November 18, 2009

In Tommy Thompson's scenario, health reform passes this year

716133328_vrtZL-La.jpg From Erin Lawley of the Nashville Post. . . .

In a lively presentation at Belmont University Monday afternoon, Former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson discussed the potential future of health reform legislation currently before Congress.

Thompson said he expects a bill will be on President Obama’s desk before Christmas. That bill will include a public option, health insurance exchanges, taxes for people who make more than $200,000 per year, taxes on so-called “Cadillac” health plans, and employer credits for wellness and prevention programs.

Click here to read the full article.


November 16, 2009

"We Tremble Not For Him"

Dr. Ruby Dunlap's Uganda Fulbright Blog

Cow Resting 2.jpg What did I expect the most trusted and skilled exorcist in the Mukono area to look like? Perhaps a fierce intensity out of the eyes? Perhaps either wildly careless or flamboyant clothing? In any case, his speech should be full of emotionally charged religious utterances, something befitting regular contact with the world of demons and evil spirits. That world, which few Westerners are likely to take seriously, the world relegated to a tiny minority of secretive devotees in the West, is taken very seriously in Uganda and by the vast majority of Ugandans. When it is taken that seriously by the locals, expatriates do well to attend seriously to it as well. Here is a not unusual bit in another of Uganda’s English newspapers, the 9 November, 2009, issue of The Daily Monitor:

Masaka man accused of witchcraft

Residents of Kijjomanyi Village in Kalungu Sub-county in Masaka District on Friday burnt the house of a 72 year old man and killed his goats, accusing him of bewitching them. The residents accused Mr. Felix Ssali of using spirits to kill 15 people between June and August. The district police chief, Mr. Moses Mwanga, said investigations are ongoing.

Continue reading ""We Tremble Not For Him"" ...


November 12, 2009

OTD Students Participate in CarFit Event

CartFit2009c.jpg Occupational Therapy students and faculty recently conducted their second CarFit event of 2009. CarFit is an educational program that offers older adults the opportunity to check how well their personal vehicles "fit" them. This national program is coordinated between the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).

This year's events were held in Hendersonville at the Hendersonville AAA Club and the Hendersonville First United Methodist Church with older adult drivers being assessed in their personal vehicles. The OTD students were required to become CarFit Technicians through a training conducted by Dr. Ruth Ford, Associate Dean and CarFit Event Coordinator. Dr. Ford has spoken at the Tennessee Occupational Therapy Middle District Association as well as AARP State of Tennessee Annual Leadership Conference on CarFit as part of their Driver Safety Program. The next AARP training is set for November 20th at Henry Horton State Park.

The CarFit program provides information and materials on community-specific resources that could enhance their safety as drivers, and/or increase their mobility in the community. Older drivers are often the safest drivers in that they are more likely to wear their seatbelts, and less likely to speed or drink and drive. However, older drivers are more likely to be killed or seriously injured when a crash does occur due to the greater fragility of their aging bodies.

Continue reading "OTD Students Participate in CarFit Event" ...


Where in the World is Mike Voight?

PT Professor Mike Voight serves in a variety of consulting roles for businesses and organizations which provides opportunity for him to travel the world and meet fascinating people. Where has he been lately? The answer - Madrid, Spain.

Voight in Spain6a.jpg Dr. Voight was one of two keynote speakers at XI Jornadas Nacionales y Internacional de Fisioterapia held in Madrid, Spain recently. The event was held in conjunction with the Spanish Olympic Committee and hosted at their National headquarters. The topic of his presentation was Current Concepts in Hip Pathology. In addition, Dr. Voight was also a guest of the Spanish Soccer Federation and the Real Madrid Football club and spent time in their facilities.

Continue reading "Where in the World is Mike Voight?" ...


Chirico presents to local caregiver group

Chirico small.jpg Dr. Mark Chirico, faculty member in the School of Pharmacy, recently presented to the Older Adult Caregivers’ Support Group at the First Presbyterian Church in Nashville. The title of his presentation was “Medication Safety in Older Adults: An Issue of Poison Control”. The audience consisted of church members and caregivers who were seeking advice on how to safely manage medications for older adults.


School of Nursing Hosts Simulation Conference

Sim Conference 2009.jpg Nearly 150 educators and hospital administrators from Tennessee and various other states attended the second annual Tennessee Nursing Simulation Conference at Belmont University last weekend. The conference was presented by Belmont’s School of Nursing and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee through a grant from the Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future – a collaborative initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Northwest Health Foundation.

