Carroll Nursing Newsletter: Spring 2024
Director's Welcome
Dr. Lauren Swant, Carroll's Director of Nursing, shares the following update with our alumni and friends.
As part of my welcome message in the foundational issue of the Carroll College Nursing Newsletter this past fall, I remarked that it is not enough to solely reflect on the past and charging all of us to envision a future brimming with endless possibilities and limitless potential in the untrodden paths of the future. In this context, I am thrilled to share about a new opportunity that is underway for current and future Carroll College Nursing students.
Given that one of our Nursing Program Learning Outcomes is that our graduates will “Engage in social, political, financial, policy, and regulatory environments that affect nursing and the health care system,” it seems fitting that our students be presented with the opportunity to garner this experience on a national scale.
Every March, I have the honor of attending the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Deans Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., an event that offers a distinctive opportunity to explore the most recent data, innovations, and strategies concerning policy, leadership, higher education, and workforce-related issues. The AACN Student Policy Summit is held concurrently, engaging a limited number of baccalaureate and graduate nursing students to learn about the power of advocacy in our nation’s capital through program sessions focused on the federal policy process and nursing’s role in professional advocacy.
Starting this March, I am excited to announce that I will be traveling with representatives from our traditional and accelerated nursing tracks to participate in this event!
Continue reading Dr. Swant's update here.
Carroll's Baccalaureate Beginnings
With gratitude, we dedicate this issue of Carroll’s Nursing Newsletter in memory of two of our baccalaureate nursing “founders” Dr. Therese Sullivan (1938-2014) and Monsignor Joseph Harrington (1930-2022).
“It is wisdom to pause to look back and see by what straight or twisting ways we have arrived at the place we find ourselves.”
~ Mother Xavier Ross
Foundress of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, which shaped Carroll’s pre-baccalaureate nursing program.
Dr. Jennifer Elison started teaching in Carroll’s nursing program in August 2008 and then served as the nursing department chair from August 2009 through May 2014. With her connection to Carroll College Nursing and passion for nursing history and education, she is the perfect person to share a reflection on Carroll’s baccalaureate beginnings.
Walking across the scenic Carroll campus it is easy to see that the college is steeped in history. The iconic St. Charles Hall reflects the early years of Mount Saint Charles College chartered in 1909. For 37 years Carroll was known as a “college of liberal arts and sciences for men.”
The demand for nursing care during WWII ushered in a new era for the college when the first women students arrived on campus to attend the Sisters of Charity’s newly organized Department of Nursing Education in 1946. At that time, tuition per semester was $100, room and board cost $180, and the average cost of books and fees was $25.
The nursing program curriculum consisted of two semesters of “pre-clinical training” including classes in English composition, chemistry, religion, ethics, nursing history, microbiology, anatomy and physiology, psychology, nutrition, and professional adjustment. Upon completion of their coursework, nursing students then attended clinicals at either St. James Hospital in Butte, St. Vincent’s Hospital in Billings, or St. John’s Hospital in Helena. Additional clinical rotations were completed at the State Hospital at Warm Springs. After completing 30 months of clinical rotations, the students were eligible to sit for their State Boards.
Three additional semesters at Carroll College following attainment of their RN license would result in a baccalaureate degree in nursing education. The infant manikin in the Carroll College nursing lab is named for the first recipient of a B.S. in Nursing Education, Madeline Sampson.
Continue reading Dr. Elison's history of Carroll Nursing here.
Back row: M. Geri Shea, Carol (Wirth) Cloninger, Leslie (Bonnarens) Beniger, Janet (Stutterheim) Clark, Melissa (McElligott) Sherlock; Middle row: Janis (Joseph) Roset, Sammi Tressider, Terri (Hannon) Lerum, Bridget (Sullivan) McGregor; Front row: Julie (Dell) Carlson, Rita (Hansen) Turley
Special thanks to 1977 nursing grad Melissa Sherlock who shared this photo and identified names.
Saints Giving Day
March 21-22, 2024, Noon to Noon
Carroll’s 3rd Annual Saints Giving Day is a 24-hour online fundraising event when we all come together to give back to the areas of Carroll that mean the most to us – noon to noon on March 21-22, 2024.
Learn more about this year’s Nursing cause in the Director’s Welcome.
Nursing Pathways at Carroll
In the Nursing newsletter last fall, I shared about what a difference it makes to the students to hear the reasons nurses are passionate about what they do. I would welcome your stories so that I can pass them on to the students. So often, students just hear about how difficult healthcare is at this time and your stories can give them a broader perspective of this rewarding profession. If you’d like to share your stories/comments, please email to me at jmjohnson@carroll.edu.
