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National League for Nursing Summit

September 2007

Two RCC Nursing alums joined administrators from RCC and UMass Boston to present the RCC Future Faculty Networking Project at the National League for Nursing Summit held in Phoenix, AZ. The presenters were: JoAnn Mulready-Shick MS, RN (Director of Undergraduate Nursing at UMB), Johngelyn Washington, RN (RCC Class of ADN2004), Dean David Becker, and Shirley Dujour RN BSN (RCC ADN2003). Nearly 500 schools of nursing in every state of the union were represented. The Summit is a time for nurse educators to network and collaborate in a supportive, professional context.

Welcome New Faculty!

September 2007

• Terry Fordham joined the Associate Degree Nursing faculty this summer. She was awarded the graduate degree, MSN from College of New Rochelle and recently moved from Tampa where she was tenured faculty at the Hillsborough Community College.

• Joan Ashlock has rejoined the Associate Degree Nursing faculty where she will primarily work with students in the evening option.  She holds an MSN from St. Louis University. She is returning to RCC from U Mass Lowell.

• Linda Meehan is joining the Associate Degree Nursing faculty. Her MS in Psychiatric Nursing is from California State University, Los Angeles. For the past several years she has worked for RCC as an adjunct instructor. She will focus on Psychiatric/Mental Health content.

• Clare Katuramu is joining the Practical Nursing Certificate faculty. She holds a Masters in Public Health from Boston University.

Professor Ranjitkar

September 2007Dr. Mana Ranjitkar visited her birth country, Nepal this summer after three years. She was very much surprised to see the changes in the country. The capital city, Kathmandu is inundated with new shops, vehicles, people migrating from villages and many new  buildings. Kathmandu is also flooded with many modern consumer goods such as cell phones, IPods, motor bikes and cars.

Many educational institutions primary, secondary as well as colleges have opened up. Hospitals and nursing schools have quadrupled in number within the last three years. She got multiple job offers to run nursing program. Many newly opened hospitals are profit making businesses and very expensive. Many Nepalis can not afford to get help there.

Dr. Ranjitkar joined a group who are interested to open a charity hospital and a nurse training program. The nursing program will be a part of the already opened college called Saraswoti College of science and art.  The college offered her a visiting professor and she will be teaching summer courses for them next summer. She also will be helping them establish a Bachelor in nursing program and function as a long distance consultant for the establishment of the nursing program.

CoD Award to Issues Course

 Issues in Professional Nursing (ADN254) developed by Professor David Becker, was selected from more than 1200 courses offered through MCO, a consortium of the nine state and 15 community colleges in Massachusetts, to receive the MCO Course of Distinction (CoD) Award.  Fifteen state college and community college professors from across the state were selected for the award.  In nominating Prof. Becker for the award, Jenene Cook, RCC’s Dean of Instructional Technology, wrote “This course is attractive to look at online and interactive and engaging through a variety of active learning activities that promote critical thinking and enhance creative problem-solving.”

Rad Tech Program Awarded Full Accreditation

The Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology has accredited the Radiologic Technology program following at site visit last fall. The program graduated its first class June 2007.

Valedictorian is ADN Graduate

June 2007

James Dooher, RN delivered the Valedictory address for Roxbury Community College Commencement on June 1, 2007. James completed the evening option of the ADN program in December, 2006.

Hail & Farewell

The Division of Nursing and Allied Health is glad to announce our newest additions- a new Associate of Science Degree Program and new full-time faculty in the Division for the Academic Year 2005-2006.

In mid-June, the MA Board of Higher Education approved our new degree offering- the A.S. Degree in Radiologic Technology. In early July, the college selected Ms. Georgeann (Jan) Jenkins, RTR, as full-time faculty and Program Coordinator. In early August the first cohort of thirteen students was selected and four clinical affiliations were finalized. We are currently writing the self-study report for national accreditation in fall 2006.

Ms. Georgeann Jenkins, RTR, comes to the college with a wealth of experience. For the past eighteen years, she served as Director of Radiology Services for New England Baptist Hospital. Previously, she was a clinical instructor at Boston Medical Center for the Northeastern Univ. Rad. Tech. Program. She holds a Master’s Degree in Health Education from East Stroudsburg State Univ. and a certificate of Special Studies in Administration and Management from Harvard Univ. Extension School. Her faculty office will be located in 201-F.

For the Associate of Science Degree in Nursing Program, the Division is happy to welcome two faculty with a wealth of international and multicultural experience, Ms. Theresa Russ and Ms. Monika Jelic.

