Making an Impact: Students
Private funding that assists in educating students is seen well beyond the walls of our college & university.
One of our underlying needs always remains supporting the work of our students
As the University of Florida College of Nursing prepares to embark on our next capital campaign in the fall, one of our underlying needs always remains supporting the work of our faculty and students. Private funding that assists the work of our faculty and students is seen well beyond the walls of our college or university:
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The service and care provided by students while they are in our communities
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The inspiration and mentorship provided by faculty members to their students
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The improvements to patient care and health care systems
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And the mark of the future careers of our graduates — who continue to touch the lives of their patients and inspire other nurses and health care professionals
But what about the people behind private funding? Those faculty who fill professorships to transform scholarship and science; and talented and motivated students who benefit from scholarships and fellowships that offset the costs of nursing education — all with the singular goal of transforming and improving nursing and patient care. These are merely a glimpse of some of those faces.
Christina Jones: Taking Opportunities to a Higher Degree
Even with a full-time night shift nursing position in a critical care unit, Christina Jones always knew she wanted to continue her education. The fact that the University of Florida R.N. to B.S.N. program was 100 percent online was a compelling reason for her to enroll, but she knew that continuing her education at UF gave her the best chance to be exposed to research and scholarship.
Jones was a member of the inaugural EMBRACE, or Engaging Multiple Communities of B.S.N. students in Research and Academic Curricular Experiences, program, which aims to provide unique research and leadership opportunities for nursing students from multiple backgrounds. Through her involvement in this program, Jones was invited to participate in the Top Student Poster Presentation at the Southern Nursing Research Society’s annual conference in Texas this year. She received the first-place award in this category and had the chance to meet and network with nursing researchers from around the country.
“Attending UF’s R.N. to B.S.N. has opened doors that I never would have expected. Although I chose to attend this program at UF with the hope that I would be able to gain some research experience, I did not anticipate just how much of an impact this would have on my future career trajectory,” Jones said.
It was not always easy to balance school and work, but Jones felt that the faculty and staff were understanding and supportive.
“Our professors were understanding of the fact that the majority of my classmates worked and had other responsibilities aside from school. Almost all our deadlines for assignments, quizzes, etc. were on Sunday nights, so it was easy to create a schedule that would allow me to manage my time,” Jones said.
After her graduation this summer, Jones will begin the college’s B.S.N. to Ph.D. program, for which she was awarded an Alumni Graduate Fellowship to support her studies. She hopes to study the role of nursing-implicit bias on racial and ethnic disparities in end-of-life decision-making for terminally ill patients.
“Dying with dignity is something that I am deeply passionate about, and is a topic that is very close to my heart. For me, helping a patient and their family through the transition from life to death is one of the most meaningful and significant roles of a nurse. I’d like to conduct research that may ultimately make it more likely for critically ill patients of all racial groups to have the option to minimize unnecessary prolongation of life and instead, experience a peaceful and pain-free death,” Jones said.
Jenny Joseph: Overcoming adversity to reach the top
After traditional B.S.N. student Jenny Joseph walked across the stage and became a University of Florida graduate in spring 2017, she posted a poignant Facebook status under a photo of a beaming Joseph in cap and gown.
“Born in Haiti. First generation. African Female. Financially Poor. Raised by woman. All things that statistically puts me at risk for failure. These have become the things that are pushing me into GREATNESS. #ufgrad #StillIRise #blackandeducated #thisisonlythebeginning”
And it is only the beginning for Joseph, who has just begun her studies at The Johns Hopkins University to continue her education in a dual Master in Nursing/Master in Public Health degree with a concentration in global women’s health.
To say that Joseph was an active UF student would be an understatement. In addition to her full-time nursing studies, at UF she was a McNair Scholar, a VA Learning Opportunities Resident or VALOR student, a Gator Nurse ambassador, a dormitory resident assistant, an health team educator for Projects for Haiti, and a research assistant for faculty member Karen Reed on her international scholarship project.
It has been the experiences as a student nurse that will stand out most to her. What was most important to her were the resources and opportunities available to her as being part of the college.
“This college has a lot to offer from service in the ambassador program to learning from phenomenal faculty to research opportunities,” Joseph said. “I soaked it all in.”
The values of the college always pushed her to do her best. This college “doesn’t settle for mediocre.”
“Being a Gator Nurse is an honor,” Joseph said. “We are taught to learn and study for our patients, not just for a grade. We are dealing with people’s lives and it’s important to uphold those values.”
Michael Rubey: Choosing Service to the Globe
After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in mathematics, Michael Rubey spent four years teaching in the Peace Corps in Africa and volunteering as a teacher in India. He realized service was at the core of what he always wanted to do.
“I chose nursing because it would give me the skills I could use anywhere in the world and a career that was flexible and would always provide me time to engage in service throughout my life,” Rubey said.
Rubey was a member of the first EMBRACE, or Engaging Multiple Communities of B.S.N. students in Research and Academic Curricular Experiences, program, which taught him a lot about nursing research and scholarship. The key to success in nursing school is to “take it all in.”
“As nursing students, we need to be involved and soak in all that this experience has to offer,” Rubey said. “I have truly come to learn the meaning of the words in the college’s motto: ‘care, lead, inspire.’ I realized through our faculty and fellow nurses that these are more than just words — they truly stand for something.”
As a student in the Accelerated B.S.N. program, Rubey received a Nursing Alumni Council Book Award and a Charlotte Liberty scholarship.
“Receiving private scholarships has been a great boon to my education. I work part-time in addition to school, and private scholarships have allowed me to reduce my work hours to concentrate on my studies,” Rubey said.
