifts given between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012.

{ $25,000+ }

{ $500 - $999 }

Mr. David R. Clare The Duke Endowment Helene Fuld Health Trust Robert Wood Johnson Foundation LS3P Associates, Ltd. Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, Inc.

{ $10,000 - $24,999 } American Academy of Nursing

Coordinating Center NBBJ, LP Mr. and Mrs. Eric Peress

{ $1,000 - $9,999 }

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Ms. Jeanne S. Allyn Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Canaday Dr. David R. Garr & Dr. Deborah C. Williamson Mrs. Beryl LaMotte Dr. Stephen A. McLeod-Bryant Ms. Gale S. Messerman The O’Brien Family Foundation, Inc. Dr. & Mrs. Robert M. Sade Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Steinberg Dr. Sally D. Stroud Dr. Gail W. Stuart Mr. & Mrs. David C. Swain, Jr. Mrs. Frances Ann D. Theile Trident United Way Wound Ostomy And Continence Nurses Society Lifelines

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Dr. Elaine J. Amella Dr. Jeannette O. Andrews Mr. & Mrs. William Bosley Mr. & Mrs. Michael A. Bristow Mr. & Mrs. Robert F. Clair, Jr. Mrs. Mary B. Decker Mr. Warren Jenkins & Dr. Carolyn H. Jenkins Mr. A. B. Kelchner Mrs. Betty C. Kelchner Mr. James R. Kelechi & Dr. Teresa J. Kelechi Mr. & Mrs. Wray W. Mattice Mr. & Mrs. Bert E. O’Rear Mr. Michael C. Pace Mr. & Mrs. Stephen D. Schaer Dr. & Mrs. William M. Simpson, Jr. Dr. & Mrs. Broadus F. Sowell Mr. & Mrs. Laurens D. Thomas

{ $250 - $499 }

Mr. & Mrs. George J. Balabushka Mr. & Mrs. Jack J. Brooks Mr. & Mrs. Robert W. Cone, Sr. Mr. & Mrs. Bill Contini Mrs. Beverly Parsons Coons Mrs. Louise C. des Francs Mr. Kevin G. Duffy & Dr. Nancy W. Duffy Mr. & Mrs. Jerry F. Friedner Mr. & Mrs. Maurice E. Halsey Mrs. Yolanda M. Long

Mr. David W. Wozniak & Mrs. Karen S. Lukacs Mrs. Saranel M. Niver Dr. & Mrs. H. Biemann Othersen, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. James W. Rhoton Mr. & Mrs. Milan R. Schuler State Farm Companies Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Johnathan Williams

{ $100 - $249 }

Dr. and Mrs. Stuart T. Adams Ms. Jean E. Alexander Ms. Megan E. Allick-O’Brien Ms. Meaghan E. Askea Mrs. Valerie H. Assey Ms. Winkie Atkinson Mrs. Denise Batchelor Dr. Elizabeth M. Bear Mr. & Mrs. Henry E. Beard, III Mrs. Barbara Beckley Mr. & Mrs. Robert H. Biggs Mr. Andrew D. Bisset Mrs. Cynthia D. Blackmon Mr. & Mrs. Terry A. Blackmon Dr. & Mrs. J. William Blanton, Jr. Dr. & Mrs. Walter M. Bonner, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Carlton R. Bourne Ms. Audrey W. Brown Mrs. Brenda M. Brunner-Jackson Mr. & Mrs. Jack O. Burwell, Jr. Dr. Loretta B. Camarano-Kangas Mrs. Ellen C. Carney Mr. & Mrs. Gilbert E. Caroff Dr. & Mrs. James F. Carter

Ms. Alex S. Caton Mr. & Mrs. Floyd H. Richard Mr. Charles B. Chitty & Dr. Kay K. Chitty Mr. & Mrs. Frank R. Clemmons Ms. Deborah C. Coleman Ms. Ashley N. Comerford Dr. Brian T. Conner Dr. & Mrs. Taylor I. Cook Dr. & Mrs. Eric P. Cote’ Mr. & Mrs. William B. Cox, III Mrs. Faye P. Croft Mrs. Betty D. Crowley Ms. Margaret R. Danko Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Davis Mr. & Mrs. Allen D. Decker Mrs. Margie M. Dick Mrs. Emily DeHay Dixon Dr. & Mrs. Lonnie R. Doles Ms. Tara M. Dorundo Mr. Walton E. Douglas & The Honorable Rosslee G. Douglas Ms. Theressa J. Edwards Ms. Annette D. Evans Ms. Lauriston M. Fogle Mr. & Mrs. William L. Forbes Mr. & Mrs. Wallace J. Wingfield Mr. & Mrs. John E. French, III Mr. & Mrs. Thomas F. Fressilli Dr. & Mrs. Charles L. Garrett, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. George T. Gibbons Mr. Bruce D. Gillen Mr. & Mrs. Robert F. Glenn Dr. & Mrs. Jay D. Gottesman Ms. Miriam C. Grant Dr. & Mrs. Thomas L. Griffin Mrs. Marjorie G. Halford Mr. Norman P. Harberger Dr. & Mrs. Andre Hebra Ms. Joan M. Herbert Mr. & Mrs. Frederick H. Heyse Mr. & Mrs. Glenn D. Hicks

