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Nursing Special Opportunites
O’Connor Chair Lecture Series
This lecture series, endowed by the A. Lindsay and Olive B. O’Connor Foundation, brings notable speakers to campus in the spring and fall each year. The Hartwick College School of Nursing invites distinguished leaders and scholars in the field of nursing and other related disciplines to campus for a spring and fall lecture series each year. Nursing majors, other students, faculty, and community members are all invited to attend the evening lecture.
Fall 2023 O'Connor Lecture - October 6
“Keeping Humanity in Healthcare”
Featuring: Lee Woodruff
Woodruff will discuss some of the things she learned and experienced when she became an advocate and caregiver for her husband Bob after he was injured by a roadside bomb while covering the war in Iraq as anchor of ABC- News. Woodruff’s relationship to nurses forged an understanding that they were a critical link to the patients and families and in her talk, she will cover the many wonderful ways nurses are the heart and soul of the healthcare system in every way that they bring the human experience and elements to healing.
7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Past O’Connor Chair Lecture Topics & Speakers
March 2023:
“Safety in Nursing/Legal Issues”
Paula Moshier, MSHA, BSN, R.N., CMPE, CPHRM, VP, Quality and Patient Experience, Bassett Healthcare Network
Karen A. Butler, R.N., BSN, J.D., Partner at Maynard, O’Connor, Smith & Catalinotto (MOSC), LLP
October 2022:
“Life on Purpose: The Gift of a Resilient Mindset”
Dr. Teresa Stephens, PhD, MSN, RN, CNE, is a nurse educator, researcher, and consultant with over 35 years experience in both practice and academic settings, from adjunct faculty to Dean. She is the author of Stephens’ Model of Resilience and the founder and “Chief Boat Rocker” of RN P.R.E.P. (Personal Resilience Enhancement Plan). She is also the host of the RN P.R.E.P. Podcast. Her research is focused on RESILIENCE, specifically as a tool to promote well-being and professional fulfillment in nurses, nursing students, and other clinicians. Much of this work is built upon the narratives of Holocaust survivors. She is a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) and serves as a consultant, advisor, and member of several professional organizations, task forces, and work groups. Dr. Stephens received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from East Tennessee State University, her Master of Science in Nursing from King College, a post-graduate certificate in nursing education from the University of Tennessee, and her Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Tennessee. She is the author of multiple publications and book chapters and a frequent presenter at regional, national, and international conferences and workshops. Dr. Stephens serves as a Consultant to multiple organizations and is an Associate Professor for Galen College of Nursing.
March 2022:
“Care and Treatment of the Addicted Population. An Urban/ Rural and Nurse Perspective” presentation brought together a panel of experts who spoke to the ever-growing addiction crisis. This lecture focused on the complexities of addiction in the urban and rural settings, as well as the risk for substance use disorder in the profession of nursing.
Julie Dostal, Executive Director of LEAF Council on Alcoholism and Addictions
Dr. Lawrence Brown Jr, MD, MPH, FACP, DFASAM, Chief Executive Officer at START Treatment & Recovery Centers
Joyce Nebush, RN, Regional Coordinator of SPAN (Statewide Peer Assistance for Nurses)
October 2021:
“Nurses’ Power in Policy – Nurses’ Care Reaches Beyond the Bedside” presentation included a guest panel of professionals who explored the nurses’ unique role and how they can use their expertise to influence healthcare policies and advocate for their patients and their families.
Maria Vezina ’73, EdD, is vice president and chief of nursing practice, education, advanced practice nursing credentialing, and nursing labor relations partnerships for the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City.
- Kathleen Carver Cheney ’74, JD, is a New York City-based attorney whose distinctive background includes both 20 years as a nursing leader and more than 15 years of healthcare transactional and regulatory experience.
- Colleen Leners, DNP, is the director of policy at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing in Washington, D.C.
March 2021: Helen Battisti, Chief Nutrition Officer at SpNOD, Registered, Certified Dietitian Nutritionist; Dr. Francis Battisti, Noted Educator, Speaker, Psychotherapist, Consultant and Author; Dr. Lisa Daly, PhD, PMHNP-BC, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner; and Linda Thomson ’72, Nurse Practitioner and Approved Consultant in Clinical Hypnosis, presented “Self-care in times of stress: Strategies to promote stress relief, coping and overall psychological well-being.”
