Tribute/School of Nursing 2014

SCHOOL OF NURSING | 2014

HEALTH,

HOPE & HEALING

PARTNERING WITH OUR COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD

YEARS STRONG AFTER 45 YEARS, our mission of educating tomorrow’s leaders in nursing has never been more strong. As a student, you made a huge contribution to the stature and reputation of our School of Nursing. Now, we ask that you renew your commitment to support our mission by getting involved and becoming a member of the School of Nursing Alumni Association. Please let us hear from you and join today! MAKELIVESBETTER.UTHSCSA.EDU/SONALUMNI | 210-567-5534

10 SALT OF THE EARTH

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Nursing professor committed to connecting culture and women’s health to success in business

12 TRAUMA INVESTIGATOR Nurse delves into PTSD to uncover new treatments, prevention

14 DEDICATED EDUCATION UNIT IS WIN, WIN 17 PARTNERING AND ENGAGING WITH FAMILIES

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Beldon helps build connection between School of Nursing and community

20 PAYING PASSION FORWARD THROUGH SCHOLARSHIP 24 CREATIVE CALLING Alumnus taps into nurses’ innovation through cognition

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24 School of Nursing Office of the Nursing Dean 7703 Floyd Curl Drive San Antonio, TX 78229-3900 210-567-5313

04 DEAN’S MESSAGE 05 MARSHALL TO LEAD DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH RESTORATION AND CARE SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

THREE NURSING PROFESSORS RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS AAN HONOR

06 GOING GLOBAL

ON THE COVER Louise Beldon (right), UT Health Science Center Nursing Advisory Council (NAC) member and community visionary, saw the potential for a successful partnership between the university’s School of Nursing and AVANCE. When she took her idea for collaboration to faculty members in the school, they immediately paved the way for what today is a thriving alliance that makes lives better for children and families throughout the city. As Executive Director of the UT Nursing Clinical Enterprise for the Health Science Center, Julie Novak, D.N.Sc., RN, CPNP, FAANP, FAAN (left), is enriching the cooperation to ensure compassionate health and wellness services continue for those who need them the most.

(COVER PHOTO BY LESTER ROSEBROCK, CREATIVE MEDIA SERVICES.)

07 SIMULATING CIRCUMSTANCES 08 HEALTH LITERACY 16 CLINICAL NURSE LEADERS 22 HONOR ROLL OF DONORS 23 DEGREE OF CHANGE 26 ALUMNI BOARD,

ASSOCIATION LEAD EXCITING YEAR OF ACTIVITIES

FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS GIVE BACK TO COMMUNITY, INSPIRE WELLNESS

School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio TRIBUTE

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DEAN’S MESSAGE Dear friends,

In looking ahead to our horizon, our hope is to build on our partnerships toward encouraging and furthering our students’ academic and professional aspirations.”

Dean Breslin motivates School of Nursing Ph.D. student Isabel Martinez (left), and D.N.P. student Beverly Inocencio (right), during the 2013 Jonas Nurse Leaders Scholar Program at the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence/American Association of Colleges of Nursing Leadership Development Conference in Washington, DC, this past fall.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of our School of Nursing and we have much to celebrate. As we commemorate our past, we also applaud our present and look with anticipation to the exciting ways we will shape the future. Each of you — our alumni, faculty, staff, students and community partners — is more important than ever. Your engagement with us is essential to our success.

The leadership of our former deans paved the foundation for our School of Nursing’s accomplishments. From the creation of our Nursing Advisory Council (which continues to strengthen ties to the community while supporting students and faculty), to the expansion of our school’s physical footprint, to the establishment of academic centers that explore the issues and challenges related to nursing, we would not be where we are today without the vision of our engaged community.

Today, we benefit from our founders’ hard work, dedication and achievements as we move forward with new and exciting academic initiatives and partnerships. Together, we will ensure our success continues.

This third issue of Tribute highlights some of our new endeavors such as the expanding Clinical Nurse Leader program and the Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System (VA). The DEU is one example of how collaboration with our community partners provides our students with invaluable clinical experience.

Our $5 million Delivery System Reform Incentive Pool (DSRIP) project strengthens our multiple clinics and makes a lasting difference in the community by allowing us to expand our service hours and hire more staff to serve patients.

Our faculty continues to achieve excellence through funding garnered for innovative research.

Their expertise, buoyed by generous donors and foundation and corporate support, is allowing our students to participate in hands-on poverty simulations to experience and better understand the daily challenges of the poor and underserved.. This incredibly powerful exercise is an example of cultural proficiency training vital for today’s health care professionals.

In looking to our horizon, our hope is that our Memorandum of Understanding agreements with universities around the world will grow and the exchange of ideas and student opportunities will flourish. We will build on our partnerships toward furthering our students’ academic and professional aspirations. We will also continue to foster a culture of philanthropy that lessens their financial burden and ensures their access to the best educational resources.

I hope you will enjoy Tribute and that it will inspire you to engage with us to advance our purpose. Thank you for your steadfast commitment and contributions to the success of our mission to make lives better.

Eileen T. Breslin | Ph.D., RN, FAAN Dean and Professor Dr. Patty L. Hawken Nursing Endowed Professor School of Nursing The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

4 TRIBUTE School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Accolades Diversity MARSHALL TO LEAD DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH RESTORATION AND CARE SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

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n January 2014, Elaine Marshall, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, joined the School of Nursing as a professor and chair of the Department of Health Restoration and Care Systems Management. She holds the Berneice Castella Distinguished Professorship in Aging Research.

Dr. Marshall replaced former Department Chair, Carol Reineck, Ph.D., RN, who retired in August 2013 after nine years of service in Elaine Marshall, Ph.D., RN, FAAN the School of Nursing.

Dr. Marshall’s responsibilities as chair will be to lead faculty members with expertise in all aspects of adult health care and nursing management and to direct the work, personnel, and resources of a busy nursing education department.

Before joining the UT Health Science Center, Dr. Marshall worked at Georgia Southern University where she served as professor and Bulloch Healthcare Endowed Chair and the director of the Center for Nursing Scholarship. She brings more than 40 years of experience as a professional registered nurse and more than 25 years of teaching,

research and service in higher education. She has taught courses in a wide range of topics including nursing theory and research, leadership and management and other clinical courses in nursing. Her primary research focus has been with families dealing with chronic conditions and disabilities. She also is an expert in leadership, history of nursing and faculty development. Her book, “Transformational Leadership in Nursing: From Expert Clinician to Influential Leader,” was recently named Book of the Year by the American Journal of Nursing.

Dr. Marshall received her B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Utah. She also earned her Ph.D. in health education and nursing from the University of Utah. She is a current member of the American Academy of Nursing, American Nurses Association and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, to name a few. She has published several books, written numerous journal articles, book chapters and other works. During her professional career, she has made hundreds of presentations locally, nationally and internationally. Most recently, Dr. Marshall was awarded the Emeritus Alumni Merit of Honor Award by the University of Utah and was a Nurse of the Year finalist from the Georgia March of Dimes.

THREE NURSING PROFESSORS RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS AAN HONOR

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ree nursing leaders from the UT Health Science Center San h Antonio were inducted as fellows of the American Academy of Nursing during its 40th annual meeting this past fall in Washington, D.C. They are:

• JANIE CANTY-MITCHELL, Ph.D., RN, professor and chair of the Department of Family and Community Health Systems in the School of Nursing; • SARA GILL, Ph.D., RN, IBCLC, professor and director of the Ph.D. program in the School of Nursing; and • JULIE NOVAK, D.N.Sc., RN, CPNP, FAANP, vice dean and professor in the School of Nursing.

Eileen T. Breslin, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, dean of the School of Nursing, said all three San Antonio educators have contributed significantly to nursing, nursing education, patient care and health care policy making.

According to the AAN, selection criteria include evidence of significant contributions to nursing and health care and sponsorship by two current academy fellows. Applicants are reviewed by a panel of elected and appointed fellows, and selection is based, in part, on the extent the nominee’s nursing careers influenced health policies and the health and well-being of all. New fellows are eligible to use the

(Left to right) Drs. Julie Novak, Janie Canty-Mitchell and Sara Gill celebrate their induction as fellows of the AAN in Washington D.C.

credentials FAAN (Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing) after their induction in October.

AAN President Joanne Disch, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, said, “Selection for fellowship in the academy is one of the most prestigious honors in the field of nursing. I congratulate all of the new fellows and look forward to honoring their accomplishments and welcoming them into the academy.”

School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio TRIBUTE

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FINLAND • University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio MOUs WITH UNIVERSITIES AROUND THE WORLD MEXICO • Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon

TURKEY • Yildirim Beyazit University

GOING GLOBAL Nurses make impact across the world

By NATALIE GUTIERREZ

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hen Elenice Carmona, Ph.D., RN, arrived in San Antonio in December of last year, she was excited and anxious at the same time. The 38-year-old native of Brazil, whose maternal language is Portuguese, was more than 10,000 miles from home, in an unfamiliar city and apart from her husband and 12-year-old daughter for the first time in her life.

Elenice Carmona, Ph.D., RN As an experienced nurse and faculty member in the School of Nursing at the University of Campinas, in Brazil, Dr. Carmona said she knew however, that the School of Nursing at The University of Texas Health Science Center is where she wanted and needed to be for the next six months.

“In neonatal units in many hospitals in Brazil, the rate of infants who contract infections is very high. Many of the infant and perinatal deaths affect the disadvantaged population because of conditions originating during the prenatal period and at birth. Most of these problems are preventable with access to quality health care,” Dr. Carmona said. “My goal is to learn from some of the best practices available here to treat and prevent these problems and take them back to my students.

