Newsletter

• Follow us

Accomplishments and awards

• Years of service
• Dr. Tonia Mailow

Mark your calendar

• Spring 2020 commencement postponed
• Dining at Oakley cancelled
• Recognition ceremony

Staff spotlight

• Michelle Dickerson

Student spotlight

• SONHP Greek students

While you were away

• Animal shelter fund raiser results
• Disaster simulation
• Free health fairs
• KyANA spring scientific meeting
• Racers Empower
• Young Athletes program

The School of Nursing and Health Professions is now on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. You can follow us by visiting:

• Facebook- facebook.com/MSU-School-of-Nursing-Health-Professions-100228168258965/
• Pinterest- pinterest.com/MSU_SONHP
• Twitter- twitter.com/MsuSonhp

Murray State University honors faculty and staff for their years of service. Every five years they are recognized. Congratulations to the following School of Nursing and Health Professions faculty:

Five years of service

• Dr. Priscilla Maghrabi, exercise science
• Dr. Carol Murch, nursing
• Dr. Kristin Reid, nursing
• Dr. Miranda Sanford-Terry, public and community health

Twenty years of service

• Mrs. Lori Crouch, nutrition, dietetics and food management

Congratulations to Dr. Tonia Mailow on being selected to receive the Board of Regents Teaching Excellence Award. Join us as we thank her for her commitment to teaching excellence.

The Board of Regents Teaching Excellence Award was instituted to honor faculty members who, in the judgement of their peers, deserve recognition as exemplary teachers. Plaques of award recipients are hung in Heritage Hall. More information on the award, including a list of prior recipients, can be found at, www.murraystate.edu/headermenu/administration/Provost/FacultyAwardRecognition.aspx

Due to the postponement or cancellation of all campus events and activities through May 15, the spring 2020 commencement ceremony has been postponed. The University is reviewing other options and a future date for this event. All earned degrees at the end of the current spring semester will be conferred. We look forward to celebrating this milestone with our graduates and families at a future date.

Updates available at murraystate.edu/commencement.

Pictured are fall 2019 graduates.

“Thank you everyone for supporting our students with your reservations at the Oakley Dining Room,” said Josie Bryant, Director, Didactic Program in Dietetics. “In response to the coronavirus, Murray State University will move face-to-face courses to an online format starting March 23. Consequently, we must cancel all of the Oakley Dining Room meals for the spring 2020 season.”

Lunches at Oakley are offered during the spring semesters as part of the meal management NTN 422 course. Questions regarding the lunches can be directed to Mrs. Bryant via email at jbryant27@murraystate.edu.

Dear Graduating BSN, RN-BSN, and DNP students,

As per the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Governor Beshear, all in-person events will be canceled or postponed. Because of this, we have been asked to cancel the Nursing Recognition Ceremony scheduled for May 8. You have worked extremely hard to achieve your degrees, and we are saddened that we must do so. However the health and safety of you and your families are very important to us. If possible, we will do our best to reschedule this important event at a later date.

Receiving the Murray State University nursing pin and being recognized for your accomplishments is an honor. We want you to know that we are extremely proud of you. You are all going to be very successful and we will be here to help you as you finish out the semester.

Dr. Dina Byers, interim dean

Pictured below is a Murray State nursing pin.

Michelle Dickerson started working with Baptist Health Hospital in Madisonville, Kentucky on Feb. 17, 1997. She started as a registration clerk in the emergency department and same day surgery, and transferred to the Baptist Health/Murray State University Nurse Anesthesia Program in Dec. of 1997 where she currently holds the position of administrative assistant to the program director, assistant director and faculty. Dickerson’s responsibilities include a wide variety of clerical and record keeping tasks, maintaining of student records, office management, textbook and class materials ordering, class and clinical rotation scheduling, assisting with the use of ITV equipment, room scheduling, accounting, as well as processing student applications, among other duties. Dickerson graduated high school with a business diploma and has obtained much of the knowledge of her position through on the job training and experience.

“I have enjoyed working with all the faculty here in the program and with Murray State University,” said Dickerson. “I have made lifelong friendships. The people I have encountered along this path have been so inspirational. They are always willing to lend a helping hand and an encouraging smile. I hope to have a long future at Murray State.”

Dickerson was recently placed in the 4-H Hall of Fame after receiving the Community Service Adult Volunteer award in Lexington, Kentucky. Only five people receive this award throughout the state of Kentucky every other year. Her local 4-H club, the Midnight Walkers Community Service Club, does a lot for the community including volunteering at the local Humane Society, visiting nursing homes, ringing the bells for the Salvation Army, collecting food for local food banks, cleaning up yards for the elderly, and buying Christmas gifts for underprivileged kids. She also serves on many committees through the Hopkins County Extension Office.

