- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Partners with CHI St. Vincent, Saline Memorial to Help Hospital Employees Go to College

John Hill — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 12:59:00 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is partnering with and to help hospital employees fulfill their educational goals. “The partnership with CHI St. Vincent and Saline Memorial is a natural extension of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s commitment to Central Arkansas,” said Dr. Cody Decker, vice chancellor for student affairs and chief data officer at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock is excited to further its partnership with these organizations, streamline the admissions and enrollment process to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, and ultimately offer an accessible, quality pathway to a college degree.” Full-time employees at Saline Memorial and CHI St. Vincent may receive 10 percent off tuition and fees at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. The discount is meant to help the hard-working members of the healthcare industry start and finish their college career while keeping their full-time jobs. “We are fortunate to have a committed partner like the University of Arkansas at Little Rock that works consistently to support our nurses and help them find new ways to grow in their careers and healing ministry for our community,” CHI St. Vincent CEO Chad Aduddell said. “This kind of support helps strengthen our entire community with the healthcare professionals trained to face whatever tomorrow holds.” The scholarship is open to up to 50 hospital employees who are pursuing a bachelor’s degree at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. There is no minimum credit hour requirement to receive the scholarship. Students must start classes during the fall semester and remain a full-time employee during the school semester. Katie Lea, chief nursing officer for Saline Health System, said that the partnership helps foster a culture of growth and development for hospital employees. “The addition of this discount for our team at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock not only encourages that continued growth, it also makes higher education more attainable for our team members,” Lea said. “Discounts like these, combined with Saline Memorial’s internal benefits like tuition reimbursement options, are helping us to reach our community’s need for nurses. They also result in further development of our existing staff, which ultimately means an improved quality of life for our friends, neighbors, and co-workers. We are grateful to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock for their continued partnership and the leadership and development role they play in our communities.” While hospital employees may select any major at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Dr. Sloan Davidson, director of the School of Nursing at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, hopes this new partnership will encourage employees who are interested in becoming nurses to pursue their dreams. Those who already have an LPN, Paramedic, or RN license have options to complete the BSN program. “We hope this discount will help those ready to complete a bachelor’s degree get started towards the BSN in a more cost-effective way for working nurses and paramedics. The School of Nursing is so glad to have ��Vlog��ý Little Rock support this request,” Davidson said. “A career in healthcare means constantly learning and growing so that our nurses have the skills and support they need to thrive in this environment,” CHI St. Vincent Chief Nurse Executive Angie Longing added. “It truly is a blessing to have that kind of support and educational opportunities so close to home.” When they apply for admission at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Saline Memorial and CHI St. Vincent employees should check the box to identify themselves as a hospital employee and use the code TROJAN2022 to waive the application fee. No additional application is needed for the tuition and fee discount. Hospital employees who are interested in the scholarship may visit ualr.edu/admissions/partnership for more information.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock celebrates half a century of quality nursing education

John Hill — Mon, 11 May 2020 14:14:39 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock nursing program is the most popular major on campus. It began offering first-semester nursing course credit to LPN/LPTN and Medical Corpsman in 1986, and in 2009, added paramedics to the transition program. In 2008, the RN-BSN program began the first cohort. A large percentage of degree-seeking nursing students are second-career seekers who come to the major by way of affiliated health care professions such as first responders and patient care specialists. What unites them, Bain says, is an aptitude for problem solving and critical thinking, a familiarity with health sciences, a grit and determination and deep-seated compassion, and a certain vision for the future — theirs, their family’s and the community’s. “I have been very impressed over the years with the students who have come out of our nursing program and transformed, not just their lives, but the lives of their children and grandchildren. We see generations of families.”

Nursing students hang out in front of the Pat Walker Center for Nursing Education at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Photo by Ben Krain.

All students are assigned a faculty mentor. Bain says good students know when they need help, and the university makes a licensed social worker available and a school emergency fund for those who need it. The program itself is blessed to receive funding in the form of program support and scholarships from partners such as , and the . “We undergird our student population with that support because sometimes it’s the difference between them staying in the nursing program or not.”