They’ll be the next generation of nurses who’ll help address this problem.”

Dr. Carmona is one of 23 faculty and students from seven countries who have benefited from the memorandums of understanding (MOU) the School of Nursing has established with universities in those regions. Because of the MOUs, faculty and students from schools of nursing at universities in Thailand, Mexico, Finland, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Turkey and Brazil are able to participate in research, curriculum, and clinical and community service activities on the Health Science Center campus and throughout San Antonio. They immerse themselves in the health care practices, technology and protocols as well as culture of this region of the United States. The MOUs also allow faculty and students from the Health Science Center to travel to these countries for the same purpose.

SAUDI ARABIA • King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences

THAILAND • Thamasat University • Mahidol University • Chiang Mai University

AUSTRALIA • Deakin University

Under the mentorship of her faculty supervisors Patricia Kay Avant, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, and Lisa M. Cleveland, Ph.D., RN, Dr. Carmona is undertaking a research study titled “Case-Based Learning with the Use of Information Technology: Cultural Adaptation of an Interactive Clinical Case Study in Neonatal Nursing.” Dr. Carmona uses a combination of what is called case-based learning, which promotes critical thinking and decision-making via cases versus lecture and the use of interactive software called “SoftChalk® that simulates a hospital case in which nurses must care for an infant who is suffering from a neonatal infection.

“This strategy enables students to be exposed, gradually, to excerpts of a patient’s history and confronted with situations that need interpretation — from the history and physical assessment of the mother and baby to the examination results. Then, students must decide on the most relevant behaviors and conduct for each situation,” Dr. Carmona said. “It also provides material for students to consult, for example, the dose of the medications prescribed for the newborn.”

Dr. Carmona said the availability of this type of technology is rare in Brazilian universities, but is improving.

“I’m in awe of the technological resources that are available at the UT Health Science Center’s School of Nursing,” Dr. Carmona said.

“The school’s Center for Simulation Innovation is outstanding. I plan to take the experience I’ve gained and translate it into Portuguese so we can develop similar software for our students in Brazil.”

Dr. Carmona not only credits the technology and resources with the success of the MOU program, but also the faculty. “Dr. Avant and Dr. Cleveland are incredible leaders. Not only are they advancing research and care that will help so many, they live their passion every day through their example.”

Dr. Carmona recalls when during the first few days that she was in San Antonio, Dr. Avant drove her around the city for several hours, stopping at seven different apartment complexes to help Dr. Carmona find a safe, convenient apartment to live in during her stay in San Antonio. “On one cold December night, Dr. Avant even called me to ask if I needed a coat,” she said. “I call her an angel. She’s a real nurse who deeply cares about people no matter who they are or where they come from. And, that’s what nursing is all about.”

6 TRIBUTE School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Diversity

SIMULATING CIRCUMSTANCES

Learning to aid the underserved

By CATHERINE DUNCAN

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he School of Nursing’s tradition of innovation in education through active learning continues with its new poverty simulation experience.

Marion Donohoe, D.N.P., APRN, CPNP-BC, assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Health Systems, came to the UT Health Science Center in August 2012 and brought her invaluable experience working with underserved and vulnerable populations. Dr. Donohoe previously served as facilitator of smallerscale poverty simulations with doctoral students at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.

All fourth-semester undergraduate students in the School of Nursing now participate in the poverty simulation on the first day of their “Population-Focused Health” course.

“We want to raise their awareness about the constraints of poverty.

They must understand the reality of their patients’ lives,” she said. “In 2013, we had two poverty simulations. The students who participated said the experience changed how they work with patients. They know how to ask questions. They know how to listen. It changes what type of nurse they are.”

During the two-hour poverty simulation, the future nurses learned a lesson in empathy by role playing a month in the life of an impoverished person in San Antonio. Each student is given the person’s age, income, bills, transportation challenges and extenuating circumstances.

One student was a single parent trying to care for his children.

Another was a senior citizen with failing health trying to live on social security. Each family used their nominal income to pay for housing, food and other necessities. The students learned how their patients must interact with various community resources in order to obtain assistance. They learned the obstacles the underserved have to attaining health care because of transportation and financial issues.

Elisha Edrington-Medina, who graduated with a bachelor of science in nursing, volunteered at the simulation last August. She and her fellow accelerated B.S.N. class members participated in the first session in June 2013.

“During the simulation, I was a child living with her grandparents.

I learned about a different type of family system. This child had to rely on her grandparents, but they had financial problems and ended up being evicted from their home. I then saw what the homeless must go through in an effort to get back in a home. It was a real eye opener,” she said.

Edrington-Medina said the experience caused her to consider pursuing community nursing. “I think you can make a bigger difference and help more people. When we went out into the community later that semester, we met so many people who did not know the services that are available to them,” she said.

Photo above: Nursing student Jasmine Smart, RN, and Ruth Morris of the School of Health Professions, share notes during poverty simulation activities in the School of Nursing.

Photo left: Poverty simulation participants discuss what they learned from their experience.

Students take what they learn during the poverty simulation and use it as they attain hands-on experience working at Haven for Hope, senior citizen centers and day care centers and performing home visits.

Teri Boese, M.S.N., RN, director of the Center for Simulation Innovation and a facilitator, said, “In most simulations, the students are acting as nurses. In this simulation, they don’t know how to act. They are flummoxed. They have never been in a simulation like this before. That is why they learn so much. I call it an empathy simulation.”

Eight zip codes in San Antonio have more than 50 percent of residents living below the poverty line. Thirty-one percent of San Antonio children live below the poverty line, according to 2011 census data.

Dr. Donohoe said the poverty simulation helps the students when they are speaking with patients.

“By earning their trust, the person will actually speak honestly with the health care provider. This trust and accurate sharing of information will allow them to better help their patients,” Dr. Donohoe said.

The other poverty simulation facilitators from the Department of Family and Community Health Systems are Martha Martinez, M.S.N., RN, clinical assistant professor, and Adelita Cantu, Ph.D., RN, assistant professor.

The facilitators recently hosted their first inter-professional simulation with students from the nursing and medical schools as well as with community action leaders.

For a fee and as time permits, the simulation can be facilitated for public and non-profit organizations. For more information, contact Dr. Donohoe at donohoe@uthscsa.edu or 210-567-3846.

School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio TRIBUTE

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Health Santé

Salud

HEALTH LITERACY NURSES CONNECT COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE TO ENHANCE PATIENT CARE 8 TRIBUTE School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Diversity

By SALWA CHOUCAIR and MELISSA MIRELES

A patient’s culture and heritage may influence health literacy among Mexican-American women, aged 50 and older. In fact, culture takes center stage when it comes to health literacy in this group according to research conducted

by Bertha “Penny” Flores, Ph.D., RN, WHNP-BC, assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Health Systems in the School of Nursing at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio.

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hile completing her doctorate degree in nursing at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Flores began her research for her dissertation in 2011.

She titled her dissertation, Las Donas: Health Literacy and Cervical Cancer Screening among Mexican-American Women. This qualitative study looked specifically at the relationship between health literacy and cervical cancer screening among older women of Mexican-American ancestry, aged 50 and older.

Since low literacy is a precursor to low health literacy Dr. Flores studied the cervical cancer screening beliefs and practices of these women as well as their health literacy knowledge and experiences. Health literacy, is defined as “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.” For her research, Dr. Flores used a multidimensional health literacy model by Christina Zarcadoolas, Andrew Pleasant and David S. Greer, which explored five components of literacy: fundamental, scientific, civic, media and cultural.

It became apparent to her that culture truly took center stage when it came to each component. “You could not take culture apart

her family to Houston at age 16, has a personal understanding of the importance of culture.

While working in health care as a nurse practitioner, Dr. Flores chose this particular research project because she began to notice a high incidence of cervical cancer in Hispanic women in her practice. She believed Bertha “Penny” Flores, Ph.D., RN, WHNP-BC they were lacking basic health education which could prevent many of the cases she witnessed. While cancer is the leading cause of death in Hispanics, the incidence of cervical cancer is higher at 64 percent for Hispanics than for non-Hispanic whites. She felt Hispanic women had a high need for education because they are the lowest screened for cervical cancer, which happens to be the most preventable cancer.

This research, however, has unveiled much more than the lack of education. It helps nurse clinicians understand the value of providing holistic care to every patient they see. It helps nurse educators review communication strategies for diverse older populations. It helps researchers continue to develop strategies that improve health literacy and health outcomes for minority older women.

Since Dr. Flores teaches a health literacy component in her undergraduate classes, her students are benefitting from her research as well. She teaches her students to assess patient health literacy and to determine whether the information they are providing the patient is being understood. Using the Teach Back method, Dr. Flores encourages the use of simple language and teaches students the importance of being respectful of the patient.

“It’s about communicating with and educating our patients regardless of what kind of specialty role we have,” Dr. Flores said. “If they don’t feel they can trust the provider, or if they do not feel like they understand what they are being told or what the results are, they will not seek help.”

Dr. Flores has received several awards for her research including the prestigious John A. Hartford Geriatric Nursing Practice Research Award in 2009 that provided her funding for two years and an award from the Nursing Advisory Council.

She was selected as a STAR Fellow through the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) in Fort Worth in 2013. The STAR (Steps Toward Academic Research) Fellowship Program is designed for junior faculty interested in health disparity research. This program offers collaborative training and interaction with faculty from the UNTHSC and other universities and enhances grant-writing skills.

Source: American Cancer Society and Bernstein, et. al. 2010

It is not just about translation, but understanding the culture.”

