April 2009 e-news

MESSAGE FROM DEAN SALMON

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It is now April, the beginning of our seventh month together and my fifth Inside the School message piece. Each has reflected on both our challenges and achievements. This one is in the same vein, but more philosophic. Please bear with me (or just skip this section and move on to Ashley and Jolayne’s excellent reporting).

Lately, I’ve been repeatedly told three things that I have now come to believe. They are often said in good humor – or in response to a piece of ever-more-disturbing budget news. Now I want to repeat them because I have come to believe that they are not only true, but important.

• “Spring is here (honest!).” When one thinks about it, spring is not just a season, it is a time of new beginnings -- renewal, growth and beauty. I am learning that it is also a time of great wonder in this amazing part of the country. The messages of spring have become both a source of comfort and guidance when I actually think about the meaning. I wish true springtime for each of you.
• “Things will get better (honest!).” My non-verbal response to hearing this has often been: “Yeah, but when?” What I’ve come to realize is that it really isn’t a matter of things getting better -- for me, it’s about me getting better at these things that we are encountering. I believe we are all being forced to find ways in which we can shape a better future and move from the sprint of easier times into the endurance-paced rhythm of these days. These times are different and more deeply challenging than recent years – and they call on us to do different things than we’ve done before. The better we become at these times, the better these times will become.
• “This, too, will pass!” Yes, it will – there will be a time when we will look back on these moments together.  Given this, our task is twofold.  First, that what we do today positions us to see this time as a foundation for a better tomorrow. Second, that the way in which we live these times informs our future work and decisions so that we each are enriched in some way by these challenges.

So to each of you who has said these phrases – my thanks and best wishes. You have reminded me that each of our days and seasons together have meaning and importance, now and for the future.

--Marla Salmon

PROFILES OF THE MONTH

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Which staff member has deep ties to the UW and prides herself on her Native American heritage?

http://www.son.washington.edu/about/StaffProfileoftheMonthApril2009.asp

This faculty member used her personal challenges to launch a career promoting health and well-being in others.

http://www.son.washington.edu/about/FacultyProfileoftheMonthApril2009.asp

Each month, Inside the School features profiles of a staff member and a faculty member. Do you know someone who should be featured? Please e-mail us at: nscomm@u.washington.edu.

ADVANCEMENT UPDATE

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The Advancement office is hosting an open house in the school’s nursing skills lab on April 7 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Donors and others are invited to tour the learning lab and meet students and faculty at a tea reception. If you’d like to attend, please contact Chris Miller: chrismil@u.washington.edu

The annual Nurses Recognition Banquet is set for May 7 at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel. This year’s honorees are: RHEBA de TORNYAY, dean emeritus; CINDY HECKER, chief nursing officer, Harborview Medical Center; CAROL LANDIS, prof., BNHS; and LESLIE ELDER, nurse clinician, Seattle Children’s.

Tickets are $100. You can purchase tickets or a table by contacting Lana Harvey in the Advancement office: harveyl@u.washington.edu or 206-543-3019. More information: http://www.son.washington.edu/about/2009events.asp

The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future hosted its “Promise of Nursing for Washington” gala March 24, raising funds to support regional nursing school grants, faculty fellowships and student scholarships.

A new public service video that promotes nursing careers and features more than a dozen SoN faculty and staff premiered at the gala. In addition, two groups of SoN students, faculty and staff submitted their own videos on nursing as part of a video challenge.

The videos are currently available for viewing on the School of Nursing “O” drive, located here: O:\J&J Gala Videos. These will be publicly available via links from the SoN Web site soon.

Did you know that dues-paying members of the UWAA are eligible for membership at the University of Washington Club?  The University of Washington Club offers panoramic views, alfresco dining and catering for private functions, plus events throughout the year such as film nights and lectures. For membership information, contact Jill Brazier at 206-543-0437 or uwclub@u.washington.edu.

