The Carmel Rapper

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease. MCCN Executive Assistant, Melissa Contino, is a ten-year survivor of breast cancer. The following is what she said about her battle, and ultimately, triumph:

“Emotions wash over you when you are told you have breast cancer. The first emotion is fear. Fear the cancer spread, fear you could actually die from this, fear you can't beat this. You find yourself in a corner with fear all around. Then you feel strength grow. You decide cancer is going down HARD. That is when you become a warrior.

I told every oncologist, surgeon and doctor that my goal was to live 80 years and that I empowered them to make that happen. And with that, I had a bilateral mastectomy and six months of chemo cocktail. It was frightening, it was treacherous, and some days it felt impossible, but I survived.

On October 6, it will be 10 years since I was diagnosed. Now, with years between me and the experience, I see cancer is a teacher. This experience proved to me that the warrior was a part of me even before cancer darkened my door. That when push comes to shove, I can clear any obstacle. That epiphany empowered me to be brave wherever I stand.

October is the month to celebrate all the cancer warriors that survived, warriors who are fighting and especially those who become angels.”

Dr. Williamson Article in Business First

MCCN’s new president, Kathleen Williamson, PhD, RN, recently appeared in a Business First article about her new role. Check it out!

Message from the President & Academic Dean

Greetings!

I hope you’re having a great week. Our new website really gave me a boost in recent days. It’s great to have a fresh, updated online “face” as we move into the fall and winter months. If you haven’t visited the site lately, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to do so soon. We’ll continue to enhance mccn.edu to provide new information and services for current and prospective students, faculty and staff. It’s one of our most important tools with which we share our story, too, so visit often.

Talking with the media is another important way we share all of the good things happening here. I was proud to take part in an interview with Business First, mentioned above, about our amazing academic community. Each time I get an opportunity to tell the MCCN story, it reminds me of why I am so proud of what we do and how our work makes the world a better place every day.

In addition to our visibility in Business First, The Catholic Times recently published a comprehensive article about MCCN, featuring some truly wonderful students, staff and faculty. I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to all who contributed information for the article and took the time to speak with the writer to share their MCCN story. I hope you all will take a few minutes to read it. It’s full of great information about where we’ve been and where we are going.

The Catholic Times article included a reference to our vision, “the college intends to be THE innovative academic center preparing nurses as the most trusted partners in health care.” We’re realizing that vision in many ways, including exploring opportunities to develop programming to enhance interprofessional practice/interprofessional education and deliberate practice in high-reliability practices. Frieda Gill, Dr. Chirstine Salem (Faculty) and Cora Arledge and Kathryn Sutherland (DNP students) are working together to cultivate innovative interprofessional education programming at MCCN. These faculty members attended interprofessional practice sessions recently conducted through a partnership with MCCN, MCHS and MCHS-GME involving nurses, medical students, pharmacy students, and interns. Evidence supports interdisciplinary collaboration is foundational to the promotion of quality, safe, reliable care. For more information about these important steps forward, please contact Jami Nininger, jnininger@mccn.edu.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Williamson, PhD, MSN, RN

President & Academic Dean, Mount Carmel College of Nursing

Graduating Soon?

Do you anticipate completing degree requirements between December 2020 and October 2021? If so, NOW is the time to submit your Graduation Application via CARMELink > Student tab. Applications for 2020-2021 graduates are due by Friday, October 9, 2020.

A Special Goodbye

The following MCCN faculty and staff left the College this past summer:

Kathy Cassandra, Chelsea Harris, Tina Harkless, Kathleen Blanchard, Hope Schmidt, Erin Dougherty, and Melisa Fowler

Anne Hinze, MA, MS, will be departing MCCN effective Friday, October 9. Please stop by to thank Professor Hinze for all her work in the Academic Resource Center and wish her well on her next adventure.

Library Update

Remember, Your Library is here to help guide you through your first literature search or project. Remote assistance is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, in the following ways:

• E-mail: library@mchs.com
• Web chat at the Library site: https://library.mchs.com — Also, text to chat at 614-541-2224 (data rates may apply)
• Call 614-234-5214

Helpful Tools from Your Library - Part 1

You may have used CINAHL, but have you signed up for an EBSCOhost account? From any EBSCO database, including CINAHL, click on Sign In (top right of screen) and follow the steps to create an account. Features include saving searches, downloading e-books, and exporting citations for your research papers.

Next time… RefWorks

Library Accounts

All enrolled MCCN students automatically have Library accounts. Your login credentials are:

• Username = last name
• Password = student ID

Library staff are not permitted provide student ID numbers. Your ID number is listed on your student schedule.