Denver DMS Accreditation Recognized by JRCDMS

Last month, the current general sonography program accreditation for the Adventist University of Health Sciences (ADU) Denver, Colorado site was recognized by the Joint Review Commission on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography Programs (JRCDMS). While the ADU sonography students in Denver have clinical sites in several of the Seventh-day Adventist hospitals in the area, they share the same curriculum and faculty as the students in Orlando.

Utilizing high definition video conferencing systems, the Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) program provides an innovative mix of real-time, interactive classroom and computer-mediated activities that provide an integrated approach to learning.

“Other than clinical sites, our Denver students share the same professors, lectures, textbooks, and tests as those students based in Orlando. It truly is a synchronous, shared learning environment.” says Professor Charlotte Henningsen, DMS program chair.

The general sonography program was initially delivered as a diploma program at Florida Hospital before the founding of Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences in 1992. Programmatic accreditation was pursued following the development of the associate of science degree. The DMS program underwent its last reaccreditation process in 2007. The sonography program is not up for reaccreditation until 2018.

In addition to sonography, the ADU site in Denver has an accredited radiography program and offers general education courses for radiography, sonography, and nursing.

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Anesthesia Students Develop Online Course

What started as a capstone project for two nurse anesthesia students has become a résumé-worthy accomplishment.

Inna Malkin and Gwen Locke, seniors at Adventist University, developed an online course that certified registered nurse anesthetists can take for continuing education credits. The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) will publish their project, Peripheral Nerve Injury and Positioning in the OR, this year.

Through it, anesthetists can learn more about how to prevent nerve injuries, the second greatest risk after death in patients who are undergoing anesthesia.

Kathy Wren, chair of the Department of Nurse Anesthesia, says she’s proud of her students for achieving a level of scholarship that many licensed anesthesiologists have yet to obtain. “This will give them a certain prestige in the nurse anesthesiology community and help when they apply for doctoral programs,” Wren says.

But the real motivation for pursuing the project is much closer to the heart than the head, Malkin says. “I’m happy to make a difference for our patients.”

Locke agrees. “It’s very satisfying that this initial curiosity turned into a labor of love, and that the information can be disseminated to a wider community.”

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University Employees Serve Local Community

Faculty and staff singing and making music with students at Orange County Academy in Bithlo, Florida, during a service day.

Located just 23 miles from the center of Orlando lies the small town of Bithlo, described by some as a “forgotten community.” Despite its central location, the town has numerous problems that affect the population’s education, safety, and health.

On August 29, Adventist University of Health Sciences pooled resources and partnered with United Global Outreach, the organization heading the Bithlo transformation effort, to assist a community that has been overlooked for too long.

David Tao, curriculum development coordinator, painting a room in the Bithlo food pantry on August 29.

The University’s faculty and staff, a team of about 220, rolled up their sleeves and served Bithlo in four main areas: they refurbished a food pantry; facilitated classes at Orange County Academy; assisted with programs at Head Start, an organization for vulnerable children aged 2 to 5; and landscaped a charity processing building.

Daphne Nelson, one of the coordinators of the local food pantry, says the help came at just the right time.

“We have inspection coming up and we were wondering how we would get the building up to speed,” Nelson says. “It is a God-send that you were able to do this.”

The benefits of the service day stretched beyond those in Bithlo, says Tia Hughes, chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy and service day coordinator. It was also a hands-on opportunity to implement the beliefs the University is built on.

“The mission of our University is to educate others to serve in the healing ministry of Christ,” Hughes says. “Service days like the one in Bithlo allow our team, in some small way, to model that to our students.”

Ruby Gutierrez, director of community engagement, says the end goal of the transformation effort is to see Bithlo become a self-sufficient and healthy community and this service day was just the beginning of a long relationship with the community.

During this school year about 200 students will teach health and nutrition classes, other students will travel twice weekly to tutor students, and in celebration of the University’s 20th anniversary, students, faculty, and staff will participate in 20 service projects in Bithlo.

“I can’t think of any better example for our students as to what service learning is about,” Gutierrez says. “To really get involved and become aware of the issues people in their own backyard are facing, realizing they can be part of the solution.”

-by Sarah Crowder

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University Status, New Name Announced

The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences (FHCHS) will become Adventist University of Health Sciences, effective August 2012.

