SCHOOL OF NURSING. In This Issue

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1 SCHOOL OF NURSING Newsletter November 2015 From the first students admitted into the Southwestern Oklahoma State University Nursing Department in 1977, SWOSU has successfully educated, trained and graduated 1,361 nurses as of May 2015! SOSUNSA Coat Drive The Southwestern Oklahoma State University Student Nurses Association (SOSUNSA) is holding a coat drive till December 14 th. Please look into your hearts, and your closets, to help the less fortunate stay warm this holiday season. Smaller infant/toddler coats will be donated to the Infant Crisis Center in Oklahoma City, and the youth and adult coats will be donated to the Agape Clinic in Weatherford. You can donate your coats at designated drop boxes on campus at Parker Hall in the lobby, and the Wellness Center. Can t make it to campus? No problem. We will come to you and pick up your generous donations. Fun Facts! Current Enrollment Statistics: 239 pre-nursing students 86 students traditional BSN program 503 students enrolled in ADN to BSN program NCLEX Statistics: SWOSU nursing 2015 pass rate: 94.4% Oklahoma pass rate as of September 30, 2015: 85.46% National pass rate as of September 30, 2015: 84.18% If you have further questions, please contact LeaAnne Hume, nursing faculty, at [email protected] or In This Issue SOSUNSA Coat Drive Student, Faculty, & Alumni Interviews The New MSN Program National Student Nurses Association (NSNA)

2 Student Nurses Fall 2015

3 Shane Martin by Kerry Stull-Allen I had the pleasure of interviewing a current nursing student here at SWOSU. His name is Shane Martin. Shane is 24 years old, and is a senior in the program. He is originally from Tulsa, OK, but has attended SWOSU since he was a freshman. The following is what I came to learn about Shane and his drive and desire for becoming a nurse. Q: What made you decide to go into nursing? A: I decided to go into nursing on the advice and encouragement of a friend. After speaking with my advisor and being directed to talk with an instructor within the department, I was sold on the idea of becoming a nurse. One thing I really liked about nursing was that I never felt like I would be pigeonholed. The field is so broad; there is always room for growth and a ton of departments to work in. I don t see complacency ever setting in. Nursing is at its core is an altruist profession. Q: Why did you choose SWOSU to pursue nursing? A: I was playing baseball here at the time, so I was already enrolled in school and didn t feel the need to transfer. I didn t realize or understand the accreditation that the school possesses which is a really big deal until I started looking at advancing my degree this summer. Every school that I looked at nation-wide required an accredited nursing program (check) and a bachelor s degree (check). I learned that upon leaving school we are a lot further along and prepared than students from other schools. SWOSU is definitely one of the top nursing schools in the state and the region. Q: How has your experience been since being accepted into the nursing program? A: Extremely unique. I was initially in nursing school the fall of I passed my classes and clinicals, decided to quit and played my senior year of college baseball, did well enough to get drafted, and then two years in the minor leagues. My story is kind of foreign, but the nursing field is now so diverse. Another example is one of my favorite classmates back in fall semester of He used to be an undercover narcotics officer, then became an EMT for about a decade. He then decided to become a nurse, and is now saving lives in El Reno. There are people at all different ages and countries that come here to be nurses, truly an eclectic group. So after my hiatus, I decided to go back to nursing school. Some of the people I was in school with originally are at our clinical sites. It s really cool to see old friends and have some as my nurse to follow for the day. So it s been longer than expected, but it s been great. A grind, but fun. Challenging, but interesting. Incredibly informative. Q: What has been the most challenging aspect of life as a nursing student? A: I think the majority of people would tell you that the didactic portion of nursing school is the most challenging. Which is fair, but I would disagree. I think it s just the balance of everything. The academia part of nursing school is challenging, as it should be! Add a job, a girlfriend/boyfriend, spouse, or a kid or 3 to the mix and where d the free time go? So, really it s just the cumulative effect, things stacking on one another. Compromise. Which in turn teaches you an important lesson in life and being a nurse, time management. Q: What is one of your most memorable moments from nursing school thus far? A: My ER shift at Integris Southwest, this one was great! They have a contract with the federal prison so the federal prisoners go there. There s US Marshals that show up some times. It s a really neat place! I believe it s the busiest ER in the state of Oklahoma, seeing 300+ patients a day that s what I heard. This day was just busy! We had a ton of patients. I was able to start a ton of IV s, drop an NG tube and just perform a lot of skills. It was just super busy running around with some exciting cases, too. Some are kind of gross so I won t share. Q: What are your plans after graduation? Will you further your degree within the nursing profession? A: Upon graduation I plan on taking my boards as soon as possible. I am going to get a job in the ICU. I have a few hospitals in mind in the greater OKC area as well as a few in Tulsa that I visited this summer. Don t know exactly if I want to work in general ICU or a cardiovascular ICU. One or the other! And I absolutely plan on furthering my education. I worked in the operating room at Great Plains Regional Medical Center. The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) I worked with were inspiring; just absolutely brilliant people who were open to answering the million questions I asked them and provided a lot of direction on how

