Sigma Theta Tau
Honor Society
Of Nursing
Eta Mu Chapter
Newsletter
January 2011
A Message from the President
Dear Fellow Eta Mu Members,
I hope all of you had a happy and healthy fall
season. I so excited to see all the “old” and “new”
members at our September meeting held at Virtua
Hospital-Voorhees. The contact hour presentation on
psychosocial considerations for medical-surgical nursing
was outstanding and enjoyed by all members that
attended.
Our next chapter meeting will be on February 17, 2011. I
hope to see our “old” and “new” members in attendance
for the contact hour presentation entitled Understanding
Celiac Disease in the Pediatric Population – What Do
Health Care Providers Need to Know?.
Wishing you and your family a peaceful and healthy
New Year!!
Sincerely,
Sherry Burrell, MSN, RN, CNE
President, Eta Mu Chapter
Eta Mu Chapter Officers
2010 – 2011
President Sherry Burrell
sburrell14@comcast.net
Vice President Joanne Murphy
joannemurphy@comcast.net
Recording Secretary Hermina Waters
hermina65@hotmail.com
Corresponding Secretary Laurie Davis
nurseski617@comcast.net
Treasurer Laurie Stelmaski
lstelmaski@comcast.net
Faculty Counselor Nanette Sulik
nsulik@camden.rutgers.edu
Eta Mu Committee Chairpersons
Governance Committee Nanette Sulik
Leadership Succession Committee Karen Hlywiak
Hlywiak@email.chop.edu
Programs Committee Joanne Murphy
Membership Involvement Laurie Davis
Finance / Fundraising Committee Laurie Stelmaski (Finance)
Valerie Muronda (Fundraising)
vclarymuronda@yahoo.com
Research /Awards Committee Lynn Eiding (Research)
leidingnp@comcast.net
Nanette Suilk (Awards)
Archives Committee Larissa Shelton
caringrn@hotmail.com
Sigma Theta Tau International
Eta Mu Chapter
Calendar of Events 2011
February 4, 2011 Prospective Member – Meet and
12:30 PM Greet at Rutgers, Camden
Location: Multipurpose Room
Rutgers University-Camden
February 17, 2011 Winter Meetings
6 PM Board Meeting
7 PM General Meeting
Large Conference Room
One Carnie Boulevard
(Building in front of Virtua Hospital)
Voorhees, New Jersey 08043
March 2, 2011 Community Service Event
4:30pm Ronald McDonald House
Camden, New Jersey
April 10, 2011 Induction Luncheon
12 Noon Wyndham Hotel
Mt. Laurel, New Jersey
May 26, 2011 Spring Board Meeting
6 PM Reorganization
Laurie Davis’ Home
Mickleton, New Jersey
ETA MU CHAPTER NEWS CORNER
Please, take a few minutes and stay up-to-date on Eta Mu Chapter
events by visiting us on Face Book or at our website art
http://nursing.camden.rutgers. edu/eta_mu.html.
The Eta Mu Chapter Meet and Greet in August of 2010 was a
huge success. Five new members attended and expressed
interest in participating in chapter events
Our two chapter educational programs were held in October.
The Region 14 Program “Pumping Success in to Heart Failure
Management” was attended by Samantha Smith, Nanette Sulik,
and Sherry Burrell.
The keynote speaker for Region 12 program was STTI President
Karen Morin; who presented “Creating your Leadership Legacy:
Lessons Learned,” which was attended by Laurie Davis, Joanne
Murphy, Sherry Burrell, and Three Rutgers-Camden Nursing
Students.
Both programs were well attended and provided a great
opportunity to network with other STTI members from NJ, NY, PA,
and Maryland.
ETA MU CHAPTER COMMUNITY
SERVICE PROJECT
Eta Mu Chapter Members will
be preparing and serving dinner for the family
members of ill children at the Ronald McDonald
House in Camden on
MARCH 2, 2011
We need volunteers to prepare a covered a dish
and serve dinner!!
Interested members should contact
project coordinator Joanne Murphy
at joannemurphy@comcast.net
Eta Mu Clinical Corner
State of the Science: Moist Wound Healing -
Which Dressing Are You Using?