The University will continue Florida Hospital College’s commitment to healthcare as ministry and its legacy of excellence in education while still maintaining close ties to Florida Hospital and Adventist Health System. College President, David Greenlaw, stated, “We feel that the name Adventist University of Health Sciences is representative of the College’s continued growth while still preserving our past. Our new name doesn’t change who we are, it simply better defines us.”

Earlier this year, FHCHS announced the planned addition of four new graduate programs: Master of Healthcare Administration, Physician Assistant, Doctorate of Nurse Anesthesia Practice, and Physical Therapy. In April 2012, the College broke ground on a new 90,000-square-foot addition to the campus that will house many of these graduate programs.

“With the physical and academic expansion on our campus, the time was right for this name change,” said Greenlaw. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the decision of the Board of Trustees.”

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Anesthesia Students Volunteer in Guatemala

On March 3, 2012, two nurse anesthesia students left for a mission trip to Guatemala. In the span of just a few days they provided anesthesia for more than 30 gynecological and general surgeries using skills they learned at Adventist University of Health Sciences.

“It was a wonderful experience,” says Gwen Locke, a first-time volunteer. “I’m definitely going back in the future.”

Though she already has 15 years of nursing experience, Locke has never seen lines of patients like the ones that showed up to receive treatment in Guatemala.

“Hundreds of people would stand under the hot sun for hours just to receive Motrin or Tylenol,” Locke says.

All the students had to offer and use in surgeries were the supplies they brought with them, including masks, gloves, and blankets.

“It teaches you how to improvise and think on your feet,” says Erica Shaw, senior anesthesia major.

Though challenging, both women feel they’ve grown from the experience.

“Healthcare is a very humbling experience,” Locke says. “You learn to appreciate not just what you have, but the strength you see coming from patients.”

The effect, Shaw says, is life-changing. “There’s something about giving back to the community that teaches you what your purpose in life might be. It shows that the talents you learn in class can be used in a positive way outside of your everyday career.”

In May 2012, several more anesthesia students will leave for a mission trip to Peru.

“It’s something we really encourage in our department,” says Johanna Newman, assistant chair of the Department of Nurse Anesthesia. “Not only does it give students the opportunity to practice skills outside of their comfort zone, it gives them a greater sense of compassion and mercy for patients who come in the door.”

By Rainey Park

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Anesthesia Students Attend Meeting in California

The group of nurse anesthesia students with two of their professors before attending the AANA Annual Meeting. From left to right: Manuel Tolosa, assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesia; Amanda Hughes, Marian Santos, Kate Olsen, Vickie Stephens, senior nurse anesthesia majors; Alescia DeVasher-Bethea, chair of the Department of Nurse Anesthesia; and Michael Kuria, senior nurse anesthesia major.

In August of this year, five students travelled to San Francisco, Calif. to attend the annual meeting for nurse anesthesia students and certified registered nurse anesthetists.

At the meeting, which is conducted by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), the students attended lectures about current anesthesia practices and met anesthesia professionals. The meeting also gave them a chance to get a foot in the door in the industry.

“You have employers and recruiters from all over the country so it was a good opportunity to network,” says Michael Kuria, senior nurse anesthesia major.

Not everything at the event was business though, and this year one student from Adventist University of Health Sciences had a unique opportunity.

Amanda Hughes, senior nurse anesthesia major, participated in the AANA annual college bowl.

This year, Amanda Hughes, senior anesthesia major, was the first ADU student selected to participate in the annual Anesthesia College Bowl. She joined a team of students from around the country and competed to answer anesthesia-related questions.

For Amanda, it was a fun way to step outside of her comfort zone and gave her a great reason to restudy all the anesthesia-related material she’s learned in her classes. “It was exciting to be asked to represent the school and show what we’ve learned,” she says. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”

While her team did not make it past the first round, Amanda and the rest of the students that attended left the event with something better than winning a competition.

Manuel Tolosa, assistant professor in the Department of Nurse Anesthesia, described their excitement upon returning:

“They came back and shared their experience, it was motivating for them and their classmates.”

-by Sarah Crowder

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College Awards $97,000 in Scholarships

Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences distributed more than $97 thousand in scholarship funds during the Scholarship Award Banquet, April 5, 2012. The credit will become effective on students’ accounts fall 2012.

Josh Franko, senior biomedical sciences major and previous scholarship recipient, says it’s difficult to describe how much he appreciated the gift. “The only thing you can do is prove it by completing your education. Prove it by moving on to your field or profession.”

