Washington State University Health Sciences Students Learn Team Approach to Opioid Addiction

Washington State University Health Sciences Students Learn Team Approach to Opioid Addiction

Washington State University (WSU) Health Sciences Spokane is teaching students in its medicine, pharmacy, and nursing programs how to care for patients suffering from opioid addiction. A two-hour class developed by faculty at the university will teach teamwork and communication to provide an effective approach to treatment for these sensitive patients.

The Washington Department of Health funded the development of the program. Almost 350 students from WSU and Eastern Washington University took the class in January and February. WSU will eventually be making the curriculum freely available online to any university that wants to offer the curriculum to its health sciences students and a follow-up grant will allow the university to adapt the material for use by rural health clinics. 

Barbara Richardson, PhD, RN, an associate clinical professor in WSU’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, tells news.wsu.edu, “We know that a lot of times when patients run into problems with opioids its because there’s poor communication on the health care team. People can fall through the cracks; our goal is to build a system where the cracks don’t exist.”

The curriculum on how to create a team approach to opioid addiction covers roles and responsibilities, appropriate language, and conveying patient information to other members of an interprofessional healthcare team. To learn more about Washington State University’s new curriculum for teaching a team approach to opioid addiction to health sciences students, visit here

Native American and Alaska Native High School Students Explore Careers in Nursing Through Summer Institute

Native American and Alaska Native High School Students Explore Careers in Nursing Through Summer Institute

Washington State University (WSU) Health Sciences Spokane has invited seventeen Native American and Alaska Native high school students from multiple states to attend the 24th annual Na-ha-shnee Summer Institute. The attendees are rising sophomore, junior, and senior students who plan to pursue careers in nursing and health science. 

The Na-ha-shnee Summer Institute is a 12-day event where students learn about a range of health science topics and receive college admissions information. They are fully immersed in scientific challenges and receive hands-on learning experiences taught by health care providers, faculty at WSU Health Sciences Spokane, and health sciences college students.

Topics covered during the Institute include anatomy, timely information on opioid addiction and response, basic nursing skills training and simulation, and a visit to the university’s pharmacy lab. Students will also receive CPR and first aid certification and are eligible to receive up to 65 Career and Technical Education (CTE) credits after completing their twelve days at the Institute.

To learn more about Washington State University’s Na-ha-shnee Summer Institute where seventeen Native American and Alaska Native high school students from multiple states have met to learn about a range of health science and nursing topics, visit here

University of Washington Offers Doctor of Nursing Practice and Master of Public Health Dual Degree Program

University of Washington Offers Doctor of Nursing Practice and Master of Public Health Dual Degree Program

The University of Washington (UW) has announced a new dual degree program offering a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) in Population Health and Master of Public Health (MPH) in Global Health. The three- to four-year program aims to expand the skills of public health nurses and nurse scholars to work in partnership with populations and health systems to ultimately improve access to health care and help achieve health for all.

Pamela Kohler, associate professor with the UW Departments of Global Health, Psychosocial and Community Health, and Schools of Public Health and Nursing, tells Washington.edu, “Graduates of the new concurrent degree program will be equipped to lead sustainable change in collaboration with health systems, communities, and populations; and will have the skills to evaluate program and policy impact.”

The DNP program will prepare registered nurses for advanced practice roles, nursing leadership, and the application of evidence-based decision-making models to nursing practice. The MPH in global health will provide social justice and practical skills-based frameworks for achieving health equity through partnerships with a focus on health conditions that transcend borders.

Students must complete two sets of degree requirements to earn both degrees and can apply to both programs at the same time or to the second program at a later date. To learn more about the University of Washington’s new dual degree program offering a Doctor of Nursing Practice and Master of Public Health, visit here.

University of Washington Invites High School Students to Nurse Camp

University of Washington Invites High School Students to Nurse Camp

The University of Washington (UW) School of Nursing is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Nurse Camp program for high school students. The week-long camp originally grew out of a need to encourage more first-generation and minority college students to pursue nursing degrees.

Carolyn Chow, co-director of the UW Nurse Camp and director of admissions and student diversity for the School of Nursing, tells Washington.edu, “We had to figure out how to effectively reach applicants earlier with more supportive resources and experiences to learn about nursing as a career option. They love the camp because it’s an opportunity to connect directly with nursing student mentors and professional nurses. And it’s an opportunity for us as a school to have a clear impact on diversifying the next generation of nurses.”