By Laurie Stelmaski, BSN, RN, CWOCN
The science of wound care has made great advancements in the
last 40 years. Today, health care professionals who are treating
patients with both acute and chronic wounds, have a variety of
wound dressings to choose from including films, foams, hydrogels,
hydrocolloids, calcium alginates, collagens and other materials
(Ovington, 2001). The wound dressing performs a variety of
functions including debridement and infection control, with the
most important function being maintenance of a moist wound
environment. Research has shown that a moist wound
environment promotes the growth of granulation tissue and
migration of epithelial cells across the wound bed (Cowan &
Stechmiller, 2009).
Despite the many choices for topical wound management, the
most commonly used and prescribed dressing is gauze or the wet-
to-dry dressing. The main purpose of the wet-to-dry dressing is
mechanical debridement of necrotic tissue; however, use of the
wet-to-dry dressing is often prescribed regardless of the need for
mechanical debridement i.e. it is used in clean, granulating
wounds.
Scientific research recommends against using the wet-to-dry
dressing for several reasons: impedes healing due to disruption of
granulation tissue, impairs epithelialization, can leave foreign
bodies in the wound bed, increased risk for infection, aerosolizing
of bacteria leading to potential cross contamination, severe pain
upon removal, and are labor intensive (Cowan & Stechmiller,
2009; Ovington, 2001).
The evidence-base for wet-to-dry dressings is no longer supported
as gauze does not support an optimal wound healing environment.
Choosing one of the appropriate advanced wound care dressings
currently available should be the standard of care for wound
management.
References
Cowan, L.J., Stechmiller, J. (2009). Prevalence of wet-to-dry
dressings in wound care. Advances in Skin & Wound Care,
22(12), 567-573.
Ovington, L. (2001). Hanging wet-to-dry dressings out to dry.
Home Healthcare Nurse, 19(8), 477-483
Eta Mu Chapter
Rutgers Camden Nursing
Student Meet and Greet
February 4, 2011
12:30 pm to 2:30 pm
THE RUTGERS-CAMDEN DEPARTMENT OF NURSING &
ETA MU CHAPTER OF SIGMA THETA TAU
INTERNATIONAL ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE:
1ST ANNUAL VISITING SCHOLAR
LECTURESHIP
“American Nurses Association: Your Link to the
Foundation and Future of Nursing
Practice and Policy.”
SPEAKER:
KATIE BREWER, MSN, RN
SENIOR POLICY ANALYST, AMERICAN NURSES ASSOCIATION
FEBRUARY 4, 2011
12:30 PM
MULTIPURPOSE ROOM, CAMPUS CENTER
We need volunteers to represent the
Eta Mu Chapter of STTI at the Rutgers-
Camden Nursing Student Meet & Greet.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Sherry Burrell
at sburrell14@comcast.net
Eta Mu Chapter’s
Winter Meeting
THURSDAY, February 17, 2011
BOARD MEETING STARTS AT 6 PM
GENERAL MEETING STARTS AT 7 PM
Guest Speaker:
Karen Hlywiak, BSN, RN
Nurse coordinator, Children’s Celiac Center at the Children’s
Hospital of Philadelphia
Topic:
Celiac Disease in the pediatric population – What do
Health Care Providers Need to Know?
One Contact Hour
Provided by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Location:
Large Conference Room
One Carnie Boulevard
(Building on right in front of Virtua Hospital)
Voorhees, New Jersey 08043
Non-alcoholic beverages and light appetizers will be
provided for chapter members.
The Eta Mu Chapter’s Annual
Active Member Drawing
The Eta Mu Chapter would like to
thank our active members.
Do not miss the drawing for a one-year, free
membership for
Sigma Theta Tau International
at our Winter Chapter Meeting on
February 17, 2011
To be eligible for the one-year free membership
drawing you must be an active Eta Mu Chapter
member and attend both the fall and spring general
member meetings.
RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
CAMDEN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF NURSING
Faculty News
Robert Atkins PhD, RN was the lead author on a manuscript
published in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing in October 2010
entitled “Adolescents as health agents and consumers: Results of
a pilot study of the health and health-related behaviors of
adolescents living in a high-poverty, urban neighborhood.”
Sherry Burrell, MSN, RN, CNE co-authored a continuing
education article in May issue of The Journal for Nurse
Practitioners entitled “Hypertensive Crisis in an Era of Escalating
Health Care Changes.” She also co-presented preliminary findings
from an ongoing randomized control trial exploring fatigue and
physical functioning at the Oncology Nursing Society’s Advance
Practice Nurse Conference this past November.
