TCNJ

18 SCHOOL OF NURSING, HEALTH, AND EXERCISE SCIENCE EXCELLENCE RECOGNIZED In October, the Department of Nursing was recognized by the National League for Nursing as an NLN Center of Excellence. is designation acknowledges schools of nursing and health care organizations that convey outstanding innovations, commitment, and sustainability of excellence in specific areas. "Being selected as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League of Nursing is quite an honor," said Dean Carole Kenner. "Our selection was based on the category Creating Environments that Enhance Student Learning and Professional Development, which supports TCNJ's belief that students are at the heart of our mission." A RITE OF PASSAGE Marcia Blicharz, associate professor of nursing, helps Lheana Yabis '18 into her white coat on November 18. Yabis was one of 70 nursing students to don the garment for the first time as part of TCNJ's inaugural White Coat Ceremony. e event marked their transition from preclinical to clinical studies and commitment to comprehensive, patient-centered care. It was made possible by a grant from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation in collaboration with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. EXPERIENCING POVERTY TCNJ nursing students experienced first-hand the struggles of living in poverty through a Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) funded as part of a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. During the simulation, students and local volunteers role-played individuals living day-to-day in urban, low-income environments. Participants experienced not only the desperation of waiting in long lines for food stamps, but also the stress of providing for a family when unemployment, theft, eviction, and illness thwart their efforts at every turn. Participants described the simulation as "eye-opening." Many will work with low- income families in hospitals and healthcare facilities upon graduation, and the event enabled them to look at poverty from new and challenging angles. HAITI BY THE NUMBERS In January, Associate Professor of Nursing Sharon Byrne led a team of TCNJ nursing students to Port-au-Prince to volunteer at a clinic run by the Haitian American Caucus. The team gained experience in delivering care in a resource-poor community, while also developing cultural competency. 1 Life saved (a malnourished, 15-month-old child) 5 Days 7 Students 650+ Patients helped ROOM TO LEARN Nursing students are benefitting from a new $1.2 million simulation lab (left) in Forcina Hall. Construction, which was funded in part through the state's Building Our Future Bond, was completed in the spring. Across campus, students in the Health and Exercise Science program have new class, lab, and research space thanks to the transformation of the former fitness center in Packer Hall into the Performance Enhancement Center. e room features weights, treadmills, cycle ergometers, and more.

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