June Highlights

Submitted on Jun 20, 2014

UMSN leadership showcased through media, national conferences, and awarding of grants.

 

--University of Michigan School of Nursing (UMSN) Dean Kathleen Potempa, PhD, RN, FAAN, commented in the Wall Street Journal on “How to Find Quality Health Care” as part of “The Experts,” an occasional WSJ series. Experts are asked to answer questions and weigh in on a variety of trending topics. Dean Potempa’s second post in the current series addresses how healthy aging can benefit society: “While maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important across the life span, focusing on weight management, exercise and good nutrition are critical aspects of healthy aging,” she said.

Dean Potempa also shared advice on beginning a nursing career on iNurse Radio. She explains why there are increasing opportunities in both the quality and quantity of nursing jobs, and why it requires a growing skill set to be admitted to nursing school and have a successful career. “The qualifications now reflect that burgeoning knowledge base, particularly [an] understanding of science, humanities, and good communication skills (both written as well as verbal) are things we look for,” she tells host Jeff Allen. “We’ve always had science as the base for our profession, but the sheer explosion of knowledge in the science arena, as well as the expectations of the public for high communication skills, has brought the current generation of nursing students to the truly highest level that we’ve seen.”

Dr. Michelle Aebersold and Joe Lang--Clinical Assistant Professor Michelle L. Aebersold, PhD, RN, Joe Lang and Mike Houston from RDG presented a workshop "A Hands-on Experience in Simulation Design Center Principles and Application to Practice " at the 13th annual International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning conference. RDG is the architecture firm responsible for UMSN's new academic building currently under construction. Updates and a live web cam are available on UMSN's page dedicated to the new building.
 
--Newly published research from the lab of UMSN Professor Janean Holden, PhD, RN, FAAN, shows that stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus of rats can improve neuropathic pain. Dr. Holden says the findings support the idea that gender, as well as dose, can play a role in pain response, potentially changing thinking about “one size fits all” approach. View the paper here: Differences in carbachol dose, pain condition, and sex following lateral hypothalamic stimulation.  Holden JE, Wang E, Moes JR, Wagner M, Maduko A, Jeong Y.  Neuroscience. 2014 Jun 13;270:226-35. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.04.020. Epub 2014 Apr 20.
 
--A program directed by Antonia M. Villarruel, PhD, RN, FAAN, UMSN associate dean for research and global affairs, is noted in a National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) video, “Nursing Research: Bringing Science to Life.” NINR Director Dr. Patricia A. Grady describes how the agency works to advance nursing research and improve patient care, saying that Dr. Villarruel’s program, ¡Cuídate!, focuses on community-based approaches to educate adolescent Latinos about making safer decisions about sex.
Meeting of the directors of NIOSH ERCs.

-- UMSN hosted this year’s annual meeting of the directors of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Educational Resource Centers (ERC). The directors represent leadership from more than a dozen universities and research centers. The meeting was held in conjunction with the American Association of Occupational Health Nursing (AAOHN) conference in Dallas. The directors meeting allows occupational health specialists to discuss education, programs, developing resources and AAOHN competencies.  Marjorie C. McCullagh, PhD, RN, APHN-BC, COHN-S, director of UMSN’s Occupational Health Nursing Program, served as facilitator of the 2014 meeting. McCullagh reported, “The meeting was a huge success, with a high level of engagement and plans to continue the work toward our common goals throughout the coming year.”

--UMSN faculty focused on improving women’s health are making significant contributions through research on a variety of topics. Several of these include the research of students and international collaborators. Recent publications include:

1. Predicting Birth-Related Levator Ani Tear Severity in Primiparous Women: Evaluating Maternal Recovery from Labor and Delivery (EMRLD Study), Lisa Kane Low, Ruth Zielinski, Yebin Tao 4, Andrzej Galecki, Catherine J. Brandon, Janis M. Miller, Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2014, 4, 266-278

2. Urban American Indian Adolescent Girls: Framing Sexual Risk Behavior.  Saftner MA, Martyn KK, Momper SL, Loveland-Cherry CJ, Low LK. J Transcult Nurs. 2014 May 6.

3. The role of maternity care providers in promoting shared decision making regarding birthing positions during the second stage of labor. Nieuwenhuijze MJ, Low LK, Korstjens I, Lagro-Janssen T. J. Midwifery Women's Health. 2014 May;59(3):277-85. doi: 10.1111/jmwh.12187. Epub 2014 May 6.

4. Consumer information on fetal heart rate monitoring during labor: a content analysis. Torres J, De Vries R, Low LK. J Perinat Neonatal Nurs. 2014 Apr-Jun;28(2):135-43. doi: 10.1097/JPN.0000000000000035. PMID: 24781772.

5. Moving Toward Patient-Centered Care: Women's Decisions, Perceptions, and Experiences of the Induction of Labor Process. Moore JE, Low LK, Titler MG, Dalton VK, Sampselle CM. Birth. 2014 Jun; 41 (2):138-46. doi: 10.1111/birt.12080. Epub 2014 Apr 6.

Accolades

UMSN DNP student Daniel Ochylski, MS, RN, has been selected for a new partnership program with the Jonas Center and Sigma Theta Tau International. The program is designed to support doctoral nursing students, establish new educational tracks to develop nurse leadership skills and help nurse leaders prepare future nurses to meet the demands of the global health care system. Ochylski is currently working on a scholarly project focused on health workforce educational programs and nursing leadership. As a Jonas/STTI Scholar, he will research, develop and launch a new leadership academy within the STTI International Leadership Institute. “Advanced practice nurses from around the world must be prepared to answer the call to lead,” says Ochylski. “The voice of nursing leaders can be heard at the highest level within our federal government, within the boardrooms of our healthcare organizations, among our professional organizations and academic centers, at the bedside and from the curbside within communities.  Being part of the Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI)-Jonas Nurse Leaders scholar program will allow me the opportunity to learn from these nursing leaders to help create the International Nursing Leadership Academy for Advanced Practice Nurses.”

Clinical Instructor Leslie Kearfott, MSN, FNP, has been selected to be a Jonas Nurse Leaders Scholar as she obtains her DNP degree from Oakland University. The prestigious grant, established in 2008, was created to support the development of nursing faculty and address the needs of future patients. Kearfott practices at Pediatric Specialists of Bloomfield Hills. She is also working with colleagues at U-M’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital to implement a hospital "bundle" educational plan centered around central line associated blood stream Infections and catheter-associated urinary tract infections. In addition, she and other pediatric faculty members are developing a project focused on measuring empathy levels of nursing students caring for families with a chronically ill child.