Message of the Week
February 01, 2006

CONGRATULATIONS:
To the following students who earned a 4.0 grade point average on 12 or more gradable credits for the Fall 2005 semester and were named to the President’s List:  Josette Batsenikos, Stephanie Bean, Jorie Berger, Stacey Brost, Matthew Carter, Tausha Cassell, Mandy Cosner, Magen Counselman, Jo Ellen Dodrill, Cathy Dotson, Marcia Excell, Amanda Fitzgerald, Mary Gale, David Gibeaut, Ariel Gibson, Amy Hales, Stacy Justice, Heidi Keller, Melissa Kinley, Abigail Kinney, Traci Lackey, Emily Larkin, Heather Magyar, Angela Martin, Casey Martin, Debra Meeker, Jennifer Molina, Melissa Patterson, Elizabeth Shields, Jessica Smith, Robyn Summers, Traci Tannehill, Ashley Underwood, Crystal Walker, Kimberly Wallace, Robert Waskey, and Erin Yeager.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS GRADUATING IN MAY:
The application for graduation and diploma and the alumni database form must be completed by March 1.  Come to Student Services to get your graduation packet which will include licensure and NCLEX information.  You will need to bring a check for $30 payable to WVU with “graduation fee” written in the memo section of your check.  Information about ordering the School of Nursing pin will also be in the packet.  Students in the Rural Health rotation who want to have the packet mailed to them should contact Student Services at 293-1386 as soon as possible.  August graduates are also eligible to participate in the May ceremony.  You will receive graduation and licensure information at a later time.  However, if you want to participate in the May ceremony, please stop by Student Services to complete the pin information form.

MSN MAY GRADUATES:
MSN students planning to graduate Spring 2006 will need to submit, to Health Sciences Graduate Office, an application for graduation no later than, Monday, February 13, 2006.   “Application for Graduation” forms are available at www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/resoff/ under forms.  Please complete the entire form including diploma address; Admissions & Records requires the address even if mailing is not requested.  The electronic thesis and dissertation (ETD) submission deadline is May 5, 2006 at 4:00 pm.

NSG 322 TIPS SESSION:
There will be no TIPS session for NSG 322 on Thursday, February 9, because of student participation in Unity Day.  There will be a 2 hour session for NSG 322 tutoring on Monday, February 6, from 10-12, in Room 7601.

TRANSFER COURSE CREDITS:
If you take a course at another college or university, you must complete a Transient Application form and have it signed by your advisor.  WVU will not accept the course for transfer credit unless a Transient Application has been approved.  Once you have completed the course, remember to have the transcript sent to Admissions and Records from the college or university at which you took to the course.  A number of students have completed courses at other colleges or universities but have not had the transcript sent to WVU.  Transfer credits will not count toward graduation requirements until WVU Admissions and Records receives the transcript and records the credits on your WVU transcript.

SNA JACKET SALE:
This semester SNA will be selling jackets again.  These jackets are different from the ones that were sold last semester.  They are a hooded, navy zip up with a broad gold stripe that continues around the entire jacket, with lettering that says West Virginia University (on the top line) with the medical symbol in the middle and Nursing on the bottom line.  The cost of these jackets is yet to be determined, but the more orders there are the cheaper the jackets will be.  If you are interested in this jacket and did not sign the paper at the SNA meeting on Monday please email Nikki at nleedy@mix.wvu.edu   Keep in mind that emailing your interest does not mean that you have to get a jacket.  It's just an idea of how many jackets will be ordered so that we can get a final price and to keep you updated in the future. 

STETHOSCOPES FOR GRADUATION:
3M is offering stethoscopes at discounted prices for graduation.  Discounts range from $10-60 off retail prices.  Joy Maramba in Health Restoration has the order form available for interested graduating students if they want to send a hint for a graduation present to a loved one.
 
SNA FORMAL:
The SNA formal will be February 25, 2006, 7-11pm at the Hotel Morgan.  Faculty and students are invited.  Students must be an SNA member and will have the option of bringing one guest.  Ticket prices for the formal will be $25 for a single ticket and $45 for a couple.  There will be a sit down dinner and a cash bar with soft drinks, beer, and wine as well as a DJ for dancing and entertainment.  Dinner choices consist of Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Florentine, and Vegetarian Pasta. You must know your dinner choice and guest's choice when purchasing tickets.  

