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Published by lpaganol, 2017-02-02 11:37:32

VBSN Newsletter - Issue 2 - Fall 2016

VBSN Newsletter - Issue 2 - Fall 2016

Veteran Nurse’s Bugle Winter 2017

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-FLINT VETERAN’S BSN

School of Congratulations,
Nursing Integration, and

The University of Michigan-Flint Department of Nursing is now the Interaction!
University of Michigan-Flint School of Nursing
(SON). The SON is the fifth University of Michigan-Flint School, Nurses know and student nurses are taught,
and the first new school approved since 1997. The SON joins the that transitions can be life altering. Transitions,
highly acclaimed University of Michi- often more psychologically impactful than the
gan-Flint Regent approved Schools; associated change, is the process that individu-
College of Arts and Sciences, School of als go through as they internalize and come to
Management, School of Health Pro- terms with a change. Getting individuals
fessions and Studies, and the School through transitions is pivotal to successful pro-
of Education and Human Services. gress no matter what the desired trajectory
The School is led by the previous De- might be. While veterans connecting with other
partment Director, Dr. Margaret An- veterans is vital for initial success and persis-
drews, who has been appointed as tence when starting college, it is also known
Interim Dean, and three Program Di- that eventually peer only behavior should be
rectors (for Undergraduate, Graduate, deemphasized and replaced with integration
and RN to BSN Programs). In addition, among the broader academic and campus social
the SON will continue to be assisted communities. To this end VBSN students are
by a group of experienced nursing encouraged to be active University and SON
staff members, along with appointed citizens by participating in activities/programs
federal grant funded staff for the edu- and/or becoming class leaders.
cation of veterans and advanced practice nurses.
Congratulations to the students who have
“On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no actively participated this last semester:
soldier behind. As a nation, let it be our pledge that
when they return home, we leave no veteran behind.” Kristin Giesler Vanessa Nelson

~Dan Lipinski Jeremy Randolph Sarah Satkowiak

Craig Speer Sean VanDerWaal

Derek Willoughby

Veteran Nurse’s Bugle, Issue 2, Winter 2017

From The Project Director’s Pen………

Actively supporting the nursing education of veterans and those who educate them, are priorities of the Univer-
sity of Michigan-Flint School of Nursing Veteran’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (VBSN) Program. Initiatives tai-
lored to achieve these priorities center on increasing knowledge of Academy members, transforming mispercep-
tions about veteran students and leading the way for implementing quality-oriented flexible methods to educate
and support VBSN students.

The second edition of the Veteran Nurse’s Bugle highlights some of the Program initiatives and celebrates the
graduation of members of the first VBSN student cohort. Congratulations to the graduates and thank you to the
faculty members, tutors, and staff who supported them through to their finish.

This edition also announces the VBSN Early Assurance Admission Program and it is my pleasure to share the pro-
gress VBSN and SON faculty have made related to the important grant goal of awarding Credit for Prior Learning.
Undergraduate Nursing Faculty approved the acceptance of transfer credit for two nursing core courses, Phar-
macology and Health Assessment. For the first time in the history of the Nursing Program veterans who have
successfully completed these courses at other designated colleges will be awarded University of Michigan-Flint
School of Nursing (SON) credit and will not have to repeat the courses.

Continuing the Program goal to expand SON knowledge about veterans the VBSN invited several faculty to

attend the 2016 Operation College Promise Conference. Drs. Marsha Lesley and Dusty Filliung joined us. The

conference, attended by educators, military leaders and veteran student advocates who hailed from many cor-

ners of the U.S., was headlined by military specialists, educators and other credentialed experts who presented

policy and research-based information related to military-

affiliated college students. We returned edified with evi- In This Issue
denced-based knowledge about college transitions for veter-
ans, associated challenges, successes and first hand experienc-  UM-Flint School of Nursing ................... 1
es of students who are veterans.
 Congratulations, Integration, and
Interaction! ............................................. 1

With great appreciation to the grantor, I share that VBSN has  From the Project Director’s Pen ........... 2
received a $5000 grant from the Veterans of Foreign Wars  Staff Spotlight ........................................ 3
Foundation organization. The grant will assist VBSN students  Congratulations...................................... 3
with expenses related to nursing program fees and supplies.  Calendar ................................................ 3
 UM-Flint Veteran’s BSN ........................ 4
Lastly, included in this edition is our story of VBSN Program  Support Services ................................... 5
collaboration with our own UMF Community Nursing Faculty  Early Assurance Admission Program .... 5
and the Aleda E. Lutz Veterans Administration Medical Center  It’s All About Partnerships..................... 6
(VAMC) in Saginaw, Michigan. The VAMC and SON (VBSN)  Veterans Week Events .......................... 7
partnership will be reciprocal and promises to be a relationship  Student Spotlight .................................. 8
beneficial to all participants.  Contact Us ............................................ 8