After graduation, Rubey plans to seek a position in critical care nursing and hopefully become a certified registered nurse anesthetist. More importantly, he hopes to continue to contribute to a global service mission as a nurse.
Michaela Hogan: Blazing the Path to Leadership and Success
“Our greatest honor, privilege and responsibility as nurses are advocating for our patients, which requires knowing not only how to listen and observe, but also when to speak and have the courage to speak boldly to positions of power,” Michaela Hogan, D.N.P., ARNP, (B.S.N. 2012, D.N.P./PMHNP 2016) reflected.
Hogan, who was the first in her immediate family to graduate from college, will do just that; listen to and advocate for her patients as an outpatient ARNP in the division of child & adolescent psychiatry, department of psychiatry, at University of Florioda Health after earning her D.N.P. from the UF College of Nursing in December.
A recipient of the Dr. Cappy Archibald Longstreth/Alex and Mary Frances Archibald Geriatric Psychiatric Nursing Scholarship as a student at the college, Hogan credits her enhanced knowledge, skills and the ability to broaden her network during her education as a direct result to the generous funding from Longstreth.
“I had to reread the award letter several times,” Hogan recalled. “I was completely floored by Dr. Longstreth’s generosity and commitment to higher education. I responded with a handwritten thank you note because I wanted her to experience the warmth of the gratitude I had for receiving her scholarship. Cappy is an excellent example of a female leader, who not only invests in her career, but also her community and the lives of future leaders.”
The Longstreth Scholarship, established in 2008, provided for Hogan’s education and gave her the ability to decrease her work commitment from full-time to part-time to completely immerse herself in her educational endeavors with a passion for psychotherapy training, specifically cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy. That meant attendance and training at multiple nursing conferences through her academic career, several focused on psychotherapy, capped off with landing a teaching assistant position in the college last fall, which provided her teaching experience and exposure to clinical faculty roles.
Longstreth has provided Hogan much more than scholarship, including the added bonus of informal mentorship with two major takeaways: get out of your comfort zone, and be open to new experiences.
Longstreth has provided Hogan much more than scholarship, including the added bonus of informal mentorship with two major takeaways: get out of your comfort zone, and be open to new experiences.
Hogan additionally found role models and mentors in Professors Emeriti Dr. Jo Snider and Jodi Irving, who have made a significant impact in psychiatric health and nursing at the college.
“Dr. Snider has a fierce standard for excellence, which transcends to her students—it’s inescapable,” Hogan said. “Jodi models warmth and empathy with healthy boundaries and gentle, but firm, limit-setting. I appreciate the importance they each placed on psychotherapy throughout their careers and in our curriculum, which helped sculpt my practice philosophy as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.”
Hogan hopes her biggest impact will be with individuals between the ages of 14-24 during the critical biopsychosocial developmental period, which has major implications for functioning and goal attainment as an adult. Down the road, she hopes to pay it forward as a mentor with practicum and project opportunities for D.N.P. and PMHNP students.
“Care, Lead, Inspire. This sums up a Gator Nurse,” Hogan said. “We are trained to provide quality and cost-effective care with compassion and excellence. We are prepared with a sense of responsibility for leadership within both the health care team and our broader communities, our nation. We are inspired by Gator Nurses that led before us and we will continue to offer inspiration to the next generation of Gator Nurses. I’m proud to be a Gator Nurse because we are a network of leaders, innovators, and excellent caregivers.”
Samantha Smith: Pursuing Dreams and Paying it Forward
“It’s critical to have well-prepared nurses, because they are the unsung heroes of the medical world,” according to Bob Carnes, owner and manager of EOI Apparel in Orlando.
When Carnes’ father, well-renowned long-time head coach of the University of Florida track and field team Jimmy Carnes, passed away after a battle with cancer, Carnes made a $100,000 gift to create the Jimmy Carnes Memorial Fellowship to support graduate nursing students; he had witnessed the importance of nurses during the care of his father.
Carnes’ generosity kept his father’s memory alive through the fellowship, and in turn allowed current Ph.D. student Samantha Smith the opportunity to pursue her dreams.
Smith earned her B.S.N. from the UF College of Nursing in 2013, her M.S.N. in April and is currently pursuing her Ph.D.
“I couldn’t be more thankful for such a beautiful gift,” Smith said. “This generosity is giving me the freedom to pursue my dreams, dreams built around improving nursing care and positively impacting patient lives. I hope to be able to make a difference in the lives of others just as Jimmy Carnes did during his lifetime.”
Soon to be a triple-graduate of the college, Smith has lofty goals when it comes to educating the next generation of nurses and improving patient care globally.
“In my career I hope to influence nursing collectively,” Smith said. “Ultimately, I hope to be a nurse practitioner with a Ph.D. because I’m passionate about teaching and building quality nurses. I also believe in improving patient care. I think that should be a staple of every single day of practice for every nurse.”
Long term? Smith has a goal of being a college dean one day and truly recognizes the value private funding played in her education, giving her the freedom to focus on pursuing her academic and professional ambitions without the stress over financial concerns.
“I am incredibly grateful to the Carnes family for their support and generosity,” Smith added. “They are a humbling reminder of what it means to give selflessly. Connecting with them has inspired me to think of other ways to aid those in need, and I hope to reach out my hand to others in my life as they have reached out their hand to me.”
Now, she has already taken the steps to impact and further influence nursing practice and nurse education. Smith recently paid it forward with a gift of her own by signing a donor form designating the College of Nursing a partial benefactor of her life insurance policy. Smith is the only student known to document a planned gift.
“Every day when you walk on to a patient floor in clinicals and you see nursing role models, clinical faculty, patients and their family members, it re-inspires you to appreciate what you’re doing, what you can do and what impact you can have.”