fall 2015, Issue 1 The dmh Nurse anesthesia alumni newsletter Dear Alumni, This is the first issue of the DMH Nurse Anesthesia Alumni Newsletter. I plan to include all news from our alumni. 2015 marked the 50 th year of Decatur Memorial Hospital s Nurse Anesthesia Program (1965-2015). The 50 th anniversary celebration began with a cocktail reception on April 10 th in the DMH Café. Alumni and spouses met Dr. McGregor and Betty Horton, Margie Rickey, Rhonda Gee, Sue Keiffer-Griffin, and Tim Stone. Delores Stutzman, the program s first graduate, received a corsage of yellow roses. Cocktails and hors d Oeuvres were enjoyed by everyone. Saturday, April 11 th, the first alumni meeting and dinner were held at the Decatur Club. The first officers were elected in a brief meeting. Then the celebration began! Alumni and spouses were entertained by Pro Musica Strings. Betty Horton, Dr. McGregor, Diane Ritter-Malone, Sue Keiffer-Griffin, and Rhonda Gee presented a brief history of the school. Delores Stutzman recalled a few highlights of her challenging experience as the first student. Tim Stone presented our Alumni Association with a $5,000 check from DMH. Old and new friendships were enjoyed by all in attendance. Please see our photos from that evening shared throughout this newsletter. Please feel free to contact me with any of your recent professional highlights for contribution to our upcoming newsletters. Lastly, I would like to thank Stephanie Forden for all of her editorial wisdom and help with our association s first newsletter. President s Message The first 50 years of our nurse anesthesia school was celebrated last April with a wonderful reunion and the establishment of an alumni association. The inaugural meeting preceded the 50 th anniversary with lively discussions, adoption of bylaws, and the selection of officers. I am honored to serve as President along with the capable Board of Directors. Elected officers and liaisons are: President: Betty J. Horton PhD, CRNA Vice President: L. Diane Ritter Malone MSN, CRNA Secretary: Valerie Vancil MSN, CRNA Treasurer: Anita Burton MSN, CRNA Faculty Liaison: Kathryn Mentzer MSN, CRNA Student Liaison: Stephanie Forden BSN, RNAI We are committed to doing our best to lead the alumni association in meeting its objective to foster, maintain, and strengthen a sense of fraternity among alumni graduating from the Decatur Memorial Hospital Nurse Anesthesia Program. Promoting communication among alumni members through this newsletter is one way we hope to meet this goal. In addition to the newsletter, please feel free to contact me at bettyhorton10@gmail.com. I hope to see you at dinner on April 9, 2016 for the annual alumni meeting. Bring your school spirit and join us for an evening to reconnect with alumni and meet others for the first time. It is an opportunity to come together and be involved in the growth of our nurse anesthesia program. Thank you, Betty Horton Alumni Association President Sincerely, Valerie Vancil Alumni Association Secretary
Lorem Ipsum Message from CRNA Program Director: Rhonda Gee The 50th anniversary celebration of the DMH nurse anesthesia program was a resounding success. Many individuals were responsible for the successful culmination of the celebration and deserve both acknowledgement and appreciation for their efforts. Those individuals include: from the DMH administration, Mr. Tim Stone and Sue KeifferGriffin, Executive Director of Anesthesia; the DMH Café employees, Dianne Devore and Erica Lebo, DMH Foundation; the anesthesiologists from AAD; the planning committee members for the celebration, and of course, the alumni who attended. Conversations reminiscing about the good times and also challenges of nurse anesthesia educational experiences were extremely enlightening and brought more than the occasional chuckle. When our first graduate shared that her recruitment and admission consisted of her being asked if she wanted to come to anesthesia school, I could not help but think that much has changed in the past 50 years. Of course the nurse anesthesia program at DMH has changed with the times and expectations, and will continue to do so. The program has provided us with a rich opportunity that opened doors to enjoyment and satisfaction both professionally and personally that would not have otherwise been possible in most cases. I sincerely hope that each alumnus joins and supports the Alumni Association. The future continues to be, as it always has been, in the hands of our students. One of the richest, untapped resources in recruitment is our alumni. Please consider referring capable, skilled nurses to the program. I look forward to our next alumni gathering PICTURES FROM THE 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Margie Rickey, Sue Keiffer Griffin (1991), Diane Ritter Malone (1969), Betty Horton (1968), & Rhonda Gee (1995) Enjoy more pictures on page 5. Bob Ludwig (2006), Sue Keiffer Griffin (1991), Dr. McGregor, Mary Jane Linton (MU), Sharon Bangert (1985), & Betty Horton (1968)
3 SAVE THE DATE! 2 nd ANNUAL ALUMNI MEETING APRIL 9, 2016 at in Decatur, IL at 5:00 pm 5-6 Cocktails 6-7:30 Dinner & Presentation More information to follow.