SoN In The News

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“UW School of Nursing Leadership Awards honor nurses, volunteer”

UWeek, April 2, 2009

http://uwnews.org/uweek/article.aspx?visitsource=uwkmail&id=48313

“African-American nurses organization has come a long way”

Seattle Times, March 30, 2009

Features LOIS PRICE-SPRATLEN, prof., PCH.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/jerrylarge/2008946162_jdl30.html

“Troops’ pain helps others”

CNN, March 18, 2009

Features ELIZABETH BRIDGES, prof., BNHS. http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2009/03/18/robertson.iraq.medical.break.cnn?iref=videosearch

“First nursing student receives Schweitzer Public Health Fellowship”

UWeek, March 12, 2009

http://uwnews.org/uweek/article.aspx?visitsource=uwkmail&id=47987

“Retreat offers help for nursing burnout”

Nursezone.com, March 2009

Features JANE CORNMAN, senior lecturer, FCN; and MARIE-ANNETTE BROWN, Group Health Endowed Nursing Professor in Chronic Illness Care, FCN.

http://www.nursezone.com/Nursing-News-Events/more-features.aspx?ID=18833

HONORS & AWARDS

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Twelve current and former faculty members were recognized in the Health Sciences Center Minority Students Program 10-year review of the Stipends for Training Aspiring Researchers program and the Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity.

They are: DONNA BERRY, former prof., BNHS; ELEANOR BOND, the Susan and Michael Cummings Term Professor in Nursing, BNHS; BUTCH DE CASTRO, asst. prof., PCH; MARGARET DIMOND, prof. emerita, BNHS; MARGARET HEITKEMPER, Elizabeth Sterling Soule Endowed Chair, BNHS; JILL JESURUM, research asst. prof., BNHS; HELEN KOGAN BUDZYNSKI, prof. emerita, PCH; CAROL LANDIS, prof., BNHS; FRANCES LEWIS, the Virginia and Prentice Bloedel Professor, FCN; JUNE STRICKLAND, assoc. prof., PCH; JOIE WHITNEY, Harborview Medical Center Endowed Professor in Critical Care Nursing, BNHS; and DIANA WILKIE, former prof., BNHS.  Of the students they mentored, one pursued a PhD, five pursued master’s degrees, and five pursued baccalaureate degrees in nursing.

STAFF

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Due to University Advancement budget cuts, the School of Nursing’s Advancement Office will experience a reduction in staff as of May 1. The assistant director of communications position held by JOLAYNE HOUTZ is one of 50 University Advancement positions being eliminated.

ACADEMIC SERVICES

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ADMISSIONS

Admissions decisions for all degree programs will be finalized and sent to applicants no later than April 15.  For updates on admissions review status, please go to the Admissions Blog at http://www.son.washington.edu/admissions/updates/default.asp.

ACCREDITATION

The school will host a team of reviewers from CCNE for our re-accreditation visit April 20 to 22. They will be joined by a team of reviewers for the five-year Graduate School review of the SoN’s Graduate Certificate Program on April 22. Please save these dates, as the team will wish to speak to all the school’s stakeholders.

VISITING SCHOLARS

SOYEONG CHOE, visiting scholar from Korea’s Gyeongsang National University College of Nursing, arrived in early March. She is hosted by EUNJUNG KIM, assoc. prof., FCN. She is here for one year to pursue research interests in women’s health in the areas of stress, pregnancy and breastfeeding among immigrant women.

STUDENT RECRUITING

*Forensics CNE, April 7

*UW Health Professions Career Fair, April 8

*Seattle Central Transfer Fair, April 14

*Bellevue Transfer Fair, April 16

*Shoreline Transfer Fair, April 28

*Ambulatory Care Nursing Conference, April 30

SAVE THE DATE

PONS, the undergraduate nursing student organization, is organizing an NCLEX review course for graduating seniors during the week of June 1. 

Convocation will be held June 12, 9:30 to 11 a.m.

UW commencement will be held June 13, time TBA.

