January 2012

Programs, Centers, and Initiatives

American Board of Comprehensive Care
The CUSON-based American Board of Comprehensive Care (ABCC) is an independent organization that certifies Doctor of Nursing Practice graduates who have met defined and accepted standards for comprehensive care. The ABCC Diplomate of Comprehensive Care (DCC) program and its certification exam have now been accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. With this newly granted historic designation, the ABCC/DCC program becomes the only organization nationally recognized to offer a certifying examination for DNP graduates in the provision of care throughout the life span and across clinical settings. For more information, click here.

Columbia Advanced Practice Nurse Associates (CAPNA)
Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing Melissa Kramps, MS, was interviewed by NY1 and spoke on preventing illness during winter. Ms. Kramps is an advanced practice nurse practitioner at CAPNA, CUSON's faculty practice. To see the video clip and hear her tips, click here.

Ms. DiGiola and Dr. Enlow

Nurse Anesthesia Program
Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing William Mark Enlow, DNP, and Denise DiGioia ‘87 recently returned from Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, where they provided volunteer anesthesia services with an international team of healthcare providers in conjunction with the Butterfly Foundation, a non-profit medical organization dedicated to improving the lives of children with complex spine deformity. Dr. Enlow and Ms. DiGioia shared anesthesia techniques and assisted in their execution at various hospitals while facilitating intraoperative neurosensory and neuromuscular monitoring. Ms. DiGioia also organizes the foundation’s anesthesia volunteers and has become an integral part of its international work.

Ms. Petrillo and Mr. Gruendling

Preceptor Steve Gruendling ’97 and first-year Nurse Anesthesia Program students Rachel Francois and Sabrina Petrillo recently returned from a medical mission in Playas, Ecuador. The trip was organized by Blanca’s House, a non-profit organization of volunteer healthcare professionals who donate their time to provide medical treatment to underprivileged children and their families. This is the fourth trip that Nurse Anesthesia Program students and faculty have participated in with the organization. Mr. Gruendling wrote about the experience, saying:

The fact that two junior students were able to perform at such a high level of clinical expertise under extremely demanding conditions is a credit to your program. We had seven anesthesia providers, all CRNAs, and five OR tables in three rooms. We were able to perform 121 surgeries in 3 1/2 days. Rachel and Sabrina were responsible for plastics and ENT. The various procedures included cleft palate repair, burn scar revision, and thyroidectomy… Only accolades for Rachel and Sabrina's clinical abilities, as well as their interpersonal skills. The work hours were grueling and the conditions were extremely challenging. The students were exposed to pediatric and adult patients as well as a number of difficult airways. All of our outcomes were good and all of the patients were able to receive care they otherwise would have been unable to afford.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program
CUSON is pioneering a Friday-only Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program for master’s-prepared advanced practice nurse practitioners. The 40-credit, two-year program will consist of classes held every Friday during four consecutive semesters, followed by a clinical residency. In this curricular model, nurse clinicians can pursue their doctorates while maintaining professional responsibilities and meeting personal obligations. Given the complexity of healthcare, the recent growth of biomedical technology, increasing health disparity, and an aging and globally diverse population, the need for a DNP program is timely and necessary for preparing nurses to fill the growing need for expert clinicians. Upcoming information sessions are February 15 (on-site open house) and February 17 (Webinar for alumni only); click here for details and registration information.

Nurse Midwifery Program
Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing Laura Zeidenstein, DNP, recently returned from Bangladesh, where Gonoshasthaya Kendra (People’s Health Center) and CUSON’s Nurse Midwifery Program are collaborating to launch a clinical project called “Saving Mothers in Bangladesh: Prevention and Management of Emergencies in Rural Settings.” CUSON’s Center for Children and Families awarded the pilot grant to fund this project, which will train traditional birth attendants (TBAs), who attend 85% of Bangladeshi births, in emergency life-saving skills. The project will also raise funds to support this training. CUSON team members include Stone Foundation and Elise D. Fish Professor in Clinical Health Care for the Underserved. Mary Byrne, PhD, and student Jennifer Wilen. Dr. Zeidenstein will present her preliminary project findings during a talk on February 9 (click here for details). 

