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

Social work, nursing degree programs garner accolades

Shanna Fitzgerald — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 13:49:30 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock earned recognition in a couple recent national top 50 lists for affordable and competitive university programs.

��Vlog��ýLR made the cut for Social Work Degree Guide’s in recognition of the university’s social work bachelor’s degree program. The website ranked ��Vlog��ýLR No. 22 on its most-affordable list. Two other Arkansas public universities also made the list.
The list recognizes ��’s online registered nurse to Bachelor of Science in nursing degree program. The list compiled by the Best Master of Science in Nursing website puts ��Vlog��ýLR at No. 29. Two other Arkansas public universities were also named to the list.

Department of Nursing announces scholarship recipients

Shanna Fitzgerald — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 19:55:02 +0000

The Department of Nursing recently selected 17 University of Arkansas at Little Rock students for more than $140,000 in scholarships. After receiving more than 120 applications, the department chose the following nursing students for the Willard and Pat Walker Foundation scholarship based on academic excellence, financial need, and professionalism:

Tunisha Boston
Adonis Brown
Kianna Canady
Jennifer Dunlap
Jazzyneka Jackson
Rebecca Jones
Autumn McGaugh
Dawn Moline
Kelsey Nelson
Lorie Beth Proffitt
Shandricka Richardson
Ronald Ripple
Jyrissa Sargent
Mason Shelton
Andrew Smith
Eric Strandberg
Caroline Stroup

The supports educational, charitable, scientific, religious, and literary efforts. ��Vlog��ýLR provides the only Walker Foundation scholarships specifically for nursing students. ��’s nursing department is located in a state-of-the-art facility and offers associate and bachelor’s degrees, including online education, as well as a licensed practical nurse/paramedic-to-registered nurse program.

Nursing faculty honored at recent ceremonies

Gloria King — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 21:16:26 +0000

��Vlog��ýLR Department of Nursing faculty recently received several distinctions for their contributions to the profession. Dr. Jane Evans was honored as the 2015 Outstanding Nurse Educator of the Year, an annual award given to one nurse educator in Arkansas. She is program coordinator for the RN to BSN completion track and has been at ��Vlog��ýLR since 2011. The award is sponsored by Publishing Concepts Inc., publisher of the Arkansas State Board of Nursing Update magazine.Talayia Johnson, nursing faculty member and Nursing Living Learning Community coordinator, was also a finalist for the award. In addition, faculty members Jamie Jones and Dr. Temekis Hampton were honored at a recent ceremony recognizing “40 Influential Nurses under 40.” Jones has been with the Department of Nursing since 2008 and is currently chairperson of the Associates of Applied Science Admissions Committee. This past academic year marked Dr. Hampton’s first year at ��Vlog��ýLR.

From paramedic to pediatric nurse

Gloria King — Sun, 28 Dec 2014 07:30:41 +0000

Nearly five years ago, ��Vlog��ýLR senior and North Dakota native Joy Johnson set her sights on Little Rock. She had some family and a few friends in the area and was ready for a change. Shortly after securing a job as a patient care technician at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, she decided it was time to go back to school and earn a nursing degree. “I have eight years’ previous experience as a paramedic, so the medical profession and, more specifically, emergency medicine, was not unfamiliar to me,” Johnson said. “But going to college in my 30s was definitely a new and scary decision,” she added. She chose ��Vlog��ýLR because she could complete her degree in 18 months and start her career while attending school. On Dec. 20, she will have accomplished that goal when she receives her diploma and becomes a nurse of pediatric emergency medicine at Children’s Hospital. Johnson initially did not realize she wanted to be a pediatric nurse. “I was pretty convinced that the ER was where I would end up because of how much I enjoyed my work as a paramedic, but I also figured that it would be in an adult setting,” Johnson said. Eventually, her experience at Children’s Hospital convinced her that although emergency medicine would always be part of her makeup, the age of the patients she wanted to provide nursing care for had shifted. “Kids are some of the funniest, toughest, and most resilient patients I have ever had the opportunity to help care for, and I realized pretty quickly that this was a group of people who I wanted to continue to treat as a nurse,” Johnson said. The nursing program at ��Vlog��ýLR prepared her for the new challenges ahead by providing a solid skill base and a broader understanding of nursing care she had not previously experienced, according to Johnson. “The role of nurses in caring for sick and injured people is more significant than I ever realized, and I look forward to accepting that role very soon,” said Johnson. Johnson said it was hard for her to imagine what her life would look like in five or 10 years, but she hoped to continue doing what she loved by encouraging and bringing hope to someone’s life each day. “That is my goal anyway,” she concluded.

