Mayor David Briley spent Tuesday morning touring Belmont’s McWhorter & Inman Health Science Centers as he visited the Opportunity Now (ON) students who are participating in internships on Belmont’s campus. The 15 students, who represent only a portion of the ON interns across campus, have been assigned to work with Psychology & Health Sciences at Belmont. Continue reading
Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy Dr. Natalie Michaels ran another musical fundraiser at the Hotel Preston this past Monday evening for the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee, performing her own music and songs from Celine Dion to BeBe Rexha, along with Belmont occupational therapy doctoral students Matthew Young, Lauren Schar, Roya Rezadoost and Madeleine Ruff. “Its amazing how much musical talent we have in the Belmont OT Department,” said Michaels, who coordinates this fundraiser twice a year. Other performing musicians included Rick Michaels, Jim Martin, Peter Gallinari and Carrie Leigh Willis.
Belmont University College of Pharmacy third-year students Dominic Paolella, David Luong, Abdul Mohammed, Jonathan Ashton and Aziz Afzali recently undertook the challenge of developing a new and exciting telepharmacy access point for patients on the mend, understanding the importance of patients recovering in their own homes. In recent years, a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that patient recovery is more successful when they transition from dedicated healthcare facilities like hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities into their own homes. But many patients require help to facilitate the change.
Amazon Alexa is a new artificially intelligent platform for accessing information and interacting with objects in the home including lights, music and medical devices. As part of the Introduction to Healthcare Informatics III and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiential (APPE) classes in the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum at Belmont University, each student developed Continue reading
Chair and Associate Professor of Social Work Dr. Sabrina Sullenberger was recently published on Lifeway’s Facts & Trends, a blog focused on providing Christian leaders with information and resources. Her piece, “I Can’t Keep My Children Safe,” details her desire to ensure her three daughters are protected from all that life will bring, but ultimately realizing her own limitations in providing that divine oversight.“They are not mine in the eternal sense—they are God’s,” Sullenberger says. “I am a steward. I am entrusted to care for them and love them and do my best to keep them safe, but I ultimately am not in control of the world or the actions of others.”
To read the piece in its entirety, click here.
Belmont College of Health Sciences and Nursing and College of Pharmacy recently hosted a Health Academy Summer camp, a week-long experience for middle schoolers that provided exposure to a wide variety of health professions and hands-on experience with a variety of health skills. The campers learned about EMT, Respiratory therapy, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy, speech–language pathology and many other health professions.
They learned to take vital signs, complete CPR, work with “patients” in the nursing simulation labs, formulate troche and extract DNA from strawberries in the Pharmacy labs and work on their mobility skills in the physical and occupational therapy labs. The highlight of the week was the visit from Layla, the rehab Labrador Retriever who helped students learn about pet therapy, service animals and emotional support animals.
Exposure to this wide variety of health professions helps to generate enthusiasm in middle schoolers for the sciences and possible to pursue careers in health professions.
Though Senior Ride Nashville (SRN), a local nonprofit dedicated to providing affordable and assisted transportation to older adults in the Nashville community, has only two and a half full time staff members, the team becomes much larger when considering the Belmont students who have become actively engaged in the organization’s mission. Launched just six months ago in late 2017, SRN has provided more than 800 trips for nearly 90 riders throughout the West Nashville and Madison communities. Looking forward, the team plans to be county-wide by 2020.
Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy Dr. Debra Gibbs has been Continue reading
Project marks 19th consecutive year of students constructing wheelchair ramps
Belmont University Physical Therapy Class of 2019 recently built a wheelchair ramp for a Nashville woman who was previously unable to safely leave her home to go out into the community. This makes the 19th consecutive year that physical therapy students have built wheelchair ramps in coordination with United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee to enable community access for Nashville residents.
Since 2000, more than 600 physical therapy students have participated in ramp builds while learning about federal and local disability access regulations and the construction skills required for ramp building.
Occupational and physical therapy students recently worked with naturalists from the Tennessee State Parks to create a day of fun and learning for children with disabilities and their families at Long Hunter State Park.
The students developed and implemented a variety of activities with nature themes including arts and crafts, building bat boxes, a scavenger hunt and a nature walk. They went on to utilize their pediatric therapy skills to adapt the activities to the unique abilities and needs of each participant, enabling each child to have fun while learning about nature.
Assistant Professor of Nursing & Interim FNP Coordinator Dr. Erin Shankel was recently interviewed for a story that was published on nursepractitionerschools.com. The article, “Tennessee NPs: The Fight for Full Practice Authority,” highlights the differences in practice authority between Tennessee and other states. Five nursing professors from across the state, including Shankel, are featured throughout the piece.Shankel shares her support for full APRN practice authority, citing not her own opinion, but existing evidence that supports the stance. “Despite claims from opponents, research shows that NPs provide care that is not only safe, but patient-centered, relational, and holistic, not to mention often preferred by the patient,” she said. Shankel closes with specific steps professionals can take to further this cause including advocating for legislative transparency and supporting the Tennessee Nurses Association.