Lorem Ipsum CURRENT INTERN UPDATES By Stephanie Forden BSN, RNAI As a current junior anesthesia intern, my contribution to the alumni association will consist of updates regarding the current events of the anesthesia interns. A lot has been happening recently at every level of our program. Starting with our senior interns, they have now completed all three senior competency exams needed to graduate in December. Each senior continues to visit multiple affiliated clinical sites, where they specialize in many aspects of anesthesia, some of which include: pediatric, neuro, cardiac, and rural anesthesia. Next, they are scheduled to take the Self-Evaluation Exam (SEE) in September, which is their last academic hurdle as they near their graduation. Wishing luck to our senior interns! As of May 2015 the junior interns have completed nearly all of their Millikin coursework needed for their DNP degrees. Having started their clinical instruction in June 2015, they will now divide their focus on clinical experiences while completing their anesthesia coursework and doctoral projects over the next two semesters. Lastly, the sophomore interns are now nearing completion of their first year of the program! While continuing on with their Millikin coursework, they have begun building their anesthesia foundation with Basic Principles of Nurse Anesthesia, which meets weekly at DMH. At this stage, each intern is developing his or her doctoral project topic idea into a reality. One of the sophomore interns, Sarah Reising, has elected to study the history of our nurse anesthesia program. For the purposes of this newsletter, she agreed to write a brief summary for you to enjoy Sarah writes: I am a third semester Decatur Memorial Hospital and Millikin University Nurse Anesthesia student. I will be conducting a historical research study about the contributions Decatur Memorial Hospital has made to nurse anesthesia education. It is imperative that we trace history and publish the accomplishments of Decatur Memorial Hospital in regards to nurse anesthesia. There have been many changes over the last fifty years that are worth documenting. My objectives include the following. I want to identify the application process through the perspective of faculty, anesthesia medical directors, and graduates from the certificate, bachelors, masters, and doctorate of nursing practice. I want to identify the impact the program has had on the Decatur community and surrounding areas. I want to identify obstacles Decatur Memorial Hospital faced during the accreditation process. I want to identify the accomplishments achieved along Decatur Memorial Hospital s nurse anesthesia journey. Data collection tools will include oral and phone interviews of Decatur Memorial Hospital s CRNA program directors, program instructors, Decatur Memorial Hospital Nurse Anesthesia Medical Directors, nurse anesthesia school graduates, Decatur Memorial Hospital, Millikin University, and Bradley University employees. I have obtained the majority of these contacts permission for interview on April 11, 2015 at the 50 th anniversary celebration of the Decatur Memorial Hospital Nurse Anesthesia Program. Other methods of recruitment will include letters, emails, and telephone calls. If the Decatur Memorial Hospital Nurse Anesthesia Program has touched your life in some way and you are interested in being part of this study, please contact me at your earliest convenience. I am very passionate about this project, and cannot wait to unfold the events that have attributed to such a successful program. Sarah Reising RN, BSN, CCRN, RNAI sbrumleve@millikin.edu
5 PICTURES FROM THE 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Current Program Director: Rhonda Gee (1995) Dr. Ronald McGregor & First DMH NAP graduate, Delores & Current Medical Director: Dr. Jon Jacoby Stutzman (1967) 2015 Alumni Officers: Anita Burton (1999), Debbie Slayton (MU), Ron Baker (2008), & Brian Jones (2002) Diane Ritter-Malone (1969), Betty Horton (1968), & Valerie Vancil (1986) First DMH NAP graduate, Delores Stutzman (1967) & her husband, Scott Stutzman Attendees of the very first alumni meeting
Lorem Ipsum HOW YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO OUR ALUMNI ASSOCIATION! Please remove/print this page from your newsletter and submit with your payment to: Decatur Memorial Foundation 2300 North Edward Street Decatur, IL 62526 Attn: DMH Nurse Anesthesia Alumni Association Dues and donations may also be made by credit card online! To submit your payment online, go to: 1. https://www.dmhcares.com/services/foundation/donation/ 2. Fill out the fields 3. Gift Designation section-make sure to check other and type DMH Nurse Anesthesia Alumni Association 4. Click Proceed to payment button 2016 Annual Membership Dues Payment Please submit your dues payment no later than February 15, 2016! Also, please include your email address with the following information so we can provide you with an electronic newsletter next time! DMH graduates: $50.00 Students: $10.00 Please fill out the following information and submit this page with your dues payment: Name (including maiden name if applicable): Credentials: Email address: Mailing address with zip code: Phone: News, comments, suggestions: Student Scholarship Donation Please help to make it possible to meet our goal for an ongoing scholarship fund! Tax free donation of $ OR
Last, but not least 7 PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE For the following Honorary Alumni Candidates Please circle YES or NO for each candidate: Paul DeBruine, Retired Medical Director YES or NO Ronald McGregor, Retired Medical Director YES or NO Margie Rickey, First CRNA Director YES or NO Jane Peterson, Retired Administrative Coordinator YES or NO Please PRINT OFF or REMOVE this ballot and mail to: Decatur Memorial Foundation 2300 North Edward Street Decatur, IL 62526 Attn: DMH Nurse Anesthesia Alumni Association Elected honorary alumni and a young alumnus will be honored at the April 9, 2016 Alumni Dinner!