Southern Ohio Medical Center

Nursing News

Learn about some of the very good things that are happening at SOMC.

Moore Receives Prestigious Nursing Certification

November 9, 2009 » Christina Moore, RN, BNH, CCRN, CSC, of the SOMC Heart Care Unit, recently earned the prestigious Cardiac Surgery Certification (CSC) from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. Moore is the second nurse at Southern Ohio Medical Center to obtain this credential.

“Obtaining CSC is a great honor and we are very proud of Tina,” Paul Rase, nurse manager of the SOMC Heart Care Unit, said. “She’s a leader. She first lead the way with her CCRN certification and now she’s setting an example for others to obtain CSC.”

To be awarded CSC, a nurse must pass a 90 question, two-hour certification exam and complete 1,750 hours of patient care, specifically with critically ill and cardiac surgery patients. Moore is required to earn continuing education credits to be eligible for recertification in three years.

“I decided to do this for personal advancement. It wasn’t about prestige or more letters after my name,” Moore, said. “It’s a matter of wanting to know my job better, to be more confident at what I do and to provide the best patient care possible.”

Moore earned her nursing certificate from the College of the Albemarle, her bachelor’s degree in Natural Health from Clayton College and is currently pursing a master’s degree. She has been a nurse for 22 years and has been an employee of SOMC for two years.

SOMC Nurse Sworn in as Second Lieutenant in Army National Guard

September 2, 2009 » Josh Hammond, RN, Intensive Care Unit at Southern Ohio Medical Center, left, was promoted and sworn in as Second Lieutenant in the Army National Guard. The ceremony took place Sept. 1 in the SOMC ICU and was conducted by fellow co-worker and guardsman, Phyllis Thieken.

SOMC, SSU Nursing Students Provide Blood Pressure Checks For Teens

April 29, 2009 » Nurses from Southern Ohio Medical Center and students from the Shawnee State University Bachelor of Science in Nursing program recently visited seven area high schools to provide a Teen Heart Check of blood pressures.   

“The screenings help identify high blood pressure in teens.  We then notify the school of those students who were at high risk so that the school nurses may provide follow-up readings after the initial screening,” said Judy Hamer, R.N., a nurse at SOMC who coordinated the event. Parents or guardians of the teens are also notified per letter if their child was screened as high-risk.

Any student with a reading above 139 systolic or 89 diastolic was asked to repeat the screening at the school. These standards are based on national goals set by National Institutes of Health. Local screening has revealed that a significant number of high school students have an initial blood pressure reading of 140/90 or higher.

Teens are educated on products that may cause high blood pressure such as caffeine, high-energy drinks, sodas, tobacco use, etc.  The teens are asked to eliminate such products from their diet prior to their next screening with the school nurse to determine if their high blood pressures are a result from using these products or if a more serious condition exists.

Schools participating in the program are Wheelersburg, Washington Nile, Glenwood, Green, Minford and South Webster.

SOMC Nurses celebrate through giving

April 27, 2009 » Southern Ohio Medical Center will take part in the nation’s celebration of highlighting nurses with a little different angle this year. Rather than celebrating for themselves, nurses at SOMC have challenged one another to give back to the community in which they serve.

“We have always shown our appreciation for our nurses at SOMC through small gifts or celebrations throughout the organization. This year, because of the economic state of our nation, our nurses wanted to take their caring a step further by giving back to our community,” said Claudia Burchett, RN BSN MBA FACHE NEA-BC VP Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer.

This year, SOMC nurses have developed “SOMC Nurses Giving Back”, a system-wide campaign to donate to an organization of their choice during National Nurses Week.

“Our areas chose the Domestic Violence Shelter,” said Jason Ross, RN, Nurse Manager of Emergency Services at SOMC. “We came to this decision as a team (including the Wheelersburg Urgent Care Center and the SOMC Health Care Center) and really felt like we could make a difference in community by doing so. It is a good feeling to know that not only can we touch the lives of those who come through our doors, but also those who we may never see.”

Nurses from all areas of the hospital have chosen various organizations in which to give and will be collecting items through the end of this month. Donations will be distributed during National Nurses Week, May 6-12.

SOMC presents at National Magnet Conference

December 29, 2008 » Southern Ohio Medical Center presented at the 2008 American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) National Magnet Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.

ANCC is the world’s largest and most prestigious nurse credentialing organization, and a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association (ANA).

The topic of presentation, shared with several hundred in attendance, was, “Using the dashboard to disseminate data and communicate excellence”. Valerie DeCamp, director of Inpatient Nursing Services; Claudia Buchett, vice president of Patient Services and Karen Thompson, director of Home Care Services served as presenters at the event. 

Representing SOMC at the conference were, from left, Lanita Warner, Maternity; Amy Castle, One West; DeCamp; Burchett; Thompson and Dawn Richards, Healthcare Center.

Suttles joins Umhoefer Practice

December 18, 2008 » Jill Suttles, FNP, B.C., has joined the practice of Dr. Kimberly Umhoefer, 1735 27th Street, Waller Bldg., Suite 204, on the main campus of Southern Ohio Medical Center.

