June - Abington Memorial Hosptial Dixon School of Nursing

JUNE 2013
Congratulations Graduates of the Class of 2013, Day Option!
Important Dates in June Graduates
Clinical Weekends Saturday, 6/1 Sunday, 6/2 Saturday, 6/15 Sunday, 6/16 June Fete Friday, 6/7 Saturday, 6/8 Sunday, 6/9 Father’s Day Sunday, 6/16 First Day of Summer Friday, 6/21 Who Am I?
On May 29, 2013 Larry Merlis, President and CEO, Abington Health, presented diplomas to the Class of 2013, Day Option. Krystyna Hopkinson,
MSN, MSEd, RN, CRNP, CNE was chosen
by the Class as their commencement
speaker. The topic was Raising Awareness
of Mental Health Illness and Wellness Outcomes. Denise Kafer, Ed.D, MSN, RNC,
CNE was chosen to give the Invocation
and Anita Fennessey, DRNP (c), RN,
CNE was chosen to give the Benediction.
Marshals included faculty members Maria
Murt, MSN, RN, CSN, CNE, Alice Reynolds, MSN, RN, Ruth Seitter, MSN, RN,
CNE, and Mary Theresa Stec, PhD (c), RN, CNE. Desirae Petree, President
of the Day Class of 2013, delivered an eloquent commencement address.
Jillian Antunes
Candice Bergey
Tetiana Bilynsky
Rachael Brennan
Lauren Connell
Kimberly Coyle
Ashley Deitz
Morgan DeLellis
Robert DeLucas
Georgette Felici
Jessica Fiore
Traci Foley
Jennifer Frasca
Meredith Frye
Stephanie Gillio
Benjamin Glasberg
Bethanie Greco
Rashana Greer
Robin Harper
Tanya Hesh
Stephanie Homza
Jennifer Howell
Jettie John
Linda Jones
Justin Kelemen
Kaitlyn Kindler
Tanya King
Jamie Klingman
Larissa Kurman
Jennifer Lee
Tara Lucas
James McCann
Colleen McCloskey
Colleen McDonnell
William McFillin
Ashley Merz
Rebeccah Miller
Daniella Monterosso
Heather Nagle
Irene O’Gara
Hiral Patel
Desirae Petree
Nicole Prescavage
Ivon Przybysz
Torrence Ray
Courtney Rowe
Michael Sbarra
Kristen Scollon
Kaneisha Shy
Denise Strzempek
Christopher Thompson
Bridget Tierney
Erin Vanderstine
Maria Volpe
Robert Waite
Daniel Weiss
Pamela Whittaker
Laurence Wilson
Christina Woodward
Congratulations to all of our graduates!
This Course Coordinator/
Instructor graduated with her
DrNP at DrexelUniversity in
2009. She loves Broadway
shows!
A. Ruth Ann Kiefer
Page 1
Alumni Visit in Preparation for 100th Anniversary
On May 23rd, 2013, Dixon School of Nursing Alumni
visited the School to discuss and prepare for the Dixon
School of Nursing 100th anniversary, which will occur
next year, 2014. The Alumni sorted through both Hospital and School memorabilia and met with Colleen Burns
and Chanda Penhollow to discuss upcoming events for
the 100th anniversary. Events include a gala and a Hall
of Fame that would acknowledge alumni and faculty of
the School. Visiting Alumni included: Lori Albright,
Carol Beck, Marilyn Harris, Sandy Huzzard, Alice Pero,
Mary Ricker, and Ruth Worthington. The School is very
grateful for their efforts in preparing for the anniversary!
Vital Signs
Alumni sort through the precious memorabilia belonging to the
Hospital and the School.
June 2013
Financial Aid News
- Claire Tatlow, Coordinator of Student Financial Aid
Financial Aid Award Letter
All students should have received a
financial aid award letter for the academic year 2013-14. The financial aid
award letter will list the grants, scholarships, and federal
loans that you are eligible to receive. The estimated offer
on the Federal and State grants will be finalized after the
respective budgets are approved, usually by June. The
estimated offers are accurate and you can subtract them
from your tuition and fees. If you have any questions,
please feel free to contact the Financial Aid office at 215481-5549 or e-mail [email protected].
If you have requested to borrow a DL student loan, the
amounts will be listed with the estimated origination fees
deducted (by the Department of Education) for each term.
Remember, student loans are real loans and you must
pay them back! Do not borrow more than you need for
your education. Also, there are loan limits for student loans
based on your grade level in school and there are aggregate loan limits for undergraduates, so borrow wisely.
Understanding your student loans
DL Stafford Student loans include subsidized, where the
interest is paid by the government while in school, and
unsubsidized, where the borrower is responsible for paying the interest on the loan. The Federal government controls the interest and regulates these loans. Alternative
(Private) loans are based on creditworthiness, usually
have less favorable terms than federal loans, as well as a
co-signer, and cannot be consolidated. Parent Plus loans
allow parents to borrow for the education of their dependent children. Plus loans are based on creditworthiness of
the parent and requires and application and a signed Master Promissory Note. If a parent is denied the Plus loan,
the student is eligible for additional unsubsidized Stafford
loans.
There is a lot of information and web sites to help students
budget and calculate their expenses so that you can make
an informed decision about borrowing, budgeting and how
to use credit cards. Here is one that covers all of these
topics, http://www.youcandealwithit.com/borrowers/
managing-money/how-to-save.shtml.
Find a balance
As a nursing student, you will not only be challenged intellectually in the classroom but also at home, work, financially, etc. Stress is a common factor and learning to balance stress will be important. Identify area’s in your life
where you can make changes to reduce stress. Reach
out to friends and family members to lend a hand. Manage your money with a budget and stick to it. Determine
your “wants” and your “needs” and prioritize your needs.
Spend less and ask yourself “Do you really need it?”
Page 2
Evening/Weekend 2013 Students to Serve at
Ronald McDonald House
- Ralyn Volpe, 2013 E/W
E/W 2013 students are planning to provide a dinner for the families staying at
the Ronald McDonald House Philadelphia. They will be providing a meal that
will be served on Thursday, June 20th. Dixon students will be gathering all the
donated ingredients and meeting to prepare the meal on June 13th. The food
will be frozen and delivered. The E/W 2013 Class is very excited about this
event and hopes for great success. Please join them in gathering the necessary ingredients or preparing our food trays.
More information can be found online at
www.signupgenius.com
FIND A SIGN UP:
List Creators Email: [email protected]
Congratulations to Graduated Faculty!
Three faculty members of the Dixon School of Nursing recently graduated with
their Master’s in Nursing (MSN).

