Representatives from various health organizations will be available to speak with students about current and future career opportunities in health-related fields. Current SAU students and alumni with a nursing major or any other health-related major are encouraged to bring multiple copies of resumes and register for door prizes at the event.

For more information or to view information sheets on participating agencies, contact the Employment Resource Center at Reynolds 217 or call 870-235-4097.

These young ladies have a reason to be proud of what they are accomplishing in order to get high-paying jobs. The pace of the Certified Nurse Assisting (CNA) class requires several chapters of material to be learned each day, with a quiz after each chapter. Each new set of skills is demonstrated and practiced in class and then put to use as the students interact with the care facility’s residents. The pace is non-stop and challenging but they know it will result in their being prepared for the Arkansas CNA certification exam.

“I’m going home and brag about what I’ve done! I really like it,” said class partcipant Shondreshia Morris about what she would do after completing the class.

The program has taken place on the campus of Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia as part of the Consortium for Arkansas Medical Professions (CAMP). The CAMP teaching staff includes Mary Armwood, Youth Apprenticeship advisor and SAU nursing faculty member, as the primary instructor for Certified Nurse Assistant and Cyndi Graham, SAU nursing faculty member, as an additional instructor for CNA.
To ensure that the students are prepared not only to pass the CNA exam but to begin a successful search for employment after receiving their certifications, sessions on “How to Approach Applying for a Job” and “Resume Building” have been presented by Matt Taylor, a volunteer from the SAU chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, national honorary theatre fraternity. The activities focus on what is expected of a young person entering the health care workforce and provide practical information about interviews and resumes. One of the Metro students, Cree Love, said, “I’ve learned a ‘real world’ perspective from all of this.”

Also, CAMP has led to the students discovering new areas of interest or confirming previous choices.
“CAMP has helped define what I’m going to do,” said Tyanne Jackson. “And, what I don’t want to do.”
Hayli Stricklen summed up her CAMP experience by saying that she would now be able to find a job that applies all the skills she learned.

Stricklen’s comments state the true purpose behind the program because it is designed to provide opportunities that lead to high-skilled, high-paying jobs for Arkansas students interested in the medical professions.

For more information about CAMP activities or SAU Youth Apprenticeship programs, contact Robbye Meador Taylor at (870)235-5073.

Students participating in the ceremony are required to line up at 6 p.m. in Harton Theatre. Graduates of the Colleges of Business and Education are asked to line up on the left side of the theater, while those graduating from the Colleges of Liberal and Performing Arts and Science and Technology are to line up on the right.

In the event of inclement weather, the W.T. Watson Athletic Center will serve as an alternate site for the commencement exercises. If this is the case, two separate ceremonies will take place. The College of Business and the College of Education will have their ceremony at 7 p.m., and the ceremony for the College of Liberal and Performing Arts and the College of Science and Technology will take place at 8:30 p.m.

Bob L. Burns, chairman and CEO of Farmer’s Bank & Trust in Magnolia since 1983, will serve as the guest speaker at the ceremony.

Regardless of the weather, the Nursing Department ceremony will be at 4 p.m. in the Reynolds Center Grand Hall. Participants are asked to line up at 3:30 p.m. in Foundation Hall. In addition, the School of Graduate Studies will hold its ceremony at 5:30 p.m. in the Grand Hall as well. Students, faculty and platform guests are to line up in Foundation Hall at 5 p.m.
The Office of Alumni Relations will sponsor a reception for graduates, family and faculty from 4:30 to 6:45 p.m. in the Blue and Gold Room of the Donald W. Reynolds Campus and Community Center.

For more information regarding graduation at SAU, call the Office of the Registrar at 870-235-4031.

The drill has been being planned since July and involved a scenario where a threat followed by the explosion of a chlorine bomb near the National Guard Armory led to two mock student deaths and 22 mock injuries of various severities, according to University Police Chief Eric Plummer. The reason for the University to participate in the drill along with members of the office of the Columbia County Emergency Management, Magnolia Fire Department, Albemarle Hazmat Team, Columbia County Ambulance Service and the Columbia County Sheriff’s office is obvious, he said.

“This is the first time SAU has ever been involved in this type of a countywide drill but it is kind of a no-brainer that we conduct these types of drills because we have one of the largest concentrations of people and employees in Columbia County,” Plummer said.

The drill presented the opportunity for the University to test a campus wide outdoor warning system that informs students what to do in case of an emergency. Plummer said SAU is the only university he knows of that has the system besides the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Another system tested during the drill was the AlertXpress. This system is a reverse 911 of sorts which notifies a person of an emergency through a designated phone number a person gives upon registering for the system. Plummer said SAU students can sign up to participate in the system by signing up on the University’s Web site, http://police.southernarkansasuniversity.info/alertxpress/.

Dr. Donna Allen, vice president for Student Affairs, said she was satisfied with the results of the drill and views the exercise as an important and necessary one.

“I thought the drill was a great opportunity for all service providers and the University to test our preparedness for emergency events. I believe everyone did a great job and Chief Plummer coordinated the University Emergency Response Team very well,” Allen said. “I look forward to the opportunity to participate in additional drills in the future so we can continue to prepare in case of an emergency.”

Planning for large scale emergencies is something that has been on Plummer’s to-do list since being named University Police Chief in the spring of 2007. Two weeks after he began his post, the news of the shootings at Virginia Tech shocked the nation and caused planning for this kind of situation to be top of mind, he said.

Plummer said he appreciates the cooperation of everyone who took the time to be involved including the student volunteers from SAU’s Nursing Department who played the role of the victims in the drill.