Ms. Theresa Russ, MSN, RN, also has been a RCC adjunct faculty since 2004 in the Evening Option RN Program. Ms. Russ has over twenty years of experience in nursing practice, education, and administration. She has served as adjunct nursing faculty at Boston College, Mass Bay CC, and Simmons College and currently practices as an advanced practice oncology nurse. Her Master’s of Science Degree in Nursing is from the University of Maryland.

Ms. Monika Jelic, MSN, CPNP, is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner and has most recently practiced at the Neponset Health Center in Dorchester. She has also clinically precepted graduate nursing students from Boston College and Simmons College. Currently a part-time student at Boston University in a Master’s of Public Health program in International Health, Ms. Jelic also holds a Master’s of Science Degree in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania and speaks English, Serbian, French, Spanish, and Tamil.

For the Practical Nursing Certificate Program, the Division is happy to welcome Ms. Hansella Caines Robson. Ms. Robson, BSN, MHA, RN, has over ten years of professional experience in health care services and most recently has been a RCC adjunct faculty this spring providing fundamentals clinical instruction and classroom instruction this summer in maternal child health nursing. Ms. Robson holds a Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration from Simmons College and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Nursing from Northeastern University.

Dean JoAnn Mulready-Shick has received a grant for Spring 2006 from the Board of Higher Education to address the faculty shortage and need for grater representation of faculty from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds The $16,000 grant, named the Future Faculty Networking Project  centers on mentoring and networking activities of RCC Nursing alum who have completed BSN and MSN degrees partnering them with RCC nursing alum considering higher education and becoming future nurse educators.

The project involves mentoring activities, developing an alum website and brochure, and reaching out to all alum from the AD Nursing Program 1989-present. RCC alum serving as mentors include Gertha Dabady (Glemaud), Keona Lemons, Leonie Forbes Sanderson, Shirley Dujour, Dorothy Bowers and Michelle Anderson. Mentees who are RCC nursing alum include Sonia Forbes, Johngelyn Washington, Nina Johnson, Lucia Stevens (George), Neville Francis, and BHCC lab assistant Leah (Vickie) Ewing.  Gertha, Leonie, Sonia, Johngelyn, and Vickie are currently working as RCC part-time clinical or lab faculty or lab assistants. David Becker, Maryam Mirza, Thu Khong, Phoung Tang, and consultant Dr. Lynne Wagner, are also grant participants.

AD Nursing Professor David Becker, Program Coordinator, Day Option AD Nursing, deserves kudos for advanced practice and recent certification as an Academic Nurse Educator. He also led efforts in creating a new course, Learning Strategies for Success in Health Careers as a hybrid course for Fall 2006. Professor Becker was also recently appointed to the Cambridge College Department of Nursing Advisory Board. Professor David Becker served as a mentor to graduate nursing education student and RCC part-time clinical and lab faculty Mr. Momudu Oseni Spring 2006.

AD Nursing Professor Allison Bernard completed a twelve credit graduate certificate program at Regis College in nursing education pedagogy. She and former Professor Pelletier have also served as expert faculty for the BHE-funded collaborative with Framingham State College teaching a graduate level certificate program in nursing education at the Boston site, RCC.  This effort is addressing the nursing faculty shortage bringing more faculty with expertise in nursing education into nursing schools across MA. Professor Bernard precepted a Regis College student and mentored graduate nursing education student  and RCC lab assistant Ms. Sandra Menard Spring 2006. Professor Bernard and the dean attended the NLN Nursing Education Summit in Baltimore September 2005.

AD Nursing Professor Theresa Russ has accepted appointment as the Associate Degree Nursing Program Evening Option Program Coordinator beginning June 2006.  Professor Russ also mentored a graduate nursing education student from Framingham State College here Spring 2006.
AD Nursing Professor Monika Jelic also mentored a graduate nursing education student from Framingham State College here Spring 2006 and continues with her graduate studies at Boston University.

AD Nursing Professor Mana Ranjitkar and Dean JoAnn Mulready-Shick attended the NLN Third Annual Nurse Educator Research Conference in Washington DC March 2006.
Dean JoAnn Mulready-Shick recently became certified as an Academic Nurse Educator.
Practical Nursing faculty Sandra Lamkin recently completed the Framingham State College Nurse Educator certificate program.

The Division reports the passing of Professor Marie Joseph fall 2005- Ms. Joseph was a valued fulltime faculty in the Practical Nursing Program and has been dedicated to student success at RCC for over fifteen years.

The division faculty deserve congratulations for supporting the growth in enrollment in the day and evening AD-RN programs, and in the day Practical Nursing Program. The Mental Health Worker Certificate Program, under the leadership of Ms. Bobbi Brunelle continues to graduate certificate students each semester.

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