ed the new studio classroom on the second floor,

where students engage in faculty facilitated collabo-

rative learning experiences with their fellow stu-

dents.

President Barron serves as the 14th Presi-

dent of the University. To read more about Dr.

Barron and past FSU Presidents please visit —

http://president.fsu.edu/presidents/

On Monday, April 5, 2010, Dr. Eric J.

Barron, FSU President, toured Duxbury Hall to

learn about nursing education, fund-raising

needs, and our student-centered activities and

areas. He met with Dean Plowfield, Associate

Dean Dianne Speake, and faculty program co-

ordinators to learn more about nursing educa-

tion and the issues the College addresses in

light of budget reductions, faculty and nurse

shortages, and health reform issues.

During his visit he toured the student

computer labs, student services office, graduate

student meeting space and the 3rd floor simu-

lation center. While visiting the simulation

center, President Barron had the opportunity

to observe students in action as they cared for

children (manikins) with asthma and stroke

patients and their families (manikins & student

actors). He noted the real-life simulated expe-

rience and the emphasis on patient safety with

nursing education. President Barron also visit-

Senior nursing student

and Florida State Student Nurs-

es‟ Association President, So-

phia Khawly, has been recog-

nized for a wealth of accom-

plishments and ongoing out-

reach activities this spring. Most

recently, Sophia received the

University's 2010 Humanitarian of

the Year award from President

Barron. This prestigious award is

given for tremendous commit-

ment to service.

When nominated, stu-

dents are honored by receiving a

$200 award given to the non-

profit agency of their choice; the

overall University award provides

an additional $1,000 to the non-

profit agency of his or her choice.

Sophia chose to have her award

funds donated to Hope for Haiti’s

Children, a non-profit organization

to give the children in Haiti the

opportunity to attend school for

free. Sophia is also responsible

for founding this organization.

In addition to achieving

this honor, Sophia was named as

one of three 2009 Excellence in

Service Award winners by Flori-

da Campus Compact. To read

more about Sophia‟s recognition,

for her commitment to commu-

nity service, please go to http://

www.fsu.edu/News-

Archive/2010/January/FSU-

student-honored-for-

commitment-to-community-

service.

President Barron Visits Nursing

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

New Programs, New

Students 2

Alumna Pursues

Political Career 3

FSU Day at the

Capitol 3

Hands-On

Learning

3

Creativity in the

Simulation Center

4

Nursing Student Awarded FSU’s Humanitarian of the Year - 2010

THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Nursing M A Y 2 0 1 0 C O M M U N I T Y U P D A T E

President Eric Barron meets and greets junior nursing stu-dents on the steps of Duxbury Hall.

P A G E 2

Accelerated BSN for Second Degree Students

The College of Nursing

has 27 Doctor of Nursing Pro-

gram (DNP) students in its first

class. Beginning August 2009, 11

students enrolled in the Family

Nurse Practitioner specialty

and 16 students enrolled in

the Health Systems Leadership

specialty. The students come

from a wide variety of nursing

career expertise and geo-

graphic locations throughout

Florida.

The program has

satellite locations in Panama

City and Bradenton where

students participate via inter-

active video. This hybrid de-

livery of courses was made

possible through partnerships

with Manatee Memorial Hospi-

tal and the State College of

Florida. A gift from the Man-

atee Memorial Hospital

Partnership for Nursing

Education Fund made it pos-

sible for nine DNP students

in Bradenton to participate.

A collegial arrangement with

the State College of Florida

provided access to a class-

room on the Lakewood

Ranch campus with video-

conferencing technology.

All students across the

three campus sites can in-

teract in real time with fac-

ulty as they pursue advanced

educational degrees.

This spring, the first

class of accelerated BSN degree

students began their studies at

the College of Nursing. Seven-

teen students are enrolled in the

program. These student nurses

have a variety of educational and

career backgrounds that include

religion, microbiology and immu-

nology, therapeutic recreation,

pre-professional healthcare, fam-

ily and child sciences and psy-

chology. These students take

courses at a pace more rapid

than the traditional program and complete their BSN degree in 12 consecutive months. For

more information about FSU‟s Accelerated Nursing Program, please see http://nursing.fsu.edu/

Academics/Accelerated-BSN.

Eight students in the Accelerated BSN degree program were awarded the first Helios

scholarships. The financial support provided by the Helios Education Foundation, Inc, will

allow the recipients to spend more time focused on their studies. The mission of the Helios

Foundation is to enrich the lives of individuals in Arizona and Florida by creating opportu-

nities for success in postsecondary education. For more information about the Helios

Foundation, visit them online at http://www.helios.org/.

T H E F L O R I D A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y C O L L E G E O F N U R S I N G

New Programs, New Students

Community Support Promotes Nursing Education at FSU

Dr. James Whyte IV, Associate Professor, talks with

DNP students Susan Bulecza and Theresa Winton.