During the banquet, donors and students have a chance to meet, often for the first time. “The students are always so promising and so impressive,” says Jean Gould, who established a scholarship for nursing majors.

Ken Bradley, who with his wife established the Don and Helen Bradley Scholarship to honor his parents, says it “feels really really good” to “share in the success of the person receiving the scholarship.”

But the biggest pay off is yet to be seen.

“In essence, you’re actually getting more for your money because you’re not just helping one person,” Franko says. “You’re helping one person that helps so many patients.”

By Rainey Park

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New Five-Story Building Will House Graduate Programs

Students, donors, and local politicians gathered on campus on April 10, 2012 to breakground for a new, five-story building going up at Adventist University of Health Sciences.

The 90-thousand square foot edifice will house existing and anticipated graduate programs in nurse anesthesia, occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmacy, and physician’s assistant.

“This is an important step for the College,” says David Greenlaw, university president. “As an institution of excellence couched in Christian thought, we need the space to provide higher levels of education for the future healthcare leaders of Central Florida and beyond.”

The decision to expand came after a careful analysis of healthcare needs in Florida. According to the 2010 Census Interactive Population Search, more than 50 percent of Florida residents are age 50 or older.

The university’s graduate programs and the nine new laboratories that will support them, encourage collaboration and excellence in healthcare education.

But the building will not just benefit the local community. Classrooms equipped with live teleconferencing capabilities will enable instructors to broadcast courses to a variety of locations, including the college’s site in Denver, Colo.

“It’s a really exciting opportunity for us to offer mission-based healthcare education outside of Florida,” says Paul Martin, interaction design manager.

The building will also feature a multi-purpose meeting room where the university can host hospital and community education events for up to 600 people.

By Rainey Park

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Sonography Chair Named Distinguished Educator

The Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) recognized Charlotte Henningsen, chair of the Department of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, with the Distinguished Educator Award in September of this year.
SDMS is a national association for ultrasound professionals, which presents this honor each year to one educator who has demonstrated excellence through various authorships, publications, lectures, and awards.
According to the SDMS website, the recipient of the award should exhibit “the motivation, drive, and hard work it takes to promote life-long learning in students and sonographers using innovative teaching methods.”
Donald Haydon, CEO of SDMS, said that simply being nominated is an accomplishment, but being selected is a remarkable achievement for Henningsen, who has been with Adventist University of Health Sciences since its establishment in 1992.
“This professional recognition is the pinnacle of success in the sonography educational community,” Haydon said.
During the selection process, a committee reviewed nominees and made a recommendation to the SDMS Board of Directors, which chose Henningsen as the recipient.
Henningsen was honored on September 21 during an awards banquet at the SDMS 2012 Annual Conference in Seattle, Wash., where Joy Guthrie, president of SDMS, presented her the award.
Henningsen currently serves SDMS as the immediate past president and the president of SDMS Foundation. She said her continued involvement with the organization made the award even more special.
“When I found out I won I was delighted,” Henningsen said. “To be recognized by an organization that is part of my history as an educator made me feel very proud. And I am blessed to have spent my career at a University that has fostered my professional development.”
-by Sarah Crowder

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University Team Participates in Heart Walk

For the third consecutive year, a team from Adventist University of Health Sciences (ADU) participated in the Greater Orlando Heart Walk on September 15 at Loch Haven Park in Orlando.

This year the team exceeded its goals for both participants and fund raising. The desired goal for team walkers was 30 and 43 people participated. The team goal for fund raising was $1,500 and the team raised $1,991.

The Greater Orlando Heart Walk is a 5K run/walk organized by the American Heart Association (AHA). Companies and organizations from around the greater Orlando area participate in the event. Florida Hospital, ADU’s parent organization also participates and this year its employees raised over a quarter of a million dollars for the cause.

The hospital’s participation served as an example to many employees how the fight against heart disease and stroke happens not only within its patient rooms, but out in the community as well.

“Most of us on our team have had a loved one, or someone we know, touched by heart disease and stroke,” said Eric Cadiente, ADU team captain. “We appreciate the efforts put in by the American Heart Association to organize such a great event.”

More than 1000 teams from more than 100 companies participated in this year’s Heart Walk. The total number of participants was more than 20,000 and the total amount raised was approximately $1.2 million.

By Sahira Gomez

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