Nurse Camp 2009 is a weeklong day camp offered exclusively to current high school sophomores and juniors. To promote diversity in nursing, this program is offered to and focuses on minority and low-income students. Sponsored by the UW School of Nursing Diversity Awareness Group (DAwG) and UWMC, Nurse Camp is free to participants, who must be able to commit to attend from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., July 20-24. Camp participants will have the opportunity to: shadow nurses at UWMC in various different units; get CPR training; learn how to prepare for college and nursing school; and visit the School of Nursing Learning Lab.

Applications are due April 15. More information is available at: http://www.son.washington.edu/diversity/dawg/nursecamp.asp. Questions?  E-mail sonas@u.washington.edu and include “Nurse Camp” in the subject line.

PROGRAM AND CENTER NEWS

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The annual  de Tornyay Center Healthy Aging Spring Lecture will be held April 16 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the UW Tower auditorium. This year’s speaker is Dr. Michael V. Vitiello. His talk: “Growing Old Does Not Mean Sleeping Poorly!”   

A forum on “Technology and Design for Healthy Aging: What you can do NOW" will be held May 28 at the Doubletree Hotel in SeaTac. This forum will introduce professionals in gerontology, long-term care, architecture and design, and computer science to advances in the field of technology and design that can be applied to the residential settings of older adults to promote healthy aging.  Please check the following link for details: http://depts.washington.edu/geron/conference2009.php UW sponsors include:  UW Institute on Aging, de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging, Health Promotion Research Center, and Hooyman Intergenerational Scholarship Fund. Note to nursing students:  Scholarships to attend the conference are available.

The 13th Biennial NCAST-AVENUW Institute will be held Sept. 14-15 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bellevue. The title of the Institute is Promoting Infant Mental Health: Intervention Focused on the Parent-Child Relationship, and speakers will include Barbara Kalmanson, PhD, and Janet Dean, MSW. This is a conference for diverse practitioners to consider dyadic approaches to working with young children and their families. The cost is $315 if you register before July 24, and the institute is open to the public. NCAST-AVENUW is a self-sustaining program run by JEAN KELLY, prof., FCN, and co-director of the Center for Infant Mental Health and Development.

CONTINUING NURSING EDUCATION

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April 17-May 25: Nursing Leadership & Management in Long Term Care

http://www.uwcne.org/secure/display3.asp?SKU=09103-A-C

April 29-30: 30th Annual Pacific NW Ambulatory Care Nursing Conference

http://www.uwcne.org/secure/display3.asp?SKU=09117-C

May 14: Women’s Health Drug Therapy

http://www.uwcne.org/secure/display3.asp?SKU=09118-C

May 18: Immediate Response: Essential Skills for Urgent Clinical Situations

http://www.uwcne.org/secure/display3.asp?SKU=09110-C

May 19: Finding Common Ground: Communicating Effectively with Diverse Patients and Coworkers

http://www.uwcne.org/secure/display3.asp?SKU=09119-C

May 22: Adult and Geriatric Drug Therapy

http://www.uwcne.org/secure/display3.asp?SKU=09120-C

For more information, please visit www.uwcne.org

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

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A free talk entitled “Perspectives on the history of Washington state nursing” will be held April 15 at 4:30 p.m. at UW-Tacoma’s William W. Philip Hall. The speaker is Marjorie DesRosier, RN, ’79 BSN, ’93 PhD, who will address 100 years of professional nursing in the state. The lecture is sponsored in part by UW-Tacoma’s Nursing Founder’s Endowment Fund. For more information:  http://www.washingtonhistory.org/wshm/featuredexhibits/Nursesatyourservice.aspx

In honor of the Washington State Nursing Centennial and the new exhibit, Nurses at Your Service: A Century of Caring, at the Washington State History Museum, all registered nurses with valid work ID receive free admission on April 11 for the opening of the exhibit. The exhibit uncovers more than a century’s development of nursing in Washington.

DID YOU KNOW…?

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April is….

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

http://www.childwelfare.gov/preventing/preventionmonth/

Stress Awareness Month

http://www.stresscure.com/hrn/april.html

Administrative Professionals Week (April 19-25, AP day is April 22)

http://www.iaap-hq.org/newsroom/apw/index.html

Previous editions of Inside the School are available online: http://www.son.washington.edu/about/news.asp