An independent student newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890
20 1
02.19.2020 Vol. 220 No. 100
WEDNESDAY
Nursing ability
COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES
Recanvass to recount Recount possible following partial recanvassing of Iowa Democratic caucus results BY JAKE.WEBSTER @iowastatedaily.com Pete Buttigieg maintains a small lead over Bernie Sanders following the Iowa Democratic Party’s (IDP) partial recanvassing of caucus results. “The IDP reported corrections for 26 precincts where a misapplication of the rules affected delegate allocation, and 3 precincts where the reported final alignment did not match what was on the math worksheet,” according to a press release from the IDP. “The remaining records of results that were requested for review were either accurately reported initially; corrected in the previous review; represent precincts electing a single delegate from the caucus as a whole; or reflect math inconsistencies that are not covered under the SCC resolution.” The Buttigieg and Sanders campaigns are able to request recounts. “Any campaign that was granted a recanvass and wishes to request a recount must respond within 24 hours of the publication of results,” according to a press release from the IDP. Minutes after the IDP released the updated results, the Sanders campaign announced they would seek a partial recount from several precincts. The campaign will request a recount of “some 12 precincts,” according to a press release. “Bernie Sanders won the popular vote in Iowa by 6,000 votes, the recanvass reduced the [SDE] deficit by 97 percent,” said Jeff Weaver, a Sanders senior adviser, in a press release. “We now believe a recount will give Sen. Sanders enough [SDEs] to put him over the top by that metric as well. We want to thank the people of Iowa, our supporters, our volunteers and everyone who made this possible.”
Iowa State nursing program features students with diverse experiences BY JULIA.BENDA @iowastatedaily.com There are currently 22 students in the Iowa State nursing program working to advance their education and career by completing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The first students in the Iowa State Bachelor of Science in Nursing program graduated in December after the program began in the fall of 2018. The program is for registered nurses looking to further their career path. The nursing program was started because the president of Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) brought the idea to Iowa State for starting a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) completion program. The nursing students come from diverse nursing settings and experiences. Some of the students have recently become registered nurses and others have been nurses for over 40 years. Virginia “Ginny” Wangerin is a clinical assistant professor of food science and human nutrition in the nursing program. She has been teaching nursing for over 30 years. She said she loves what she does and enjoys getting to mentor new and future educators while continuing to practice her own skills. “I just have a passion for nursing education,” Wangerin said. “I was at DMACC for a long time and really grew that program. So when I was approached about the possibility of creating a program that would allow those DMACC graduates to progress and it was at Iowa State [...] it kind of seemed like a no brainer.” Wangerin said it can be difficult for students to know which educational route to choose because there is a lot of competition and available options. “It was an opportunity to really do something that I felt was a significant accomplishment,” Wangerin said. “I feel that this is something I can be proud of when I retire and that I can leave behind something that will make a difference.” The program allows students to not only follow good policy, but to create it as well, Wangerin said. The program goes beyond the basic entry level practice and gives students the skills to be more entrepreneurial, innovative and more of a leader. “Already, just even in the less than two years that we have been offering classes, we are already seeing a significant difference in the contributions that our students are making, so that is very exciting for us,” Wangerin said. The nursing program is a hybrid program and meets one day a week. Class time is spent building a community and participating in active learning settings. The rest of the program is online, which allows students to continue working and advance their education simultaneously. One of the students in the nursing program is Alexia Salyars, senior in nursing. “There is a big push on the percentage of BSN prepared nurses within an organization because
CAITLIN YAMADA/ ISD Iowa State students in the nursing program meet one day a week and work online so they can further their education while continuing to work.
“ [...] We are already seeing a significant difference in the contributions that our students are making, so that is very exciting for us,” — Virginia Wangerin there is so much evidence to back up patient outcomes that can improve with that,” Salyars said. “This program, we all have different specialties but it’s allowed us to pick things that we can all use in our own specialty to improve our patient outcomes.” Another senior in nursing is Lora Duncan. She said she had the intent of completing her BSN, but never found the right fit in a program. “I like that we meet in class, it’s only one day a week so it works very well,” Duncan said. “I still work full time. I still work a 40-hour workweek and it fits in.” One set of classes the nursing program offers is a one year sequence. First semester, students take a health and wellness class to look at theories, meanings and health from a deeper perspective. The second semester class is population health, and is one of the key differences between baccalaureate and associate degree nurses. Kendra Odland, senior in nursing, said she learns better in a classroom setting rather than online. She graduated from DMACC in Ankeny and now attends Iowa State’s nursing program classes.
“I particularly liked that, as someone who graduated from DMACC, there are not many registered nurses to BSN programs that also have classroom classes,” Odland said. “I think this is the only one. I just learn better when I participate in a classroom setting and I comprehend more [...] so I was really excited when they said that they were starting the program.” Odland said the program has high expectations, but the students are supported by the peer group and professors. “They have high expectations, but they also gave us a number of contact information and told us even if it’s late at night, send a message and we will respond,” Odland said. Katie Merriam, senior in nursing, said she woke up one morning and decided to pursue her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. “I seriously woke up and was like, ‘I’m gonna get my bachelor’s,’” Merriam said. “I got a flyer at work for the [Registered Nurses] to BSN program in my email. I emailed Wangerin back and I was like ‘I’m really interested in this,’ and I came and met with her and was like, ‘I’m doing this.’”