Inaugural class of accelerated nursing students at FSU.

Helios Scholarships Awarded

FSU Nurse Alumna Pursues Politically Active Career

P A G E 3 C O M M U N I T Y U P D A T E

Donna Campanella Allocco,

RN, BSN „72, is pursuing a new career

direction in local education policy. She is

running for the District 1 Leon County

School board seat in Florida. Donna has

lived in Tallahassee for 22 years. She

watched her son grow up in the Leon

County School System and understands

the impact of involved parents.

Donna says “she understands

Hands-On Learning about our Hearts - Nursing Outreach at FSU’s 2010 Origins in Science

FSU Day at the Capitol: Handling the “Pressure” of the Legislature

the importance of strong leadership to ensure

that every young person has access to a quali-

ty education.” Her teaching career and par-

enting experiences have allowed her to live

this educational philosophy.

A creative and energetic FSU Nurs-

ing alumna, Donna has served the College for

the past two years as a member of the Alumni

Advisory Board. Donna serves on the nursing

faculty at Tallahassee Community College.

The American Heart Association

defines high blood pressure, or

hypertension, in an adult as a sys-

tolic pressure of 140 mm Hg or

higher and/or a diastolic pressure

of 90 mm Hg or higher. The AHA

guidelines posted at http://

www.americanheart.org/

presenter.jhtml?identifier=4623

are:

Students and faculty provided

blood pressure screenings and

education about hypertension and

stroke during FSU‟s Day at the

Capitol.

Blood Pressure (mm Hg)

Normal Pre-hyperten-

sion

Hyperten-sion

Systolic < 120 120-139 140 or higher

Diastolic < 80 80-89 90 or higher

What better place to learn about our bodies and heart healthy living than at a community science fair for chil-

dren! The 2010 Origins in Science took place on April 10, 2010 with nursing students and faculty teaching

young children about heart health. A pediatric manikin was used to palpate pulses and hear heart sounds.

practice as a Labor and Delivery nurse led to

the creation of an amniotic sac model to fit

and attach inside the birthing manikin, Noelle®.

Noelle® is the high fidelity birthing manikin

used to teach undergraduate students obstet-

ric nursing practice. Students witness the

birthing process, monitor fetal heart tones,

care for a newborn, which may be cyanotic or

in distress, assess Apgar scores, and handle

obstetrical complications. These images

demonstrate the addition of more real-life

birthing with the introduction of “amniotic

fluid” (water) surrounding the infant. More

information about this creative application can

Mrs. Mandy Bamber, RN, MSN,

alumna (BSN „00, MSN „08), and College

of Nursing faculty member, won national

recognition for her creative simulation

work. Mandy serves at the College‟s Sim-

ulation Center Director. Her years of

be found in an article by Nancy Kreger,

titled Five fast fixes: Finally, a good use for

okra? The article can be found in the jour-

nal Clinical Simulation in Nursing (2010) 6,

e67-e70.

Creativity in the Simulation Center Wins National Recognition

The Florida State University College of Nursing P.O. Box 3064310

Vivian M. Duxbury Hall

Tallahassee, FL 32306-4310

Phone: 850-644-3299

Fax: 850-644-7660

URL: http://www.nursing.fsu.edu

Join us on facebook!

www.facebook.com - The Florida State University, College of Nursing

A Note from Dean Lisa Ann Plowfield

Every week I am asked about student admissions into

FSU‟s nursing programs. Our stakeholders want to know how

many students are we accepting, how soon might we expand our

numbers, and what can we do to get more nurses into the

workforce. These are important questions that need to be ad-

dressed, and these are challenging times for the College of Nurs-

ing. Budget reductions have limited our enrollments. The avail-

ability of clinical nursing faculty limit our undergraduate student

numbers. Access to clinical teaching space is difficult to find. I

find that our alumni, friends of the College, and the public are

more versed than ever before in the complexity of our current

nursing shortage and the educational issues involved.

In response to the questions I am asked so often, here

is our status today: with our faculty of 25 nurses, we are able to

teach 200 traditional BSN students, 25 accelerated BSN stu-

dents, 40 MSN students, and 30 DNP students annually. In al-

most all programs, only 50% of those applicants who are quali-

fied gain admission due to our limited clinical and faculty re-

sources. This means that we deny admission to the other 50%

who are highly qualified to be an FSU nursing student.

You can help! With your support we can hire more

faculty, we can build clinical education sites beyond Tallahassee,

and we can provide scholarships for our students. I would be

pleased to talk with you about investing in our future. Please

contact me at lplowfield@fsu.edu to discuss these issues.

Your gift today means someone will have a ca-

reer in caring tomorrow.