Department of Nursing prepares for Re-accreditation

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 21:49:40 +0000

The ��Vlog��ýLR Department of Nursing is preparing for a re-accreditation site review of its Associate of Applied Science and RN-BSN degree programs. The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing review team will be on campus Sept. 23 through 25. The public is invited to interact with the site visit team at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, in room 205 of the ��Vlog��ýLR Nursing Building. Comments can be shared prior to the site visit by Sept. 15 via email at sjtanner@acenursing.org or by regular mail to the address below.

Office of the Chief Executive Officer Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850 Atlanta, GA 30326

Questions may be directed to Brenda Womack at 501.569.8087 or bawomack@ualr.edu.

Keep up with what’s happening; Subscribe to ��Vlog��ýLR Now.

Theory put to practice through accelerated RN to BSN program

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 16:22:35 +0000

Call 1.866.971.3353 to talk to a nursing specialist about your online options. Or visit /online/nursing for more information about the online RN to BSN online program. By day, Channon Horne works for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Psychiatric Research Institute assisting in the treatment of patients with chronic depression and other mood disorders. After work hours, she is one of ��’s outstanding online students set to graduate in August with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. Horne began as a licensed practical nurse over two decades ago before eventually earning her associate degree at ��Vlog��ýLR. She said working at a teaching hospital instilled in her a respect for lifelong learning. “It’s never been about money for me,” she said. “The reason I decided to go back to school is because I’m at ��Vlog��ýMS and everybody here is in school. Being in a teaching environment, helping students who are working with practitioners, it just made sense.” Horne not only advocates for her patients, she advocates for her student peers, serving as a student rep for online students at ��Vlog��ýLR. She even designed the new Student Governance Community site in Blackboard for online nursing students, giving them a voice in the program improvement process. In addition, Horne is the mother to seven children, two of whom have cerebral palsy, so keeping a work-life balance with her family is one reason she is grateful for the opportunity to pursue her degree entirely online. Another benefit with the accelerated RN to BSN program is the quicker pace and in-depth knowledge it provides that helps keep everything fresh, said Horne. “I can go to work and apply what I’ve learned since all of our projects had real-world applications,” she said. “I love going to ��Vlog��ýLR.”

Blue & You Foundation gives $100k to pediatric sim models

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 22:59:11 +0000

The Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas presented the ��Vlog��ýLR Department of Nursing with a check for more than $102,000 on Feb. 24. The grant funding is for the purchase of two pediatric simulation models, to help incorporate pediatric simulation in the current clinical rotation for the ��Vlog��ýLR Department of Nursing. Patrick O’Sullivan of The Blue & You Foundation presented the check to ��Vlog��ýLR Interim College of Science Dean Dr. Ann Bain and SimLab Director Jeff Carmack. About 200 nursing students enrolled in the associate degree program will benefit from the additional hands-on experience that working on the models will provide, according to Carmack, an assistant professor in the department. The funding gives SimCare educators better ability to help their students learn to care for school-age patients using appropriately sized high-fidelity mannequins, he said. The Blue & You Foundation awards grants annually to nonprofit or governmental organizations and programs that positively affect the health of Arkansans. It has awarded more than $2.6 million to 42 health improvement programs for 2014.

