Marymount University

School of Health Professions Newsletter A Message from the Dean If I were to choose one word to characterize the School of Health Professions over the last year, surely, the word is change. Just as the health care delivery system, technology, and educational practices are constantly changing, our curriculum has been continually enhanced.

Spring 2007 Volume 7, Issue 1

__________________ IN THIS ISSUE Page 1: Dean’s Message Page 2: New Faculty Page 3: Updates–DPT & Health and Human Performance Pages 4-5: Faculty Accomplishments Page 6: Keeping the Connection and Upcoming Events Submit content to: Sr. Noël Loughlin, RN, PhD, RSHM, Professor Emerita Marymount University School of Health Professions 2807 North Glebe Road Arlington, Virginia 22207

The Department of Health and Human Performance initiated a 3+2 master’s program in Health Promotion Management. This graduate program prepares leaders who design, implement, and evaluate wellness and health promotion programs in health care agencies, industry, government, and other settings. The ultimate goal of wellness is not simply to extend life but to enhance it. Students in this innovative program begin graduate work in their fourth year of study and complete the graduate degree in five years. The Department of Physical Therapy enjoyed a record number of applicants this year, while the distance-learning Transitional DPT program, for those who hold a PT master’s degree, enrolled its third cohort of students. Senior DPT students presented their thesis work at the American Physical Therapy Association, and this summer are engaged in clinical education with preceptors around the country. The department with the greatest curricular changes is Nursing. The profession is faced with tremendous challenges in managing complex health care needs at a time of serious nursing shortages. The faculty in undergraduate nursing enhanced and strengthened the evidencebased practice and cultural competence components of the curriculum. Another major

change is the conversion of the RN-BSN program to an online format. This program is facilitated through Marymount’s new Reston Center. We encourage our associate degree graduates to consider this option for baccalaureate education. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing mandates that by 2015 all new advanced practice nurses hold the degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). The curriculum for this degree has been developed by the graduate faculty in Nursing and will be presented to the University for approval in the coming academic year. Perhaps the most exciting development in the School is the opportunity for all departments to collaborate in a proposed Nurse Managed Health Center at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Arlington. The center would provide health education, screening, and referrals to underserved individuals in the parish and the surrounding community. It would also provide opportunities for undergraduate and graduate Health Science, Nursing, and Physical Therapy students to work with practicing professionals in a community setting with a broad representation of the local population. Pending adequate funding, the center will open in the coming academic year. I look forward to another productive academic year. Please keep in touch with us. Sincerely,

Theresa Cappello, RN, PhD Dean and Professor

New Faculty

Christine Keenan Christine Keenan is a new fulltime faculty member in Marymount University’s Nursing Department, but actually joined the University in 2005-2006 when she began teaching clinical skills. Prior to that time, her experience included managing the Open Heart Intensive Care Unit at the Washington Hospital Center for three years. Christine has 15 years’ experience as an ICU (intensive care unit) nurse in both the Virginia Hospital Center and Georgetown Medical Center. She has also had experience as a clinical instructor of medicalsurgical nursing at Georgetown Hospital. Christine’s educational background includes an A.A.S. from Marymount University, a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Kansas, and an M.S.N. from Georgetown University. She is married with two-year-old identical twins and a six-year-old, all boys. She loves to read and has been in a book club for 13 years. Her current interest is in emergency preparedness, and she is a member of an organization that incorporates the teaching of

best practices of hospital staff for disaster training. We wish her continued happiness and success in her endeavors at Marymount.

Margaret Krassy Margaret Krassy came on board to the Department of Nursing in Marymount University’s School of Health Professions in the fall of 2006. She comes to us with an interesting background. Most recently, she was an associate professor of Nursing at Felician College in New Jersey, where she taught in both the BSN and MSN programs. Prior to that, she was the director of the Nurse Practitioner program at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She has also had much experience in the field of health administration, including the role of the director of the School of Nursing at Bloomfield College in New Jersey. Her educational background includes graduation from Bellevue School of Nursing and a BA in Psychology from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City (founded by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, the same congregation of religious that founded Marymount University

in Virginia). She also has a BSN degree from Bloomfield College, and an MPH and an EdD from Columbia University in New York City. Margaret is married and has two children and three grandchildren, one of whom is in Pakistan. She loves to do needlework and is a member of the EGA (Embroiders’ Guild of America). She also loves to garden. She is very interested in holistic health and is a certified aroma therapist. We wish her much happiness and success at Marymount.

