Southern Ohio Medical Center

Nursing News

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

SOMC Nurses Receive Scholarships

April 21, 2008 » Kelly Lawson RN, OCN and Kristie Meeker RN, BSN, OCN, nurses of the Cancer Center at Southern Ohio Medical Center, have each been named recipients of a 2008 Congress Scholarship for $1,000 from the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS).

To receive the award, participants were asked to create an essay based on how they respond to patient- and family-care challenges within their clinical profession. The scholarship will be used to cover registration fees and travel to and from the ONS 33rd Annual Congress, which will take place May 15 – 18 in Philadelphia, Penn.

A Portsmouth native, Lawson is a graduate of Shawnee State University. She has been a part of the nursing staff at SOMC since 1990 and is currently Breast Health Navigator and Clinical Manager of Radiation Oncology at the Cancer Center.

Meeker is a graduate of Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio. She received her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Shawnee State University and started working at SOMC in 1999. She currently resides in the Minford area.

Work SOMC Wound Healing Manager

April 11, 2008 » Kathy Work, RN, has been named Program Manager at the SOMC Wound Healing Center. She will be responsible for all aspects of the center’s operation including ensuring quality patient care, recruiting and hiring, compliance with federal and state guidelines, budgeting and fiscal policies, and marketing and sales.

Work came to Southern Ohio Medical Center in 2007 from Heartland Home Health with more than 20 years of nursing, wound care and hyperbaric experience. She resides in the Wheelersburg/Minford area.

The SOMC Wound Healing Center, located on SOMC’s Main Campus, provides state-of-the-art, hospital based outpatient treatment of chronic wounds, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The Center has the benefit of a Disease-Specific Care Certification for diabetic wound care accredited by The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization, as well as evidence-based treatment modalities for chronic wounds related to circulatory and autoimmune disorders.

SOMC’s Barnett Certified Critical Care Nurse

March 5, 2008 » Teresa Barnett, registered nurse of the Heart Care Unit at Southern Ohio Medical Center, has received certification as a Critical Care Nurse (CCRN).

Barnett earned her associate’s degree in Nursing from Southern State Community College in Hillsboro. She began working at SOMC in 1999 and has served various roles at the hospital, including positions in the Intensive Care Unit and the Cath Lab.

Barnett has been a member of the Heart Care Unit since it opened in August 2007.

SOMC SSU Simulation Lab
Welcomes Public

February 19, 2008 » Adair Campbell (left), assistant professor of nursing at Shawnee State University, discusses one of two human simulators used for teaching purposes in the new SOMC SSU Simulation Laboratory located on the East Campus of Southern Ohio Medical Center. Nurse educators from SOMC and SSU hosted an open house for leaders in the medical and education communities Feb. 14, demonstrating the sophisticated mannequins’ capabilities to present the symptoms and conditions nurses will encounter in real health care situations. The hospital and university partnered to bring the advanced teaching approches in the new lab, the only one of its kind in the area.

SOMC Nurse: Get Screened,
Don’t Ignore Your Health

February 18, 2008 » As a nurse and director of Inpatient Services at Southern Ohio Medical Center, Valerie DeCamp always puts the patients first, taking care of their needs and stressing to them the importance of good health, proper health management and regular health screenings.

But last year DeCamp learned that sometimes it’s best to take your own advice before it’s too late.

“As a nurse, you tend to take better care of others than you do yourself,” she said. “I never took the time to stop and think that there could be something wrong with me, even when others noticed that there was.”

At age 48, DeCamp always assumed she was too young to develop a chronic illness. Though her family had a strong history of diabetes, stroke and other heart disease, they had always been older when they were diagnosed.

“I knew I hadn’t been feeling as normal as usual, but I was in denial. I have a high-stress job and figured it came with the territory,” she said. “Besides, I treat tons of patients all the time and I thought I would definitely know if something was wrong with me.”

