February - Abington Memorial Hosptial Dixon School of Nursing

FEBRUARY 2014
Important Dates in February
Clinical Weekends
Saturday, 2/8
Sunday, 2/9
Saturday, 2/22
Sunday, 2/23
Day Class Meetings
Tuesday, 2/4
11:50am—12:20pm
SNAP Meeting (Day Option)
Wednesday, 2/5
11:50am—12:20pm
Midterm Break (E/W Option)
Thursday, 2/13
Valentine’s Day
Friday, 2/14
President’s Day
Monday, 2/17
Finals Week (Day Option)
Monday, 2/17—Friday, 2/21
E/W Class Meetings
Tuesday, 2/18
6:40pm—7:05pm
Term Break (Day Option)
Monday, 2/24—Friday, 2/28
E/W 2014 Students Visit St. Vincent’s
- Gina Fabrizio, Student Events Committee Chair, E/W 2014
As part of the Psychiatric/Mental Health and Community Nursing Rotation, senior students have a great opportunity to see Community Nursing at its best at St. Vincent's Face to Face Healthcare in Germantown, PA. The mentally ill, the homeless, those struggling with addiction, the impoverished elderly, single parents, struggling families, and
those seeking a sense of community and socialization are all welcomed guests at Face to Face. Their programs work to lift guests
beyond the reach of crushing poverty. The students help prepare and
serve a meal to over 350+ guests and spend time conversing with
them as they are served coffee while they wait for their meal. In addition, the students had the opportunity to observe the nurses who manage the Health Center and had the experience of seeing what community health is all about. The students often state what a rewarding
experience it is and often return on their own free time to volunteer at
St. Vincent's.
Evening/Weekend 2014 students Mel Klaus, Gina
Fabrizio and Megan Reinhart, along with Altenor
(otherwise known as Al, the amazing cook).
St. Vincent‟s is located at 109 East Price Street, Philadelphia, PA 19144. Donations of winter hats, gloves,
scarves and small sized toiletries are most gratefully accepted. If you are interested in making a donation,
please contact Barbara Abramek at [email protected].
Prepping for the SNAP Student Challenge
Abington Memorial Hospital Dixon School of Nursing will be participating in the 7th Annual
Student Nurses Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) Southeast PA Regional Student Nurse
Challenge on Friday, March 28, 2014 from 5:00pm to 8:30pm at Lehigh Carbon Community
College, Schnecksville, PA. The DSON team includes Day 2014 students Nicole Donovan, Margaret Walsh,
and Ali Zahir and Evening/Weekend 2014 students Christine Donlon, Maria Kane, and Donna Megna.
This is a fun and challenging event for students and a great opportunity for them to prepare for NCLEX, the
national RN licensing examination. Various schools will be competing against each other, and the grand prize
is a traveling Challenge Trophy and a $500 cash prize, awarded to the Student Nurses Association of the winning School. The winning team will then have the opportunity to compete in the statewide competition at the
SNAP Convention in Harrisburg in the fall.
The game show style tournament format allows for each team to compete against each other by answering
questions in the style of the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).
Special 100th Anniversary
section on page 5 and 6!
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The contest is fun, educational and challenging for students and faculty, and a great opportunity for all nursing
students to prepare for NCLEX, do some networking, and also engage in some friendly competition. Come out
on March 28th to support the DSON! Van transportation is available on a first come first serve basis. Contact
Ruth Ann Kiefer at extension 5533 or [email protected] for more information.
Vital Signs
FEBRUARY 2014
Reflections from DSON Alumni
The Dixon School of Nursing is proud to feature stories from Alumni. This month Dina Oleksiak, MSN,
CRNP, BC (pictured right), Director of the Student Health Center at LaSalle University, shares her reflections on her career:
“I was accepted at several nursing schools in the Philadelphia area right after high school but there was
something special about AMH that really impressed me from the start. After graduating, I worked in ICU
and Visiting Nursing at AMH while pursuing my BSN at Holy Family part-time and a short time later on a
full-time basis my MSN from the University of PA. I was in their 5th class as a Family Nurse Practitioner,
a fairly new phenomenon at the time and one I was most excited about pursuing.
Obtaining my MSN and CRNP, I worked for several years at a local hospital in Occupational Medicine/
Employee Health then switched to college health at La Salle University where I have been the Director of
the Student Health Center for the past fifteen years. I love working with college-aged students hoping to
teach them good lifestyle habits that will ultimately make a difference. A college campus is so vibrant
and full of life and one of the things I enjoy most is that each day brings new challenges and experiences. My duties vary between administrative, clinical, and teaching; thus never a dull moment.
I can truly say that my education at AMH was superb and definitely provided the groundwork that helped me become one of the first
group of nurse practitioners in the area. It was a solid education with emphasis on teaching us strong nursing skills and clinical judgment. I was more than adequately prepared to work as an ICU nurse upon graduating and I credit AMH for paving the path for me to
become a nurse practitioner.”