Quality Nursing Over Decades

Central Arkansas’s density of care facilities tasks universities to produce regular batteries of qualified nurses and BSNs. Even before the Center for Simulation Innovation, before the transition offerings and the bachelor’s degree schedule for working nurses, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s program was meeting the needs of central Arkansas clinics, operating rooms and doctors offices and building a reputation for “strong practitioners,” Bain says. “We were very small at first, going to far fewer agencies for clinical experience than today, but from the beginning, we graduated quality nurses who could pass the national licensure exams and go right into the workplace.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock celebrates half a century of more than 4,100 registered nurses

John Hill — Fri, 08 May 2020 13:04:10 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has graduated more than 4,100 registered nurses since the accredited degree program began in 1970. Most of these graduates earned an associate’s degree (ASN), but many went on to earn a bachelor’s degree (BSN), even while working full-time. A great many across both degrees used the paramedic and Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) transition program. Countless nurses leveraged their hard work and success to serve in nearby hospitals, medical centers, offices or small practices, said Ann Bain, provost and executive vice chancellor at the university. Bain is a former nurse herself who, at various points, has been a faculty member of, then chair of the Department of Nursing, and dean of the College of Education and Health Professions. That sense of community service from a city university is what the administrators and chiefs at what was then St. Vincent Infirmary intended when they helped ��Vlog��ý Little Rock begin its nursing program in the late 1960s. By 1970, the year it was accredited, the program enrolled about 45 students and maintained a lean staff of two faculty and a director. This May, 350 students will begin journeys toward ASNs, joining 330 currently enrolled and another 250 BSN candidates. The investment made more than half a century ago has accrued to the benefit of both landmark institutions. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock has been a vital source of nurses that has helped CHI St. Vincent to continue to deliver exceptional health care to the state of Arkansas. The training and preparation of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock program helps the nurses acclimate quickly to the care environment,” said , CHI St. Vincent’s senior vice president and chief nurse executive.

Practice, Perfect

Bain was one of the chief creative forces behind the program’s Interdisciplinary Health Education Center (SCIHEC), an innovative health care simulation facility located on the ground floor of the Pat Walker Center for Nursing Education building on campus. The 3,800-square-foot facility features a 20-bed simulation hospital unit. There, students can train for real-world events from anaphylactic shock to cardiac arrest to mental illness. The scenarios are brought to life by paid actors (sometimes in the role of family or other caregivers). Students are coached by faculty, sometimes over speaker, and granted the benefit of hindsight with a video recording. “We bring that fidelity to the simulation classroom,” said Sloan Davidson, chair of the School of Nursing at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “Students have an opportunity to experience what it’s like to operate as the RN in a scenario. This is not the case in the hospital” — or not without liabilities. The simulation unit has been a boon to recruitment, and an assurance to area hospitals who know ��Vlog��ý Little Rock-trained nurses have hours of simulated, real-world experience, Bain said. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock taught me the personal and professional skills I’ve needed as a nurse,” said Mike Stramiello, BSN, RN, currently serving as a nurse at Saline Memorial Hospital. “The unique environment cultivated a depth of understanding and hands-on experience that has enabled me to care for my patients and give back to my community.”

Sloan Davidson, chair of the Department of Nursing, leads nursing students working with medical equipment in the SIM Lab. Photo by Ben Krain.

Trojan Horse Leads the Way for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Nurses Day Celebration

John Hill — Thu, 07 May 2020 17:17:55 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock celebrated National Nurses Day by giving away meals and goodie bags to health care professionals at CHI St. Vincent Infirmary and Saline Memorial Hospital to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its nursing program. In honor of its more than 4,000 graduates, the university’s larger-than-life Trojan horse mascot escorted volunteers beginning at 10:45 a.m. May 6. “In the past 50 years, our nursing program has grown to be one of the largest offered at the university,” said Dr. Christy Drale, chancellor at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “That growth is due to the dedication and expertise of our faculty and staff. Our graduates have gone on to serve our communities faithfully and our celebration today is a small way to thank them.” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock police led the group to CHI St. Vincent Infirmary where ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty and staff members handed out food and gifts to the health care workers. J. Hook Towing and Recovery donated its services to haul the horse as a way to say “thank you” to these frontline workers. After delivering to CHI St. Vincent Infirmary, the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock team also visited Saline Memorial Hospital in the afternoon, handing out gifts.

Maximus, the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock mascot, and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock volunteers deliver food, protective masks, and T-shirts to Saline Memorial Hospital in Benton to support health care workers on National Nurses Day.��

“��Vlog��ý Little Rock taught me the personal and professional skills I’ve needed as a nurse,” said ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumnus Mike Stramiello, BSN, RN, currently serving as a nurse at Saline Memorial Hospital. “The unique environment cultivated a depth of understanding and hands-on experience that enabled me to care for my patients and give back to my community.” The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Nursing Program was founded in 1970 and has since graduated thousands of qualified, talented nursing professionals who are serving Arkansas communities. This event was a special way to honor these alumni and encourage them to fight COVID-19 like a Trojan! “The program has adapted over the years to meet the needs of our community partners,” said Dr. Ann Bain, provost and executive vice chancellor. “Yet the level of professionalism and training our students receive has never changed. We were thrilled to honor these individuals today as they serve.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock uses 3D printers to make PPE for healthcare workers

