The Carmel Rapper

Message from the President

Greetings!

Do you feel like you’re in the home stretch of the semester? With Halloween just behind us and Thanksgiving not too far ahead of us, the end of the academic semester and the calendar year seem to move along so quickly! There’s always a lot going on in November. It’s a busy time.

There are a couple of important deadlines coming up. If you are a December 2021 baccalaureate candidate, you’re eligible now to order your pin. Please click here and type in “Mount Carmel College of Nursing” to place your order or contact registrar@mccn.edu for more information. Also, registration for next semester begins this week and more details on that process are below.

We will be launching a blog on the College website before the end of the year. We’ll be announcing a contest to name the new blog within the next week or two. Students, faculty and staff will be eligible to participate. Look for details on that coming your way soon. I can’t wait to see the creative names that you enter!

Looking forward a bit further, many members of our MCCN family always find meaningful opportunities to serve others during the holiday season. For instance, Kathleen Cooper’s class is organizing a coat and blanket drive and SNAM-Lancaster is collecting items for Grace Haven, a home for women in transition. Consider participating in either of these services activities. More information can be found below. If you are planning a service activity during the holiday season, please share the details with Alex Groff at areese@mccn.edu so we can share your good news with our campuses and beyond.

Even though Thanksgiving is a few weeks away yet, I am already counting my blessings, and I hope you are as well. Serving as your president & academic dean is at the top of my list. I marvel every day at the tenacity and perseverance you demonstrate in and out of the classroom. It’s an honor and a blessing to watch you all succeed. Keep up the great work and let’s finish this semester strong!

Sincerely,

Kathleen Williamson, PhD, MSN, RN
President & Academic Dean, Mount Carmel College of Nursing

Wellness Wednesday on “All Sides with Ann Fisher”

Amber Budd, BSN, APRN, PMHNP, RN, program lead for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program, will be featured on the Wednesday, November 3, radio show, All Sides with Ann Fisher, which airs on WOSU 89.7 at 11 a.m. or can be found online. Amber will be discussing mental health, the role of nurse practitioners to expand access to care, and the nursing shortage.

Considering Graduate School? Check Out Our Master of Science (MS) Programs!

Have you checked out our MS Programs? We designed them specifically for busy RNs who are looking to expand their knowledge and expertise. We offer the following programs:

• Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
• Family Nurse Practitioner
• Nursing Leadership – Clinical Operations*
• Nursing Education
• Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

* The Nursing Leadership - Clinical Operations (NLCO) program has admitted the second cohort to the newly revised online graduate coursework. The students will complete the program in 18 months while focusing on an evidence-based project to develop. Clinical experiences can be at the place of employment with a preceptor. The online courses are taught by practicing faculty who have a wide range of executive administrative experiences. Students who complete the program are eligible for our newly revised Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program executive leadership focus.

Check out more information here!

Digi-Know: Notes from you Instructional Designer

Digi-Know that “doing a project” in class and Project-Based Learning (PBL) are not the same thing? In fact, they are quite different. Doing a project, is a form in which the instructor assigns an assessment that is not in test format. Students use information from the unit to complete the project. These projects focus on facts.

In contrast, in PBL students must critically evaluate real world situations and gather important information along their learning journey. PBL is driven by critical thinking and typically has more than one path to successful completion of the objectives. The authenticity of PBL gives students the opportunity to interact in a growingly complex world and make a deliverable difference.

One key to successful PBL is collaboration. The i-Innovate program provides a strong foundational tool to aid in collaborative learning. If you are interested in learning more about PBL, check out https://hqpbl.org/. If you want assistance with creating a project, reach out to the Instructional Designer (helpline@mccn.edu) or to the Faculty Fellows (facultyfellows@mccn.edu).

MCCN-L Students Attend Nursing Professionals Panel

In preparation for writing their own Nursing Philosophies, MCCN-L students attended the Nursing Professionals Panel on Thursday, October 21. Cora Arledge, DNP, BSEd, RN, Associate Dean of Regional Campuses; Samantha Schmitz, MSN, RN, Instructor; Cheryl Eads, MSN, RN, Assistant Professor; Michele Hanson, MSN, RN, Assistant Professor; and Theresa Skybo, PhD, RN, CPNP, Associate Professor; shared their own nursing career journeys with the students as well as the core qualities that nurses should possess and some of the challenges nurses can face. The panel presentation was followed by a Q&A session, and light refreshments were served.

Registration for Spring 2022 Semester starts the week of November 1

Registration windows will open during the week of November 1 at 12:01 a.m. on the days indicated in the CARMELink table > Records & Registration page.

Your registration window is based on your FALL 2021 classification (what your current class level is at the time of registration). If you have any questions, please reach out to advising@mccn.edu.

Student Mental Health Impact of COVID

Do you feel as though your life was negatively impacted by COVID-19? Know that you are not alone. According to a study at Penn State, 43,098 students seeking services (not just those seeking services because of COVID -19) were also asked to report which areas of their life had been negatively impacted by COVID-19; students were asked to “check all that apply”. The most common areas affected were mental health (72%), motivation or focus (68%), loneliness or isolation (67%), academics (66%), and missed experiences or opportunities (60%). Overall, 94% of students reported at least one area was negatively impacted, with 90% reporting multiple areas being affected.