Dr. Zeidenstein and Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing Rebekah Ruppe, DNP, will facilitate a new weekly breastfeeding and newborn support group at Midwifery of Manhattan. The group will offer guidance and peer support to patients in a nurturing environment, and graduate midwifery students will participate weekly. For more information, call 212-957-3006.

Dr. Zeidenstein (left) in Nurse Midwifery skills lab

Dr. Ruppe is conducting a Wikispace evaluation project. Historically, nurse midwifery courses use self-study workbook modules intended to guide and facilitate learning outside the classroom at a student's own pace. Dr. Ruppe converted one of these modules to a Wikispace format, which will facilitate student collaboration. She sent a national survey to midwifery program directors asking them to compare module use in their curricula. Students will also complete an evaluation comparing the Wiki experience to more traditional methods of module completion.

The program is also conducting a study to evaluate the correlation between midwifery skills performance and lab skills training. The study will evaluate student performance of two skills -- hand maneuvers for vaginal birth and suturing – first in a laboratory setting, then in initial performance in a clinical setting. Dr. Ruppe developed the evaluation tool in consultation with Dr. Zeidenstein and Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing Maria Corsaro, MSN. The International Review Board has approved the project, which will also collect data to explore factors that may influence student performance of these skills.

Ms. Corsaro and Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing Mary Jane McEneaney, MS, of the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Program, will supervise Nurse Midwifery and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner students in a poster presentation held through the Center of Clinical Practice on February 7. The nine posters are systematic reviews of interventions or treatments related to women’s gynecologic health issues and represent evidence-based treatment modalities for women’s health concerns. 

Conferences and Lectures

Dr. Honig

Professor of Clinical Nursing Judy Honig, DNP, EdD, presented “Major Benchmarks in DNP Programs” at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Doctoral Education Conference in Naples on January 27. Dr. Honig’s session addressed methods for evaluating DNP students. From the conference’s website: “Even as DNP programs increase dramatically across the country, educators continue to grapple with issues of how best to demonstrate student mastery of content and ensure academic program rigor. Consider the use of capstone projects, portfolios, comprehensive exams, and other educational strategies that serve as benchmarks, and share ideas with colleagues.”

Associate Research Scientist Lorie Goshin, PhD, will speak at the University of Illinois at Chicago on the family effects of mass incarceration on March 15. Dr. Goshin has also been asked to provide informal consultation with faculty and students on ways to integrate an awareness of the health effects of incarceration into their research. Last year, Dr. Goshin authored a paper on a study she conducted on Drew House, a Brooklyn supportive housing facility that serves as an alternative to incarceration for mothers charged with felonies and allows them to live with their children.

Faculty Accolades

Associate Professor of Nursing Rita Marie John, DNP, EdD, was awarded a grant from the Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation/Purdue Pharma LP for her study, “Buzzing to Lessen Immunization Pain (BLIP).” The purpose of this randomized study is to evaluate how two different buzzers, Buzzy and Nummer Pro, reduce the immunization pain in adolescents ages 10-18.

Student News

The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) has awarded PhD student Laurie Conway with the 2012 Gina Pugliese Scholarship. The scholarship promotes the training of an infection prevention specialist who has shown outstanding interest and leadership. The award includes registration for the Healthcare Epidemiology educational program at the annual SHEA Conference in April.

Scholarship Updates

Martha McLanahan, president of the Lincoln Fund, with 2011 Lincoln Scholars

The School is pleased to announce that it was awarded several year-end gifts for scholarship support. It received $50,000 for diverse students from The Lincoln Fund, $25,000 from the Dr. Scholl Foundation, $20,000 from the Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, and $15,000 for diverse students from the Sidney and Loretta Teich Foundation. Furthermore, an anonymous CUSON graduate generously endowed the Anna and Milton Felson Scholarship Fund with a gift of $50,000.

Students also benefit from scholarship support underwritten by the Annual Fund. Annual Fund gifts provide current-use scholarships to deserving students, helping them join the next generation of nurses. To make your gift to the Annual Fund, click here.