Posts tagged ‘Nursing’
When it all comes together… How the nurses of 7West put together a perfect wedding with some help from their friends
The wedding was perfect—a beautiful bride in a white dress, gorgeous autumn flowers, an outpouring of love from friends and family. The only difference between this wedding and a fairy tale was its locale, which was the surgical waiting room on the first floor of Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
The November 10 wedding, for 19-year-old leukemia patient Courtney Sprenkle and her then-fiance Scott Shelly, was pulled together in about a week’s time. Courtney and Scott had originally planned to get married next year but, after already putting much of their lives on hold during her fight with cancer, she decided the time was right.
Courtney was originally diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia two years ago. During that time, she had three rounds of chemotherapy and two bone marrow transplants, all with Scott by her side. While each treatment was temporarily successful, the leukemia always returned a few months later. After her most recent relapse in October, she talked with her care team about her dream of a picture-perfect wedding.
“We said ‘if she wants it, we’ll make it happen,’” recalls Carol Magee, one of Courtney’s nurses on 7 West, Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. (more…)
Developing nursing leaders from within
Penn State Hershey has many people to thank for supporting the building of the new Children’s Hospital. From its very foundation to its breathtaking Learning Wall, gracious donors have helped to turn this vision into a reality. Contributor Francis (Fran) S. Soistman, Jr., co-founder and executive vice president of Jessamine Healthcare, Inc., along with his wife, Holly, were looking to make an impact in a specific way—the development of nursing leaders.
“I’ve spent almost my entire career on the healthcare insurance side of the business and have a very strong appreciation for the role that nurses play in delivering quality health care,” explains Soistman. In the past, the Soistmans have set up endowments for Penn State to fund nursing scholarships. “We wanted to do something of significance to further support men and women thinking about going into nursing and bring more highly trained nurses into the field.” When they decided they were ready to make another contribution, the Children’s Hospital seemed a good fit.
Jeanne Arnold, local philanthropist and advocate for the Children’s Hospital and former senior vice-president of patient care services for Good Samaritan Hospital in Lebanon, speaks to one of the leadership classes.
In preparing for the transition to the new Children’s Hospital, the nursing leadership recognized a large staffing challenge. In fact, the Children’s Hospital would require a 100-percent increase in nurse managers and clinical nurse managers. To meet this need, Penn State Hershey saw the opportunity to “grow from within” by developing and implementing a program that would transition members of its existing pediatric and women’s health nursing teams into these leadership roles.
An interview with our new CNO and CMO
Chief Nursing Officer Sherry Kwater and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Carol Freer
Earlier this year, Carol Freer, M.D., M.S., F.A.C.P., C.P.E., ’91, was appointed chief medical officer (CMO) for Penn State Hershey Medical Center. She had served as the interim CMO since July 2011. Freer joined Penn State Hershey in 2008 as associate professor of medicine and director of hospitalist outreach. In 2009, she became vice chair for clinical affairs in the Department of Medicine.
At the end of 2011, Sherry Kwater, M.S.M., B.S.N., R.N., was appointed chief nursing officer (CNO) for the Medical Center after serving as interim CNO since last May. She joined the Medical Center in August 2010 and brings more than twenty-five years of health care executive leadership to the role.
Freer and Kwater recently answered some questions about their new leadership roles, their vision for helping shape the Medical Center’s continuing growth, and what it’s like to work together toward improving patient quality and care. (more…)