—BERTHA “PENNY” FLORES, PH.D., RN, WHNP-BC

from anything else,” Dr. Flores said. “If we were to develop educational materials, you need the culture and Hispanic core values, like respect, as part of these materials. It is not just about translation, but understanding the culture.” Within the Hispanic culture, for example, the family is highly respected and remains very important. This often also impacts the younger generation. Born in Mexico, Dr. Flores, who moved with

School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio TRIBUTE

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SALT EARTH of the

Nursing professor committed to connecting culture and women’s health to success in business

By SALWA CHOUCAIR

Medical research conducted in a laboratory, clinic or hospital is fairly common, but medical research conducted in the boardroom of a micro-lending organization seems highly unusual, until you meet the researcher.

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or 17 years, Rebekah Salt, Ph.D., RN, has been making an important connection between microenterprise (a business, generally with a sole proprietor, that operates on a very small scale) and health. An assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Health Systems

10 TRIBUTE School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

in the School of Nursing, Dr. Salt’s research focuses on the influence of economics on health, specifically addressing employment and women’s health within the context of microenterprise. Using a community-based participatory approach involving a local business partner, Dr. Salt began her third research study with this focus in November 2013.

Discovery While the data from her current study has yet to be analyzed, she has identified several recurring themes that have appeared in each of her studies regardless of geographic region. The themes include how women deal with time constraints; the connection between purpose in life, work and well-being; women’s awareness of their own health; and how women remain a strong link to generational health.

From this study, featuring focus groups and online surveys, Dr. Salt hopes to write a larger grant that will allow her to expand on her research and conduct national surveys with the potential for a call to action.

“In community-based research we explore determinants that affect health such as social, cultural, political and economic factors,” Dr. Salt said. “The research still supports that women are one of the strongest links to generational health, and this is part of the reason my focus is on women. From a public health standpoint women can create a healthier generational unit.”

Dr. Salt is partial to a grassroots and community approach to research because of her 14 years of experience as a critical care nurse. She witnessed firsthand how health promotion and wellness programs could benefit low-income patients. That experience motivated her to move into community health nursing where she believes she can make a difference.

“It is exciting to generate knowledge that supports health promotion at the community level. The process is never static. Each project reveals new questions and directions to explore, and I consider myself part of a team,” Dr. Salt said. “I have always used a community-based participatory approach in my research. The community members are the experts and I wouldn’t dream of moving forward with any project until I hear the voice of my community. I consider the process and these partnerships both valuable and enjoyable.”

Currently, Dr. Salt partners with Accion Texas Inc., a nonprofit, multi-state micro- and small-business lender that provides loans to entrepreneurs who cannot secure traditional loans. Since the study features women, clients working with the Women’s Business Center at Accion are the perfect match.

“We have a holistic approach to our work and our mission,” said Janie Barrera, president and CEO of Accion Texas Inc. “Access to capital is one, but we want to partner with organizations that complement us and also help our community. When this partnership initially was presented, I thought it was a good match. We have the data for which Dr. Salt is searching — microenterprises started by women — and we want to help our clients. As we are trying to level the financial playing field in our work, she is trying to level the health needs and issues that everyone faces.” The question, Barrera said, in microenterprise becomes, ‘If you are the sole proprietor of a business and your health fails, how will you continue operating the business and how will this affect your family if that business is the only source of income?’

“For us, the connection is collateral. Since collateral is something you own, if you have good health, it becomes your collateral,” Barrera said. “If you lose your health you lose your job and you lose your business. It truly makes sense.” In her 20 years of experience as a micro-lender, Barrera has watched this health link topple strong, successful businesses.

Dr. Salt was introduced to microenterprise through friends who were working in developing countries in the 1990s and through the work of Muhammad Yunnis, Ph.D., the pioneer of these programs and who earned a 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in poverty alleviation.

Stories of how these money-lending programs were changing the lives of extremely oppressed women struck a chord with her. She learned how women, who were not allowed to own property, have access to money or even leave their homes, were starting their own businesses.

In turn, they became good financial investors who repaid their loans, and good social investors because they took their profits and invested in their families.

Most intriguing to Dr. Salt was how international microenterprise programs opened the door for health and wellness education, including information on immunizations, contraception and nutrition, for the women in these countries. Making the health connection with United States microenterprise was not as easy, but it doesn’t mean the connection does not exist and the health needs are not there.

This is why Dr. Salt has dedicated her research to partnering with microenterprise organizations, conducting her first study in Washington, using ethnography to describe women’s participation in microcredit.

She then partnered with the Women’s Economic Self-Sufficiency Team (WESST) in New Mexico for her second study. There she generated

(Left to right) Martha N. Zurita, director of the Accion Women’s Business Center; Janie Barrera, president and CEO of Accion Texas Inc.; and Rebekah Salt, Ph.D., RN, collaborate to promote women’s health in business and life.

data using multiple focus groups to explore the health concerns of low-income women who launched microenterprises at six regional sites in the state.

“I believe in microenterprise,” Dr. Salt said. “I like the idea of meeting needs at the grassroots level and I think it is our job as health care providers and business people to help those without a voice move forward. Women know how to take care of themselves, but they often put their health on the back burner to take care of others. I think access to health care is a human right and having the best quality of life that you can have shouldn’t be a luxury. My job, as a community-based nurse researcher, is to promote health.”

As Dr. Salt continues to work on her microenterprise research, motivation isn’t a problem.

“I was taught that it can take an academic lifetime to build a program of research. The key for me, as a nurse researcher, is to keep my focus on the purpose of this work, which is to build trust in the community, listen to their needs, and translate the research into practice that improves health. That, in itself, represents satisfaction to me.”

For more information about Dr. Salt’s research or similar programs in the Department of Family and Community Health Systems in the School of Nursing, contact Gwen Notestine at 210-567-5313 or at notestine@uthscsa.edu.

School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio TRIBUTE

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NURSE DELVES INTO PTSD TO UNCOVER NEW TREATMENTS, PREVENTION

TRAUMA

INVESTIGATOR

By NATALIE GUTIERREZ and MELISSA MIRELES

Gunfire. Ear-piercing explosions. Tragic death. Most Americans never witness these terrifying events.

But for many who do, including those who have served in the military, traumatic life occurrences such as these can lead to a devastating psychological illness called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

A

fter a trauma or life-threatening event, it is common to have reactions such as upsetting memories, increased jumpiness, or trouble sleeping. If these reactions do not go away, however, or if they worsen, an individual may be diagnosed with PTSD. PTSD can affect anyone at any age and is a widespread and growing problem. Women who experience sexual assault and children who experience child sexual abuse are also prone to developing PTSD at some time in their lives. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that about 5.2 million adults suffer from PTSD during any given year. About 11 to 20 out of 100 U.S. veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars suffer from PTSD. Women are twice as likely as men to develop PTSD. M. Danet Lapiz-Bluhm, Ph.D., RN, is one of only 12 nursing educators in the United States to be awarded a highly competitive grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Nurse Faculty Scholars program this year to further PTSD studies at the UT Health Science Center. The three-year, $350,000 award is presented to junior faculty who demonstrate outstanding promise as future leaders in academic nursing.

“PTSD is a chronic debilitating disorder characterized by four symptom clusters following trauma exposure such as intrusion,

avoidance, negative alteration in cognitions and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity,” said Dr. Lapiz-Bluhm, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Health Systems in the School of Nursing. “It not only affects the individual, but the family as well. Within the general population, about 70 percent will experience trauma. However, only 10 percent will develop PTSD. In the military, the rate is much higher.”

Dr. Lapiz-Bluhm is interested in identifying cognitive and neuronal biomarkers for PTSD. She is collaborating with the South Texas Research Organizational Network Guiding Studies on Trauma and Resilience (STRONG-STAR) program at the Health Science Center, a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research consortium funded by the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to develop and evaluate the most effective early interventions for detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of combat-related PTSD in active-duty military personnel and recently discharged veterans. Through her RWJF research mentor, Alan Peterson, Ph.D., director of STRONG-STAR, she will conduct her RWJF-funded research as part of a Department of Defense (DOD)-funded clinical trial using variable length Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT).

Dr. Lapiz-Bluhm explained that although CPT is one of the best evidence-based treatments for PTSD, the response rates to this

12 TRIBUTE School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Discovery MERGING NURSING AND NEUROSCIENCE

PTSD is a chronic debilitating disorder. It not only affects the individual, but the family as well. Within the general population, about 70 percent will experience trauma. However, only 10 percent will develop PTSD. In the military, the rate is much higher.”

—M. DANET LAPIZ-BLUHM, PH.D., RN

treatment are variable. The standard CPT consists of 12-sessions.

A recent pilot study funded by the DOD showed that personalized CPT given at variable lengths, depending on the needs of the individual, increased response rates. In the variable length CPT trial, Dr. LapizBluhm aims to determine if there are biomarkers associated with the speed of response to treatment. The results may inform the development of better treatment strategies for PTSD. Dr. Lapiz-Bluhm’s earlier work on PTSD has shown some potential biomarkers for PTSD. She found that individuals who experienced trauma and have PTSD have increased early morning salivary cortisol (30 minutes after waking), a hormone released by the adrenal gland in response to stress.

Another hormone released by the adrenal gland is dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). She found that salivary DHEA levels were also significantly increased in individuals with PTSD symptoms. Meanwhile, these individuals showed an abnormal pattern of early morning salivary alpha amylase activation. She hypothesized that perhaps in these individuals the system is already poised to respond abnormally no matter what the day brings, which could include behaviors characterizing PTSD. At the Health Science Center, Dr. Lapiz-Bluhm teaches research courses to both undergraduate and graduate students in the School of Nursing, bringing PTSD awareness to students and demonstrating to them what an active research, quantitative design set on a clinical trial is like. Many of her students are either active-duty military or veterans or have some connection with the military.

