Committee Meetings and Minutes

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Nursing Advisory Committee

Meeting Minutes

Current Status of Minutes: Final
Date	March 4, 2011
Time	8:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Location	Eastview Campus-Room 8256

Members Present
Gail Acuna, Karen Burkman, Terri Couch, Sally Foster, Vanessa Haupt, Maureen Havrilla, Elizabeth Huss, Debra Jones, Melinda LaPrade, Leah May, Sandra McCrary-Marshall, Joan Minnick, Patricia Recek, Yvonne VanDyke, Nancy Walters, Teresa Zercher
Guests Present
No guest attendance has been recorded.

Item # 1:	Approval of Agenda
Presenter	Yvonne VanDyke-Committee Chair
Discussion	Yvonne VanDyke moved for the approval of the agenda with the addition of Introductions; seconded by E. Huss

Item # 2:	Approval of Minutes
Presenter	Yvonne VanDyke-Committee Chair
Discussion	Ms. VanDyke moved for the approval of the February 2010 minutes as printed, seconded by N. Walters. Minutes approved as recorded.

Item # 3:	Clinical Facilities Updates
Presenter	All Facilities Representatives
Discussion	Seton Family of Hospitals: Leah May reported that Seton continues to have challenges with the increase of patients with mental health issues coming into the hospital settings. Seton is in the process of preparing their Magnet applications as well as for Trauma 1 certification. K. Burkman reported the High Risk/High Alert program to ensure patient safety is being used. This process includes two staff to monitor medication administration etc. Several issues with insulin have been identified using this process. Pat Recek asked if the hospitals could share a list of the drugs currently being monitored through the High Risk/High Alert program so ACC lab personal may incorporate this process in our lab scenarios. Seton is encouraging all staff to continue their education and maintain a lifelong learning experience. Y. VanDyke reported that the Seton facilities have seen a tremendous increase in the number of outside community schools and agencies requesting tours and shadowing experiences within their hospitals. G. Acuna interjected that St. David Healthcare is experiencing many of the same issues. The clinical agencies really need to channel requests through the HISC Committee. Ms. VanDyke also reported Seton is experiencing an increase in patient acuity and patient numbers. Seton is focusing on health maintenance and promotion. Academic partners are encouraged to consider this aspect when evaluating curriculum. Promotion of health is essential. St. David's Healthcare Partnership: Gail Acuna reported that St. David's has been working with ACC to develop a new MOU for collaboration in the future. St. David's Health Care Partnership is expanding the trauma designations for all facilities. Georgetown Hospital expansion is in progress. St. David Medical Center Main-Med Surg units are incorporating the TCAB (Transforming Care at the Bedside) program. In addition SDMC-Main is expanding the NICU. North Austin Medical Center has completed remodeling the Emergency Department and will be starting the renovation of the OR very soon. Heart Hospital is now a part of the St. David's Healthcare Partnership. Expansion is in progress. Terese Clinch is working with the staff to identify the level(s) of student in which this facility is appropriate to accomodate due to the high acuity of the patients. South Austin Medical Center continues with construction. At completion an additional 72 new beds will be available, along with the expansion of the OR and other areas in the hospital. Ms. Acuna added that the new graduate nurses must be very IT savvy to be effective in the current inpatient setting. The opportunity for the new graduate to be hired is very competitive. The importance of lifelong learning was stressed. Pat Recek asked if it would be helpful for ACC to consider requiring students take a computer course to assist with their IT skills. There was an overall positive response from the committee to this idea. Nan Walters reported that ACC is currently evaluating electronic medical record systems for use in labs and simulation experiences. T. Clinch added that St. David's is working very hard to make sure that the students have a good experience while in their facilities. Additionally, Y. VanDyke reported that so many of the IV pumps in the nation are being recalled, she wants the students and faculty to be aware of the problems with the pumps and how to deal with the issues. It may be possible to set up training for the faculty to work with the new pumps. G. Acuna requests to have a sub committee formed by ACC Faculty to look at the critical competencies of the students and faculty. Central Texas Medical Center: No representative present. Scott and While Healthcare: Currently Scott and White is operating 12 hospitals and 47 clinics in the Central Texas Area. The new Scott and White Children's hospital is opening on October 4th. SW is experiencing space issues. Basically they have outgrown every current facilities in operation. The medical school has increased numbers which has tightened space considerably. Many schools are requesting placements; days, nights, weekends clinical experiences. Long Term Care: Westminster Manor reported that they are growing and increasing as the need for long term care increases. They love the students and the faculty from ACC. In the past, many new grads prefer not to work in the Long term care area, but more and more patients are being admitted with complex medical issues resulting in a very high need for RN's. Austin State Hospital: Terry Couch reported that the Legislature has asked them to cut 18 million dollars from their budget. This greatly impacts admission capacity; ther are approximately 320-350 admission per month. The agency is experiencing an increase in the number of patients and complexity of mental health issues as well as acute and chronic physical illnesses. "We love having students at ASH, we welcomed over 600 nursing students through ASH last year. We are turning new request away all the time. We have had a lot of success hiring new graduates and are so thankful for the new blood." Shoal Creek: We are very busy, example, yesterday we had to send four patients to the hospital because they were too sick physically to come into this facility for treatment of their mental health alterations. It is very important for our nurses to have strong med-surg skills. Community: Vanessa Haupt reported the students and new graduates must have a strong med surg background in order to meet the needs of our patients. Our patients are presenting with a variety of complex needs.