If you are feeling down or would like more information about mental health resources, contact Vicki Neal, BA, MSW, LISW-S, Behavioral Health Clinician at 614-234-4752 or vneal@mccn.edu.

Also, check out this new November calendar that includes one thing each day that you can do to take action toward your happiness.

Resource: CCMH-Center for College Student Mental Health at Penn State

Follow the Fellows

We’ve been reading Digital Body Language as part of MCCN’s in-house book club led by Faculty Fellow Lindsey Luther. The book is authored by leadership and communication expert Erica Dhawan. The topics it introduces have given us space to explore all sorts of pressing issues here at the College, including how we start our emails (Is “Dear Colleagues” too formal?), how we close our emails (Are there alternatives to “Sincerely”?), and whether emojis can be part of professional communication.

Not only that, but we’ve learned how much context can determine how we’re interpreted in digital communications such as email. Small touches, such as exclamation marks, can make us sound much warmer. Consider:

I hope to see you soon.

(and)

I hope to see you soon!

Little things can make a big difference. Or shall we say: Little things can make a big difference! We can apply Dhawan’s lesson here, as well as in our emails and other communications. As we puzzle through the pages, we're working together with colleagues to identify a set of recommendations for all of us here at the College. Watch for those, as well as more opportunities to join the discussion, in your inbox.

Family Nurse Practitioner Program - Change For Your Convenience

The MCCN Family Nurse Practitioner program is making our 18-month program even more convenient and accessible for students! Starting in the Summer of 2022, FNP students will only be required to attend one in-person immersion during their program. This immersion, lasting approximately three days, will allow students to meet their peers and faculty, practice valuable hands-on skills, and prepare for their first clinical rotations. This small change will allow us to accommodate students traveling from out of state or working at the bedside. We can't wait to welcome our new cohort of FNP students!

Presentation Opportunities

Sigma Theta Tau is offering presentation opportunities at meetings. Presenters qualify if they are current MCCN students or Rho Omicron members. Presentations should be of completed works. Any inquiries can reach out to Cora Arledge, DNP, BSEd, RN, Associate Dean of Regional Campuses and MCCN Rho Omicron President, at carledge@mccn.edu.

Self-Care Series at the Mount Carmel Healthy Living Center

This 5-part series provides simple techniques you can use to ease the effects of stress. You are welcome to attend one or more sessions. This series will include a free self-care kit to those who register for two or more sessions. Information about self-care kit pickup will be emailed to participants prior to program start date.

Visit http://www.mountcarmelhealth.com/hlc and select “Current class schedule and registration.”

Achievements: Congratulations Faculty and Staff

Michelle Livingston, BA, Director of Records and Registration, has been appointed to Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Ohio Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (OACRAO).

Roxanne Oliver, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, Director of Graduate Programs; Jami Nininger, DNP, RN, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs; Kathleen Williamson, PhD, RN, President and Academic Dean; have had two abstracts accepted as podium presentations for the January 2022 AACN Doctoral Education Conference in Naples, FL:

• Leveraging the ARCC Model of EBP to Guide Innovative Re-imagination of EBP in DNP Programs A Tale of Two Schools
• Academic-practice partnership: An essential structure of DNP Education

Sutherland, K. & Knapp, M. (2022, May). Online mock interviews. Nurse Educator, 47(3). http://10.1097/NNE.0000000000001136

Sutherland, K. & Knapp, M. (2022, January). Undergraduate Preceptor Education for Retention and Satisfaction. Poster Presentation at AACN's Faculty Practice Pre-Conference, Naples, Florida.

Arledge, C., & Knapp, M. (2021, November). Impacting Incivility in BSN Students Through Multifaceted Workshops. Poster presentation at the 46th Biannual Sigma Theta Tau Convention, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Knapp, M. (2022, May). Undergraduate nursing students’ test anxiety and performance based on testing time limits. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania.

MCCN in the News

MCCN's new Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program was recently featured on abc6 and other local news channels. The story featured program leader Amber Budd, BSN, APRN, PMHNP, RN and MCCN student Brittany Dye. Check out the clip here.

Library Update

Room Reservations

The Library has reactivated Room Reservations. Reserve 402, 407, 408 or 409 here.

You can also visit the Library website>Quick Links box (left column)>Reserve a Room. You can reserve one room up to four hours per day, and please do not leave personal items unattended. If you have any questions about room reservations, please contact the Library.

Library Details

Remember, Your Library is here to help. You can connect with the Library from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday by:

• Visiting the Library – 3rd & 4th Floor of CLE – Badge Access Required
• E-mail: library@mchs.com
• Web chat at the Library site — Also, text to chat at 614-541-2224 (data rates may apply)
• Call 614-234-5214
• Take a Self-Directed Learning tutorial.

If you need help after hours, remember to visit the Library FAQ Page.

Use Your Library at Home

As an MCCN student, you automatically have a Library account, which gives virtual access to electronic books and journals, databases and other online resources.

Library Login Credentials are:

• Username=Last Name
• Password=Student ID

If you are still having trouble logging in, please contact us, or visit here.