A Piece of the Pi

News from Sigma’s Pi at-Large Chapter at UMSON

During the induction ceremony last spring, the chapter recognized Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean, with The DAISY Nurse Leader Award based on the following criteria:

• she creates an environment in which attributes of trust, compassion, mutual respect, continued professional development, and ethical behavior are modeled and supported

• she is accessible and responsive to the needs of those she leads

• she is a problem-solver and encourages critical thinking

• she is an advocate for those she leads and works with

• most importantly, she is a compassionate leader.

Kirschling has embraced the Pi at-Large Chapter, providing the support needed to make it a success. With her support, the chapter was named a recipient of the Sigma Chapter Key Award, in recognition of chapter excellence, at Sigma’s biennial convention in fall 2021.

The newest officers for the chapter were elected in July. To view the full list of officers and for more information about how to be involved, visit nursing.umaryland.edu/pichapter

— Cynthia Sweeney Pi at-Large Chapter President

Meet Kelsey Bradford, UMSON’s First-Ever School Health Officer

In October 2020, only seven months after the first COVID-19 cases were identified in Maryland, Kelsey Bradford, MD, MPH, assistant professor, joined UMSON to help students prepare to re-enter clinical sites safely. Her primary responsibility was to administer tests to confirm personal protective equipment fit students correctly (known as “fit testing”).

Shortly thereafter, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) instituted a COVID-19 daily symptom-monitoring system to track students accessing clinical sites and to ensure they were following testing and other safety protocols. She began teaching students to submit COVID-19-related information to the symptom-monitoring system to be approved to attend classes and clinicals, while emphasizing the importance of receiving COVID-19 vaccine boosters, once they became available. Bradford’s efforts also extended to COVID-19 protocols for faculty and staff.

In 2021, Bradford’s role expanded to reporting on COVID-19 data and recommending helpful resources. She helped develop and implement policies to guide students, faculty, and staff as the pandemic evolved, including how to report COVID-19 exposures, how to follow testing protocols, and how to determine when they are cleared to return to school or work post-exposure or illness. Bradford was hired full time in fall 2021 as UMSON’s first-ever school health officer and the first such position at UMB. She continues her work developing COVID-19-related policies, procedures, and protocols and is also focusing on student wellness and well-being, providing mental health resources and possible mentorship opportunities to students and recent graduates as they navigate the evolving health care landscape and the continuing effects of the pandemic.

— K.R.