Category Archives: School of Nursing

Nursing Professor honored as Middle Tennessee Nurse of the Year for Education

Posted on by

Dr. Debra Wollaber, Professor of Nursing at Belmont, is one of 16 Middle Tennessee nurses honored recently as 2012 Nurse of the Year by the March of Dimes regional chapter.   Dr. Wollaber received the award for education to entry level nurses.  Each year, the March of Dimes recognizes outstanding nurses in a number of areas within clinical nursing, administrative nursing, research nursing and nursing education.  Nurse educators are nominated for their efforts towards the education of future nursing professionals either at the entry level or at the graduate level.

“We are so happy for Debra to be recognized in this way,” said Dr. Martha Buckner, Associate Dean of Nursing in the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing.  “Many of us at Belmont have been impacted by her leadership and mentorship.”

Continue reading →

Belmont University School of Nursing celebrates 40th Anniversary

Posted on by

Students practice intravenous therapy in a Belmont School of Nursing classroom during the 1987-1988 school year.

The College of Health Sciences & Nursing celebrated the 40th anniversary of Belmont’s nursing program this fall. Since its inception, Belmont’s program has produced more than 2,000 skilled nurses who have served patients throughout the United States and around the world.

“This is an exciting time for nursing and especially for nursing at Belmont,” said College of Health Sciences & Nursing Dean Cathy R. Taylor. “Belmont nurses have always been known as leaders, highly respected for their skill and patient-centered focus. Today, they are increasingly recognized as innovators and change agents for improving health care quality, access and value. We are indeed honored to celebrate and build upon such a remarkable legacy of excellence to meet the health care challenges ahead.”
Associate Dean of Nursing Martha Buckner said, “We are so pleased to be celebrating this milestone in Belmont’s history. Our graduates have forged a tremendous reputation for this program. They are caring professional nurses whose practice is characterized by clinical excellence and compassion. We are proud of our heritage and excited about our future.”

Continue reading →

President of Tennessee Hospital Association Discusses Future of Healthcare

Posted on by

Craig Becker, president of the Tennessee Hospital Association, spoke recently to Belmont faculty and students about the future of the healthcare industry, focusing his remarks on the new changes that will be brought about by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

While he realizes that the healthcare industry is about to undergo radical change, he does not fear those changes. “I really am an optimist,” he stated. “And I’m invigorated by chaos. Chaos brings change.”

In the past, he argued that the existing system was not perfect, that there were quality of care issues. The new legislation will force the industry to address these issues sooner rather than later. “Hospitals will be forced to look outside of their four walls.”

Continue reading →

Belmont Nursing Students Recognized for Achievement in Army ROTC Program

Posted on by

Two Belmont University nursing students participating in Vanderbilt’s Army ROTC program recently received two of the highest cadet rankings in the nation.  Their rankings are based on their total experience as cadets, to include academics, performance at strategic camps, leadership ability and more.

Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Barfield is the second-ranked nurse in the nation. She was the cadet battalion commander, the senior ranking cadet in the program, for the 2011-2012 academic school year.  Cadet Captain Jessica Sanders is the twelfth-ranked nurse in the nation. She holds the position of Assistant Tactical Officer and is charged with the evaluation of junior cadets in the program.  Both cadets also ranked very high on the overall National Order of Merit List, which ranks cadets from all schools and all majors.  This year, the list was comprised of more than 5,500 cadets.

Continue reading →

Inaugural Class begins Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program

Posted on by

Belmont University School of Nursing welcomed the inaugural class for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) at a  reception in late August. The five members of the new class were joined by program faculty members; the Provost, Dr. Thomas Burns; the Dean of the College, Dr. Cathy Taylor; and Director of Graduate Nursing Programs, Dr. Leslie Higgins.

The new program is designed for nurse practitioners who hold an MSN degree.   As the nursing profession evolves, so too will the DNP program with plans to provide a post-baccalaureate DNP to provide clinical training for future nurse practitioners, perhaps as soon as 2015.