“My family and I have been involved with 4-H since around 2006,” said Dickerson. “We love the 4-H program and the local Livestock Club. It’s really a family affair.”

Dickerson and her family also volunteer at their local fair and with their church’s youth, music and fundraising programs. Dickerson has been happily married to her husband Chris for almost 24 years. They have two children, Blake (23) and Sydney (14), both of whom hope to graduate with a degree in agriculture. Their dream is to help better the local area. Dickerson describes their 99 acre family farm as “our little piece of Heaven” where they farm corn, beans, wheat, straw and hay. They also have three goats, a dog and a cat.

“I love spending time outside, in the yard, especially with my family, making memories with them,” said Dickerson. “My family is my life. Without them, I would not be me.”

Balancing life, work, and academics can be a daunting challenge. Today we’d like to recognize a group of students who are doing just that, students involved in Greek life. We asked several School of Nursing and Health Professions Greek students for advice and tips on balancing a demanding college and life schedule. This is what they shared.

“My best advice to anyone with a busy schedule is to always go with the flow and be open to change. Don’t get me wrong, I love planning as far ahead as I can, and I live with my planner, email, text and Facebook notifications on so I can constantly keep up to date with anything I need to do. But if I didn’t embrace plan and schedule changes, my life would be miserable. My second bit of advice is to love what you do. If you don’t, it’s not going to be worth it. Some of my life goals are to grow my personal skills and work on ways to improve the lives of those around me. I have come to understand that this requires a busy schedule. You have to love what you are doing, do everything with a servant’s heart, learn to collaborate with others, and embrace the challenges. If you follow these guidelines, I believe you will learn to understand your own value, and the value of the lives of others,” –Madison Jameson. Jameson is a public and community health, with a focus in healthcare administration, junior, and serves as the president of Alpha Delta Pi.

“When it comes to balancing college and life, it can get pretty stressful. When balancing my schedule I always put academics first since I know my class schedule before the semester even begins. I also look at my syllabi to get an idea of what my semester will look like, and mark all of my exam dates in my planner. For my Greek life schedule, there is a calendar that all Greek students have access to. I mark the dates of events that I am able to attend in my planner. Using a planner helps me to avoid procrastinating. All of my class assignments and Greek events are written down in the same place. This lets me know when I have time to study, workout, eat, or just rest for a little. I also think it’s important to make time for yourself to help keep your sanity. College keeps you busy, but you always need to make time to focus on your health,” –Leah Bell. Bell is a nursing sophomore and serves as the vice president of administration for Alpha Omicron Pi.

“Balancing Greek life and school work can be difficult at times, especially if you don’t stay organized. I am a senior so I’ve had a couple years to figure out what works best for me, and what works with my major. I find that having a very detailed planner where I can write everything down helps me to keep track of all the assignments and events I have going on. I schedule out my days and make a to do list every day to make sure I am getting everything done. It also helps if I plan ahead instead of waiting until the last minute. This can be especially difficult in college, but if I wait I may have to choose between my sorority and my schoolwork and having to make that choice is never fun. For the most part as long as I know what I have going on and plan accordingly, balancing Greek life and school isn’t as hard as I thought it would be when I first started college,” –Erika Paar. Paar is a public and community health senior, and serves as the songleader for Alpha Sigma Alpha.

Pictured left to right are Madison Jameson, Leah Bell, and Erika Paar.

During CRNA week students and faculty from the Baptist Health/Murray State University Program of Anesthesia, and others, gathered donations for local animal shelters. Thanks to their hard work many critters will have the supplies they need.

Pictured are several of the participants with the supplies that were collected for local shelters.

On Wednesday March 4, Murray State nursing and EMT students participated in a mock disaster on the first floor of Mason Hall. The purpose of interdisciplinary education simulations such as these are to provide first responders and nursing students the opportunity to practice skills and communication techniques needed in a mock simulation disaster activity.

This opportunity allowed students to practice those roles and understand the roles of others during a disaster, as well as to enhance their communication skills when working with a variety of professionals. Disaster preparation is essential in improving outcomes in the event of an actual disaster.

Pictured are students participating in the disaster simulation.

On March 12 the School of Nursing and Health Professions offered a free student health fair in the Curris Center Rocking Chair Lounge. Offerings included cholesterol and glucose screenings, blood pressure testing, and others. Dietetic students also offered a complete head to toe nutritional assessment for participants.

The School of Nursing and Health Professions also collaborated with the Calloway County Health Department to offer free community health screenings on March 10 at Soup for the Soul in Murray, Kentucky. Screenings included glucose, cholesterol, HIV, vision, blood pressure, and hemoglobin, as well as body mass index testing.

Pictured are participants at the March 12 student health fair.