But DeCamp was completely unaware of her declining health. In fact, it was almost a fluke that she realized she was sick at all.

“Last year I volunteered to help out at the SOMC Dance with Heart event, escorting people around the different screenings that were scheduled,” she said. “Toward the end of the evening I decided to go through a screening myself, just to see what I would find out.”

After completing a diabetes screening, DeCamp learned that her fasting glucose was 280 – more than 200 points above normal. She immediately knew that she was not okay and called the doctor to find out more.

“Once I met with my doctor, he started me on diabetes medication and within two days I began to feel better,” she said. “I really didn’t know how bad I had felt until I started feeling better.”

After a year of proper medication, exercise and healthier diet and life choices, DeCamp’s A1C is below six and her triglycerides are 34 – nearly ten times lower than they used to be. Best of all, she’s happier and healthier than she’s felt in years and takes every opportunity to encourage other nurses to take the advice they give to patients time and time again.

“Get tested, go to a screening, know your numbers. Don’t ignore your health,” she said. “I didn’t do the things we’re always telling our patients to do and it could have cost me my life. It’s a blessing to be healthy, so don’t take advantage of it. Sometimes you just have to put yourself first.”

Free health screenings will be open to the public during this year’s SOMC Sing with Heart event from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday Feb. 28 at the SOMC Friends Community Center, 1202 18th St., Portsmouth. Screenings for cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference and heart risk analysis will be available and attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy karaoke and music from local groups all evening long. Pre-registration is preferred, however walk-ins are welcome. To register or for more information, please call 740-356-7665.

SOMC recognized as a Magnet hospital

January 15, 2008 » Southern Ohio Medical Center is the first hospital in the tri-state region to achieve the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) highest honor, the Magnet designation, recognizing national excellence in nursing. Only four percent of hospitals in the U.S. can claim this distinction.

“In the health care profession, Magnet recognition is a huge honor,” Claudia Burchett, vice president of Patient Services and chief nursing officer, said. “It serves as external recognition of the exceptional care that we provide to our patients and their families. Magnet not only demonstrates excellence in nursing, but also recognizes the teamwork throughout the organization to support quality of care, shared decision-making, interdisciplinary working relationships and our commitment to putting patients first in everything we do. This achievement is the result of more than 30 months of preparation and years of commitment to quality and excellence.”

The ANCC awarded SOMC the prestigious Magnet award after reviewing nearly 2,000 pages of submitted documentation demonstrating achievements in patient care, nurse satisfaction, quality improvement and nursing research. This was followed by a four-day on-site inspection by Magnet appraisers that included visits to all patient care areas and interviews with hundreds of nurses, employees, physicians, and community members.

“This has been a long and wonderful journey touching every discipline in our organization,” Valerie DeCamp, SOMC director of Inpatient Services and co-leader of the SOMC Magnet journey, said. “The result is a demonstration to our patients, employees, physicians, volunteers, community members, and current and future nurses of our commitment to quality.”

According to the ANCC, statistics show that nurses who work in Magnet-designated hospitals are more satisfied with their job and the care they provide. Magnet hospitals also have an increased retention rate for nurses — an important factor in light of today’s nursing recruitment challenges.

“Nurses want to work in a place where they are supported to provide the best quality care,” Karen Thompson, SOMC director of Home Health Services and co-leader of the SOMC Magnet journey, said. “For the past two years, SOMC has been named one of the best places to work in the state of Ohio. We have also had nurse retention rates at 95 percent, the envy of most in the nation, and employee satisfaction scores that place us at the top 1 percent in the country. These are the types of things that make us a Magnet organization — and make us proud.”

Burchett added that physicians are also attracted to Magnet hospitals. “It’s a sign to them that the hospital is dedicated to hiring and keeping the most qualified nurses,” she said. “We provide an environment where education is vital, and we promote ongoing education, certifications and nursing research.”