Fribourgh Award to be presented to Banko

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 15:21:34 +0000

Peter Banko, president and chief executive officer of St. Vincent Health System, will be honored Thursday, March 20, as the 2014 recipient of ��’s Fribourgh Award. Banko will be the guest of honor at a reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion.

“Peter Banko’s vision and commitment to partnerships has been critical to the growth of the ��Vlog��ýLR nursing program and to improving health care within our community,” said Ann Bain, interim dean of the ��Vlog��ýLR College of Science, which is sponsoring the event. “The ��Vlog��ýLR-St. Vincent Health System partnership would not be possible without his support and leadership. I can think of no other person who is more deserving of this prestigious award.” Tickets are $75 per person, of which $60 is tax deductible. Proceeds benefit the ��Vlog��ýLR College of Science Leadership Endowed Scholarship Fund for undergraduate students in health, mathematics, and science. For reservations, contact Laura Beck at 501.569.3151 or RSVP online. Banko has been recognized with numerous honors, awards, and distinctions including Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, Fellow in the Health Forum’s Creating Healthier Communities Program, and the American College of Healthcare Executives’ Senior Executive Institute. He is a founding member of The Alembic, a round table of health system CEOs working to transform health care. Banko earned his Master of Health Administration degree from Cornell University and Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame. Created in 2010, the Fribourgh Award honors former ��Vlog��ýLR professor and administrator, Dr. James H. Fribourgh, and his contributions to ��Vlog��ýLR and the state’s science community. The award also extends that honor and recognition to others who have met the high standards set by Fribourgh’s example. Professor emeritus Fribourgh spent more than 45 years at ��Vlog��ýLR, serving as chair of Life Sciences, interim chancellor, vice chancellor for academic affairs, and distinguished professor of biology. The Natural Sciences Building at ��Vlog��ýLR was renamed the James H. Fribourgh Hall to honor him upon his retirement.

Nursing Building receives LEED Gold certification

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 17:12:04 +0000

Another facility at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has met the standards required to receive designation for environmentally responsible design. ��’s Nursing Building has received Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Gold certification, according to David Millay, associate vice chancellor of Facilities Management and Planning. It recently underwent extensive construction and design remodeling at a total cost of about $7 million and is located in the former Administration Building. The building showcases a new 22-bed, state-of-the art simulation hospital in a 9,500-square-foot facility in which students deliver patient care in a realistic environment. It joins several other energy-efficient buildings on campus, including West Hall, the George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology building, and the Student Services Center. “This is a notable achievement for all parties involved, resting on the cooperation of the entire project team in making this innovative project work,” said Jared Rickman, sustainability consultant with TME Inc., a Little Rock-based full-service engineering firm. The Department of Nursing is the largest department on campus with more than 500 students in various levels of degree completion, 23 full-time faculty, and five staff members.

Foundation provides $32,000 to fund patient simulator

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 19:22:43 +0000

The Arkansas Community Health & Education Foundation recently agreed to provide $32,000 to fund a patient simulator for ��Vlog��ýLR’s Department of Nursing. Jeff Carmack, an assistant professor and ��Vlog��ýLR SimLab Director, expressed gratitude to the foundation for the funding, which he said will help faculty continue to deliver quality simulation-based learning experiences to the students in the nursing program. “The department is fortunate to have had our existing simulator since 2006, but it was nearing the end of its life cycle,” said Carmack. Gus Vratsinas of the ACHEF notified the department in early December that the foundation had awarded the money to assist with the replacement of a high-fidelity patient simulator. The benefits of using high-fidelity simulators to train students are numerous, according to Carmack. “Students feel that simulators allow them to perfect skills through repeated practice sessions, until they master that skill or task. High fidelity simulators also allow a very lifelike experience with a patient in a setting where there is little to no risk to the patient,” he said. In addition, nurses and students may encounter situations that occur infrequently in their daily practice, but some of these encounters will have very high risks to the patient according to Carmack. “Through the use of simulators, nurses can hone their response to these situations and be better prepared for a future in nursing,” he said.

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