Suttles earned her degree as a board certified, Family Nurse Practitioner from Marshall University. She is also a Registered Nurse with 16 years nursing experience prior to receiving her nurse practitioner’s certification. Suttles and her family reside in Wheelersburg.

Dr. Umhoefer’s practice specializes in Internal Medicine and provides both inpatient and outpatient care to adult patients 18 years and older. For information or to schedule an appointment, call 355-8930.

SOMC Nurses Celebrate National Med-Surg Week

October 31, 2008 » Staff members of both the 3 North A and B nursing units at Southern Ohio Medical Center honored those employees who have received medical-surgical certification during Med-Surg Nursing Week Nov. 1–7. Medical-surgical nurses are one of the largest groups of practicing professionals in the health care industry, receiving specialized skills and knowledge for the entire spectrum of patient care. Med-surg nurses practice in a variety of settings and administer care particularly to adult patients and their families. Pictured above are members of the 3 North B Nursing Unit.

SOMC’s Preston Worforce Development Manager

October 13, 2008 » Jill Preston, RN, MSN/ED, has been named Workforce Development Manager at Southern Ohio Medical Center. She accepted the position following work as a Nurse Recruiter in Human Resources at SOMC. Prior to joining SOMC Preston was an education coordinator with Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital, service coordinator with the Help Me Grow program with the Ohio Dept. of Health, and a registered nurse in Pediatrics at SOMC.

Preston and her husband, Todd, live in the Portsmouth area with their son.

Cooper Assistant Nurse Manager at SOMC

October 7, 2008 » Janet Cooper, RN, BSN, CMS, has been named Assistant Nurse Manager of the One West nursing unit at Southern Ohio Medical Center. Cooper started with SOMC in 1976 and has been working on One West since 1999.

A graduate of Shawnee State University with an associate degree in nursing, she received her bachelor of science in nursing from Capital University and her certification in medical-surgical nursing in 2005. She is a member of the organization’s Skin Care Team, Nursing Design Team, and One West’s Strategic Value Leadership Team.

Cooper and her husband, Ron, live in the Blue Creek area and have two grown sons.

Nationally Known Heart Nurse Speaks At SOMC

August 15, 2008 » Nationally known Cardiovascular Clinical Nurse Specialist Barbara “Bobbie” Leeper, MN, RN, CCRN, from Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, presented a discussion on care and monitoring of heart surgery patients during SOMC Heart and Vascular Services’ Cardiac Symposium July 31 at the Friends Community Center. Leeper spoke to an audience of more than a hundred nurses and medical specialists from across the region during the symposium, which offered networking for professionals as Southern Ohio Medical Center prepares for the arrival of open heart surgery as part of expansion of services and facilities in 2008 and 2009.

SOMC Nursing Camp Offers Hands-On Experience for Students

August 15, 2008 » Local students in grades 7-12 were able to dissect hearts and pick employees’ brains to gain a better understanding of the nursing profession during the 2008 Nursing Camp at Southern Ohio Medical Center. The event took place July 14 at the Friends Community Center.

“A lot of the time, students don’t find out what being a nurse is truly all about until their very first day of nursing school,” Jill Preston, SOMC nurse recruiter and coordinator of the camp, said. “This camp lets them explore the idea of nursing before deciding that this is really what they want to study during their collegiate careers.”

Nurses from the SOMC Cardiology, Maternity, Surgery and Emergency departments were on hand throughout the day to provide students with real-life situations that they may face as nurses.

“We wanted to give them experiences that they could learn and grow from,” Preston said. “In the past, we always had a lot of speakers come in and talk about nursing, but this year students were able to get their hands in there and see what it’s all about.”

Students were given the opportunity to use hands-on activities to learn more about nursing duties in various areas of the hospital. These activities included the use of surgical procedure simulation tools, real pig and cow heart dissections and the chance to go inside a LIFE ambulance and flight helicopter.

“Being able to go through simulated procedures and ask real nurses their honest opinions on tough questions was my favorite part of the event,” Halley Scott, sophomore at Minford High School, said. “The hands-on experience helps you understand what nursing is really all about and creates a much more real aspect than that of what we see on TV. This is my third time to attend and it keeps getting better each year.”

“I helped start this program five years ago and the progress we’ve made is amazing,” Loretta Cooper, clinical educator of SOMC Workforce Development, said. “I’m glad that we’re able to provide this type of education for our students and prepare them for their long road ahead. The event helps to plant the seed and from that we can continue to grow our own and create an even stronger nursing family at SOMC.”

SOMC’s Burchett at Conference

August 15, 2008 » Claudia Burchett, RN, BSN, MBA, FACHE, NEA-BC, Vice President of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Southern Ohio Medical Center, recently spoke at the Health Care Financial Management Association 2008 Health Care Finance Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Burchett’s topic was “Service Line Competition: Southern Ohio Medical Center Process for Implementing Quality Improvement and Performance Initiatives.”

Burchett has been employed at SOMC for 30 years. She received her nursing degree from Shawnee State University, bachelor of science in Nursing and her master of business administration from Ohio University. She is also a board-certified Nurse Executive Advanced. She was appointed vice president of Patient Services in 1992.

She and her husband, Jeff, live in Lucasville and have three children.

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