I wanted to share a little with you about our amazing students and what they are up to! If you’d like to see what kind of course schedule a typical nursing student has at Carroll these days, you can view their schedules here:
Traditional Nursing Track
Accelerated Nursing Track
Traditional Nursing Track 200-level
Can you remember how you felt on the first day of nursing clinical? The collage above shows our sophomore-level nursing students last fall on their first clinical day at St. Peter’s Health (SPH) in Helena. They also have the opportunity to see long-term care nursing, where they often get to practice the fundamental skills they have just learned. In addition, they get to interact with seniors at the Rocky Mountain Development Senior Center where they engage with seniors in quilting, blood pressure checks, line dancing, and conversation. In their first semester of the nursing program, students learn much about nursing fundamentals, assessment, and health promotion. These are the foundations they will build on throughout the rest of their nursing curriculum.
We were excited to bring back the Partners in Health program last fall, which had been paused during the pandemic, in which pairs of 200-level students conduct home visits with senior partners who are still independent and living life to the fullest! This has been such a positive experience for everyone involved and gives students practice with calling, interviewing, documenting, practicing skills like taking blood pressure and assessing the client holistically (physiological, psychological, sociocultural, and spiritual dimensions). At the end of the semester, we host a Partner in Health Appreciation Reception, which is a wonderful opportunity to thank our senior volunteers and provide a chance for students to have closure in saying goodbye (although some stay in touch for years!). Throughout these opportunities, the students gain an appreciation for the senior population health and wellness continuum and gain confidence in many foundational nursing skills.
Traditional Nursing Track 300-level
The 300-level nursing students continue their clinical experiences with specialty areas of women’s health, labor, and delivery. Many get to experience the awesome event of a baby entering the world on the WAC unit at SPH. They also have the valuable opportunity to work with children at Shodair Hospital and those seeking mental health services at AWARE.
Students also experience many wonderful med-surg opportunities at the Fort Harrison VA Medical Facility, SPH, and Benefis Health. It is a win-win situation with the students gaining exposure to so many areas of nursing while the clinical sites get to plant the seed of future employment opportunities. We are so grateful for all our clinical partners!
Traditional Nursing Track 400-level
The senior nursing students were important in welcoming the sophomore nursing students to SPH for their first clinical experience in an acute setting. As you can imagine, the sophomores arrived excited and nervous and left excited and inspired! Many say, "The seniors know so much!" As a professor, it is one of the most rewarding things to see the senior nursing students share their knowledge, wisdom, and experience with the sophomores.
In the spring, senior students have their final capstone clinical experience in various settings and locations, from rural to urban. This rewarding experience is where the students work one-on-one with a preceptor to gain confidence, make connections, and see all their knowledge, compassion, critical thinking, hands-on skills, leadership, evidence-based practice, and so much more come together. Often, the students are interested in participating in clinical in areas they may want to work in after graduation, or they choose areas in which they may have yet to have a lot of experience and want to learn more about that specialty area before graduating. What better way to gain invaluable experience than working with our volunteer preceptors for 120 hours to gain confidence and insight into the vast array of nursing specialties.
Accelerated Nursing (ACNU) Track
Carroll College added an accelerated nursing track in the summer of 2021. This 15-month intensive track is available to students who already have a baccalaureate degree but want to get a second baccalaureate degree in nursing. Students start in May and graduate the following August. Our first two graduating accelerated nursing cohorts in 2022 and 2023 had 100% first-time passage rates on the NCLEX-RN! If you know a baccalaureate graduate who is considering a career in nursing, please direct them to our ACNU website.
Saints in Service
We have an active and enthusiastic Carroll College Student Nurses Association (CCSNA) officer team this year! Nearly every week last fall there was some kind of event or activity to engage students in service, connection, and learning.
Nursing students gathered for the NAMI (mental health awareness) and Alzheimer’s Awareness Walks in September and took blood pressures at Homecoming.
CCSNA hosted fun nursing trivia nights and a special Christmas cookie decorating contest, as well as coordinating nursing t-shirts/sweatshirt sales with a local print shop. They also conducted a Christmas gift drive for children and adolescents in residential psychiatric treatment at our local Shodair Hospital plus distributed more than 150 Christmas cards to the VA Hospital patients and elders at nursing homes. This spring they made Valentines for all the nursing faculty and staff – our students are so kind, thoughtful, brilliant, and creative – the future of nursing is in good hands!
Upcoming Events
Student Research Festival (SRF) – April 26, 2024
The research presented at this one-day campus event is impressive and inspiring. If you are in Helena, please plan to attend!
Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) Drill – April 30, 2024
Last year’s inaugural MCI drill on campus was well received by everyone who participated. There is interest from other Carroll departments as well as a variety of community responders in growing this event. Carroll’s theater students assisted by acting as patients. These students also partner with our nursing program to participate in staged health simulations in nursing which bring to life a variety of scenarios that students will face as nurses.
