TODAY news - Nov. 21, 2002 - School of Nursing news

Thursday, November 21, 2002 TODAY

School of Nursing news

School of Nursing alumna killed in school shooting

Robin E. (Bruns) Rogers, MSN, RN, CPNP, was a 1973 graduate of LLU School of Nursing.

Robin E. (Bruns) Rogers, MSN, RN, CPNP, a 1973 graduate of Loma Linda University’s School of Nursing, was shot and killed on the morning of October 28 in her office at the University of Arizona by a student.

Ms. Rogers was the first of three professors killed before the student killed himself.

“This tragedy has deeply saddened our Loma Linda family. We extend our sincere condolences to the family of Ms. Rogers and to the families of the other victims,” says B. Lyn Behrens, MBBS, president and CEO of Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center.

According to police, a 41-year-old student at the College of Nursing, University of Arizona, Tucson, entered the College of Nursing. Carrying a revolver and four additional handguns, the student sought out Ms. Rogers and shot her three times in her office just after 8:30 a.m.

Police say the student had recently flunked a pediatric nursing course and was failing a critical care class.

After shooting Ms. Rogers, the student traveled to a lecture hall on the fourth floor where several nursing students were taking an exam in their critical care class. Then, according to the Arizona Republic newspaper, the student entered the lecture hall, walked up to Barbara Monroe, MS, CCRN, RN, assistant professor of clinical nursing, and spoke to her briefly before killing her.

The student then turned to Cheryl McGaffic, PhD, RN, clinical associate professor, and shot and killed her. He then ordered the students to leave the hall.

When the lecture hall was empty, he took his own life in the back of the classroom.

A few days following the slayings, an Arizona newspaper received a letter from the student that had been written weeks before he killed the three professors, that detailed his reasons for the murders.

Ms. Rogers, a clinical assistant professor of the College of Nursing, was one of the charter members of the Loma Linda University chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, the nursing honor society.

At the completion of a senior elective in her BSN program in 1973, she received a pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) certificate. Ms. Rogers was one of the first pediatric nurse practitioners to be certified in the nation.

She then joined the United States Air Force to practice as a PNP, serving at both Scott and Luke Air Force bases. She left the Air Force after two years to pursue other PNP options, first working as a PNP on a research project following high-risk neonates in the community, and then continuing as a PNP for Maricopa County Health Department.

In 1979, she received the neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP) certificate from the University of Arizona and re-joined the Air Force, working as a NNP and a PNP for the next 16 years.

In the Air Force, she directed an apnea-monitoring program; provided direct care; served as assistant family advocacy officer; and administered services as both chief of maternal-child division and chief of pediatrics element. She was named air combat consultant for pediatric nurse practitioners. After serving in Texas, Japan, California, and Arizona, Ms. Rogers left the Air Force with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

She received her MSN from the University of Texas, San Antonio, in 1992. Her focus of study was high-risk neonate and nursing of children. Her thesis was “The Effect of Experience on Mothers’ Ability to Identify the Meaning of Infant Cries.”

In 1996, Ms. Rogers joined the faculty at the University of Arizona College of Nursing.

Her teaching, primarily in the undergraduate program, included the acute care provider with children course; health experiences of human systems–children; and care provider across the lifespan– families. In the graduate program, Ms. Rogers taught and evaluated assessment skills in the practitioner program, and taught content relating to pediatrics and dermatology.

She is survived by her husband Philip, and their 21-year-old twins, Jonathan and Rachel.

Memorial services for Ms. Rogers, Ms. McGaffic, and Ms. Monroe were held November 4 on the University of Arizona campus.

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Nursing professor receives $100,000 grant

Betty Winslow, PhD, RN

The National Institute for Nursing Research, a division of the National Institute for Health, is helping Betty Winslow, PhD, RN, professor of nursing, answer some very important questions. They recently awarded her a $100,000 grant for a three-year research project aimed at discovering how family members, who are primary caregivers, choose to place relatives with Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder (ADRD) in long-term care.

“Although patient and caregiver characteristics that predict placement have been identified and some studies have examined the placement experience of frail elders,” explains Dr. Winslow, “little is known about how family caregivers of relatives with ADRD decide to place their relative or how formal service providers participate in the decision.”

As a health-care professional and the daughter of a parent who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Winslow approaches her research with a deeper understanding of the stress, anxiety, and complexity of institutionalizing a loved one.

“Timing of institutionalization can have consequences for patients, families, and society,” says Dr. Winslow. “Premature placement may be associated with unnecessary stress, negative health outcomes for patients, and increased costs for society. Delaying placement can have negative consequences for caregivers and for patients.”