Photographs of the reception were taken by Beth Douglas.

Continue reading →

Looking back on Mission to Haiti

Posted on by

Last month a group of Belmont faculty, staff and students took the opportunity to bring their skills and expertise “from here to Haiti.” On July 18, the group left Nashville for a week-long mission trip to Grand Goave, one of Haiti’s oldest cities, which suffered significant damage in the 2010 earthquake in that region. The trip evolved out of a task force created by the provost; Belmont has recently developed a partnership with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which has a mission project in Haiti. This nursing trip was the first to take advantage of this partnership. In the future, the interdisciplinary task force hopes to organize trips for students in several other programs.

Each day, the group was woken up by a rooster—lovingly nicknamed “El Diablo”—at approximately 3:30 a.m. “That bird was the bane of our existence,” claimed Assistant Professor of Nursing Sara Camp. They would then—after languishing in the heat for several more hours—meet with their contact, Judy, who is also a registered nurse and represents the Christian Baptist Fellowship.  (At right – Senior Nursing students Charly Hood (right) and Reiley Heaberlin (left) tend to a baby at one of the mobile clinics.)

The nursing students volunteered at a number of mobile clinics, which provided basic services such as vital sign checks and general diagnoses. Each clinic was able to see up to 50 people a day, and each day the staff and students quickly met their capacity. “This is their healthcare,” said Nursing Instructor Martha Ezell. “They can’t just go into Port Au Prince to see a doctor.”At the mobile clinics, the students checked vitals and compiled patients’ medical histories—a difficult task since many patients did not even know their own birthdays. The Belmont students were also able to assist Ezell and Camp with general assessments and distribute what medications were available. “[The Belmont students] got about a year’s worth of nursing in a week,” stated Ezell. Continue reading →

63 health science students receive degrees at August Commencement

Posted on by

Sixty-three students in the health sciences received their respective degrees from Belmont University this past Friday evening.    Sixty of the students graduated from the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing – 30 with the Doctor of Physical Therapy, 27 with the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy, two with the Doctor of Occupational Therapy, one with the Bachelor of Social Work.  Three candidates received the Doctor of Pharmacy from the College of Pharmacy.  The August ceremony serves as the primary commencement for Belmont’s doctoral program in physical therapy and master’s program in occupational therapy.

The honor of delivering the student reflection at commencement was given to DPT graduate, Sarahann Callaway, who shared about the opportunity Belmont provided her to fulfill her calling and serve in mission around the world.  Her address is linked below.

Dr. Leslie Folds, Associate Professor of Nursing, who received the Presidential Faculty Achievement Award in May, carried the Presidential Banner during the ceremony.

Earlier Friday, hooding ceremonies were held for health science candidates receiving advanced degrees.   The School of Physical Therapy presented individual awards to several students:  the David G. Greathouse Award from STAR Physical Therapy to Megan Tisdale, the Results Physiotherapy Orthopedic Award to Stephen Graham, the Academic Award to Kathryn Glaws, the Class Leader Award to Laura Moore and recognition for mission work to Hannah Peck and Sarahann Callaway.  The speaker at the hooding ceremony was Dr. John DeWitt who was honored as the School’s 2012 Outstanding Alumnus.  Dr. DeWitt, a 2001 DPT graduate, currently serves as Team Leader for Clinical Development and Director for Physical Therapy residencies at Ohio State University.

 

School of Nursing graduate treated movie shooting victims

Posted on by

Belmont Nursing graduate Mia (Sharp) Bransford, left, and her sister Marisa Sharp, pose for a cell-phone photo just before going into the movie.

Mia (Sharp) Bransford, a 2007 BSN graduate from the School of Nursing who currently serves as a nurse in the Pediatric Emergency Department at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, was one of the few trained healthcare workers on the scene of the tragic shooting at a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado on July 20.   Her story was shared by Wayne Wood with an article in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Reporter (linked here).