- October 2020: Panelists: E. Allison Holman, Professor of Nursing at the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing and Department of Psychological Science at the University of California; Christopher Holmes, Director of Emergency Management for the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS); and Maria MacPherson, Acting Director for the 14-county Central NY Regional Office (CNYRO) of New York State Department of Health, presented “Where do we go from here? A forward-focused look at COVID-19”
- March 2020: Panelists: James Balthazar, ATF Supervisory Special Agent and Branch Chief; Christopher Holmes, Director of Emergency Management for the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS); Dr Zhongxia Hu, Clinical Assistant Professor in Interventional Radiology at SUNY Upstate; and Kathryn Smith, lecturer for Hartwick College’s SCIE 150 Applied Theater in Healthcare course, presented “Simulation in Practice”
- October 2019: Anna Song Beeber ‘98, PhD, RN, FAAN, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing, and a research fellow at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, presented “The Baby Boomers Have Arrived!”
- March 2019: Jean Van Kingsley RN, MS, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC and Noelle Granger, a special education teacher at Walton Central School, presented “The Landscape of Bullying in Rural America”
- October 2018: The O’Connor Foundation supported the Nursing Symposium, a celebration of 75 years of nursing at Hartwick College
- March 2018: Lt. Colonel Andy Kaufman, Christy A. Coe, JD, MS, Suzi Landolphi, and Dr. Malika Carter contributed their unique perspectives on “Combating the Stigma of Mental Illness”
- October 2017: Michael Burns and the Mop and Bucket Company focused on communications skills and how they can be developed and improved
- April 2017: Diane Georgeson, M.D. presented “Medical Care For Transgender Adults”
Clinical Experiences
Senior Independent Practicum
All Hartwick College nursing students complete a Senior Independent Practicum in their final semester. Students choose from a wide range of clinical sites and areas of specialization, and complete 200 clinical hours under the guidance of a nurse preceptor. It is a great opportunity to learn in a hands-on setting, and can provide an important connection after graduation.
Rural Health Nursing Theory and Practice
During January Term, part of the junior nursing class completes a four-week Rural Health Nursing course. This course is designed to expose the student to the concepts inherent in a rural context, such as isolation, work, and distance to health agencies. Clinical experiences occur in local agencies such as schools, pre-school settings, homes for the aged as well as rural home health care visits. The course offers the opportunity to examine family theory and assessment, health promotion, disease prevention, risk reduction, illness and disease management within the unique rural environment.
Transcultural Nursing
The School of Nursing offers Transcultural Nursing with national and international options. Junior nursing students in both forms of Transcultural Nursing learn firsthand about the impact of culture, politics, economics, and globalization on healthcare and healing. Through their work, students are able to recognize the health-related beliefs of the culture, and how those beliefs affect the health of the people. In addition to coursework, there also is time for learning about the local culture. Enrollment in this course is limited and selection is competitive.
The Transcultural Nursing course is dependent on site availability, host college/country requirements, travel advisories, and health restrictions.
Membership Opportunities
Hartwick College Association of Student Nurses leadership and members have been very active in transforming their student organization. A new constitution and mission statement have been developed to better reflect the organization, its membership and its mission.
HCASN Mission Statement:
1. Promote wellness and health education throughout the Hartwick College and surrounding community.
2. Represent and mentor students interested in nursing and healthcare.
3. Promote service-oriented and community involvement of members.
4. Provide an opportunity for students to collaborate with each other and other campus and professional organizations.
5. Foster development of leadership skills and responsible membership in those who aspire to a role in healthcare.
6. Contribute to quality healthcare and the advancement of nursing (education, practice, and research) through public advocacy.
7. Increase public and professional awareness of issues that impact on healthcare.
HCASN plans to meet monthly, combining an event with each meeting. The fall meetings have included collecting canned goods and fundraising for Thanksgiving baskets. Further fundraising—through a clothing sale, etc.—will help to support the Ministries of the Poor in Kingston, Jamaica. Plans for the spring include making Easter baskets for the pre-school children at Springbrook. Students interested in joining the organization should contact an officer of the organization. Members are required to attend at least 3 events during the year.
The mission of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) is advancing world health and celebrating nursing excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service.
In order to be eligible, nursing students must:
• have completed half of the nursing curriculum
• achieve academic excellence (minimum 3.0 GPA)
• meet the expectation of academic integrity
Invitations are sent to eligible students in the spring semester. The Omicron Rho Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International welcomes students to another season of scholarly activity at Hartwick College’s School of Nursing.