Dr. Winslow estimates that she will spend the first two years collecting data and the third year analyzing her discoveries. She expects to interview as many as 40 families who are in the decision making process about a family member with ADRD. She will also speak with a number of different health-care providers who are involved with helping families make placement decisions. “Listening for repeating themes is key,” says Dr. Winslow. She plans to use a grounded theory approach for collection and analysis.

The conceivable benefits of Dr. Winslow’s research are many and varied. In addition to keeping the School of Nursing active in research she will be able to give valuable research experience to students in the new doctoral program.

“Personally, I find research helps validate what I do in the classroom,” states Dr. Winslow. “Doing my own research makes what I teach more reality based.”

Ultimately she would like her research to produce a conceptual model that will be used as an effective tool for educating health-care professionals about their role in helping family members decide the best timing for institutionalizing a loved one.

“My findings will be used to understand the caregiver’s experience throughout the placement process including how service providers influence the decision and what behaviors are found to be supportive of caregivers,” says Dr. Winslow. “The research will result in theoretical refinement, education of formal service providers, and development of an intervention project directed toward primary and secondary prevention of family caregiver stress associated with institutional placement of their relative.”

If you are caring for a relative with dementia and are considering long-term care placement you may be eligible to participate in Dr. Winslow’s study. You may contact her at (909) 558-4360, extension 45447, or e-mail her at <bwinslow@sn.llu.edu> to learn more about the project.

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Global Partnerships in Nursing For Wholistic Nursing Care goes to Africa

(From left) Yayeri Nashemeza; Sue Tallboom, nurse epidemiologist, Loma Linda University Medical Center; Margaret Byakagaba; and Patricia Pothier, PhD, RN, assistant professor of nursing, pose for a picture during a break in the day.

Loma Linda University School of Nursing recently coordinated another major international conference in an area outside of North America, this time focusing on the African continent.

The conference, sponsored by The Ralph and Carolyn Thompson Charitable Foundation, was held at the Kopanong Conference Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, from July 30 to August 1. More than 90 participants from 11 countries including South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Jamaica, Philippines, and the United States attended and contributed to the daily educational events.

The conference was jointly coordinated by the Office of International Nursing, and the Department of Health Ministries, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

“One of the goals of the conference was to increase networking among Seventh-day Adventist nurses and nurse educators in Africa and between Africa and other areas of the world,” says Patricia S. Jones, PhD, RN, FAAN, director of the Office of International Nursing and co-chair of the conference. “With the good participation from many countries we feel we are off to a good start.”

The conference also aimed to examine the meaning and relevance of wholistic nursing care in African cultures. Nurses from different countries presented papers on perspectives of health, environment, being human, and nursing as a professional practice in their different contexts. The presentations were followed up with question and answer sessions which engaged the whole audience.

Carolyn Thompson, School of Nursing alumna and conference supporter; Yvonne Fankhanel, nurse educator, Loma Linda University Medical Center; and Ms. Tallboom help prepare PowerPoint presentations for the conference speakers.

Another focus of the conference addressed current challenges in nursing practice and education in the different countries. Dr. Leana Uys, a noted nursing leader from the University of Natal in Durbin, South Africa, gave the keynote address on “Challenges to Nursing Practice in Africa in the 21st Century.” Her dynamic and informative address challenged all nurses to respond the challenges in their setting.

The sponsors of the five-year project, Dr. and Mrs. Ralph Thompson, support the project in very personal ways as well as financially. Mrs. Carolyn Thompson personally attends and contributes to the implementation of the conferences around the world. In Johannesburg she was actively engaged in the daily management of the meetings.

School of Nursing faculty and Medical Center nurse leaders worked with Dr. Jones in planning the conference. Patricia Pothier, PhD, RN, assistant professor of nursing, School of Nursing, served as co-chair of the conference, and Dolores Wright, DNSc, RN, associate professor, School of Nursing, handled other designated aspects of planning and implementation. Sue Tallboom, nurse epidemiologist, and Yvonne Fankhanel, nurse educator, in the Medical Center, also members of the planning committee, attended and actively contributed to the conference.

In 2003, the Global Partnerships in Nursing for Wholistic Nursing Care Project will focus its activities in Europe. “We are so happy with the success of these conferences,” says Dr. Jones.

“With the support of the Ralph and Carolyn Thompson Charitable Foundation,” she continues, “we are making a difference in the personal and professional lives of Seventh-day Adventist nurses around the world.”

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Thursday, November 21, 2002 TODAY