Here are some excerpts from the article:

“I heard people saying, ‘My friend’s been shot’ or ‘Somebody’s been shot.’ I identified myself as an emergency nurse and said that I could offer aid,” she said. She and a firefighter were working with several patients in the area at the back of the theater. There were two patients with whom she was working most closely, one with a head wound and wrist pain, and the other with what she described as “a bad leg wound that I applied direct pressure to and elevated.”

She remembers at some point, when it was all over, thinking to herself, “You didn’t know you had that in you.”  But of course, she did know. As an emergency room nurse and an EMT, she says, “You kind of get used to knowing how to handle emergency situations.” There was a professional pride in her ability to stay calm, to handle the situation, to offer help without hesitation.

“You’re in the theater, expecting to see a movie, and then all this chaos is going on. … How does a girl on vacation from Tennessee end up in something that makes headlines all over the country?

 

Hutchins presents at two professional nursing conferences this summer

Posted on by

Dr. B.J. Hutchins, Assistant Professor of Nursing, is presenting at two professional conferences this summer.    In July she presented a workshop on the Fundamentals of Evidence Based Practice at the National Nurse Staff Development Organization’s annual convention in Boston, Massachusetts.   In August, Dr. Hutchins will travel to London, England to present a plenary session at the International Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nursing Network Conference entitled Frailty in the Older Adult, Implications for Care.  She will also have a poster presentation at this same meeting entitled Cardiovascular Effects of Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Implications for Care.

Mission to Haiti – Day 7

Posted on by

Mission to Haiti 2012
from Sara Camp

Our last day in Haiti began with a lovely sunrise and something like a grits and spinach casserole for breakfast. We have so enjoyed the authentic Haitian cuisine we have had.

Then we headed halfway up the mountain for our last clinic day where we saw over 50 people, bringing our total for the week to around 200. Today the people we saw included several with severe hypertension, a 33 year old lady with bilateral pitting edema (swollen feet), and two pregnant women. All the students were thrilled to hear the fetal heart sounds! As we headed back down the mountain we stopped to make a home visit to a lady with severe ascites, who Jenny sees on a regular basis. Despite her extremely poor physical condition, her smile lit up the room. She was one of many we will always remember because of her inner joy.

Continue reading →

Mission to Haiti – Day 6

Posted on by

Mission to Haiti 2012
from Todd Lake and Martha Ezell

Today started off with a bang… Not really a bang, more of a whoosh. We got a flat tire shortly after leaving the place we stay.  We napped for two hours on the steps of a church before the tire was replaced and we were off again in our open-backed truck with 27 Haitians and Americans, three trunks of medicine, all our water and food, and several unexplained bags of cement.

We set up the clinic three hours late in a large open cinderblock church with a beautiful view of the mountains.  As always, the Haitians were endlessly patient.  We had five stations:  check-in, vitals, history, assessments, pharmacy, and prayer. We rotate each day, getting to interact with the team and patients in different ways. Late in the afternoon after the last patient was seen, we learned that our truck had yet another flat tire. FYI: we were eight miles up a mountain. The decision was mad that we would begin walking down while the tire was repaired. 3 miles down, the truck rolled by. God is indeed faithful and we made it safely home.

We have all fallen in love with the people we have met here. Each morning before clinic opens, the assembled community gathers with us for a hymn and prayer. This is not, as some of us had been warned, a “dark or godless” place. We see hope everywhere. The faces of children and the smiles of the elderly remind us that God is here and He is working. Continue reading →

Mission to Haiti – Day 5

Posted on by

Mission to Haiti 2012
from Martha Ezell and Charly Hood

We apologize for the lack of news last night; we did not have internet. This is information from Sunday:

Post Saturday nights blog, we took a trip to the local smoothie shop for our first Haitian night life experience. We arrived to find a crowd of people, a single light bulb, a woman, and her blender. Our options for the night were: papaya, bread fruit, or potato. The majority of us thought we were playing it safe by choosing papaya, but the mixture of evaporated milk, sugar, and the raw fruit itself made for an interesting taste sensation.