Barbara Butynskyi, MSN, RN, CPN, Course Coordinator/Instructor, graduated from the University of Phoenix with a MSN in Nursing Education.

Bernadette Ciarciello, MSN, RN, Clinical Instructor, graduated from LaSalle
University with a MSN in Adult Health.

Maryann Pagano, MSN, RN, CMS, Course Coordinator/Instructor, graduated from Gwynedd-Mercy College with a MSN in Nursing Education on Saturday, May 11, 2013. She was awarded Top Program Honors and
also received the International Iota Kappa Sigma Thata Tau Award among
graduate students.
Congratulations to our new MSN faculty!
DSON Instructor Wins Nurse Excellence
Award
The Dixon School of Nursing congratulates Alice Reynolds, MSN,
RN on receiving the faculty excellence award at the Nurse Excellence
Program held Tuesday, May 9th.
Alice is an advocate for students,
faculty, and patients and selflessly
shares her knowledge and expertise
with all members of the health care
team. We are privileged to work with
Alice and are most grateful that she
is a part of the AMH Dixon School of
Nursing Team! Congratulations,
Alice!
From left to right: Debby Hines, Alice Reynolds,
and Terry Reilly.
Vital Signs, a newsletter for the students, faculty, support staff, alumni,
and friends of the Dixon School of Nursing, is published throughout the academic year. Articles are always welcome and should be forwarded electronically to Erica Messerschmidt, BA, Editor, at [email protected].
Vital Signs
June 2013