4 The New MSN Program The School of nursing at SWOSU just received approval from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for a Master s of Science in Nursing (MSN) to begin in the Fall semester of Based on students requests and employers needs there have been three tracks chosen in the MSN program: Education, Administration, and Informatics. After establishing the MSN program, the School of Nursing hopes to offer a nurse practitioner program in a few years. Be watching the website for additional information in the spring. Get to Know Your Nursing Faculty Tamra Weimer, MS, RN, CCRN, CNE by Landon Tatum Tamra Weimer is a full time faculty member on staff in the Nursing program at SWOSU. She teaches theory in the classroom, and clinical in the hospital setting. She began working at SWOSU in August of When asked what she enjoys most about her position, she stated that it is the connection she makes with students when they first have that Aha moment once they realize how they will be impacting other people s lives. For the future of the Nursing program, she sees it being a forerunner in providing education to future nurses in Oklahoma, with options ranging from a baccalaureate degree to a doctorate s. For new nurses, her one piece of advice is to always remember why they wanted to become a nurse and to never lose sight of that. Dr. Marcy Tanner, EdD, RN,CNE by Lesley Petersen Dr. Marcy Tanner, an eight year employee of SWOSU, is an assistant professor and an RN to BSN program coordinator for the Nursing Department. Her credentials include Doctorate of Education (EdD), Registered Nurse (RN) and Certified Nurse Educator (CNE). Dr. Tanner s job at SWOSU includes the administration of the online RN to BSN program, the use of technology, curriculum design, faculty mentoring and supervision for the RN to BSN program, and ensuring the courses meet the highest quality standards for education. In her job, she most enjoys the ability to mentor new faculty and students, the process of curriculum design, and the creation of new programs. As for the future of SWOSU Nursing, Dr. Tanner says that SWOSU currently awaits approval (expected in late 2015) of a master s program in nursing with tracks in administration, nursing informatics, and nursing education. She explains that SWOSU has a lot of potential for growth, and faculty members are currently working on a LPN-BSN option, as well, which would assist in meeting the needs for career mobility in Western Oklahoma. When asked what her one piece of advice she would give to new nurses, Dr. Tanner advises to continue your education via both formal (higher degrees, certifications) and informal methods (journal articles, conference attendance, presentations). You will not regret staying informed in you specialty.

5 Where Are They Now? Outstanding Nursing Alumni for 2016 Dian Adams, DNP, RN, CENP Class of 1983 by Jodi Jones Dian graduated from SWOSU in Dian is currently the Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services for Tenet Healthcare based out of Dallas, Texas. As the CNO and VP for Tenet, Dian oversees the provision of care and practice of nursing in 87 hospitals and 121 Outpatient and Surgical hospitals. Dian facilitates the collaborative development and execution of the nursing vision and strategic plan, she also mentors and develops nursing executive talent and represents nursing at the executive level of the corporation as well as the regional, state and national healthcare forums. When asked how the SWOSU nursing program prepared her for her current job, Dian stated: SWOSU provided the foundational elements for my nursing practice and the overarching philosophy of ensuring all decisions I make as a nurse from the patient care bed to the boardroom are centered around what they mean to patient care and the advancement of nursing practice. Terri Schmidt, RN, BSN Class of 1984 by Kelsey Pierce What are your current credentials, job title and employer, and please provide a brief job summary. Director, Division of Purchased Care for Indian Health Services located in Rockville, Maryland. Purchase referred care is when IHS purchases care for members of the tribe that the tribe cannot provide. The position of the director of the division has several responsibilities, ranging from acquisition/policy development and planning, grant allocation decisions and announcements, providing direction and leadership to the 12 area Purchased Care officers and several other personnel, managing Purchase Care program with regard to national policies and policies of IHS, leadership and consultation for compliance with state and federal law, oversight of the annual congressional budget for CHS programs, various administrative services How did SWOSU nursing school help you prepare you for your current career path? Nursing School prepared me to be assertive, a critical thinker and with developing leadership skills. It was one of the most challenging times of my life and it was very difficult. However, when I left academia to the real world it was just as challenging and difficult and I am thankful I was prepared for practicing in a rural, low socio-economic area. It is one of the most rewarding experiences in my lifetime; even though I am presently leading in a nontraditional nursing role. I treasure being a nurse!

6 Every patient deserves a nurse. Every student deserves a chance. Just as our teaching translates into your care, your support will transform our vision into a reality. -Barbara Patterson, EdD, RN, CNE Associate Dean, School of Nursing and Allied Health Private fundraising and donations by alumni friends are vital to the future and continued success of the SWOSU Nursing Program. If you would like to donate, please use the Secure Online Donation Form. Contact Us Phone: Fax: [email protected]