“They are very interested in PTSD in terms of assessing it and researching and developing appropriate treatments for individuals with PTSD,” she said. “They’ll be the next generation of nursing leaders who will make a difference for so many who suffer from this debilitating disorder.”

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Dr. M. Danet Lapiz-Bluhm began her career at the Health Science Center in 2004 when she accepted a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Pharmacology. She held joint faculty positions for several years in the School of Medicine and School of Nursing. In 2009, she became a full-time faculty member in the School of Nursing.

She graduated with her B.S.N. M. Danet Lapiz-Bluhm, Ph.D., RN from Cebu State College in the Philippines and received a full scholarship to study in Australia. There, she completed a second undergraduate degree in biomedical science with an emphasis in neuroscience from the University of Queensland in Brisbane. Later, she completed her Ph.D. in biomedical sciences in pharmacology with further specialization in neuroscience at the University of Nottingham in England. She also received research training at the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and undertook neuroscience summer trainings at the University of Oxford, England. She pursued her first postdoctoral fellowship at H. Lundbeck A/S, Denmark.

While studying in Australia, England and Sweden, Dr. Lapiz-Bluhm focused on primate and rodent-based research specifically related to the effects of stress on brain systems and behavior. As a research fellow at H. Lundbeck A/S, she was part of the preclinical team that screened for potential anxiolytics and antidepressants.

After arriving at the Health Science Center, her research focused on developing the attentional set-shifting task, a model now extensively used to determine neurocognitive effects of stress in rodents.

“My scientific journey has been very exciting. However, it was the nurse inside me that always questioned how my research translates over to the patient population. When I came to the School of Nursing at the Health Science Center, it was my dream to marry both my training in neurosciences and nursing.” It was then that she began her path in translational science. “Would the things I saw in my rodent population be the same things I would see in the patient population?”

The initial funding that Dr. Lapiz-Bluhm received from the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) of the National Institutes of Health through the UT Health Science Center Institute for the Integration of Medicine and Science (IIMS) allowed her to secure additional funding from a KL2 Career Development Program Award from the IIMS/CTSA and a Hogg Foundation Mental Health Research Grant for Tenure-Track Assistant Professors. She credits these and previous awards from the National Institutes of Health and Brain & Behavior Foundation to have contributed to the granting of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation award she currently holds.

School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio TRIBUTE

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Nursing student Katie Poindexter and VA nurse Daniel Allen, RN, benefit from the educational and collaborative experience the Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) provides.

DEDICATED EDUCATION UNIT is

WIN, WIN

By SALWA CHOUCAIR

A large banner hailing “Partners in Educating Tomorrow’s Nurses” greets everyone entering unit 4A of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System (VA), and the staff behind the motto takes the message literally. Locally while the VA serves about 81,000 veterans, it has come to depend on its community partners, including the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, in fulfilling its mission to provide quality care through hands-on education.

14 TRIBUTE School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Delivery Vicky Dittmar, M.S.N., RN (left), and Ann B. Richardson, M.S.N., RN, associate chief of nursing service — education at the VA, help lead the DEU partnership between the UT Health Science Center and the VA.

“

One of the VA’s most important missions is to assist in the training of new health care professionals both for its own needs and those of the nation,” said Sharon M. Millican, M.H.A., associate director of patient care services/nurse executive at the VA. “For almost 60 years, the VA has worked in partnership with medical, nursing and other associated health professional schools to educate and train students to meet patient care needs within both the VA and the community. This partnership has grown into the largest and most comprehensive academic health system affiliation in history.”

As one of those partners, the university and the VA forged a new relationship in the fall of 2012 when the VA agreed to host the city’s third Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) with the university’s School of Nursing. As a clinical model of nursing education, a DEU unit immerses students in patient care and essentially becomes the classroom.

Typically, the traditional model of teaching clinical applications places 10 students per instructor in a course. The instructor takes these students to a hospital unit on any given day and asks a nurse on duty, often without advance notice, to let the student follow him for the day.

This unexpected interruption in an already busy day can be challenging for the unit nurse and staff and intimidating for the student. In the DEU model, four unit nurses volunteer to become lead teachers, teaching two students each while maintaining a four-patient load. In order to train the lead teachers, the university provides workshops for both new lead and returning teachers twice a year.

“They learn the basics of what it’s like to be a teacher,” said Vicky Dittmar, M.S.N., RN, CNE, CHPN, clinical faculty coordinator at the VA for the DEU and assistant professor in the Department of Health Restoration and Care Systems Management in the School of Nursing. As the faculty member in charge of the DEU, Dittmar teaches the workshops and monitors both the lead teachers and the students’ progress.

“As a faculty member, my job is to prepare the lead teachers and their job is to deliver the product. It’s a very different way of thinking.

I want them to reflect the reality of nursing,” she said. “What does the paradigm of nursing look like? What is it like to put all the pieces together — the knowledge, skills and attitudes? The students have these wonderful mentors for seven weeks. They form a bond and it is positive all the way around.”

Each week, the lead teacher receives a plan from Dittmar for each student, creating the ideal match between the student’s clinical experience and theory class. This gives the lead teacher time to prepare in case he needs to review a diagnosis and to keep an eye out for opportunities for

the students to see firsthand what they are learning in a textbook. In return, the lead teacher completes a weekly evaluation form for each student.

“For the first two weeks that I have them, they are completely dependent on me,” said Daniel Allen, RN, one of the original 4A lead teachers. “But by weeks six and seven, I’m completely in the background as a resource and watching them. They are in control and comfortable. Students say, time after time, ‘this is the first time I feel like a real nurse.’ You can see they are excited to pursue their career.”

Nursing student Katie Poindexter couldn’t agree more. Currently in her fourth semester of the bachelor’s program, Poindexter commends the DEU model and said she would encourage other students to enroll if given the opportunity.

“I really felt like I had a grasp of what a nurse does,” she said.

“I felt welcomed and comfortable asking other staff members on the unit for help. I also found encouragement from everyone involved.

I am 100 percent more confident about my career as a nurse after completing the DEU.” In fact, Poindexter, whose father and uncle served in the military, said she would like to work in the VA system upon graduating in May. As Poindexter experienced, a DEU’s success is contingent on the entire unit serving as a classroom. Therefore, the expectation is that the other nurses on the floor, the clerk, the management and the entire staff must be welcoming, encouraging and a resource to the students.

On the school’s end, the unit must meet the objectives of a student’s course and reflect what is taught in the classroom with what is seen in the clinical setting. Unit 4A is general medicine and fits perfectly into the student’s third semester, Adult I, Care of the Patient with Chronic Conditions course.

This particular DEU was so well received by both partners that another DEU at the VA along with the School of Nursing was launched in January on the surgical ward. The School of Nursing has partnered with Methodist Hospital as well to teach with the DEU model.

“The best thing about this model is the relationships that develop between the students, the lead teachers and the hospital,” Millican said.

“The lead teachers get to know the strengths and weaknesses of each student so they can better guide and support each as they learn skills and competencies and build critical thinking and confidence.”

Millican said the partnership also keeps the preceptors sharp and current with their own clinical skills and knowledge. The quantifiable value to the students is that it allows them to be an integral part of the workforce and culture so they experience a realistic picture of nursing practice and are better prepared when they graduate. The DEU provides a solid foundation and bridge from the university to the students’ own nursing practice.

“I consider the DEU model to be the most effective and transformational way to teach,” Millican said. “And, that is possibly the best way we can make a contribution to the future of the profession.”

For more information about the DEU program or how to support it or similar partnerships in the School of Nursing, contact Gwen Notestine at 210-567-5313 or at notestine@uthscsa.edu.

School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio TRIBUTE

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Delivery Dr. Wesley Richardson (left) helps guide student Amber Armstrong, RN, through the CNL program in the School of Nursing at the UT Health Science Center.

CLINICAL NURSE LEADERS Piloting the profession and protecting patients

By NATALIE GUTIERREZ

At 17, Amber Armstrong was in a frightening car accident that left her with head trauma and in the hospital and in need of intensive cognitive therapy for several weeks. Armstrong said she is lucky to be alive, and, at that time, able to leave the hospital in good health and on the mend.

More than a decade later, Armstrong, who is now a registered nurse, takes to the road to drive from her home in Austin to the UT Health Science Center San Antonio to study in the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) program. Her goal is to ensure that other patients receive excellent and safe care and walk out of hospitals on the road to recovery like she did.

Some, however, aren’t as fortunate as Armstrong. Experts indicate that health care in the United States is not as safe as it should be — and can be. The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) first report on medical errors in the U.S. indicates that at least 44,000 people, and perhaps as many as 98,000, die in hospitals each year as a result of preventable medical errors.

The IOM defines medical errors as the failure of a planned action to be completed as intended or the use of a wrong plan to achieve an aim. Among some common problems are adverse drug events and improper transfusions, surgical injuries and wrong-site surgery, suicides, restraint-related injuries or death, falls, burns, pressure ulcers, and mistaken patient identities. High error rates with serious consequences are most likely to occur in clinical microsystems such as intensive care

units, operating rooms and emergency departments.

Errors can cost hospitals between $17 and $29 billion a year nationwide and result in the loss of patient and health professional trust.

In response to the IOM’s report, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) joined forces with other national health care organizations to discuss the problem. They concluded that a skilled master’sprepared clinician with an outcomes-based practice grounded in quality improvement was needed.

As a result, the AACN designed and developed the CNL role for the nursing profession.