Carol Lang Carol Lang joined the Nursing Department as a full-time faculty member in January 2006. She is a native of Liverpool, England, and now has permanent residency in the United States. Carol is a registered flight trauma nurse, which indicates that she has acquired 800 hours of flying time. Prior to her position as a fulltime faculty member in the Nursing Department, she taught at Palm Beach Community College in Florida for two years. Before that, she taught at Homerton College of Cambridge University in England for four years. Her husband is an attorney for the

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U.S. Air Force, which involves extensive travel worldwide. Therefore, Carol had many opportunities to travel and practice health care throughout the world. Her education includes a BSN with honors from Florida State University and an MSN from California State University. She is currently working on her PhD in Medical Anthropology at Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She is certified as a Critical Care Nurse and has 17 years of experience in that area. Carol is married and has a 15year-old who is adjusting to life as a high school student and of whom she is very proud. Carol is an avid theatergoer and opera enthusiast. She and her husband belong to the Washington Opera Society of Washington, DC. We welcome her to the School of Health Professions.

Health and Human Performance It is an exciting time to be involved in the health sciences and health education fields as they are rapidly emerging and continually evolving. We, as a nation, are at the forefront of seeing a paradigm shift in healthy attitudes, notably from reactive to preventive health practices. As a result, Marymount students will play pivotal roles towards further defining the approach of preventive health for our nation. Society has embraced the health sciences and health

education disciplines as evidenced through the continual demand for preventive care services. For example, employment of fitness workers is expected to increase much faster than the average for all occupations through 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. Faculty in the Health and Human Performance Department are leading this transformation by conducting innovative research and imparting their knowledge to future generations. Dr. Michelle Walters-Edwards, along with Dr. Michael Nordvall, have been selected to conduct human performance analyses for the DC United soccer team. Their research will forecast and assess fatigue, as measured by blood lactate response through the duration of a soccer season. Additionally, Dr. Nordvall and Dr. Walters-Edwards are conducting research on the association of AngiotensisConverting Enzyme polymorphism to muscle strength responses in healthy adult females. Both research projects are ongoing and expected to be published in peer-reviewed journals following completion. The work of Marymount University’s Health and Human Performance Department remains robust. Faculty and students are on the cutting edge of the health sciences and the health education revolution.

Physical Therapy Update The Marymount University Physical Therapy program was well represented at a recent national conference of the American Physical Therapy Association, held in Boston, Massachusetts, in February 2007. Four PT faculty members and five current Marymount Physical Therapy students attended. Additionally, Mary Beltran, DPT ’06, presented the MU thesis project, Utilization Barriers to Physical Therapy Services for Individuals with Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, and Spinal Cord Injury, as a platform presentation. Dr. Cathy Elrod served as thesis advisor to this project. Dr. Diana Venskus had a poster presentation examining quality of life outcomes for patients receiving care at a local Free Clinic, as well as a platform presentation, Building Vision 2020 via Student Portfolios: A Collaborative Initiative between Students and Faculty. Our first class of 31 Transitional DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) students graduated in May 2007. This first class is primarily Marymount MSPT (Master of Science in Physical Therapy) graduates who have returned for the DPT. We are delighted to have been able to facilitate their continued growth and professional development.

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Faculty and Student Achievements Publications Dr. Sharron Guillett, associate professor of Nursing, published “Using a rehabilitation approach to wound care in the home setting” in Home Healthcare Nurse. July/August 2006, vol. 24(7), 434-438. She also published “Health care policy issues” in Professional Nursing. K. Polifko Harris, ed. (2007). During the fall 2006 and spring 2007 semesters Linda Ohler, assistant professor of Nursing, delivered a series of 13 lectures. They were given both nationally and internationally and included such topics as digital immigrants, teaching digital natives, transplantation, and immunology. Ms. Julie Ries, assistant professor of Physical Therapy, co-authored the chapter “Rehabilitation of persons with transtibial amputation” in Orthotics and Prosthetics in Rehabilitation, 2nd ed. Lusardi & Nielsen, eds. Butterworth Heinemann: Boston, 2007. In addition, Ms. Ries co-authored the article “Evidence in practice. Clinical questions: Is there evidence to support the use of constraint induced therapy to improve the quality or quantity of upper extremity function of a two-and-a-halfyear-old girl with congenital hemiparesis?” in Physical Therapy, 86(5): 746-52; 2006. She also co-authored the abstract “Pediatric constraint induced therapy for management of an impaired upper extremity function in a young girl with congenital

hemiparesis: A Case report” in Pediatric Physical Therapy, 18(1): 79; 2006. Dr. Michelle WaltersEdwards, assistant professor of Health and Human Performance, and Dr. Michael Nordvall, associate professor of Health and Human Performance, are among the coauthors of “The effects of serial fatiguing tasks and acute recovery on indices of neuromuscular and sensorimotor performance of the knee flexors in females,” published in the Proceedings of the 11th Annual Congress of the European College of Sports Science, held in Lausanne, Switzerland in July 2006. The Congress was hosted by the University of Bern, University of Lausanne, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and the Swiss Society of Sports Medicine. Dr. Rita Wong, professor of Physical Therapy, co-authored the chapter “An evidence-based approach to orthotic and prosthetic rehabilitation in Orthotics and Prosthetics in Rehabilitation, 2nd ed. Lusardi & Nielsen, eds. Butterworth Heinemann: Boston, 2007. Presentations Dr. Sharron Guillett presented “RNs with physical disabilities: The lived experience” at the University’s Innovations seminar and also at the STTI conference at Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland, in March. Dr. Michael Nordvall, associate professor of Health and Human Performance, was interviewed on NewsChannel 8