Item # 4:	Health Professions Institute/Cont. Education Update
Presenter	Elizabeth Huss
Discussion	Re-entry Nursing: The Re-Entry Program had 60 students start this spring. Current discussions include adding advanced skills into the program. Nelda Godfrey will be coming to participate in a panel on professionalism. Currently seeking someone from long-term care and someone from the clinical setting. Goals: CE has classes available in customer service, computer operations, and healthcare. The department currently has a grant in place to train individuals in the medical field on the electronic records in healthcare system being established by the federal government. A 6 month training program for technicians is being offered to train doctors' offices, clinics, and small hospitals on how this new electronic medical record system works. This grant started April 2010 and ends April 2012. (Get brochures and Elizabeth's handouts) Melinda LaPrade expanded on the importance of grants and told of a grant between Scott and White-Temple and Mary Hardin Baylor to pay for ten of our LVN's to go back to school to get their RN, and for another ten ADN's-RN to return to school for their RN-BSN.

Item # 5:	Vocational Nursing Update
Presenter	Sandra McCrary Marshall
Discussion	Enrollment Data COHORT Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Total By Campus EVC 45 45 0 24 114 FBG 18 0 0 0 18 Total 63 45 0 24 132 Graduates: Spring 2010=28 Fall 2010=31 PN NLCEX Pass Rates: Final Report 2010 (January 2010-December 2010) – 96.77 Oath Ceremony: The program continues to conduct an Oath Ceremony during the first semester of the program. It has proven to increase are students commitment to maintaining professional standards of conduct while in the classroom and clinical setting. Curriculum: * Feedback on student evaluations of clinical sites has been positive. * Expanding non acute care site: Austin State Supporting Living Center (formerly Austin State School), correctional facilities, and Rehabilitation Units, Specialty Clinics, Surgical Hospitals and Long Term Acute Care (LTAC) * The program has began offering HYBRID courses during the spring 2011 semester in an effort to allow students more flexibility in their schedule while pursuing their nursing education.

Item # 6:	Associate Degree Nursing Update
Presenter	Nancy Walters
Discussion	Enrollment: COHORT Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Mobility TOTAL 140 152 126 99 33 Graduates: Summer 2010-39 Fall 2010-118 Spring 2011- Anticipate 98 Summer 2011-Anticipate-33 RN NLCEX Pass Rates: Final Report 2010 (October 1, 2009-September 30, 2010) =265/271 97.79% First Quarter 2010 (October 1, 2010-December 31, 2010)=11/12 92% Curriculum: No major changes at this time. * Incorporation of the DEC's (Differentiated Essential Competencies) adopted by the Texas Board of Nursing in October 2010 is in the process * DEC's-May results in some curriculum changes. * Continue to explore additional clinical sites appropriate for achieving objectives/outcomes. Faculty Updates: Retired: Janene Jeffery and Charlene Morris New Hires: 7 combinations of replacement and new grant funded positions Staff Updates: Administrative Assistant –EVC- Todd Johnson Administrative Assistant-RRC-Malanie Soliz Administrative Assistant-CEC-Derek Medack Admission Coordinator: Tammy Chalermpued has filled the role of our Recruitment and Admission Specialist permanently. Round Rock Expansion: Opened Fall 2010 (on Schedule) near capacity enrollment Level 1-81 students Level II-IV 90 Hybrid Onsite enrollment phased in by semester Level II-Spring 2011 Level III-Fall 2011 Level IV-Spring 2012

Item # 7:	New Business
Presenter	All Committee
Discussion	P. Recek reported on the HRSA Grant, the grant is at the midpoint. Ninety thousand dollars in grant funds were awarded to students last year. This year $120,000 has been awarded. Another element of this grant is cultural competency. A workshop for nursing faculty on cultural diversity was presented. An ESL faculty has reviewed the ADN test banks for linguistics and/or cultural bias. The reviewer found few examples, but the process enhanced faculty awareness. An evaluation consultant has been hired to evaluate the progress of the grant and to make recommendations for additional strategies to assist retention of students.

Item # 8:	Announcements
Presenter	All Committee
Discussion	E. Klein reported that the college is also experiencing the statewide budgetary cuts. It is possible that at least 12% of our budget may be cut. A tuition increase is possible; tuition/voucher may be reduced or eliminated for high school students who take dual credit courses. The college is currently supplementing this program with Perkins funds. A hiring freeze will be implemented in the Fall. On a more positive note, our close collaboration with you is a benefit to us. Enrollment is continues to be dependent on clinical placements and adequate qualified faculty to teach courses. Gail Acuna added that she is speaking for the Texas Nurses Association-District 5 that there are many scholarships available for the coming year. These scholarships are available for ADN, BSN, MSN students.

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