Toward this aim, the UT Health Science Center School of Nursing faculty members applied the AACN’s recommendations and protocol to establish the CNL program in 2010. CNL graduates can practice in any health care setting including hospital and community settings.

What is a clinical nurse leader (CNL)?

• Oversees care coordination and provides direct patient care in complex situations; • Puts evidence-based practice into action to ensure patients benefit from the latest innovations in care delivery; • Evaluates patient outcomes, assesses cohort risk and has the decision-making authority to change care plans; and • Serves as the leader in the health care delivery system.

Students who have their B.S.N. are eligible for the program.

Those with a two-year nursing degree can begin the program after completing required coursework. All students must achieve 510 hours of clinical immersion in established health care facilities for which the Health Science Center has partnered.

Wesley Richardson, Ph.D., M.S.N., RN, CNL, and Lark Ford, M.S.N., RN, assistant professors in the Department of Health Restoration and Care Systems Management in the School of Nursing, lead the CNL program.

“We’ve graduated eight outstanding students since the program began,” Dr. Richardson said. “All nurses want to provide the safest, best quality and most compassionate care for their patients. This program prepares CNLs to ensure this occurs and that every nurse on their microsystem strives to provide safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable, and patient-centered care.”

Armstrong said she is excited about graduation in the spring of 2014. “The time and commute from Austin is worth it,” she said.

“I have excellent professors, training and the cost of this program compared to those at other universities is outstanding.”

Armstrong’s dream is to work as a CNL at the same hospital where she was treated when she was injured as a teen in the car accident years ago.

“I want to be able to lead the care for patients so they can have a second chance at a healthy and fulfilling life too. This program will prepare me to be able to do just that.”

For more information about the CNL program, contact Dr. Wesley Richardson at 210-567-5854 or at richardsonwf@uthscsa.edu.

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Development

(Left to right) Julie Novak, D.N.Sc., RN, CPNP, FAANP, FAAN, visits with Melissa Ruelas and her daughter, Lana, and Louise Beldon, community leader and Nursing Advisory Council member.

PARTNERING and

ENGAGING with

FAMILIES

Beldon helps build connection between School of Nursing and community

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By JAN SCHUBERT

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oms in some of the city’s most impoverished and underserved neighborhoods are able to tuck their little ones into bed at night, knowing their health needs are covered. This gift of quality pediatric care was made possible through the collaboration of AVANCE-San Antonio and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Nursing.

AVANCE, which opened its doors in 1973, has been a proving ground for innovative social services. Today, it serves more than 5,000 parents and children in 18 locations, which include cheerful, welcoming places where parents can walk with their children from their homes and gather with other families to learn effective parenting skills. Children play and learn in child development centers while their parents complete GEDs, attend college classes and go to work, confident that their little ones are safe, happy and preparing for success in school and life.

In 2005, Louise Beldon, a UT Health Science Center Nursing Advisory Council (NAC) member and AVANCE Board member, ignited a brilliant “AHA! moment.” Beldon’s colleagues and friends describe her as “a respected visionary with a genius for making synergistic connections.” Beldon had witnessed AVANCE transforming the lives of families in neighborhoods marred by generations of poverty, teen pregnancy and unemployment.

Rebecca Cervantez, AVANCE executive director, said, “Louise knew that many of our children were not in compliance with immunizations and other health care requirements so she proposed a solution to the School of Nursing.”

Medicare & Medicaid Services. The funding is making it possible to fulfill Dr. Novak’s bold vision to expand services, hours and professional staff.

“For the past five years we have been able to provide only one day per week of clinical services,” Dr. Novak said. “But in 2014, we will be staffed three days per week and in 2015, five days per week. Previously we served only young children, however this funding will allow us to also provide care to their parents.”

Dr. Novak lauds the manifold effects of the AVANCE clinic’s services and said the breadth of services also help prevent trips to the ER for primary care.

“We are transforming the culture of health for future generations,” she said. Dr. Novak said services improve community health by offering parents coaching in effective behavioral and developmental techniques, healthy nutritional practices, exercise, sleep patterns, stress management, safety and infectious disease prevention.

“AVANCE clinics provide health assessments and help manage acute care and stable chronic conditions, and our students provide home visits,” she said. “Best of all, children’s lives are changed as they are free to learn unimpeded by health concerns.”

Among other emerging benefits, she points out that faculty members are using data from a lead-screening project with the AVANCE population to boost research. “We’re also partnering with the Health Science Center’s Department of Otolaryngology to add hearing assessments and other services, thus leveraging our support,” she said.

“This project brings many caring professionals from the Health Science Center together,” including Victor German, M.D., who offers his pediatric and pulmonary expertise and Kathy Parke, CPNP, DNP, an experienced pediatric nurse practitioner who is fluent in Spanish.

Cervantez expressed her gratitude to Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio, the San Antonio Area Foundation and St. Luke’s

We are transforming the culture of health for future generations.”

—JULIE NOVAK, D.N.SC., RN, CPNP, FAANP, FAAN

From there, Kay Avant, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, professor and director of International Programs in the Department of Family and Community Health Systems, paved the way for the partnership. She secured a grant for renewable supplies and pieced together medical equipment for the opening in 2007 at AVANCE on Castroville Road. “We’re very proud of this project’s success,” Dr. Avant said.

In 2009, Julie Novak, D.N.Sc., RN, CPNP, FAANP, FAAN, professor and vice dean in the Office of Practice and Engagement, took the reins. As executive director of the UT Nursing Clinical Enterprise for the Health Science Center, Dr. Novak steered all four School of Nursing clinics to a new level when she obtained $5.1 million in 2013 from the Centers for

18 TRIBUTE School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Development

$

Dr. Novak (left) examines 1-year-old Lana during her wellbaby checkup at the AVANCE clinic, as Melissa Ruelas, Lana’s mom, looks on.

Lutheran Health Ministries for their roles in the collaborative project.

“Their generous grants have kept the clinic operating,” she said.

Melissa Ruelas is among the many parents who are thrilled that their children receive care at the clinic. AVANCE has guided Ruelas through parenting classes and urged her to pursue higher education.

While she attends classes at the University of the Incarnate Word, AVANCE cares for her children, who are also on track for success.

Her daughter, Lana, age 1, and son, Kalel, 4, who are enrolled in Early Head Start and Head Start programs, are preparing for their own bright futures. Ruelas also is able to take Lana in for well-baby and sick-baby checkups. “What a gift!” she said. “The nurses are amazing and thorough, access is easy, and they are monitoring my children’s development. My husband and I are very grateful,” she said.

For the approximately 50 graduate students and 100 undergraduates who have rotated through the AVANCE clinic, “It is a life-changing experience,” Dr. Novak said. “More than 50 percent of our students come from underrepresented areas. Many started out in programs like AVANCE. Research with focus groups reveals that this student demographic is consistently drawn to the Health Science Center because of their own backgrounds, which made their families eligible for programs such as this. They appreciate our emphasis on serving Hispanic populations; they love the diversity of their classmates; and they want to be placed in real-world circumstances and settings that are familiar to them.” She added, “AVANCE gets them ready for school and we get them at the other end. It’s a great example of why an exemplary national model like AVANCE needs to be well funded.”

Dr. Novak loves teaching and creating situations that integrate the Health Science Center mission. “This collaboration with AVANCE brings services to where they are most needed, while fulfilling the mission of the university. I tell my students that working with the community is like a dance in which the community always leads. If they come and listen, they will gain more than they give. And, this is a project that empowers families to do the very best for their children.”

5.1

MILLION PROJECT EXPANDS CLINIC SERVICES

The Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program will provide payments to hospitals and other providers upon their achieving certain goals that are intended to improve the quality, expand access and lower the cost of health care. Dr. Julie Novak, vice dean and executive director of the UT Nursing Clinical Enterprise (UTNCE), was funded $5.1 million over five years for a DSRIP project approved under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) DSRIP program. As a result, primary care services are being expanded at four sites managed by the UTNCE. The Student Health Center, Employee Health and Wellness Clinic, and two child and family health community partnership sites, AVANCE and Healy-Murphy Center, will benefit from this funding through the expansion of clinical services. As the executive director of the UTNCE, Dr. Novak is the project director for this contract.

The DSRIP funding will allow Dr. Novak to expand the School of Nursing’s services to these clinics through the addition of pediatric nurse practitioners, psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioners, maternal child nurses, an RN case manager and a registered dietician/health coach. Each clinic has been able to increase hours and days of operation.

The integration of behavioral health services into primary care is a focus of the project across all clinical sites.

With an estimated 5,000 immigrant refugees arriving annually in San Antonio, the San Antonio Refugee Health Clinic (SARHC) has recently been added to the DSRIP project, thus expanding patient care services. SARHC, a project initiated by the School of Nursing in 2009 in partnership with St. Francis Episcopal Church, is a collaboration with the Dental School and School of Medicine focused on interprofessional education, practice and research.

Since 2012, Dr. Novak has seen a 25 percent increase in patient volume through these clinic expansions. Focus groups with patients, parents, and local community leaders have guided the expansion at each clinic site. Neighborhood meetings, websites, fliers and news bulletins inform respective underserved populations about these expanded services and increased hours of operation.

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Paying passion forward

THROUGH SCHOLARSHIP

By SALWA CHOUCAIR

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any search their entire lives looking for the right career to fulfill them. Others find it instantly, and realizing their good fortune, send it back into the universe. One such person continues to pay it forward to students in the School of Nursing’s graduate program, posthumously, through an endowed scholarship named in her honor.

Eight years ago, Jennifer Herin-Selvester was a master’s degree program student at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio where she voiced her dream of giving back to future nursing students. Her colleague and best friend Laura Sisk said Herin-Selvester wanted to share her knowledge, education and passion for serving with future nursing students.