Following a delightful late night thunderstorm, our fifth day in Haiti dawned warm and sunny. Breakfast was a traditional Haitian staple, pumpkin soup with potatoes and carrots. We were honored to attend an outdoor worship service with the group of believers in Grand Goave. Every member of our team was impacted by the passion and authenticity of the worship! We were struck by the realization that those who actually depend on God’s mercy for their “daily bread” do not find it difficult to express gratitude to Him. Continue reading →

Mission to Haiti – Day 4

Posted on by

Mission to Haiti 2012
from Julia Jordan-Lake (The baby)

“only one life ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last”.

The previous line was used in last nights devotion. Each night we have had a chance to debrief and process our day as a group. Waking up, we were greeted with mystery meat or as we later agreed upon, “spicy tuna”. After breakfast, we walked to the market. Sort of like the hip, organic farmers markets, but…not. We learned quickly to make way for various chickens, donkeys, pigs, and children carrying huge bushels of bananas. The “parking lot” at the end of the market held roughly 30 donkeys…and their waste. On the walk back, we stopped to buy cold beverages and were thrilled to hear a karaoke cover of Rhinna and see Reese’s peanut cups. Continue reading →

Mission to Haiti – Day 3

Posted on by

Mission to Haiti 2012
from Emily Hawley and Hailey Wickles (pictured)

Picking up from last night we will tell you about our nighttime adventure… We were getting ready for bed and miss Martha startled the room announcing “ohhh my gosh- WE HAVE A CRAB!” of course hostess Jenny came in wondering why the crazy Americans were yelling and found us trying to coax the football size crab (no joke) out from underneath Julia’s bed. We soon settled down for another night of rest and we were glad to “sleep in” until 5am when the rooster (that we have named el diablo- Spanish for the devil) had our wake up call.

Continue reading →

Mission to Haiti – Day 2

Posted on by

Mission to Haiti 2012
from Charly Hood & Reiley Heaberlin

Our day started off early as our little rooster friend woke us up at 3am. We ignored him as best we could until breakfast was served at 6am (where we had spicy peanut butter.) We then prepared for the day, loaded up our open cage truck, and headed up the mountain.

We traveled about an hour through rough terrain, holding on for dear life all the while. Thankfully, we had a beautiful view to distract us. The mountains, the trees, the crops, the houses, the animals, the water, and the people were absolutely beautiful to see. Once we made it to our sight for the day, Mt. Sinai, we unloaded the truck and hiked about a quarter of a mile to the church at where we would be setting up our clinic.

Continue reading →

Mission to Haiti – Day 1

Posted on by

Mission to Haiti 2012
from Martha Ezell

We arrived safely in port au prince then traveled with our hosts to Grand Goave, we are all settled in at the conscience international house. We have dined on delicious chicken and rice. Tomorrow we will travel “up the mountain” to a small community called Mt. Sinai and help conduct a clinic. We feel God’s presence and faithfulness. Love from Sara, Martha, Cilla, Todd, Julia, Charly, Hailey, Reiley, Julie and Emily.

Mission to Cambodia Day 18

Posted on by

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Erin Pettepher and Audrey Robinson

Wow! This trip has been such a blessing for each and every one of us. We have had amazing opportunities to see and receive the love from God’s children here, as well as opportunities to share that same love. Our last full day in Cambodia was packed with fun activities. We started our day out with visiting Phnom Penh Church of Christ. Both of us got the chance to sing with the church. And when we say sing, we mean standing up on stage, with the microphone ON, singing our little hearts out. Both of our families can attest that we should not be leading worship, but we know that God does not ask for a pretty sound but a joyful sound. And boy were we JOYFUL! It was so amazing to hear the songs sung in English and Khmer and all the while knowing that God understood it all. Big thanks for Tyler for truly leading worship as well as encouraging us to sing higher and louder than we probably should have. Words cannot describe how thankful we are for being able to meet our brothers and sisters in the church across the world. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia Day 18

Posted on by

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Tyler Moser

Today was one of my favorite days in Cambodia. I went to the Goldstone school for my last time, to help out with some painting projects that they had. I arrived late because of a communication break down (common place in Cambodia). I got to work as soon as  I could because I only had a a few hours to paint three walls with a single, 4 inch brush.