BLOOD DRIVE:
There will be a blood drive on Tuesday, February 14, from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the John Jones Conference Center. To make an appointment, log on to www.redcrosslife.org.  You may also call the Red Cross at 1-800-GIVE LIFE. Students will receive 3 hours community service hours for donating.  This is the only drive of the year that the 3 hours will be given.  This is also the community "Random Acts of Kindness" week. Donating blood is a great act of kindness. Thank you for giving the gift of life.

SPIN-A-THON TO BENEFIT CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL:
The WVU Cycling Club is putting on Spin-a-thon in the Mountainlaire, Feb. 7-8, from 11-6, with proceeds to benefit WVUH Children’s Hospital. There will be a raffle for gift certificates to different stores and restaurants in Morgantown. The raffle tickets will be a dollar each. There are also opportunities to sponsor a rider by giving a specific amount of money for the number of hours ridden on the stationary bikes. If you would like to sponsor a rider, please e-mail wclick@mix.wvu.edu, or call 1-304-415-0716.

COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES:
The WVU Center of Excellence in Women’s Health will be doing blood pressure screenings for the March 3 women and cardiovascular health event.  Students are needed to take blood pressures.  If interested, contact Betty Parsons, the Center manager, at Eparsons@hsc.wvu.edu.

The second annual West Virginia Special Olympics Polar Plunge will be February 18th. For more information check out website http://www.wvpolarplunge.com/ or email coordinator Ann Richards at  Ann.Richards@mail.wvu.edu.  Community service hours available.

The KEEP (keep your kidneys) program was created to promote kidney disease education as well as a systematic approach to improving recognition and diagnosis of CKD (chronic kidney disease) in West Virginia.  Screenings are being conducted throughout the State by the WV Rural Nephrology Initiative of WVU's Department of Medicine, Section of Nephrology. Nursing students are needed to help with screenings for blood pressure, weight, and urinalysis. Dates and locations of the screenings are:

    Date                        City                            Site                     Time

3-7-06                Moorefield, WV               Kidney Clinic      TBA 
3-21-06              Martinsburg, WV            TBA                      TBA
4-4-06                Beckley, WV                    Tamarack           TBA
5-17-06              Gilbert, WV                      Harless Community Center
6-7-06                Summersville, WV         TBA                      TBA
8-1-06                Parkersburg, WV            TBA                      TBA

If interested, contact Cheryl Dalton, BSN, RN, CNN, at cldalton@hsc.wvu.edu or 293-0664. 

Nursing Students Needed for CARDIAC Screening in Mon County THIS SEMESTER! CARDIAC (Coronary Artery Risk Detection in Appalachian Communities) is a chronic disease risk surveillance and intervention initiative designed to combat the unacceptably high prevalence of heart disease and diabetes in West Virginia. The project is for all 5th grade students in West Virginia as well as for kindergarten and 9th grade students in some selected counties. Our goal is to help children and families learn about heart disease and what can be done to prevent or at least slow its process.  We need your help with the screening in Monongalia County. Specifically, we are looking for students to help take blood pressures and measure Body Mass Index (BMI) in several schools throughout Mon County.  The name of the school, dates and times for screening are as follows:
3/1/2006          Easton
3/1/2006          Cheat Lake Elementary
3/8/2006          Woodburn
3/7 & 3/9/2006 Cheat Lake Middle
3/10/2006        Suncrest
3/15/2006        St. Francis
3/22/2006        Morgantown High
Please e-mail Alyson Ward, Research Nurse in the Department of Pediatrics at award@hsc.wvu.edu or call 293-6515 if you are interested in volunteering.

M.O.P.S. (Mothers of Preschoolers) is looking for childcare for our bimonthly meetings at Chestnut Ridge Church.  We meet the first and third Thursdays of the month from 9 am to 11:30 am.  (NO meetings in January or summer).  This is a club that allows Moms to meet and do activities, education, and crafts together.  Child care is provided in one of three age-specific classrooms.  While the Moms meet, the children play together and also do activities and crafts.  If you are interested in payment instead of community service hours, the hourly rate is $6.00.  Contact Beth Minchau at eminchau@hsc.wvu.edu if you are interested!!

The Children's Hospital is looking for volunteers to man their silent auction tables during their big formal Gala event on Feb 11th at the Radisson in Morgantown.  The hours are from 5pm-midnight. Multiple shifts are available. Dinner will be provided for the volunteers. Volunteers are asked to be dressed in dressy-formal attire. Contact Tara Bennett at 598-4346.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: