President’s Message

Fall is in the air this week, with cooler temperatures and bright blue skies. The academic year is in full swing, and I hope you all have gotten off to a great start and are making excellent progress in your classes.

As I shared when we welcomed our incoming class this year, we’re so proud to have you as students!

And, we look forward to your contributions to MCCN’s long and storied history of excellence in nursing education. I know that the demands of your coursework can be daunting, but every experience is designed to help you become competent, kind, and caring professionals. In other words, your hard work will pay off for you and for those for whom you provide care.

You have the advantage of faculty who are not only highly-educated, but also are experienced clinicians.

They bring their real-world expertise into your classrooms and labs. Lean in to these opportunities to learn from these scholar/practitioners, so you can succeed and thrive in your educational journey.

In my interim role as the leader of the College, I am constantly looking into aspects of the curriculum that will contribute to your success in and out of the classroom. I’m applying what I’ve learned from many years of working in health sciences and nursing education to enhance your education and experience at MCCN. More student-centric events, to help you connect with each other, as well a faculty and staff, are being planned. Stay tuned for more information about these engagement opportunities in the coming weeks.

All of us are focused on placing students first, providing excellent educational experiences, helping you develop skills sets that will allow you to make the lives of your patients better. Isn’t that what it should be all about?

Sincerely,

Allan Hoffman. EdD
Interim President

A Smart Start for New Nightingales

Prior to the start of the school year, incoming students were treated to a Smart Start program. Mitch Joseph-Kemplin, director of Compliance and Safety, coordinated a Smart Start program for new students to get them acclimated to the College so they could hit the ground running when school started on August 15. The goals of the program included:

• Learn how to engage and use study skills that promote academic growth
• Identify resources to promote academic success and college culture
• Learn skills to be a successful College, specifically MCCN, student
• Develop a cohort of learners by making lifelong friends and develop social skills
• Build skills to use MCCN Technology to be ready for use in class on day one.

Meet Your New Skills Lab Resource Coordinator!

Welcome Samantha Steensen, BS, RN, as your new Skills Lab Resource Coordinator. Samantha is a 2020 graduate of the MCCN Second Degree Accelerated Program and joined the Mount Carmel West/Grove City Surgical Services Team nearly five years ago where she held Surgical Services Assistant and Registered Nurse positions in the department. Samantha says of her new position, “The skills lab is the perfect platform to practice lab-based skills, work in teams, and simulate a patient care environment in a safe way. I look to bring my surgical experience, teamwork, and organizational skills to help integrate new ideas in the skills lab. I am grateful to join the MCCN team and I look forward to propelling our lab experience to a new level.”

Melissa Lowe, MSN, RN, Contributing Author in New Book

MCCN Associate Instructor, Melissa Lowe, MSN, RN, recently contributed to a book titled “The Voices of Black Nurses; our challenges and triumphs during the COVID-19 pandemic.” This book, presented by The Columbus Ohio Chapter of the National Black Nurses Association (CBNA), is a compilation of stories of nurses and students who served, are serving, or plan to serve on the frontline of health care during the pandemic. For more information about the book and place your pre-order now, click here. Proceeds from book sales will go to the CBNA Academic Scholarships.

Professors Go Above and Beyond for Student

Misunderstandings are human, but recently a Family Nurse Practitioner student misunderstood an assignment in one of her classes. Instead of granting her a poor grade, Melanie Mackey, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, assistant professor, and former MCCN Professor, Lindsay Luther, took time out of their busy schedules to meet with the student. The student was so touched by their efforts that she sent an email to senior administration. Her email stated that, “They both were truly concerned about me, as a person, and as a student. This kind of caring goes well above and beyond any expectations I could have out of a professor. Not only did they make sure I understood the assignment, they gave me an opportunity to prove myself.” She continued, “… my biggest take away was a much bigger lesson. I hope if I am in the position to extend a helping hand, I do it with the grace that Dr. Luther and Dr. Mackey showed me.” What a great lesson for us all!

Welcome Your New Student Success Center Coordinator

Diane Shew, BS, has joined the MCCN team as the Student Success Center (SSC) coordinator. Diane started her working career as a zookeeper, then education specialist at the Akron Zoo. She earned her Bachelor of Science in biology and chemistry from the University of Akron. She then moved through ODNR's Division of Recycling and Litter Prevention, helped found and run Waste Alternatives, a recycling consulting and processing firm and just prior to joining MCCN - taught anatomy and physiology and medical readiness courses for Knox Technical Center's adult education training programs. Diane is a strong advocate of assessing and assisting at-risk students, encouragement, listening, active learning, and pulling-up-bootstraps and moving on.

The Student Success Center by the Numbers

Last Fall Semester, the Student Success Center (SSC) launched the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program designed to assist students with courses that are traditionally considered to be more challenging at the College. While training student workers for their new role as SI leaders, the SSC also provided them with more training for their peer tutoring roles and a wider variety of resources to assist with the planning and running of sessions. As a result, the SSC was able to offer support to several courses over the 2021-2022 academic year as shown in the chart below.

In Spring 2022, the SSC also began to offer Community Learning sessions multiple times a week for students to drop in and receive assistance from the tutor who is on duty. The SSC looks forward to expanding the SI and group peer tutoring resources even further for the coming academic year.

The New Peer Readiness and Empowerment Program

The Student Success Center has launched the new Peer Readiness and Empowerment Program (PREP) for incoming freshmen. PREP is designed to provide support and encouragement for students as they begin their college career and to help them integrate into the MCCN community. Throughout the semester, participants in the program will meet in small groups with a peer mentor who will offer information and resources to help them achieve their academic and personal goals, including focus on time management, study habits, professionalism, and accountability. PREP held its kick-off event on Tuesday, August 23, with an ice cream social. While enjoying a Graeter’s make-your-own sundae bar, students had the opportunity to meet their peer mentors for the first time and to chat with their classmates. Other activities throughout the semester will include a social media takeover, student-led “Chat & Chews” to discuss important topics of their choice, and a nursing escape room contest.

Welcome New MCCN Colleagues!

Welcome to the new colleagues who joined MCCN this summer session!

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Library Update

Welcome Students

The Library welcomes all MCCN students! Please make the Library your home away from home. We have study rooms that you can reserve, a head-to-toe practice exam room, plenty of space to catch up with your friends, and quiet study areas. More information about using the Library is listed below.

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 through 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
• View the Library Orientation
• Reserve a Study Room
• Need Help? Ask a Librarian.

Use Your Library at Home

As a 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.