Happy New Year,

Beverly Jones, PhD, RN, FAAN

2

Veteran Nurse’s Bugle, Issue 2, Winter 2017

Staff Spotlight

Alan Fredendall is the VBSN Program’s Graduate Student Research Assistant (GSRA). Alan
is an Army & Army National Guard veteran. Prior to his military service, he attended
Western Michigan University for 2 years. He enlisted in 2006 and served as an infantry-
man during his 8 year military career. After his deployment, Alan transitioned to the Ar-
my National Guard. Alan was cross trained as a UAV (drone) operator as well as a compa-
ny level intelligence analyst.

Alan attended Eastern Michigan University after leaving the military, majoring in Exercise
Science and graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in 2014. During his last year of school,
he secured an internship as an exercise physiologist at Biogenesis in Ypsilanti, MI, a fitness facility that helps “non-traditional”
patients combine exercise with Physical Therapy treatment. He has worked with cardiac and geriatric patients and also helped
begin a wheelchair body building program for paraplegic and quadriplegic patients.
Currently, Alan is a graduate student at UM-Flint in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program where he is a 3rd year student. Fur-
ther, he works as a lab assistant for the Physical Therapy department, cleaning the department labs and maintaining/repairing
equipment. His dream job is to work with other veterans as a physical therapist at the VA in Ann Arbor.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Sean VanDerWaal, BSN X9, for winning the 2016 Congratulations to Sarah Satkowiak, BSN
Beverly G. Jones Scholarship for Veterans’ Bachelor of Science in Nurs- X10, for winning the 2017 Beverly G.
ing Students, and the Hurley Medical Center School of Nursing Alumni Jones Scholarship for Veterans’ Bachelor
Association Clinical Excellence Award . of Science in Nursing Students.
Great Work Sean!
Calendar
3
Jan 4 Winter classes began

Jan 9-11 Hurst NCLEX Review held

Jan 13 Fall 2017 Application Deadline

TBD 2017 VBSN Meet & Greet

Feb 27 - Mar 5 Spring recess

April 18 Winter Classes End

April 19 Study day

April 20-22 Final examinations

May 1 Spring Classes begin

May 5 BSN X11 Nursing Orientation

Veteran Nurse’s Bugle, Issue 2, Winter 2017

University of Michigan-Flint Veteran’s BSN

The Numbers
The state of Michigan boasts more than 660,000 veterans ranking it 11th nationally for veteran population,
according to the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. University of Michigan-Flint is locat-
ed in Genesee County, which ranks 5th out of all Michigan counties with 30,000 veteran residents. According
to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the current overall unemployment rate in Michigan is at 5.0%; howev-
er, among 18-24 year old Michigan veterans, the unemployment rate of 6.8% continues to exceed that of
non-veterans. UM-Flint has approximately 300 veteran students among roughly 8,000 total traditional and
non-traditional students. Among student veterans at UM-Flint, 18.6% are declared as either Nursing or Pre-
Nursing for the Fall 2016 semester, making this campus one of the regional leaders assisting transitioning
veterans and preparing them for careers in Professional Nursing.

The Purpose

The VBSN Team continues to work to assist Military Veteran Students to prepare and succeed in UM-Flint’s
SON Accelerated Nursing program. The primary goal of the Michigan VBSN is to build healthy communities
by strengthening the healthcare workforce through recruitment, successful nursing program matriculation,
reduction of barriers to program completion, and licensure and employment of veterans in the nursing
workforce.

The Place

UM-Flint has had a Student Veterans VBSN students Jeremy Randolph, Heather Andrews,
Resource Center since 2009, and is na- Sarah Satkowiak, Patrick Duve, Craig Speer, and Sean VanDerWaal
tionally recognized for its exemplary ser-
vice to student veterans, and has placed
in the top 15% of all schools nationwide
for being a “Military Friendly School” by
G.I. Jobs. The University was also named
a “Best for Vets” College by EDGE Maga-
zine in 2015, and most recently also in
2016 received the highest Veteran
Friendly School-Gold Level designation
from the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agen-
cy, for veteran friendly schools.