Class News – Evening/Weekend 2014
- Christine Donlon, E/W 2014
Save the Date!
Support the Nurses‟
Scholarship Fund!
The Junior Auxilliary
of AHF– Women‟s
Board presents
Philly Fest
Saturday, March 8th
7:00pm-11:00pm
It‟s not too early to start thinking about graduation! This month our class representatives will meet with the graduation
coordinators to begin making plans. Comments and suggestions are welcome and may be directed to any class representative.
As the 100th anniversary of the Dixon School of Nursing
approaches, please keep an eye out for many activities
and volunteer opportunities. The E/W 2014 class will be
planning an event to help celebrate the occasion.
Fundraising:
The Class of 2014 has raised over $5,600 for events and
charity so far. Pizza and hoagie nights will continue and
we expect to offer many exciting fundraisers this year!
Celebrating:
The Class of 2014 celebrated the holidays with a potluck
party and pollyanna. Thank you to all the students and faculty that made our evening a success!
All Welcome!
Martin Luther King
Celebration
Tuesday, February
25, 2014 12:00pm.
Frobese Auditorium
AMH
Above photo, left to right: Christine Donlon, Michelle Melnick, Mary
Raupp, Sharon Doherty, Patricia Goodchild, Mindy Cleary, Jennifer
Lepkowski
Top right photo, left to right: Barbara Abramek, Barbara Butynskyi,
Jackie Murphy, Erion Carcani, Mary Ann Pagano, Ruth Seitter, Ruth
Ann Kiefer, Kelsy Stenger
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Vital Signs
Above photo, seated back left to right: Denise Terry, Megan Reinhart, Donna
Megna, Alica Giannattasio, Danielle Foley, Melanie Klaus, Michael Ansaldo,
Mary Crist.
FEBRUARY 2014
Pinning Ceremony Held for Interim Grads Students Commended for Orientation
Assistance
On Tuesday, January 7, 2014 four interim DSON graduates were recognized for completing the nursing program. Bernadette Jacobs, Jessika
Johnson, Frank Rausch, and Juan Valentin, graduates of the Evening/Weekend Class of 2014 were presented with a School pin, balloons, and flowers in the attendance of faculty and staff. Congratulations
to our interim grads!
Three Dixon School of Nursing students assisted in Abington Memorial Hospital‟s Clinical Associate Orientation. Eileen Moran,
Clinical Educator, had these words to say on the students:
“The Dixon student nurses who helped me with the Clinical Associate Orientation class on Monday evening did an awesome job!
Donna Megna, Denise Terry and Amanda Gillio (Day 2014 students), arrived well prepared to assist in teaching their assigned
skills .They were all very enthusiastic about participating in the
class and were a great help to me in teaching the skills station for
the new Clinical Associates.
From left to right: Jackie Murphy, Guy Goldich, Bernadette Jacobs, Frank Rausch, Juan
Valentin, Jessika Johnson, and Barbara Butynskyi.
Code Silver Healthstream Due
Thank you so much for making it possible for your students to participate in this opportunity. It was a pleasure to work with such
skilled and dedicated young women.”
Great job!
Code Silver/Shots Fired for Healthcare Training includes a Healthstream
module that is due on Monday, February 17th, 2014. Be sure your training is complete prior to completing the Healthstream module!
Students Work With Volunteers for
Older Adult Health Assessment
The Dixon School of Nursing played host to two groups of
volunteers who agreed to serve as “patients” for a Health
Assessment lab experience. Groups of intermediate students interviewed and examined the volunteers as part of
learning about assessing the older adult client. This is a first-time innovation for Dixon. The students enjoyed the experience
and found it very valuable. The volunteers seemed
enthusiastic about the experience as well. Thanks to all
the volunteers! Marilynn Murphy, Senior Learning Resource Coordinator, coordinated the event. The volunteers were treated to lunch
and were sent thank you
notes from the students for
their participation.
Right and above: Day 2015 students with volunteers. Far right:
Clinical Instructor Mary Ann O’Connell and her mother.
Student Reflection to be Published in Nursing2014
Congratulations Rian Glennon, Day 2015 student! Rian‟s reflection paper, “Chemotherapy v. Quality of Life,” as been accepted
to Nursing2014, a peer-reviewed journal that provides practical information for nurses. The Dixon School of Nursing is proud of
Rian‟s excellent accomplishment!
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Vital Signs
FEBRUARY 2014
Send a
Candy
Gram!
Show an AMH employee, student, or
volunteer you care with a candy gram!
It‟s a great, FREE way to send a note
of thanks, or just a „thinking of you‟!
Visit the drop off boxes from February
3rd to the 28th on all campuses to fill out a card.
Questions? Need more candy gram cards? Call Chanda Penhollow at
215-481-5509.
Students Develop Integrative
Wellness Club
- Gina Fabrizio, Student Events Committee Chair, E/W 2014
We are so excited to be starting an Integrative
Wellness Club here at Abington Memorial Hospital
Dixon School of Nursing. The purpose of this club
is to explore holistic nursing, a way of being, a way
of living and a way of practice. It is open to all
Dixon School students, faculty and staff. We will
meet once a month on Tuesday or Thursday from 4:00 pm – 4:45 pm
starting with our first monthly meeting to be held on Tuesday, February
18th, 2014 at Dixon. During these meetings we will be discovering ways
to promote health and wellness through a holistic model and will learn
to practice a variety of healing modalities. Each monthly meeting will
explore a different element of integrative wellness. Some topics will
include: Aromatherapy, Homeopathy, Reiki, Mindfulness Meditation,
Coaching for Wellness, Acupuncture, Chiropractic Practices and Yoga.
Various experts in these fields will be our monthly speakers. Educational opportunities to expand your knowledge of specific modalities,
such as Reiki, will be offered depending on group interest. If you are
interested, please contact Gina Fabrizio at [email protected]
or Barbara Abramek at [email protected]
Apply to the IBC and IBC Foundation
Nursing Internship Program
The IBC and IBC Foundation Nursing Internship Program is an initiative
sponsored by IBC and the IBC Foundation. Two unique student nursing internship opportunities are offered through this program. One is for
nursing students who would like to gain experience in a health care
administration / insurance setting; the other is for nursing students interested in exploring the field of public health by interning onsite at a community health center in southeastern Pennsylvania supported by the
IBC Foundation Blue Safety Net program. In addition to practicum experience, student nurse interns will engage in mentorship, volunteer
and leadership activities.
Key Program Dates
The application opens on Monday, February 3, 2014. The deadline to
apply is Friday, February 28. 2014. The ten week summer internship
begins with a full day orientation on Friday, May 31, 2014 and concludes on Friday, August 8, 2014.
How to Apply
Students interested in applying to the IBC and IBC Foundation Nursing
Internship Program should review the eligibility guidelines before applying. Please visit the website to apply.
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Vital Signs
Financial Aid News
- Claire Tatlow, Coordinator of Student Financial Aid
Scholarships
Now is the time to do scholarship searches for
next year. You can search scholarships using
your favorite web search engine by using the
word “scholarships “ and “nursing scholarships”.
Fastweb and Student Financial Aid (http://www.student-financialaid.us/) are free scholarship match site s that lists many scholarship
opportunities. Cherokee Uniforms is offering 10 scholarship of $2000
each, www.ANURSEIAM.com, 2012 Independence Blue Cross (IBC)
Nursing Internship Program, www://ibx.com/social mission/nurse
scholars/nursing internship/index.html , Philadelphia Foundations
Scholarship for Philadelphia residents www.philafound.org , Tylenol
Future Care Scholarship (http://www.tylenol.com/page.jhtml?
id=tylenol/news/subptyschol.inc ) or discover nursing http://
www.discovernursing.com/scholarship-search which maybe a great
start.
Rising DSON Seniors
It is that time of year again; time to start getting organized to file your
financial aid application for 2014-2015 academic year. Each year,
students must renew the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA), the DSON Women‟s Board and Financial Aid application
and submit their DL Stafford loan request form.
The first step in the financial aid process is submitting the 2014-2015
FAFSA at www.fafsa.gov. However, it is advised that you submit
your 2013 Federal Taxes early and electronically so that you can
take advantage of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on your FAFSA. The
IRS Data Retrieval tool decreases errors on the FAFSA income information and decreases the need to provide an IRS tax transcript to the
financial aid office. To find out more information or to see if you are
eligible to use the IRS Date Retrieval Tool, go to www.fafsa.gov, under Announcements click on IRS Data Retrieval Tool.
The DSON„s Financial Aid deadline is April 1st, 2014. Financial Aid
Packets will be placed in student‟s DSON mailbox by the beginning of
February.
Upcoming Events
FAFSA workshops will be offered by the DSON Financial aid Office!
Dates and times will be posted on Blackboard.
Graduating Seniors
This is a busy and exciting time as you prepare to end your journey
from a student nurse and transition to a new graduate nurse! Remember that your educational goal of attaining the BSN will continue.
This is the time that you should complete the 2014-15 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) even if you don‟t know what
your educational plans will be after graduation. You don‟t have to be
accepted or even have applied to a school to submit your FAFSA to
their financial aid office. The 2014-15 FAFSA will be good for the Fall
2014, Spring 2015 or Summer 2015 semesters.
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].
FEBRUARY 2014
DSON Alumni
1972
Then
Now
Barbara Abramek, Course
Coordinator/Instructor
T
h
e
n
1973
Now
Debby Hines, Director of Nursing
Education/Chair
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Vital Signs
FEBURARY 2014
DSON Alumni
1974
T
h
e
n
Now
Ruth Seitter,
Course Coordinator/Instructor
1975
Then
Now
Terry Reilly, Sr. VP Patient Care
Services/CNO
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Vital Signs
FEBURARY 2014