John Hill — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 16:28:10 +0000

With healthcare workers across the state facing a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the University of Arkansas at Little Rock is using 3D printers to create face shields for a local hospital. In partnership with the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is printing the frame of the face shields, while a partner Little Rock business, Mr. Plastic, is printing the clear shield. Once put together, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is delivering the much needed face shields to healthcare workers at CHI St. Vincent.�� “Those treating and testing individuals with possible infection of COVID-19 have a significant need for Personal Protective Equipment,” said Dr. Lawrence Whitman, dean of the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology. “Everyone wants to help out our medical workers on the front line, and this equipment protects them and gives them a feeling of safety.” U.S. Representative French Hill, a Republican from Little Rock, applauded the university’s innovative efforts during an April 3 visit to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to observe the 3D printers in action. “Friday, I saw firsthand how the University of Arkansas at Little Rock is innovating to help our medical professionals on the front lines,” Hill said. “With 3D printers from the Little Rock School District, they are manufacturing critical protective face shields to go straight into the field. Together they will save and protect lives.” The effort began with employees from the Graduate Institute of Technology and the Department of Art and Design using their 3D printers to print the face shield frames. Armand Tomany of the Graduate Institute of Technology and Ben Dory, artist-in-residence in metals in the Department of Art and Design, began printing the face shield components at their homes.

Dr. Larry Whitman, dean of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock College of Engineering and Information Technology, demonstrates the use of a plastic face shield for health professionals working with CODVI-19 patients. The face shields are being made at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock by 3D printers. Photo by Ben Krain.

“I’ve been involved in 3D printing for five years,” Tomany said. “Dean Whitman asked if I could help with the effort. I have a small print farm at home with five machines. I was able to make about 50 face shields for St. Vincent.” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has set up a print farm on the fourth floor of the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology, where Tomany, Ben Gilbert of the Graduate Institute of Technology, and students Alex Kingston and David Whitman are working. “This is a very cool project to be involved with,” said Kingston, a senior electronics and computer engineering major. “It’s a bit of a learning curve, but you do what you need to do. With the shortage of PPE, this is a great way to pump out equipment for our healthcare workers.” It has become a community effort to help in the fight against COVID-19. The Little Rock School District has loaned eight 3D printers to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. With each frame taking anywhere from 46 to 70 minutes to print, time is the immediate concern.�� “The challenge is that there are so many different makes and models of 3D printers, but we are on top of it,” Tomany said. “The immediate urgency is what drives us. We are trying to make enough PPE for the healthcare workers before the state reaches its peak of COVID-19 cases. If we get people all over the state working, then we can get a lot done.” Additionally, the Department of Systems Engineering as well as the STEM Education Center have joined the 3D printing effort. Andrew Wright, associate professor of systems engineering, and Trigun Maroo, a doctoral candidate, Kent Layton, director of the STEM Education Center, and the center’s student worker, Alex Alvarez, are all using 3D printers to make PPE. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock had already donated 150 face shields to St. Vincent, and they hope to donate 200 more this week. “It shows the innovation we have on campus to get all these people to come together for a good cause,” Whitman said. In the upper right photo, Jay Chesshir (left), president and CEO of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, and U.S. Rep. French Hill (right) inspect the 3D printers that are printing face shields for CHI St. Vincent. Photo by Angie Faller.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock/CHI St. Vincent honor new nursing students

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 18 Aug 2017 17:28:06 +0000

As a surgical technician, Daniel Ramos has witnessed the impact nurses have on patients and their families every day for the past 17 years he has worked at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.�� When the chance came to become a nurse through a new University of Arkansas at Little Rock/program, Ramos, 35, of Little Rock, took a chance to start a new career. “I have been in the medical field for a long time,” Ramos said. “I want to do that one-on-one care that I’ve seen nurses do. I feel like it is a calling. My passion and my love of caring for people pulled me in this direction.” Through the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock/CHI St. Vincent Pathway Program, students have the opportunity to earn an Associate of Applied Science degree as part of an accelerated 18-month program at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Upon completion, students can obtain their RN license and begin a nursing career at CHI St. Vincent. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and CHI St. Vincent officials welcomed the first 36 participants in the Pathway Program during an Aug. 16 ceremony in which the participants signed their contracts with CHI St. Vincent. Each Pathway participant will receive a $2,500 per-semester scholarship to cover the cost of the accelerated program. The nursing students are expected to graduate in December 2018 and begin working in spring 2019 after they complete their board exams. Graduates will join the nursing staff at CHI St. Vincent for a minimum of 24 months. Pathway participant Elizabeth Hurtt of Sheridan said the scholarship is a “blessing” that will allow her to concentrate on her education without worrying about money. “It means a lot because not only is it helping me with college, but it’s a token of appreciation from God, and I’m very honored to be getting the award,” Hurtt said. “After meeting everyone from CHI Vincent, I feel like I have a whole team supporting me with my journey to becoming a successful nurse.” The Pathway Program comes at a time when the vacancy rate for RNs continues to rise across the state and nation. “This is a great partnership between ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and St. Vincent,” said Nisa Trenthem, RN residency manager at CHI St. Vincent. “There is a need for nurses everywhere, since so many nurses are nearing retirement age.” To produce more nurses, schools and instructors need to add programs and increase students, Trenthem said. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has already increased its nursing enrollment — from about 700 to about 780 this year. “I get contacted regularly by people asking how many graduates we have and if they can recruit our graduates,” said Dr. Charles “Preston” Molsbee, chair of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of Nursing. “Hopefully, with the increased enrollment, we can help eliminate that need.”