After lunch at “My Burger”, which was as close to Five Guys as they have on Cambodia, I got some much needed R&R. But the best part of the day was still to come. Erin, Audrey, and I all went to the church office to practice music for Sunday service. The practice lasted about 2 hours, and was awesome. The music was uplifting, and praising God with Christians from all across the world is one of the coolest things that I have done on this trip. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia Day 17

Posted on by

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Cameray Hart

Let me start off by saying that it has been an emotional week for all of us.  Between HIV home visits, trips to Tuol Sleng and The Killing Fields, and our last days at the hospital, there has been strong emotions all around.  We were feeling sadness, anger, hopelessness, and even some guilt.  However, today can only be described as “joyful.”

The morning started off with our annual service project, the rice drive.  Every year, through the church, we help an impoverished population within a certain community outside of Phnom Penh.  We ended up back at the community last year’s trip donated rice to.  All of the recipients of our gifts this year were widows.  Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia Day 16

Posted on by

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Becca Pippin

This morning, we traveled about an hour to Tangkhiev Village to visit their mobile clinic. Twice a week, a doctor and a couple nurses go there to see patients and give the people medications they need. Many deaths are caused by people taking fake medicine, so the education provided by these healthcare workers is as valuable as the medication they give.

Cassie had a quick pharmacology lesson (pictured right) and helped fill prescriptions. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia Day 15

Posted on by

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Cassie Wright

Today we went to the killing fields outside of Phnom Pehn. It was one of the hardest things to make myself do. Many of us did not want to go after Tuol Sleng and seeing how the people of this country were tortured, but we went anyway. I was shocked at how beautiful of a place the killing fields were despite the ugly horrors that were committed here. We were guided by audio tour headphones that gave a description of every stop along a path that went through the field. The path guided you along where the Cambodians would have been taken. The first stop was at the truck stop where blindfolded Cambodians would be taken off the truck and accounted for. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia – An Appeal

Posted on by

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Susan Taplin

We are writing this blog from the group to let you know about a young woman we met in Battambang province.  Her name is Chhor Wan. She is 14 years old. She was a patient at the Handa Emergency Hospital which we visited while we were there.

This is her story: Chhor Wan has been living with her grandmother since she was five years old. Her parents divorced and her mother left her in her grandmother’s care. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia Day 14

Posted on by

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Amelia Brown

Today our group split up and did different things. Most of the group helped with nursing check offs at the hospital. Once a year the nurses are  required to take an oral exam where they must produce the steps to basic procedures used in the hospital. The goal is to explain the steps in English. Our group was therefore quite useful in administering the check offs. Apparently the check offs were largely a success since most people passed!  These nurses left the hospital today feeling relieved and reassured in their skills.

Cameray and I went on HIV home visits today. We accompanied a social worker, Chhavelith,  to the countryside to check on HIV families that are waiting to move into new homes built by habitat for humanity.  The first couple we visited lived in a one room hut made from wooden posts with tarps as the roof and walls. The woman not only has the HIV virus, but also just finished treatment for TB. The tarp serving as the ceiling had a hole in it and was leaking. Since it is the rainy season in Cambodia, this couple was consistently wet.  They were still extremely cheerful because they are expecting to have a house built for them in a couple of months. Cameray and I decided that we wanted to get this couple a tarp so they could be dry their last few months living there. After we visited two more HIV families in this village, we rode 45 minutes back to the city. Once we got back, we went to the market and bought a tarp for the first couple we met. We assumed the couple wouldn’t receive the tarp for a few days, whenever Chhavelith went back for another visit.  Chhavelith called the couple and told them we bought the tarp. They were ecstatic and said they’d ride a bike in to pick it up today. Continue reading →