The Third Annual Cystic Fibrosis Walk is a fundraiser to support the research, care and education of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In the past two years, the walks held at SAU have each raised over $1,000 for the Cystic Fibroses Foundation, making them some of the most successful in the state.

Every day approximately three babies are born with Cystic Fibrosis and at least one person with the disease dies. Participants collecting $100 will earn an official Cystic Fibrosis Foundation T-shirt. Additional prizes are available based on the amount of money raised.

For more information, call Elizabeth Pratt at 235-4335, Kim Everett at 235-4336, Floye Taylor at 235-4334, or Cynthia Graham at 235-5195.

Representatives from various health organizations will be available to speak with students about career opportunities in health-related fields. Students are encouraged to bring resumes and register for door prizes at the event.

Participating organizations include Christus St. Michael Health System and HealthSouth Rehabilitation of Texarkana, Texas; Christus Schumpert Health System of Shreveport, La.; Magnolia Healthcare; Magnolia City Hospital; SAU School of Graduate Studies; Springhill Medical Center of Springhill, La.; Saint Vincent Health System; U.S. Army Medical Recruiting; and U. S. Navy Officer Programs of Little Rock.

For more information or to view information sheets on participating agencies, contact the Employment Resource Center at Reynolds 217 or call 870-235-4097.

“The new program is fully accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission until 2011 and is designed for the working non-traditional student,” said Dr. Bernadette Fincher, chair of the Department of Nursing. “Because the courses are offered online, students are able to study and participate in class discussions anytime day or night, according to the student’s schedule.”

The clinical component of the program may be carried out within the student’s home region under the supervision of an approved preceptor. Faculty from the SAU Department of Nursing will travel to each student’s area to check on the progress of their work.

“We know nurses have to work, and we are striving to accommodate the needs of those individuals,” said Fincher.

SAU offers two programs for nursing education. They are an associate of science degree in nursing, which includes the LPN/LVN to RN “Fast Track,” and the On-line RN-BSN Completion Program.

According to Fincher, both nursing programs offered at SAU are NLNAC accredited and approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing and Commission of Higher Learning of the North Central Association.

For more information and an application for either of the programs offered by the Department of Nursing at SAU, visit the website at www.saumag.edu/nursing or call 870-235-4331.

The Department will accept applications through Tuesday, Dec. 5, for the new On-line RN-BSN Completion Program.

Also receiving awards were Louisiana Tech University, Grambling State University, and Northwest Louisiana Vocational Technical College.

Minden Medical Center was recognized as the number one hospital in LifePoint Hospitals Inc. The award was based on LifePoint Hospital’s five divisional vice presidents’ evaluation of five areas. The five areas include the quality of patient care, quality of physicians on staff, quality of its employees, employee’s workplace, and perception that the community has of the hospital.

“The Department of Nursing is appreciative of this donation supporting nursing education at SAU,” said Dr. Bernadette Fincher, chair of the Department. “We applaud the Minden Medical Center for the recognition they received from this award.”

Minden Medical Center has worked with Louisiana Tech, Grambling, SAU, and Northwest Technical for a number of years as a site for clinical rotations and preceptor programs. Clinical rotations allow nursing students to rotate through medical/surgical units, labor and delivery, surgery, ICU, emergency, and nursery. This gives students a broad scope of experience.

A preceptor program is offered to students during their last clinical semester. This program allows the student the opportunity to work with a nurse in the hospital setting on a one-on-one basis in a designated department. The preceptor program is beneficial for the student in that the nurse can share her experience and knowledge with the student, and the student can refine skills and techniques they have been developing throughout their nursing program.

“Students of the SAU Associate Degree Nursing Program have benefited from the clinical experiences afforded through MMC for many years,” said Fincher. “This honor validates the exemplary clinical environment our students are exposed to during learning experiences at MMC.”

This 90-hour program combines classroom instruction and clinical experience. Students successfully completing the program are awarded a Certificate of Proficiency and are then qualified to take the skills test and the state certification exam to become a Certified Nursing Assistant. CNAs work in various areas of the health care community, including long-term care facilities, hospitals, and home health.

The cost of the program is $325.

For more information or to register, call 870-235-4005.

“The on-line program is intended for working, non-traditional students,” said Dr. Bernadette Fincher, chair of the Department of Nursing. “Students will have, at most, to visit the campus two to three times a semester. Because the courses are offered online, students are able to study and participate in class discussions anytime day or night, according to the student’s schedule.”

The clinical component of the program may be carried out within the student’s home region under the supervision of an approved preceptor. Instructors from the Department of Nursing will travel to each student’s area to check on the progress of their work.

“We know nurses have to work, and we are striving to accommodate the needs of those individuals,” said Fincher.

The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission recently informed the Department of Nursing that it received full accreditation.

“The nursing faculty, as well as faculty and staff from numerous other departments, arduously worked for this accreditation, but it was well worth it,” said Fincher. “We received the full five-year accreditation with no deficiencies or recommendation for change in the new program.”

With this new program continuing in the fall, Fincher looks to the future to the Department of Nursing at SAU.

“I look for us to continue to grow and eventually become a School of Nursing at the University,” said Fincher. “We envision a master’s degree in nursing within the next few years.”

The Department will accept applications through Tuesday, Aug. 22, for the program.

“We have a quality program with excellent faculty and administrative support,” said Fincher. “We have hired additional faculty in anticipation of more students enrolling in the programs.”

For more information about the new RN to BSN Completion Program offered by the Department of Nursing at SAU, visit the website at www.saumag.edu.