4

Veteran Nurse’s Bugle, Issue 2, Winter 2017

VBSN Support Services

 Nursing Course Tutors

 Writing Specialist

 Pre-Nursing Course Tutors

 Transfer Credit Review

 Skills Lab Instructor planned

 Academic Advising

Student support services provided by the
VBSN Grant initiatives are available to all
nursing students regardless of veteran sta-
tus.
Contact Nicole Altheide at
[email protected] to discuss and schedule
support services

Early Assurance Admission Program

The University of Michigan-Flint nursing program admits 120 undergraduate students per year; a 40-student
cohort in fall, and a 40-student cohort in winter semesters in the Traditional program, and 40 students in the
Accelerated Second Degree (ASD) program. To qualify for admission to the program, students must be ad-

mitted to the University, complete a Nursing
Program application, meet minimum GPAs in
last thirty credit hours and prerequisite cours-
es, and submit two letters of recommenda-
tion.

The University of Michigan-Flint Veterans’
BSN program (VBSN) admitted its first cohort
of five veteran nursing students in Fall 2015 to
the ASD program.

The VBSN program was assured eight spots

Derek Willoughby and Sean VanDerWaal would be reserved for veteran students in
2016, and ten students per admission cycle

going forward. Additional eligible VBSN students may be admitted through the regular admission review and

decision processes. Eight qualified veterans were admitted to the Fall 2016 program. For Fall 2017 the VBSN

staff anticipates more than ten qualified applications will go before the VBSN selection committee.

5

Veteran Nurse’s Bugle, Issue 2, Winter 2017

It’s All About Partnerships

By Richard Richardson and Kimberly VanSlyke
Strong partnerships constitute one of the most influential forces in the sharing of resources and the suc-
cess of mutual goals between community-based agencies. Recently, the VBSN Team, UMF Community
Nursing Faculty and the Education Department of the Aleda E. Lutz Veterans Administration Medical Cen-
ter (VAMC) in Saginaw, Michigan formed such a partnership. This partnership has resulted in a clinical
placement agreement for UM-Flint nursing students at the VA Medical Center. The placement agreement
affords a unique learning environment in which future nurses have a first-hand opportunity to learn about
the Veteran Administration’s Healthcare System, its strengths, and challenges related to meeting the
health care needs of our local veterans.
The Aleda E. Lutz Veterans Administration Medical Center provides medical care to over 34,700 veterans
across a 35-county geographic area, from Mid-Michigan to the Mackinac Bridge. The Aleda E. Lutz VAMC
operates an 81-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation Community Living Center, an 8-bed acute medicine
and telemetry wing, and an array of general and specialty medical clinics and outpatient programs. The
Medical Center also holds a unique privilege—the honored privilege of being named after U.S. Army flight
nurse and Freeland, Michigan native, Aleda E Lutz RN. On November 1, 1944, she died in action during a
Medevac C-47 crash near Saint-Chamond, Lorie, France. Lieutenant Lutz was a diploma graduate of Sagi-
naw General Hospital School of Nursing and was involved in 196 missions with 814 hours in the air, more
than any other Army nurse at the time (www.saginaw.va.gov).
During the 2016 fall semester, the VAMC Department of Education agreed to accept for clinical place-
ment, two nursing students (one VBSN and one Traditional) within its medical specialty programs for the
clinical course associated with Nursing 402 - Population Health Nursing. These VAMC community-based
medical specialty programs included the Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement (RANGE) Pro-
gram and the type-2 Diabetes Education and Case Management Programs.
Brad T. Lich, RN, BSN and Christina Chingman, RN, MPA, CDE served as clinical preceptors. The RANGE
program represents a community-based case management program with emphasis on recovery from
acute and chronic mental illness and the mitigation of risk for potential homelessness. The case manage-
ment services includes advocacy for entitlement benefits, coordination of services for physical and men-
tal health needs, education on social and financial skills, and supporting access to services and resources
for physical, mental health, and substance abuse issues. The goal of the Center’s type-2 Diabetes Educa-
tion and Management program provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and equipment/supplies to sup-
port the client in his or her diabetes related self-management initiatives. As with the civilian population,
type-2 diabetes remains one of the most prevalent chronic diseases that impact local veterans.
The VBSN Program and UM-Flint School of Nursing are grateful to the Aleda E Lutz VAMC and its staff for
their assistance in the education and professional formation of our undergraduate nursing students.

