East Carolina University College of Nursing

Last call for applications to our inaugural Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner post-masters certificate program. If you or someone you know is interested, contact Dr. Kristie Hertel, the program director, at [email protected].

We have a lot to be thankful for, Pirates. In the past few weeks, we were visited by the representatives from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and the North Carolina Board of Nursing for periodic recertification. We are thrilled to report that both organizations passed us with flying colors, giving us the clearance to continue our mission of educating future generations of nurses. That certification gives us the opportunity to continue a twice annual tradition that we are always thankful for – commencement. In a few short days we will gather as a community to celebrate the newest members of Pirate Nurse Nation as they turn their tassels. If you are able, join us as our students ring their bells and become graduates. It’s always a wonderful experience. As we break for Thanksgiving and all the special days that we will celebrate over the coming holiday season, we hope you enjoy yourselves. Eat a lot of good food. Spend time with families and friends. Travel safely. ?????????? Bim Akintade, PhD, MBA, ACNP-BC, NEA-BC, FAANP, FAAN

Join us Dec. 11 at 4 pm for a virtual information session for high school students, parents and counselors to learn more about the Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses program, which guarantees a seat in your local community college and the first opportunity to be admitted into the competitive nursing program at ECU. ??? RSVP here?https://lnkd.in/eQw_PC6q If you know a high school student who is interested in joining the nursing profession, please share.

Dr. Kim Larson was recognized Nov. 19 as ECU’s 2024 recipient of the Achievement in International Teaching award. For many years she has lead student nurses on learning experiences in Latin America and she was a Fulbright U.S. Scholar from 2023-2024, working in Poland to design education programs to teach international nurses how best to care for refugees of the war in Ukraine. Dr. Larson is a consummate example of ECU’s commitment to service and role model for all of Pirate Nurse Nation. ??????????

Welcome to Dr. Cynthia “Cyndi” Klaess, the newest member of the graduate faculty in the Clinical Nurse Specialist concentration. ? Dr. Klaess received a BSN from UNC-Chapel Hill and is a two-time Pirate Nurse, first in 2013 as a Clinical Nurse Specialist and most recently this past summer with a DNP.?Dr. Klaess has taught with us on a part-time basis since 2023 while working as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Duke University Health System.?Dr. Klaess has worked in multiple large medical centers as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in med-surg and pain management. Dr. Klaess is a strong believer in holistic care and is a yoga instructor and teaches yoga in Belhaven, NC.?Her first day with us will be January 2. We are grateful to her for sharing her knowledge and experiences with our students.

Alright Pirates, listen up. Exams are just around the corner and we want to support our students by providing them with snacks and words of encouragement from our Pirate Nurse community. We are collecting donations through Friday, November 29th. Here are two ways you can help (one or both, but both is good ??): Write a Note of Encouragement: Complete this form to share an encouraging message with a student. Each snack will have one of these notes attached, so feel free to submit multiple notes if you have the time! https://bit.ly/4hWMyt2 Donate Snacks via Amazon: You can purchase snacks directly from our Amazon Wishlist, and they’ll be sent straight to the college. It’s a simple way to contribute! https://amzn.to/3Zav9pk Thank you for helping to lift our students’ spirits during exam season. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Katy Locke, our director of Alumni Affairs at [email protected].

Last night, WNCT’s Gabby Sartori ran a story (link below) on the Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program being spearheaded by Drs. Donna Roberson and Kimberly Delgado. The program is funded by a $900,000, multi-year contract to help educate and train members of the regional health care workforce to more effectively care for older adults. https://lnkd.in/evaWMx6E Also recently, Dr. Delgado attended the Gerontological Society of America's Annual Scientific Meeting in Seattle. In addition to attending various sessions on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, caregiver support, and long-term care policy, she presented a poster entitled "Taking charge and flexing protocols: SNF nursing staff's UTI identification."

Nursing is so much more complicated than caring for patients at the bedside. Moral quandaries are waiting around every corner and require each nurse to think critically, be brave and act decisively. How do you teach those skills to student nurses? Alexis Spence and her team are using scenario-base challenges to confront students with realistic scenarios that they are likely to face after graduation. Talking through the ramification of their decision making for patients and the health care team will help prepare future Pirate Nurses to provide the world class health care that Pirate Nurses are known for. ?????????? Bim Akintade, PhD, MBA, ACNP-BC, NEA-BC, FAANP, FAAN

On Thursday we inducted the latest class of students into Beta Nu, ECU’s award-winning chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, the international nursing honors society. This was a special induction as it occurred during the chapter’s 50th anniversary year. This year’s inductees join?the 2600?members since the chapter’s installation and are part of an active roster of over?400?members. If you are interested in joining Beta Nu, contact Dr. Thompson Forbes at [email protected].

Congratulations to Dr. Michael Jones for his selection as a faculty subject matter expert, leading the development of a Community Health Open Educational Resource (OER) course for the UNC System. He will be teamed with Dr. Lindsay Draper, a Pirate Nurse, who will lead a Fundamentals in Nursing Open Educational Resource (OER) course). Jones and Draper participated in developing textbooks - he wrote chapters for Population Health while she wrote chapters for Fundamentals - for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). Jones’ work will be part of phase 1 of the initiative and will begin January 2025 and run through Summer 2025. ??????????