COMMUNITY PARTNER AWARDS 2020 Basic BSN Community Partner Award: Johnson County Healthcare Center, Buffalo, Wyoming Basic BSN (on-campus BSN program option) faculty at UWFWWSON are pleased to recognize Johnson County Healthcare Center as their 2020 Community Partner. Here’s why— Kimberly Raska-Miller, Pre-Licensure Programs Director, wrote the following glowing nomination: “Mary Litzel, Chief Nursing Officer at Johnson County Healthcare Center (JCHC), is always willing to offer student placements. Even though a small facility, JCHC is usually the first to say ‘yes!’ to student placements, regularly taking two of our capstone students for the semester. Staff are always welcoming, and nurses have an incredible knowledge base to share with our students. The nurses are experts in everything, and students are impressed and amazed by the myriad of patients they see on the Medical/Surgical floor or in the Emergency Room on any given day. The nurses handle each patient adeptly and patiently, explaining thought processes to student nurses—which helps to increase their clinical judgement and critical thinking skills.” Raska-Miller continues her praise for JCHC and its nurses: “Not only do the nurses help educate our students, but they also take the student nurses under their wing by offering housing and engaging students with the 14
community. The Johnson County Healthcare Center placement is much more than a clinical experience for our students: The experience shows our students the importance and need for access to quality healthcare in rural communities, and also shows the power and significance of a commitment to the community. The Fay W Whitney School of Nursing is very fortunate to have such a strong community partner to help in educating and graduating quality nurses.”
BRAND Community Partner Award: Teton County Public Health, Jackson, Wyoming BRAND (accelerated second bachelor’s BSN program option) faculty choose to recognize Teton County Public Health in Jackson, Wyoming as their 2020 Community Partner. Teton County Public Health in Jackson partnered with the BRAND program last spring to introduce students to community health nursing. Students were exposed to the many aspects of community nursing, including immunization and STD clinics, home visits for vulnerable patients, educational programs in the K-12 schools and community events, and disaster management. Students actively participated in providing immunizations, assessing patients and taking histories during clinic visits, attended home safety assessments, and witnessed the motivation