Pathway Program participant Daniel Ramos and his classmates sign their contracts to work with CHI St. Vincent. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

Ramos said his three sons – 12-year-old twins and a 10-year-old – gave him the strength to pursue his first college degree and work toward his goal of becoming a nurse to help save lives. “My boys are my biggest encouragement,” Ramos said. “My boys told me I better walk across the stage in 2018. They encourage me to finish my homework like I encourage them in school.” Pathway Program participants include:

��Jasmaine Bass of Mabelvale
��Aarikka Black of Little Rock
��Sydney Bradshaw of Sherwood
��Allison Brown of Conway
��Andranez Bryant of Little Rock
��Tearani Buffington of Bryant
��Zachary Casteel of Searcy
��Morgan Collins of Pine Bluff
��Saige Davis of Pine Bluff
��Alexis Edwards of Little Rock
��David Harris of Conway
��Macey Highfill of Cabot
��Kimberly Hill of Benton
��Elizabeth Hurtt of Sheridan
��Angela Keaton of Conway
��Sean Lindsey of Little Rock
��Alyssa Lloyd of Bryant
��Maggie Marshall of North Little Rock
��Tyler Massey of Bryant
��Makayla McElwee of Lonoke
��Marquita McKissick of Little Rock
��Ashley Moore of Roland
��Monica Morrison of Little Rock
��Dominique Neal of North Little Rock
��Bradley Oldham of Mabelvale
��Jalisha Price of Little Rock
��Nicole Purdy of Benton
��Tiffany Smith of Little Rock
��Veronica Thomas of Alexander
��Jasmine Washington of Pine Bluff
��Daniel Ramos of Jacksonville
��Daniel Ramirez of Little Rock
��Maya Nellum of North Little Rock
��Zabina Swift of Little Rock
��Brittany Reynolds of Little Rock
�� Adama Weatherspoon of Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock/CHI St. Vincent honor first Pathway students

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 13:54:53 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock and will honor the first participants of a program that will address the nursing shortage in Arkansas. In May, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and CHI St. Vincent announced a three-year initiative ��— the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock/CHI St. Vincent Pathway Program — to expand student capacity in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of Nursing and to fill the nursing staffing needs at CHI St. Vincent. The first 37 students accepted into the Pathway Program will sign their contracts with CHI St. Vincent during a special ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16, in Room 206 of the Pat Walker Center for Nursing Education on the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock campus. “This is an incredible opportunity to not only help students achieve their educational goals, but also to begin to work towards putting more nurses at the bedside, while continuing to be a part of a longstanding relationship with CHI St. Vincent,” said Dr. Charles Molsbee, chair of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of Nursing. Students who complete the program will earn an associate of applied science degree through an accelerated 18-month program. Upon completion, students can obtain their RN license and begin a nursing career at CHI St. Vincent. Each Pathway participant will receive a $2,500 per-semester scholarship to cover the cost of the accelerated program. Graduates will join the nursing staff at CHI St. Vincent for a minimum of 24 months. “It is an opportunity to be a part of something great,” said Pathway Program participant Daniel Ramos of Jacksonville. “It is truly an honor to be selected in such a program. It also means I’m a part of something more than myself, I will be able to aid and assist in helping others around me.” The program comes at a time when the vacancy rate for RNs continues to rise across the state and nation. There’s a shortage of 700 nurses in central Arkansas alone. In the upper right photo,��Chancellor Andrew Rogerson discusses the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock/CHI St. Vincent Pathway Program, which is designed to address the nursing shortage in Arkansas. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Partners with CHI St. Vincent, Saline Memorial to Help Hospital Employees Go to College

����Vlog��ý Little Rock celebrates half a century of quality nursing education

����Vlog��ý Little Rock celebrates half a century of more than 4,100 registered nurses

Trojan Horse Leads the Way for ����Vlog��ý Little Rock Nurses Day Celebration

����Vlog��ý Little Rock uses 3D printers to make PPE for healthcare workers

����Vlog��ý Little Rock/CHI St. Vincent honor new nursing students

����Vlog��ý Little Rock/CHI St. Vincent honor first Pathway students