Throughout the week of sessions, students learn a variety of nursing skills including hands-on training in CPR, hand washing, infection control, recording vital signs, and more. Campers also learn from current students in the School of Nursing’s recently opened simulation center, providing a mutually beneficial leadership development program for current UW nursing students.

As part of Nurse Camp, students also attend sessions to learn about financial aid and scholarships to help them prepare for college admissions. To date, about 98 percent of camp alumni have gone to college afterward. The Nurse Camp program is free to campers thanks to private donations.

To learn more about the University of Washington’s Nurse Camp for high school students to learn about nursing as a degree and career option, visit here.

Nurse of the Week: Cancer Survivor Christina Gay Achieves Dream of Becoming a Nurse

Nurse of the Week: Cancer Survivor Christina Gay Achieves Dream of Becoming a Nurse

Our Nurse of the Week is Christina Gay , a cancer survivor and ‘I Have a Dream’ program alum, who nurses patients back to health after surgery. The I Have a Dream program is designed to help more than 300 kids in low-income neighborhoods graduate from high school and move on to higher education. Gay was chosen to participate as a young fourth grader and now holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Gay started experiencing problems with her lower right leg the summer before her senior year of high school. It was swollen and painful, and she was told she had a fracture even though she had done nothing to cause one. Eventually an MRI revealed that she had a tumor. Several surgeries later she still hadn’t healed properly and the most viable option for getting back on her feet was to amputate.

Determined to give herself the best possible future, Gay decided to have her leg amputated. She was already in a nursing program at Clark College at that point, and unwilling to give up on her plans, Gay scheduled her surgery for spring break so that she could get back to school as soon as possible.

Gay is a now a graduate of the bachelor’s degree in nursing program at Washington State University Vancouver and a nurse at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center. She credits the I Have a Dream program for helping her realize the importance of education and providing her with the guidance to achieve her dreams of becoming a nurse.

Having seen both sides of the nurse-patient relationship as a past cancer patient, Gay tells Columbian.com, “To understand what it’s like to be in that bed and not know what’s going on: It helps me when I explain something. I have a little more empathy…I feel like this is what I Have a Dream has instilled in me: You can do anything you dream!”

To learn more about Christina Gay and her unique path to a career in nursing, visit here.

Nurse of the Week: Navy Nurse Erika Schilling Saves Man’s Life on Ferry Ride

Nurse of the Week: Navy Nurse Erika Schilling Saves Man’s Life on Ferry Ride

Our Nurse of the Week is Navy Lt. Cmdr. Erika Schilling, a military nurse midwife who used her medical training to help save a man’s life during a Washington State Ferry trip. Schilling had spent the day at a museum with her two sons and was on the return trip home when she overheard another passenger frantically telling someone that a passenger needed immediate medical attention. She jumped to attention, performing lifesaving CPR on a complete stranger.

“I just happened to be there and heard that help was needed. I heard her on the phone saying, ‘This is an emergency.’ My ears went up.”

When Schilling was brought to the ill passenger, he was slumped over and didn’t appear to be breathing. Schilling immediately moved him onto the floor and began performing CPR while another passenger retrieved an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). She shared CPR duties with another passenger trained in basic life support skills for 14 minutes until the ferry docked and emergency medical responders took over, transporting the man to a nearby medical center.

Schilling is a military nurse midwife at Naval Hospital Bremerton in Washington state. She credits her 21 years of Navy and Nurse Corps training for allowing her to save a stranger’s life on a normal ferry ride while off duty. Schilling tells the Department of Defense, “I just happened to be there and heard that help was needed. I heard her on the phone saying, ‘This is an emergency.’ My ears went up.”

Once the man was safely in the hands of emergency medical responders, Schilling found out that the man and his wife were visiting the area. Schilling stayed with his wife and drove her from the ferry to the hospital. The man is reported to be safely recovering at home following the incident.

Schilling has since been awarded the Life Ring Award from Washington State Ferry, a certificate usually reserved for employees who respond to life-and-death emergencies or perform rescues. To learn more about Schilling’s lifesaving efforts, visit here.