6

Veteran Nurse’s Bugle, Issue 2, Winter 2017

Veterans Week Events

The Veteran’s Day Planning Committee, which includes the
VBSN team, Dan Salazar from Facilities & Operations, Gary
Parr from the Rec Center, and Helen Budd, Certifying Evalua-
tor from the Student Veterans Resource Center, has expand-
ed the University of Michigan-Flint’s celebration honoring
our veterans to include two film screenings and a Veterans
Day Ceremony. The first film screening on Monday Novem-
ber 7 was “Project 22.” This film tells the story of two com-
bat veterans who traveled 6,500 miles on a motorcycle
awareness campaign from San Francisco to New York City to raise awareness of the high rate of Veteran communi-
ty suicides.

The next film screening was held on Wednesday, November 9. We had the honor of being one of the first venues
to screen “Journey to Normal: Women of War Come Home.” Filmmaker JulieHera DeStefano spent three months
embedded with Task Force Medical East in North Eastern Afghanistan. This documentary follows the stories of
eight women; it begins with their service overseas, follows them as they return home, and stays with them as they
experience the challenging process of reintegration to the “normal” of life back in the U.S. Journey to Normal tells
their stories. Major Martha Kester, one of the women Julie met while embedded with the troops in the Middle
East was a guest speaker for our film screening event. Major Kester is both an Army Chaplain in the Iowa National
Guard, and Sole Priest for St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Des Moines, Iowa. Following the film, a panel of female
VBSN students discussed their experiences transitioning out of the military and their return home.

From left: Helen Budd, JulieHera DeStefano, Major Martha Kester, Dr. Beverly Jones. Veterans Week culminated in an inspir-
Nicole Altheide, and John Collins ing tribute and celebration honoring our
veterans. The Presentation of the Colors
was executed by student veteran Joshua
Tatterson, with performances by the Uni-
versity Chorale and the University Cham-
ber Singers. Our keynote speaker, Lieu-
tenant Colonel John McMahon Jr, USAF
(retired), also a student veteran, spoke
about his time in the military and his stu-
dent experiences and how they shaped
the learner he is today.

7

Veteran Nurse’s Bugle, Issue 2, Fall 2016

Student Spotlight

As a graduate of Grand Blanc High School, I swore that I was done with school forever. After
working as an office clerk and child care provider for a few years, I found myself slowly enter-
ing the health care field. I began working for an outpatient mental health facility. After work-
ing in mental health for seven years and celebrating the birth of our second child, I was
getting restless with working hard and getting nowhere.

Backing up a few years, I was originally drawn to serve in the military because of the (job)
security and structure. The same week I visited the recruiting office, we received news that
one of our family members was diagnosed with cancer. Though we decided that we needed
to stay for the family, I found myself wondering what life would have been like in the military.
In 2011 my husband and I knew we could no longer put our dreams on hold to wait for the
unknown. The following spring, on my son’s 2nd birthday, I was sworn into the United States
Army. I was trained as an Army Medic and was stationed in Fort Benning, GA. This was my 20
-year retirement plan. Unfortunately, my plan was cut short by 18 years. Because I acquired a medical condition which rendered
me unfit to serve, I was medically retired as a disabled vet. We made the choice to return to Michigan and work on plan C. With
guidance from the Student Veteran’s Advising team, we mapped out the plan to becoming a registered nurse. This map led me to
the University of Michigan, which has accepted me into the Veterans Bachelor of Science of Nursing (VBSN) Program. With dedica-
tion and support from family and friends, I am on my way to reaching my goal. From the day we decided to join the military, every
door has been opened to us. I am thankful for what the military has provided my family and me, along with the opportunities that
will be opened to me because of my exceptional education the University of Michigan.

Contact Us University of Michigan - Flint
Veteran’s BSN
VBSN Program Staff William S White Building Room 4166
303 East Kearsley Street
Dr. Beverly Jones, Project Director Flint, MI 48502-1950
John Collins, Program Manager

Nicole Altheide
Academic Advisor
[email protected]
(810) 762-0163

Lisa Pagano-Lawrence
Administrative Assistant,
Newsletter Editor
[email protected]
(810) 762-0605

Visit us on the web at
www.umflint.edu/nursing/veterans-bsn

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