Patricia Dunphy Suplee PhD, CS, RNC, & Bonnie Jerome-
D'Emilia, PhD, MPH, RN authored a feature article for Advance
On-line entitled “Cultivating Cultural Competency” this past
December. If you are interested in viewing this article, please go
to:http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Features/Articles/Cultivating-Cultural-
Awareness.aspx
Eta Mu Chapter
2011 Research Grants
Sigma Theta Tau, Eta Mu Chapter is pleased to announce the
availability of two research grants (one for $300 and one for $500).
These awards are designed to encourage investigation by
qualified nurses and nursing students who are learning to conduct
research to advance knowledge in the area of nursing science. It
is expected that this research will benefit the public through
improved nursing education or practice. Research in the areas of
theory, practice and education are strongly encouraged.
If you are interested in submitting a research grant proposal,
please, see the Eta Mu Chapter Website at http://nursing.camden.
rutgers. edu /eta_mu.html to obtain additional information on the
Eta Mu Chapter’s:
1) Research Grant Policy:
a. Candidate Eligibility Requirements
b. Research Grant Submission Directions
c. Research Grant Review Criteria
d. Conditions for Grant Funding
2) Research Grant Submission Procedure
The Eta Mu Chapter research grant proposals must be submitted
no later than March 1, 2011 to Sherry Burrell at
sburrell14@comcast.net. Research grant awards will be presented at
the Induction Ceremony on April 10, 2011.
The 27th Annual Eta Mu
Induction Ceremony
April 10, 2011
12 noon
Wyndham Hotel
Mount Laurel, New Jersey
Keynote Speaker:
Joanne Robinson, PhD, RN,
GCNS-BC
Induction Ceremony Invitations and Registrations
Forms will be sent to Eta Mu Chapter Members via
e-mail in late February.
Eta Mu Chapter
Elections 2011 - Reminder
Open Board & Committee Positions
President Elect (1)
Vice President (1)
Governance Committee (4)
Leadership Succession Committee (3)
Archives Committee (3)
Finance & Fundraising Committee (4)
Membership Involvement Committee (3)
Research & Awards Committee (4)
Programs Committee (3)
Descriptions of the role responsibilities for each position are
available at STTI at
http://www.nursingsociety.org/Chapters/Resources/Pages/roles_admin.aspx#
res
If you are interested in running in the 2011 Eta Mu
Chapter Elections, please contact Karen Hlywiak at:
Hlywiak@email.chop.edu prior to March 1, 2011
The Eta Mu Chapter
1st Annual Day of Scholarship Planning
Meeting
Thursday, January 13th 2011
6 PM – 8 PM
606 Yorkshire Court
Sewell NJ, 08080
If you would like to be involved in planning our 1st Annual
Day of Scholarship to be held on October 15, 2011,
please RSVP to Sherry Burrell at sburrell14@comcast.net
Dinner and cocktails will be served!
RUTGERS-CAMDEN
NURSING HAPPENINGS
Greetings from the Chairperson of the Department, Dr. Joanne
Robinson , and the Director of Nursing Program Development,
Dr. Carol Germain.
Together with the faculty we share with you some examples of
recent events and changes:
Due to major developments in science and technology we
elected to phase out our upper division BSN pre-licensure program by
2113. We admitted our inaugural freshman class to a new four year
pre-licensure program in Fall 2010.
Our RN to BSN program has markedly increased in enrollment
on the Camden campus. A new satellite program at the Rutgers site on
the campus of Atlantic Cape Community Colleges is in its second year.
Contractual arrangements for an RN to BSN program on the
Blackwood campus of Camden County College are underway.
The School Nurse Certification Program received accreditation
from the NJ Department of Higher Education.
Having completed a major self-study and hosted site visitors we
are optimistically awaiting news of reaccreditation by the Commission
on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
A proposal has been developed and submitted for change from
a department to a comprehensive School of Nursing (BSN, master’s
and doctoral levels) that will be reviewed by the University’s Board of
Governors for approval in early 2011.
In our first international endeavor, we are offering a service
learning course in Spring 2011 in Guatamala.
We are working with the Development Office and others to
obtain major funding for a state of the art simulation learning lab for all
levels of students.
Our goal for the long term is to position Nursing at
Rutgers-Camden as a major force in local, regional,
national, and global health care.
JERSEY ROOTS-GLOBAL REACH!