The ultimate goal of Magnet recognition, however, is a demonstration to patients of the quality care provided by Magnet hospitals. Independent studies show patients who receive care at Magnet hospitals have a shorter length of stay and higher satisfaction rates. According to ANCC, “Magnet recognition provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark to measure the quality of care they can expect to receive.”

The Magnet Recognition Program was developed by the ANCC in 1994 to recognize health care facilities that provide the very best in professional nursing care. The 14 “Forces of Magnetism” that distinguish Magnet organizations include an environment that promotes excellence in interdisciplinary teamwork, research, education and patient care. SOMC demonstrated excellence in all 14 Forces to earn this award.

The ANCC is a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association and is the largest and most prominent nursing credentialing organization in the U.S.

Cooper Nurse Manager

December 21, 2007 » Ann Cooper has been named the Nurse Manager of the Cardiovascular Operating Room at Southern Ohio Medical Center. In this position, she will be responsible for the daily operation of the Cardiovascular OR, ensuring that policies, practices, procedures and standards are followed through the supervision of surgical staff members and individual patient care.

Cooper has been a registered nurse of the SOMC Surgery Department for more than six years. She is a 2001 graduate of Maysville Community College, where she earned her associate’s degree. In 2007, she graduated from Shawnee State University, earning her bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Cooper currently resides in Lewis County, Ky., with her husband, Adam.

SOMC Nurse On Keeping the Faith: Surviving Cancer in Appalachia

December 13, 2007 » Delrita Gilliland, Registered Nurse at the Southern Ohio Medical Center, recently presented at The Science of Cancer Health Disparities Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

Co-sponsored by the National Cancer Institute’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities in conjunction with the American Association for Cancer Research, this conference attracted more than 600 attendees including scientists, health professionals from academia, industry, government and the community. The purpose of the conference was to discuss the latest finding and to stimulate the development of new research in cancer health disparities.

At the plenary session on disparities in cancer survivorship, Gilliland shared insight about cancer survivorship issues in the Appalachian community through her “Keeping the Faith: Surviving Cancer in Appalachia” presentation.

Gilliland was asked to present because of her personal experience as a cancer survivor, along with her experience working with cancer survivors at SOMC and in the community. Since being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1989, she has been a strong advocate for breast health as a Reach to Recovery volunteer, Special Touch instructor, Relay for Life committee member, and an American Cancer Society Board member.

In 1994, Ms. Gilliland became a charter member and has continuously served on the Fight Cancer, Save Lives Coalition, a community-based coalition formed by the Appalachia Leadership Initiative on Cancer.

SOMC’s Stevens Certified Diabetes Educator

December 13, 2007 » Stacey Stevens, RN, CDE, has received her certification from the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators as a Certified Diabetes Educator.

Stevens has been with SOMC for 10 years and has been the Diabetes Education Coordinator for the past fiveyears. She received her associate’s degree in Nursing from Shawnee State University. A native of Scioto County, she resides in Lucasville with her husband, Jerry, and their two children.

Achieving certification status demonstrates to people with diabetes and employers that the health care professional possesses distinct and specialized knowledge, thereby promoting quality of care for people with diabetes.

For more information about SOMC Diabetes Education, contact Stevens at (740) 356-8670 or by email at stevenss@somc.org.

SOMC Nurses Gain Assault Examiner Certification

December 5, 2007 » Registered nurses Betsy Marsh, BSN, CEN, EMT-P, Luann Webb, EMT-B and Cathy Clark, CEN, EMT-P (pictured l to r), all of the Southern Ohio Medical Center Emergency Department, recently gained certification after successfully completing the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners adult/adolescent (SANE-A) certification exam. The SANE program, created by the International Association of Forensic Nurses, provides individualized, professional and forensic care to sexual assault survivors. Nurses with SANE-A certification may also serve as expert consultants and witnesses in support of those who may have been sexually assaulted. Nurses of Emergency Services at SOMC have been a part of the program since 2001.

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