“When we were in graduate school together,” Sisk recalls, “we always talked about giving back to help other nursing students. As we dreamed, we wanted to start our own program to help other students return to school, and we wanted to teach future students.”

In a way, both dreams have come true. Sisk is currently an assistant professor of nursing on the clinical track at the university, the same

position Herin-Selvester held when she unexpectedly passed away in April 2010 at the young age of 32. That same year, the Jennifer HerinSelvester Endowed Nursing Scholarship was established. Since its inception, the scholarship has been awarded annually to a student in the master’s program who most closely exemplifies Herin-Selvester’s commitment to nursing, and who shows a special interest in maternal/ newborn nursing and/or nursing education.

“Endowed scholarships, like the Jennifer Herin-Selvester Endowed Nursing Scholarship, make a lasting impact and ensure that scholarship support continues in perpetuity based on the donor’s wishes,” said Gwen Notestine, director of development in the School of Nursing. “As with the Herin-Selvester Scholarship, endowments may provide an opportunity for family and friends to honor, memorialize or pay tribute to cherished loved ones through a special gift that directly benefits future generations for years to come.”

The most recent recipient of the Herin-Selvester Scholarship is Eugenia Baldizon. At 48, Baldizon works fulltime as a nurse while attending classes to complete her master’s degree in the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program. The mother of adult children and

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Development

Herin-Selvester wanted to share her knowledge, education and passion for serving with future nursing students.”—LAURA SISK

widower is a native of Guatemala. She labored to provide the best education for her children and later returned to school herself to earn her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2008 from the Health Science Center. Like Herin-Selvester, Baldizon was encouraged by faculty members to continue her education and that prompted her to pursue her master’s degree.

“It’s a privilege to have received this scholarship. I’m very grateful to the university and the faculty of the School of Nursing,” Baldizon said. “I would like to become a nursing instructor and give back to other students. When you have been given so much, you want to give back to others.”

Baldizon is carrying forward Herin-Selvester’s vision.

“She was “the quiet servant,” Herin-Selvester’s mother, Ginger Baer, said about her daughter. With an ever-present smile and an unassuming nature, Baer said her daughter always found time to help others, even with a busy schedule filled with work and school, just like the nursing students her scholarship now supports.

In fact, Herin-Selvester also applied and received multiple scholarships in order to further her education. She would proudly call her mother to let her know of each one, small or large. “One day she called in tears — tears of joy — because she had received a scholarship for $2,000, which meant she could work part time and complete her master’s degree sooner than she had expected,” said Baer, who has never forgotten that conversation with her daughter and the significance that scholarship made in her daughter’s life.

So, when she and family members were deciding how to best honor Herin-Selvester’s life, a scholarship in her name seemed like the perfect fit.

“She had a compassion, drive and spirit to help others,” said April Herin, Herin-Selvester’s sister-in-law. “I never knew anyone who had the same passion for their job. She wanted to see her students and patients flourish. Through this scholarship, we are giving to others with that same passion. It’s a very positive way to keep her spirit alive, and while we miss her deeply, we are happy that this scholarship is another way we can stay connected to her memory and honor her love of nursing and teaching.

She lives on in every student recipient.”

For more information about the Jennifer Herin-Selvester Endowed Nursing Scholarship, or how to establish a named scholarship in the School of Nursing, contact Gwen Notestine at 210-567-5313 or at notestine@uthscsa.edu.

Your Legacy, Our Future As a former faculty member and department chair in the School of Nursing, Carol Reineck, Ph.D., RN, had passed the names of donors displayed on the walls more times than she can count. But it wasn’t until she had a member of her family pass away that she began looking at those same names in a whole new light.

“When I walked by those names every day, I would think of how appreciative we are of the support from our alumni and community. But when I lost my family member, those names suddenly had so much more significance. I decided then that I wanted to join that family of donors to the School of Nursing. I hope that others will join me by creating their own future legacy.”

—CAROL REINECK, PH.D., RN, Class of 1982

PLEASE CONSIDER A GIFT TO THE UT HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER SCHOOL OF NURSING IN YOUR ESTATE PLANNING.

Your gifts will create a healthier future for generations to come.

Estate gifts provide for: • Education of the next generation of health care professionals • Innovative educational environment • Compassionate care and community health initiatives Support to the School of Nursing may be provided in many ways. Perhaps you would like to create a scholarship fund for deserving students, provide funds for research, or honor a loved one with an endowment in his or her name.

We are here to help you with sample language for specific goals such as creating an endowment or scholarship fund through your will or trust. Two of the most frequently used gift types are a bequest in your will or making the UT Health Science Center San Antonio the beneficiary of an insurance policy or retirement plan.

Please feel free to contact Gwen Notestine at notestine@uthscsa.edu or call 210-567-5313 for assistance.

The best way to give depends on your own personal situation and should be discussed with your professional advisor.

Development

HONOR ROLL OF DONORS Jan. 1, 2013 – Dec. 31, 2013 Planned Gifts Estate of Anonymous Kristine Arlitt Anne F. Briscoe Rebecca Garcia-Michels Barbara E. Greene Lucille Hamill Judith B. Hutcherson Gladys Lynch Mary O. Pena Philip and Jean Piccione Carol A. Reineck Susan E. Rovira Shirley Sterling Endowment Support David and Ginger Baer Nova Herin Family and Friends of Jennifer Herin Selvester Gary A. Baldwin Family and Friends of Ruth Ann Baldwin Anne Fishburne Briscoe Family and Friends of Mary J. Ford Patrick and Kelley Frost Veronica Keller Family and Friends of Loretta James Gladys I. Lynch William Gray Montgomery Family and Friends of Mary Faye Montgomery Ronald J. Reed Rick and Elizabeth Rosenblum Family and Friends of Judith and Marven Rosenblum Searing Brown Foundation Robert Shelby President’s Council Patricia Kay Avant Ginger E. Baer Michael and Irene Black Eileen T. Breslin and William L. Israel Jo Ann Crow

Mary Beth Fisk Betty Murray Halff Patty L. Hawken Ronald and Karen Herrmann Carol Ann Huebner Brenda Gail Jackson Judith N. Morton Gregg and Sydney Muenster Thomas and Jane Cheever Powell President’s Council - UT Health Science Center San Antonio Area Foundation Katherine A. Schwesinger Richard P. Usatine and Janna W. Lesser Neill and Beverly Walsdorf Dean’s Excellence Fund Susan Elizabeth Anderson Betty J. Andrews Mary Carolyn Broxson Patricia Leanne Cordier Jacquelyn Wood Duplantis John Thomas Franklin Jerry Puente Gonzales Rebecca Elizabeth Pollok Lisa J. Rodriguez Joan B. Trimble Barbara M. Wroblewski Living Endowment Scholarship Armstrong Family Charitable Foundation Fund Estela Avery Sam and Kay Bashara Sharon McCaa Chatham Francisco and Graciela Cigarroa Anita Eggert John and Darlene Gilcreast James B. Lukose Ronald J. Reed Paul and Marie Smith

Gregory and Carole Thompson Lewis and Nancy Thorne Budular S. Thyagarajan Wendy Tillotson Mary E. Walker Women’s Overseas Service League Barbara Wulfe Friends of the School of Nursing —Scholarships Laura V. Alvarado Rose M. August Lynette Babilonia Ariana C. Barbour Gilbert and Caroline Ann Barrera Gus J. Belitzer Whitney Bischoff Maria Bitela M. Danet Lapiz Bluhm Teresa A. Boese Marian W. Borrell Eileen T. Breslin and William L. Israel Deborah Brown Sarah Brown Christine Burke Patience Taylor Cain Janie Canty-Mitchell Judy Casey Lisa G. Castro Robert and Sharon Chatham Florence Marie Chesnick Lou Ann Click Kathryn Louise Close Jennifer L. Collins Samuel Cortez Susan Crum Lilia DeBenedetto Ilene Decker Marion Donohoe Carrol Wayne Doolen Suzette Dooley DryClean USA San Antonio/A&G Quality Cleaning Services, LLC Uloma N. Eke Glenn R. Ermer Odette Denisa Farias Brandy L. Finck Flowerama John Thomas Franklin John A. Fritz Bobbi Gage Rebecca M. Garcia Richard and Tracy Garza Sara Lyn Gill House of Pho Rachel Hubbard Karen Kirby Huffman Deborah L. James Laura Caitlin Johnston Priscilla W. Karam Bradley B. Kayser and Gemma T. Kennedy

Frances Jean Kelley Mark and Lynn Kutler Gregory and Anne Lilly Dorothy N. Lindner Amy Sabrina Lindsey Donna Lindsey Andrea Martinez Phoebe C. McDavid Jennifer D. McKay Jacqueline R. Mickley Celeste G. Milton Chris and Melissa Mireles Allen and Karen Mueller Marilynn M. Mujezinovic-Womack Kelly Alexandra Nettles April Nguyen Gwendolyn J. Notestine Jennie C. Olsen Angela Ong Jana Orsinger Kristen J. Overbaugh Victoria A. Paparelli Alice Bernadette Pappas Philippine Nurses Association of San Antonio, Inc. Jimmy Earl Pierce Diana E. Pirzada Cynthia Ann Pizzini Earl B. Posey Percy L. Richard Denise Rodriguez Sonia Moreno Rogers San Antonio Hair Pursuit, LLC San Antonio Nurses in Advanced Practice Deanna Savo-Benge Nancy M. Smith Cara Steading Isabell B. Stoltz Kristi Kay Stuckey Sunshine Medical Uniforms Joan W. ThomasDuncan Brenda Thompson Marcie Thompson Martha Tuller John Turner United San Antonio Federal Credit Union Kathryn R. Vaello Ryan D. Van Ramshorst Melody L. Verner Rose Marie Vickery Lisa G. Ward Catherine Kay White Cathy S. Woodward Herlinda Zamora Laura B. Zischke Friends of the School of Nursing Douglas M. Baysinger Marian W. Borrell Judith M. Brinckerhoff Lorrie J. Cappellino