Students from the Baptist Health/Murray State University Program of Anesthesia attended the KyANA spring scientific meeting on March 7 and 8. The event offered opportunities for student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) to network with others involved in nurse anesthesia. Leaders in the profession also shared information regarding trending practices, hot topics, and business updates for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs).

During the program two SRNAs from different programs were teamed up with a CRNA in an intense but fun Jeopardy style competition covering a variety of anesthesia topics. Emily Jones, a CRNA in the Baptist Health/Murray State University Program of Anesthesia was a member of the first ranking team.

Pictured right is the first place team, from left to right: Emily Jones, SRNA Baptist Health/Murray State Program of Anesthesia; Erika Danielle Garland, CRNA; and Madelyn Hall, SRNA from Northern Kentucky University.

Pictured below are the attendees from the Baptist Health/Murray State University Program of Anesthesia at the KyANA spring scientific meeting.

On Feb. 24 the School of Nursing and Health Professions (SONHP) and the Jones College of Science, Engineering, and Technology co-sponsored the Racers Empower event, “Feel Good February.” Racers Empower aims to share resources, encourage students to share and talk about their experiences to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness, connect students with support services and activities, and promote a healthy mind and body for success. SONHP faculty Mrs. Lori Ballard and Dr. Kristin Reid participated in the event and provided students with resources.

Racers Empower: Health Minds, Healthy Campus is a collaborative effort by Murray State students, staff and faculty members to promote mental health and wellness on campus. Mental health, especially anxiety and depression, is a major concern on college campuses. For more information, visit murraystate.edu/RacersEmpower.

Pictured are nursing students who attended the event holding potted succulents. Participants painted the pots as part of the program.

Murray State University Exercise Science Club students volunteered with the Special Olympics of Kentucky, Murray delegation, for four weeks in February and March to offer the Young Athletes program. The Young Athletes program is designed to introduce participants, aged two to seven, with and without disabilities, to physical activity and sports while promoting physical and cognitive development, social interaction and learning.

“My son started attending Young Athletes when he was three and still eagerly awaits the start of each season at age six,” said Lindsey Koebbe, parent. “It is the perfect opportunity for him to learn new sports skills in an encouraging, relaxed, accepting environment. The college students always meet him where he’s at and treat him like a rock star. Watching my son’s confidence soar while he’s experiencing pure enjoyment with his Young Athlete and college student friends has been the greatest gift to me, as a parent.”

Each week members of the Exercise Science Club planned and lead participants in a variety of activities. The Exercise Science Club has volunteered with the Young Athletes program annually over the past eight years.

“I am always amazed to watch students in action,” said Dr. Amelia Dodd, interim assistant dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions. “Club members planned weekly creative, engaging and fun activities that thrilled the Young Athlete participants. The joy demonstrated by the program participants and Murray State students is phenomenal. I am so proud of their contributions to this special program.”

“I started volunteering with Young Athletes my freshman year through the Exercise Science club,” said senior Savannah Grogan, Exercise Science Club president. “I had volunteered with Special Olympics for years and loved it, so this was a unique opportunity to see another side of their programming. The energy the kids brought every morning was contagious and I was always so excited when Saturday came around. I've had the chance to watch a lot of these kids grow up and see their development in so many ways, week to week, and year to year. My heart has been invested in this program for four years now and I'm so grateful for all the experiences. It was also an invaluable experience for me as a future physical therapist.”

During the program students like Grogan learned to tailor activities to target specific motor skills and learned to modify activities to make them fully accessible, all while making sure they were interesting enough to keep participants engaged. Volunteering with the program also gives students the chance to gain experience working with younger children and children with disabilities, populations some may not otherwise encounter in their shadowing and internship experiences.

“Special Olympics strives to create inclusive fitness and social opportunities for all, and the Young Athletes program is no exception,” said Laura Miller, West Regional Director, Special Olympics Kentucky. “We are so very grateful for the Murray State University students who give of themselves to provide this opportunity while hopefully learning valuable skills that will in turn make them successful in their future careers. We feel like this is a mutually beneficial partnership that we endeavor to continue for many years to come.”

More information about the Special Olympics Kentucky Young Athletes program can be found at soky.org/youngathletesprogram. Do you want to get involved? You can. Visit soky.org/getinvolved, or contact Kelli Firquin, volunteer services manager, by phone at 502-695-8222 x114 or e-mail kfirquin@soky.org.

Pictured are volunteers and Young Athlete participants.

Our school offers many different health careers that offer you the opportunity to influence the well-being of individuals, families, and communities.

Website: http://www.murraystate.edu/sonhp
Location: 120 Mason Hall, Murray, KY 42071
Phone: 270-809-2193
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MSU-School-of-Nursing-Health-Professions-100228168258965/