on August 9, 2006, in the wake of the Floyd Landis Tour de France scandal. Dr. Nordvall spoke about athletes’ use of steroids and other performanceenhancing substances. Ms. Linda Ohler, assistant professor of Nursing, presented at several major conferences during the fall semester. The titles of two of her presentations, “Pregnancy after Transplantation,” presented at the Australian Transplant Association, and “Transplant Immunology – Interpreting Lab Test Results after Solid Organ Transplantation” were presented at the Contemporary Forum in Advances in Transplantation Conference in Washington, DC, and will be recorded in conference proceedings. Achievements The American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the accrediting agency for the BSN and MSN programs, has taken the position that all advanced practice nursing programs must be at the doctorate level by 2015. The essentials for the program were sanctioned by the membership at the October 2006 meeting. The MSN faculty will develop a proposal for the DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice). Two undergraduate Nursing students received Mary Marshall Nursing Scholarships for academic year 2006-07 from the Commonwealth of Virginia. Ms. Maria Barber, an accelerated BSN student, received $2,000; Ms. Erin Shuniak, a four-year BSN student, received $1,500.

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The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has granted formal approval for Level V membership to the University based on a site visit to review the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. It was conducted in spring 2006. Nova Medical Group and Grace L. Keenan, M.D., have awarded a Nursing scholarship of $1,000 a year for five years for undergraduate Nursing. Ms. Lynn Montigue, a seconddegree BSN student, will be the recipient of the scholarship this academic year. Dr. Susan Bidwell, professor of Nursing and Carol Lang, assistant professor of Nursing, accompanied Nursing students to Belize for an international community health nursing experience in May 2007.

Congratulations Faculty Honored for Outstanding Performance Teaching Dr. Cathy Elrod Excellence in Service Award (30 years) Dr. Rajamma George Collegiality Dr. Michelle Walters-Edwards Scholarship Linda Ohler, FAAN Outstanding Fall 2006 Graduates AAS LaToya McEachnie BSN

Laci Wallin

MSN

Iris Randall

HHP

John Porter Cindya Umana

Spring 2007 Inductees to Eta Alpha Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau Undergraduate Students Chandra Bartlett Meghan Edwards Esther Jones Alexander Kirby Latoya McEachnie Doris Onyima Cynthia Runnells Elspeth Stanley Amanda Tharp Anastasia Woodard Graduate Students Jennifer Alkhayat Emma Christiani-Nguyen Patricia Sendelbach

Dr. Susan Bidwell (top left) and Carol Lang (far right) with Nursing students in Belize.

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Upcoming Events from NLN (National League for Nursing www.nln.org)

MAY YOU ALWAYS BE BLESSED WITH WALLS FOR THE WIND, A ROOF FOR THE RAIN,

July 18-19, 2007 NLN Presentation Course for Certification as a Nurse Educator Pre-conference workshop at International Nurse Educators Workshop Breckenridge, CO September 26-29, 2007 NLN Education Summit Evolution or Revolution Recreating Nursing Education Phoenix, AZ www.nln.org/summit January 11-13, 2008 The NLN Leadership Conference Coronado Springs Disney Resort, Orlando, FL

A WARM CUP OF TEA BY THE FIRE, LAUGHTER TO CHEER YOU, THOSE YOU LOVE NEAR YOU, AND ALL THAT YOUR HEART MIGHT DESIRE (Anonymous)

KEEPING THE CONNECTION Past and Present Linda Ohler, BSN ’83, is a FAAN (Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing). This is considered to be a very high honor in the profession of nursing. As a young RN, Linda was a critical care nurse who worked in intensive care and cardiac units (ICU and CCU), giving care to critically ill patients. She decided she needed additional education and chose to come to Marymount’s BSN program for RNs to get her baccalaureate education. She completed the requirements for that degree and thereafter she was accepted into the MSN program offered at The Catholic University of America. Even while studying, Linda always continued to work. Her great interest is transplant nursing. Her experience includes working in ICUs and CCUs in the Washington Hospital Center and the Virginia Hospital Center-Arlington, and she was the transplant coordinator at the Inova Fairfax Hospital. In 2005, Linda returned to Marymount as a full-time faculty member, with the rank of assistant professor of Nursing in the School of Health Professions. She averages about 10 guest lectures or presentations a year. She has been a guest speaker in at least ten countries. Her topics include transplant nursing, immunology, immigrants, publishing, and terminology. Her audiences are national and international. She has edited four books on the topic of transplant nursing. She is the editor of the transplant journal, Progress in Transplantation. She loves teaching nursing and we are so proud of her!

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