22 TRIBUTE School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Sharon McCaa Chatham Ronnie R. Covarrubia Sandra Dennes Earl Fae Cooper Eldridge Christine N. Evans Barbara R. GarciaZuaZua Fernando and Patricia Hernandez Tonia S. Jackson Jewish Communal Fund Jonas Nursing Excellence Fund Laerdal Medical, Americas Patricia May Livingston Roberta L. Luedke Catherine S. McLeod Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. Gregg and Sydney Muenster Olusola O. Owoseni Marcia R. Patrick Cynthia Ann Pizzini Debra L. Pollard Veena Prasad Purpose Race Events Amy E. Quist Frank Ragone Marian S. Rodgers Carol A. Rowland Steve and Laurie Schindler Homer Douglas Steadman Valero Energy Foundation Maura Windlinger Nursing Advisory Council Laura V. Alvarado Betty J. Andrews Estela Avery W. Randolph Baker Louise D. Beldon Donna Block Carolina L. Canales Deborah Chavis Cannon Jane M. Cardea Lynnea D. Castillo Phyllis Chelette Christus HomeCare Jo Ann Crow Karen C. Diaz Robin Ford Dillard Gerald Fielder Frost National Bank Antonia K. Goldsmith Paula J. Gray Walton B. Gregory Barbara A. Haley Patty L. Hawken Michael Luke Healy Irwin and Betty Helford Ronald and Karen Herrmann

Denise L. HopkinsChadwick InGenesis, Inc. Paul and Sandra Klein L.D. Ormsby Charitable Foundation, Inc. Earline Lagueruela Nancy B. Loeffler Janey Briscoe Marmion John and Kathleen Marotta Harriet E. Martin Chilton Maverick Lupita Medina Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. Methodist Healthcare System Nancy B. Miller Mission Pharmacal Company Jesse Torres Moreno Jennifer Moriarty Morningside Ministries Marilyn J. Morris Donald B. Moye Gregg and Sydney Muenster Marilyn Anne Murphy Nix Health Care System Gwendolyn J. Notestine Amparo H. Ortiz Victoria A. Paparelli Loretta H. Patterson William D. Rasco Linda Ratner Ann Richardson Cathy Ritter Lorena Rodriguez Maria Cristina Rodriguez San Antonio Medical Foundation Marie Smith South Texas Money Management, Ltd. Dana Wheeler Terracina The Alamo Travel Group, LP Julia A. Thompson Wendy Tillotson Leslie Tramer Sue E. Turner University Health System UTHSCSA School of Nursing, Department of Health Restoration and Care Systems Management UTHSCSA School of Nursing, Department of Family and Community Health Systems Maria L. Wellisch WellMed Medical Management, Inc. Sheila O. Woodward Barbara Wulfe

Dedication

degree of change

By CATHERINE DUNCAN

A

s a family nurse practitioner in a community nursing home, Angela Adams, D.N.P., FNP, BC, was frustrated with the number of patients repeatedly being readmitted to the hospital.

Dr. Adams understood the impact of this stress and the added expense of the hospital stays on patients and their families as well as the cost to the nursing home.

While she continued to see patients at the nursing home, Dr. Adams began taking courses in the inaugural class of the new Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) program.

She used the knowledge she obtained from her D.N.P. program to further assess this nursing home problem.

“Before beginning this D.N.P. program, I didn’t feel that I could make a difference,” said Dr. Adams, who earned her D.N.P. in May 2013. “This degree program helped me to see that I can study an issue and then use evidencebased research to figure out a solution, and that I could be the impetus for change.”

Carole White, Ph.D., RN, associate professor in the Department of Health

(Faculty members back row, left to right) Gemma Kennedy, Ph.D., RN; Carole White, Ph.D., RN; Mickey Parsons, Ph.D., RN, FAAN; Deborah Kendall-Gallagher, Ph.D., J.D., RN; Marion Donohoe, Ph.D., RN; Carol Reineck, Ph.D., RN, FAAN; congratulate the first graduating class of D.N.P. students (pictured in the front row, left to right) Angela Adams, D.N.P., FNP, BC; Robert Walsh, D.N.P., M.S.N., RN, NEA-BC; and Linda Vochatzer, D.N.P., M.S.N., RN., CPHQ.

Restoration and Care Systems Management, teaches evidence-based practice in the D.N.P. program.

“Nurses with a D.N.P. are leaders in evidence-based practice. They implement research by considering the strength of the evidence, assessing the context, and figuring out how best to facilitate its adoption in that specific setting. They make patients’ lives better by implementing best practice,” Dr. White said.

Dr. Adams stated that at the start of her research at the nursing home, she identified that the greatest number of readmissions were associated with the residents who were dependent on ventilators. “The reasons these residents are on ventilators are related to

neuromuscular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and spinal cord injuries. I conducted an audit to find out why these residents were being readmitted to the hospital. It was determined that pneumonia was the main reason for admission,” Dr. Adams said.

She learned that the development of pneumonia was striking all ages and types of patients on ventilators.

“I took an evidencebased intervention that worked in an acute hospital setting and implemented it in a nursing home setting,” Dr. Adams said. Dr. White said the key to implementing a change like this is working with individuals at every level in the nursing home. During this process, Dr. Adams conducted focus groups with the nurses to discuss the realities of working with ventilators and also conducted in-depth interviews with the respiratory therapists. To assist the nursing staff in gaining knowledge and familiarity with the ventilators, the respiratory therapist, in collaboration with Dr. Adams, held classes for the nurses. In these classes, the therapists answered questions and demonstrated the function and components of the ventilators, allowing the nurses the opportunity to address their concerns. Lastly, to sustain the protocol, a policy was written, the protocol elements became part of the standardized physician admission orders, and the respiratory ventilator form was amended to include head elevation and oral care.

For more information about the Doctor of Nurse Practice program, call 210-567-5805 or toll-free 877-235-0341 or email SoNadmission@uthscsa.edu.

School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio TRIBUTE

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CREATIVE

calling

Tapped at the young age of 14 for the seminary, Daniel J. Pesut, Ph.D., RN, was destined to serve others. Little did he know that a summer job as a caregiver in a nursing home would lead him to a 46-year career in nursing — a career that has become the foundation for his earlier call to serve. Whether working with burn patients, teaching students, researching ways to develop creativity and innovation, or mentoring, Dr. Pesut has made and continues to make a difference in the field of nursing and health care.

By SALWA CHOUCAIR

Q

uoting author Caroline Myss who writes, “We are oftentimes ordained by our community to service,” Dr. Pesut said, “I was ordained by others who saw something in me as a nurse. I already had a passion and gift for service, and service was my major calling. Nursing is grounded in science with a focus on people, so it has an art and discipline to it. Nursing provides a wonderful foundation that you can easily parlay into all sorts of possibilities.”

Currently, Dr. Pesut, 62, divides his time at the University of Minnesota’s School of Nursing between teaching and administrative duties. He is a professor in the Nursing Population Health and Systems Cooperative Unit of the school and the director of the Katherine J. Densford International Center for Nursing Leadership.

Dr. Pesut also holds the Katherine R. and C. Walton Lillehei Chair in Nursing Leadership. He teaches a senior leadership course focusing on leadership strengths, manages speaking engagements, helps develop strategic plans and writes.

With a long list of accolades and honors on local, national and international levels, Dr. Pesut obviously made the right career choice.

His contributions to health care and the nursing profession include his research in nursing self-regulation and clinical reasoning and leadership development.

“He has made a career out of teaching people to see nursing and health care differently,” said Noah Zanville, B.S.N., RN, a doctoral student at Indiana University’s School of Nursing. “He has been an ambassador for nursing and health care and an architect of theories and practices to help nurses become sophisticated, nuanced problem-solvers capable of adapting to new situations and balance complex situations.”

Described as visionary, creative, innovative, thoughtful, a connector, a scholar and a scientist, Dr. Pesut began his nursing career with an assignment in the burn unit of the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. He received his bachelor’s degree in nursing through the Army Student Nursing program from Northern Illinois University. After six months of working with burn patients and their families, watching them suffer mental anguish and physical pain, Dr. Pesut felt he was not qualified enough to help them. So he enrolled in the UT Health Science Center School of Nursing to advance his knowledge and pursue his master’s degree in psychiatric mental health nursing. He credits the faculty and program for the major shift in his career and for providing him with the foundation for his later work in connecting clinical reasoning with curriculum design and creative teaching and learning.

Dr. Pesut’s first research endeavor was born in San Antonio while working with burn patients. As he watched them endure painful burn therapies, Dr. Pesut began to wonder what they accessed in order to endure the pain. This led to his interest in psychosomatic self-regulation.

After receiving his master’s degree, Dr. Pesut called on his own creativity and tenacity to establish a role for himself in the burn unit at Brookes. As the first psychiatric clinical nurse specialist there, Dr. Pesut received an Army commendation medal for his work. With a penchant for knowledge, Dr. Pesut soon left the Army as a captain in order to begin his doctoral studies in nursing at the University of Michigan where he also began teaching psychiatric mental health nursing.

