about this publication

Notes on Nursing is a newsletter designed by nurses for nurses at UHC. It is only with your input that this publication is possible.

Please send your ideas and suggestions to: alove@nursing.umsmed.edu.

Editors:
:: Janet Harris, RN, MSN
:: Amy Wild, RN, MPH
:: Ann Marie Love

New Faces in 3Wiser

The staff of 3Wiser welcomes Viretta Luckett, PCT; Erica Brown, NA; LaTonya Britton, US; Deanna Hayes, US; Ardarian Gilliam, PCT; and Audrey Coleman, LPN.

Congratulation to Sonja Huntley, RN, for having perfect attendance for 2006.

- Malinda Lawson, NM

4Wiser Goes Red for Women

In an effort to raise awareness about heart disease in women, nurses in Wiser go red in support of the American Heart Association National Wear Red Day on February 2.

Sitting: Charlotte Brown, US, 4 Wiser; Jennifer Chennault, RD WIC Dept.; Nancy Hellman,RN,NM, WIC 2nd row: Cheryl Padgett, RN, 4 Wiser; Cheryl Lloyd, RNC, IBCLC,WIC; Diana Bramlet, RN, WIC; Evora Knight, RN, WIC; Melissa Odom, RN WIC 3rd row: Veronica Smith,PCT, 4 Wiser; Cathy Smith,PCT, 5 Wiser; Francine Fry,LPN II, 4Wiser; Carolyn Thompson,RN, 4Wiser; and Regina Hogan, RN, 4Wiser.

For more information about Go Red for Women, visit www.goredforwomen.org.

4C (General Pediatrics) News:

4C welcomes several new RN's to the unit: Natalie Dickard, Denise Carraway, Kaiti Kinter, Lynn Knight, Helen Ann Varner, Anjanette Beltran, Amberly Smith, Jill Cooley, Leslie Parnell, and Kelly Looney. 

Some of these are new graduates who have all demonstrated excellent growth over the past few months and have shown a genuine zeal for pediatric nursing. Others represent experienced nurses with expertise in areas such as: GI, Intensive Care, Neonatology and Pediatric Dialysis. With these positions filled, we are proud to announce that we are operating a fully staffed unit!

Recognizing the important roles that our Nursing Assistants and Unit Secretaries play, we are also thrilled to announce the addition of our two new Unit Secretaries: Fantoya Carter and Ashley Cassidy, as well as our new Nursing Assistants: Gertrude Brown, Sonyia Carlisle, Vernecia Miller, Sparkle Shoulders, Henrietta Thompson, and Robin Puckett.

4C would also like to recognize our Unit Educator, Lishia Lee MSN, RNC. Lishia was selected by the American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC) to serve on a panel in Washington, DC that reviewed the new Pediatric Certification Exam for Nurses. We are proud of Lishia's desire to promote pediatric nursing locally and nationally!

- J. Michael Parnell, RN, BSN, BS

News from 5Wiser

Congratulations to Sharon Gooden, Nursing Assistant. In March, Sharon completed the Patient Care Technician Program. We are very proud of Sharon. My hat is off to all staff members that work on 5Wiser, including myself. We each allowed Sharon to perform finger sticks and blood draws to meet the number of sticks she had to perform towards her Clinical section.

- Alberta Johnson, RN,C

Coordinated Care Welcomes New Staff

This spring, social workers at UMC volunteered as preceptors for nine social work students. The students came from various institutes and from different levels of study. They worked daily with our social workers to learn all of the aspects of their jobs. Our social workers have thoroughly enjoyed having them here this semester.

In addition to working daily with the field instructors, some students volunteered to work on CCD’s poster for the Patient Education Fair held on February 14. One student, Jennifer Hunter, produced the handout that went along with the poster and did a great job. Kudos! Some students also participated in the annual Social Work Vendor Fair in March. Thanks to all of you for your many contributions. Good luck to you in all of your endeavors!

The student who participated are:

Front Row:

Back Row:

- Kim Watkins, RN, Case Manager

MICU has much to celebrate

Congratulations to Brandi D’Souza, RN, MSN, who has recently passed her nurse practitioner boards. She will soon begin practicing in her new role after she and her husband move to Minnesota to work at The Mayo Clinic. Congrats and good luck. We will miss you!

MICU welcomes two new RNs who are joining us in the unit: Angelica Isog, RN and Cynthia Nelson, RN.

Wendy Howell, RN, BSN, has accepted the position of MICU Nurse Educator. All of the staff would like to welcome Wendy to her new role. Wendy has been a staff nurse in the MICU for 3 years and is looking forward to the new challenge.

And to all MICU nurses, keep up the good work!

-Amy Barrett, RN, Nurse Manager, MICU

CICU News

The staff welcomes Stephanie Williams to the CICU family. Stephanie is a nursing student at Hinds Community College, and is working with us as an SNA.

Congratulations to Bradley Coker, SNA as he prepares for his commencement from the University of Mississippi School of Nursing.

Unit Secretary Doneyel Fisher welcomed a baby boy in February.
RN Deanne Chambers welcomed a baby boy in March.
Both mothers and both babies are healthy.

Congratulations to Brice Dawkins for taking and passing the Cardiac Medicine Certification Examination in February. Brice adds those credentials to his recent CCRN certification. Way to go Brice!

Michelle I. Schweinfurth, RN, BSN

Greeting from L&D and OBR:

We would like to welcome the newest members of our L&D family: Renee Willis, RN; Deborah Griffin, ST; Aisha Barnes, RNC; and Jill Panter, RN. We have also added several Nurse Graduates to our teams who will begin in May: Tara Martinez will be working in OBR; Meghan Hardy, Yolanda Moore, Katie Rachel, and Melissa Taylor will be working in L&D. We are so excited to have each of these with us.

We look forward to having two Student Nurse Externs working with us this summer - Brittani Hodges and Anna Susan Wadlington.

We continue to recognize (and applaud) those who have perfect attendance each month. During January and again in February we had 36 employees who had no call-ins and no tardies. What a fantastic group!

Our staff continues to provide excellent care and service to our patients.

Thanks to all of you.

- Pat Ainsworth, RN,C

Bone Marrow Transplant Unit News

Lelia Sanders and Catherine Brewer are now Oncology Certified Nurses.

Michelle Burns, Eva Castle, Kim Clyde, Wendy Mosier, and Ronda Boston attended a 2 day conference on "Updates in Stem Cell Transplants" at MD Anderson March 30th and 31st.

Lelia Sanders is training with the "Team in Training" program with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to run 26.2 miles in Nashville's Country Music Marathon on April 28th. She is raising money for research to help find a cure for blood cancers. Help us give Lelia support and motivation.

Leila is running for all of her patients who have won and lost their fight with blood cancers. To check out the web site or make a donation online, go to:
www.teamintraining.org/ms. Click on "Find A Participant", then type in Leila Sanders. Tax deductible receipts can be printed.

- Michelle Burns, RN, BSN, OCN
Nurse Educator

Pediatric ER Nurse Educator attends BCEN Meeting

Paul C. Boackle recently participated in a meeting in Washington D.C. with the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) and the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) to develop the Pediatric Emergency Nurse Certification. His representation of UHC and Batson Hospital is remarkable and is a unique display of his commitment to nursing excellence and professional development. The meeting was held by the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing on March 31-April 1, 2007.