Ms. Sandra J. Higelin Ms. Karen L. Hiott Mr. and Mrs. Sammy O. Hodge Mrs. Brooke E. Holman Mrs. Betty J. Howell Dr. & Mrs. Roy A. Howell, Jr. Ms. Catherine S. Hudak Mr. & Mrs. Richard L. Hunder Mr. & Mrs. David A. Inabinet Mr. & Mrs. Stanley A. Jackson Mrs. Annette L. Kibler Ms. Julie A. Kuntz Mr. & Mrs. Rolando N. Landingin Mr. & Mrs. Norman Lanier Mrs. Laurann Litchfield Mr. Robert L. Magwood, Jr. & Dr. Gayenell S. Magwood Dr. & Mrs. H. R. Mattison Ms. Michelle L. Maybell Dr. & Mrs. David M. McCoy Mr. & Mrs. Gene E. Meyer Dr. Yvonne Michel Dr. & Mrs. David W. Moon Mr. & Mrs. Robert S. Nimmo, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Thomas P. Nolen Mr. & Mrs. Charles A. Oliver Mr. & Mrs. Stephen P. Olsavsky Mr. John L. Page, Jr. & Mrs. Carolyn Page Mr. & Mrs. Alan M. Perano 1st Lt. Alan K. Phillips Mrs. Christel G. Platt Ms. Emily F. Pond Ms. Cynthia Potter Mr. Joseph T. Quince & Mrs. Priscilla M. Quince Mrs. Karen A. Rankine TSGT Dewey R. Rice & Major Violet F. Rice Mr. & Mrs. James E. Richards Mr. & Mrs. Milton F. Roberts Ms. Lori M. Robinson

Ms. Catherine L. Rogers Ms. Jaime A. Schell Ms. Laurie K. Scott Mr. Dwight E. Fulton & Dr. Veronica E. Scott Dr. & Mrs. Mitchell J. Seal Dr. & Mrs. David P. Sealy Ms. Margaret L. Senn Mrs. Renee R. Shaffer Ms. Jamie L. Shaw Mrs. Constance B. Simons Mr. James T. Sires & Mrs. Peggy Sires Mr. & Mrs. Charlie D. Smith, III Mr. & Mrs. David L. Smith Mrs. Sue L. Stramm Mrs. Sylvia R. Sunshine Ms. Nancy F. Tassin Dr. Ben S. Tatum Mrs. Doris R. Tatum Mr. & Mrs. G. Harris Thaxton Dr. & Mrs. Wiley H. Turner Ms. Sharon L. Vendrick Dr. & Mrs. William H. Wells Mr. Louis S. Wetmore & Dr. Julia P. Wetmore Mr. & Mrs. James E. Whipple Dr. & Mrs. Donald L. Wilbur Ms. Jaymas R. Williams Ms. Margaret G. Wilson Mr. & Mrs. Billy M. Lawton Mr. & Mrs. Edwin T. Yarborough Dr. Janet A. York Mr. David J. Zapka & Dr. Jane Zapka

FALLSPRING | WINTER | SUMMER2012 2012

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LINES OF LIFE

For a Nurse Your mind knows the world of illness, The fright that invades a person Arriving in out of the world, Distraught and grieved by illness.

How it can strip a life of its joy, Dim the light of the heart Put shock in the eyes.

You see worlds breaking At the onset of illness: Families at bedsides distraught That their mother’s name has come up In the secret lottery of misfortune That had always chosen someone else.

You watch their helpless love That would exchange places with her.

The veil of skin opened, The search through the body’s night To remove tissue, war-torn with cancer.

Young lives that should be out in the sun Enjoying life with wild hearts, Come in here lamed by accident And the lucky ones who leave, Already old and in captive posture.

The elderly, who should be prepared, But are frightened and unsure.

You understand no one Can learn beforehand An elegant or easy way to die.

In this fragile frontier-place, your kindness Becomes a light that consoles the brokenhearted, Awakens within desperate storms That oasis of serenity that calls The spirit to rise from beneath the weight of pain, To create a new space in the person’s mind Where they gain distance from their suffering And begin to see the invitation To integrate and transform it.

May you embrace the beauty in what you do And how you stand like a secret angel Between the bleak despair of illness And the unquenchable light of spirit That can turn the darkest destiny towards dawn.

May you never doubt the gifts you bring; Rather, learn from these frontiers Wisdom for your own heart.

May you come to inherit The blessings of your kindness And never be without care and love When winter enters your own life.

- John O’Donohue To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings

Make a Gift that Helps One Person Help Many Only one obstacle stood between Tiffany Williams and her doctoral degree: Paying to put herself and her teenage daughter through college at the same time.

Today, thanks to a scholarship, Tiffany holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the MUSC College of Nursing and works as an instructor in the same building where she once studied. She brings to her students 21 years of experience in pediatric nursing and a passion for working with obesity prevention, teen parenting and special-needs patient care.

The MUSC College of Nursing has provided South Carolina with the finest education, research and medical care since 1883. The college relies on scholarships to ensure that it attracts top students like Tiffany.

A Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) provides a fixed income, plus valuable tax savings.

Funding a scholarship with a CGA also helps ensure that the most qualified students, no matter their financial circumstances, attend the College of Nursing.

For more information on supporting students like Tiffany with a charitable gift annuity, please contact Laurie Scott at scotlk@musc.edu or (843) 792-8421.

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID

99 Jonathan Lucas Street MSC 160 Charleston, SC 29425-1600

Charleston, S.C. Permit # 254

Educating and inspiring nurses to become leaders of tomorrow through accelerated BSN, MSN, DNP and PhD programs.

The College of Nursing is on the cutting edge of nursing education, research, and practice. It shines in the use of innovative technologies to enhance learning, including our dynamic online programs of study.

Most importantly, our nursing graduates assume leadership roles throughout the state and beyond and actively shape the health care of tomorrow.

Changing What’s Possible in Nursing Education

www.musc.edu/nursing