While engaged in graduate studies, Dr. Pesut learned about metacognition and the idea of teaching nurses to be aware of their own thinking. This is when he realized he could further the field of nursing by helping nurses become metacognitive. He began to understand that reflections, which are dormant in the mind, can be activated. This led to his research in clinical reasoning for nurses that transcends and includes traditional models of nursing process.

24 TRIBUTE School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Dedication In 1999 he published “The Art and Science of Critical and Creative Thinking,” establishing the Outcome Present State Test Model of clinical reasoning, or OPT model for teaching nursing students.

Several nursing schools have adopted his model to teach how critical reasoning can change processes over time. Currently, he is working on publishing an update of his book.

“I wanted to help nurses be creative,” Dr. Pesut said. “We can help them develop research questions based on their own discovery and innovation rather than on what already exists. This is a way to move nursing forward.”

“As the saying goes,” Dr. Pesut said, “the future happens at the intersection of knowledge and service. If you have the knowledge, you can provide the service.”

Besides academic appointments at the University of Minnesota and University of Michigan, Dr. Pesut also has taught at Indiana University, the University of Iowa and the University of South Carolina in their respective schools of nursing.

He continues to crave knowledge, studying leadership and creativity trends from all professions and fields. “Science presupposes creativity,” Dr. Pesut said. “We need to cultivate the skills of creativity in order to keep moving forward. The definition of creativity is to combine ideas in new ways.”

Throughout his career, Dr. Pesut has been involved in nursing and health care organizations, often lending his leadership skills by serving on the boards of directors or committees. He served as president of the nursing honor society Sigma Theta Tau International from 2003 to 2005.

During his presidency, his theme of renewal focused on the society’s core values: knowledge, learning and service, which had somehow shifted to

research, education and practice over the years. He showed the members how all six worked together.

“Knowledge is derived from research; learning is derived from education; and service is derived from practice,” Dr. Pesut said. “We must talk of them as complementary pairs and not separately.”

Today, Sigma Theta Tau International awards the Daniel J. Pesut Spirit of Renewal Award in his honor every two years to one nurse leader whose efforts to renew self and others exemplifies purposeful reflection in practice, mindful understanding of human interrelationships, and displays an appreciative, futuristic vision for the practice of nursing.

“I am continually impressed by Dan’s scholarship, his sense of community and his generosity of spirit,” said Nancy Dickenson-Hazard, former CEO, Sigma Theta Tau International, who is currently CEO of NDH Agency, a leadership development consulting and executive coaching firm. “He is the consummate scholar and leader.”

Dr. Pesut hopes that his focus on renewal, teaching and the ability to help others activate their creativity will be his legacy. He’s proud that he has shifted the conversation in nursing to the importance of clinical judgment and reasoning in nursing practice. He believes that in the next decade or two, nurses will be the thought leaders and design thinkers in human health. They can create new care delivery models and ways of conducting business and forming partnerships.

Fortunately for them, Dr. Pesut will continue to work to empower them to question themselves, question the traditional systems and engage in the creation of new ones.

To connect with Dr. Pesut or other alumni in the School of Nursing, contact Melissa Mireles, alumni coordinator, at 210-567-5534 or mirelesm4@uthscsa.edu.

School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio TRIBUTE

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Dedication ALUMNI BOARD, ASSOCIATION LEAD EXCITING YEAR OF ACTIVITIES

T

he School of Nursing Alumni Board will kick off some exciting new endeavors for the alumni association this year. Board members are energized and in the process of planning social events and opportunities for professional growth and increasing connections among fellow School of Nursing alumni.

The purpose of the nursing alumni association is to deliver lifelong value to graduates of the School of Nursing while Christian Doll, M.H.A., RN supporting the university’s mission in the areas of education, research, clinical care and community service.

Whether re-engaging previous alumni association members, connecting alumni to continuing education opportunities, or partnering current students with alumni mentors in the community, the School of Nursing Alumni Association links the past, present and future.

As the school marks its 45th anniversary, Eileen Breslin, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, dean of the School of Nursing, said she places alumni engagement as a top priority. “When we look to the next 45 years, an informed, involved and invested alumni base will benefit both the school and our community in the long run,” she said.

Christian Doll, M.H.A., RN, will serve as the alumni board president for 2014 – 2016. Originally from Arlington, Doll is a 2011 graduate of the UT Health Science Center San Antonio School of Nursing. Before attending the UT Health Science Center, Doll obtained his bachelor of science in 2006 from Texas A&M University and a master of health care administration in 2009 from Texas A&M Health Science Center. During his time at the UT Health Science Center, Doll served as a student representative on The University of

Texas System Student Advisory Committee and as class president for the class of 2011 (December graduating class). Doll currently works for the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio in the Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

Doll is joined on the board by members Sharon Chatham, ’81; Stacy Cousins, ’12; Marcie Thompson,’12; Anni Mendez, ’10; and president-elect Odette Farias, ’12.

These individuals were instrumental in launching the new School of Nursing Alumni Association. The board set guidelines and bylaws; served as featured speakers at the fall Professional Success Series seminars for new students; participated at the career fairs to promote the alumni association to current students; and held an inaugural 5K Turkey Trot Fun Run/Walk to benefit student scholarships. Nearly 100 participated in the Turkey Trot including alumni, students, faculty, staff and community members.

When the board reconvenes in the spring, they will plan a spring reception and will begin plans for the second annual Turkey Trot.

Graduates are encouraged to join the alumni association to connect with fellow alumni and the School of Nursing community.

Annual membership is $25 and lifetime memberships are $500.

Membership supports alumni events and scholarships for students.

Ideas and feedback from alumni help shape the direction of the alumni association for the benefit of the alumni community.

For information about serving on the board or joining the School of Nursing Alumni Association, contact Melissa Mireles at 210-567-5534 or mirelesm4@uthscsa.edu. For information about giving opportunities and about how to include the School of Nursing in your estate plans, contact Gwen Notestine at 210-567-5313 or notestine@uthscsa.edu.

Stay informed, get involved, become invested. Become a member of the School of Nursing Alumni Association.

Visit makelivesbetter.uthscsa.edu/sonalumni to sign up and to learn about the benefits of membership.

FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS GIVE BACK TO COMMUNITY, INSPIRE WELLNESS

S

chool of Nursing faculty, staff and students, ably led

by John Turner, assistant to the dean, inspired health and wellness among their peers, family and friends by taking part in the 2013 Rock-‘n’-Roll Marathon this past winter in San Antonio. Congratulations to the team of more than 30 who completed the half marathon on Nov. 17.

Faculty, along with staff members from the Student Health Center, the Employee Health and Wellness Clinic, the Recreational Sports Department of Student Life and Gold’s John Turner Gym, formed a team during the summer. With enthusiasm and determination, they trained three times a week, running in the sweltering heat at running trails across the city. As an added benefit of their participation in the marathon, the team raised $3,000 for charitable organizations throughout the city.

Turner continues to lead efforts to encourage healthy habits and wholesome living by tracking and posting fitness opportunities and group wellness activities available to the campus community.

26 TRIBUTE School of Nursing | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

John Turner (pictured front and center in white shirt, and in photo, left, in fluorescent green T-shirt) poses proudly with members of his Rock-‘n’-Roll Marathon teammates.

SCHOOL OF NURSING | 2014 DEAN

Eileen T. Breslin, Ph.D., RN, FAAN EDITOR AND PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

Natalie A. Gutierrez, M.A. Director of Communications, Office of Institutional Advancement PRODUCTION MANAGER

Melissa Mireles, M.A. Alumni Coordinator and Development Assistant, School of Nursing CREATIVE DIRECTION AND PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT

Jennifer Bittle Creative Director of Communications CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Salwa Choucair, Melissa Mireles, Natalie Gutierrez, Jan Schubert and Catherine Duncan DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

Causality: Brand Marketing for Good Causes SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

Kris Doyle Office of Institutional Advancement Photos provided by Creative Media Services and printing provided by UT Print, UT Health Science Center San Antonio. © The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 2014.

All rights reserved.

CAREER FAIRS A GREAT WAY FOR ALUMNI TO GET ENGAGED!

The School of Nursing’s Office of Admissions and Student Services (OASS) hosts two career fairs each year to bring employers to campus to meet with juniors and seniors. Held in the spring and fall, the career fairs are a great way for alumni to recruit top talent for their organizations.

The career fairs offer three sponsorship levels (Gold, Silver and Bronze) for employers that are interested in setting up exhibit space and meeting with students. Each sponsorship level provides unique benefits to employers.

If you are interested in finding out more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact the OASS at 210-567-5805 or 877-235-0341.

Special thanks to our Gold Sponsors for the spring 2014 Career Fair.

www.nursing.uthscsa.edu http://makelivesbetter.uthscsa.edu

www.facebook.com/pages/San-Antonio-TX/ UTHSCSA-School-of-Nursing/260467756667

ON THE BACK COVER Teresa Anne Boese, M.S.N., RN (right), trains students in the Center for Simulation Innovation on how to care for patients using the RotoProne™ Therapy System. The bed is designed especially for patients with severe pulmonary complications. Boese said that thanks to donor KCI (Kinetic Concepts Inc.), the UT Health Science Center School of Nursing is the only nursing school in the nation with this particular type of technology.

(BACK COVER PHOTO BY LESTER ROSEBROCK, CREATIVE MEDIA SERVICES.)

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Ours is a story of learning.

Ours is a story of hope. Compassion and joy. Commitment, vision and inspiration. We engage our minds and talents, and give from our hearts, to help and heal. We touch the lives of thousands, to serve those in need, here and around the world. And, through it all, we work to make lives better.

Thank you for all you do to make our story so remarkable. You’re the reason we’re able to write the next chapter. uthscsa.edu