The conference theme was Education and Practice: Working Together to Improve Patient Outcomes and included over 40 sessions which covered all aspects of medical simulation. The conference was designed to provide a comprehensive overview of simulation technology and resources and to build communication networks for educators in Tennessee. Conference faculty included nationally renowned experts on simulation technology in healthcare education and training from such institutions as Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt Medical Center, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital, Fort Sanders Regional Hospital, Austin Peay State University, Maury Regional Medical Center, Union University, University of Kentucky School of Nursing, Tennessee Center for Nursing and Belmont University.

Belmont’s Gordon E. Inman Center and Healthcare Simulation Center provided excellent facilities for the conference, with comfortable meeting rooms and state-of-the-art laboratories and simulation mannequins. The Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences and Nursing is a Laerdal Center of Educational Excellence for simulation, one of only 12 such centers designated in the United States. Also featured were demonstrations by several companies, including Laerdal, METI, Elsevier, Pocket Nurse, and Kyoto Kagaku, all which specialize in the latest simulation equipment and accessories.


November 06, 2009

4 of The 14 Best Jobs in America

Money magazine recently published a list of The 50 Best Jobs in America which bodes well for graduates of the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing. Four of the top 14 jobs were careers for which our students are preparing. The 4th best job in America was a Nurse Practitioner. At #7 was a Physical Therapist. At #13 was a Pharmacist. And at #14 was an Occupational Therapist. With doctoral programs in Physical Therapy, Pharmacy and Occupational Therapy, and master's programs in Family Nurse Practitioner and Occupational Therapy, Belmont is well positioned to prepare students for some of the best jobs in the 21st century.

In the companion lists to The 50 Best Jobs in America, Physical Therapist was ranked as the 8th best position for job growth with a 27% increase in opportunities expected during the next 10 years for 181,000 total jobs. Physical Therapist was ranked 2nd for low stress with 59.5% of those surveyed saying their job is low stress. Occupational Therapist was ranked 9th for low stress with 50% saying their job is low stress. 97.3% of those nurse practitioners surveyed said their job was secure ranking Nurse Practioner as the 4th best for job security. Physical Therapist also made the job security list at #8 with 96% saying their job is secure. Nurse Practitioner was #7 on the list for future job growth and #6 on the list for job satisfaction. Occupational Therapist came in at #10 for job satisfaction. And finally, Nurse Practioner was ranked as 9th best for those who think their job makes the world a better place.

See more at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2009/.


OT Professor Qualifies as a General Civil Mediator

Yvette-Hachtel.jpg Yvette Hachtel, Professor of Occupational Therapy, has met the requirements of Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 as a General Civil Mediator. For many years Professor Hachtel has volunteered as a mediator for the Victim and Offenders Reconciliation Program (VORP) of Sumner County, now referred to as Sumner Mediation Services. Last fall she was invited to serve on their Board and currently serves as Secretary of the organization.

Rule 31 Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) proceedings are initiated by the court, including case evaluations, mediations, judicial settlement conferences, non-binding arbitrations, summary jury trials, mini-trials, or other similar proceedings. Included are all civil actions except forfeitures of seized property, civil commitments, adoption proceedings, habeas corpus and extraordinary writs, or juvenile delinquency cases.

This achievement provides Professor Hachtel yet another opportunity to use her formal legal education. She holds the following degrees: JD, MEd and OTR/L.


Belmont PT Grad featured in East Tennessee Newspaper Story

sp-cookforsun.jpg Belmont alumna Erin Cook was featured in her hometown newspaper, The Elizabethton Star, for her work in the Sports Residency Program at Physical Therapy Services in Elizabethton, Tenn. Cook, who received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Belmont in 2009, is preparing to take the Certified Sports Physical Therapy Specialty exam. Cook is currently working with with Dr. Danny Smith, a Belmont adjunct professor, and his son Dr. Justin Smith, a 2006 graduate of Belmont's School of Physical Therapy. To read the article, click here.


Nursing student also excels on the soccer field

Jayme Trocino small.jpg Jayme Trocino, a junior nursing student, was featured recently in a story in Nashville's City Paper on balancing her coursework with her position on the Belmont women's soccer team - leading the Lady Bruins to a share of the Atlantic Sun Conference regular-season title this fall. In the article, Trocino is quoted, “Some places they won’t let athletes be in the nursing program because of the time it takes. That’s one of the reasons I’m so thankful to be here. … It can be difficult but my coaches and my teammates have inspired me.”

Click here read the full article.