Nursing Alumnus Fulfills Dream of Becoming VA Nurse

Mike Twigg while deployed overseas.

Mike Twigg '14 joined the army at age 38, then used his GI benefits to fulfill his dream of becoming a VA nurse.

Twigg was deployed to Iraq in 2007 and later to Kuwait/Qatar in 2012, acting as an army medic, according to a cleveland.com feature story on his mid-life career journey. After his service, Twigg came home and earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) through BW's one-year, accelerated BSN program.

Twigg now works with 35 veterans as a medical and surgical nurse at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center and told cleveland.com he has forged a special connection with his patients. "I understand where they're coming from, these men and women, because I've been there with them."

Twigg also volunteers to be a mentor for the Veterans Treatment Court, a program designed to divert veterans from typical punishment for felonies by placing them in a special mentor/mentee program.

James Fell Appointed to Advisory Group on Nursing Education

Baldwin Wallace University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program (ABSN) is gaining a new distinction through its director/interim administrator and associate professor, James Fell, recently appointed to a two-year term with the Ohio Board of Nursing Advisory Group on Nursing Education.

The advisory group, comprised of distinguished nurses and nursing educators from all over the state, is selected by the Board each year to meet and propose ways in which nursing education programs can be improved.

With experience leading the growing BW program and many years of teaching and administrative experience in BSN, ND (nursing doctorate), Diploma, and Associate Degree (ADN) nursing education, Fell has been given the specific designation as the representative for Ohio accelerated BSN programs.

The decorated 28-year (retired) Navy Nurse Corps Reserve member, who served on active duty during Operations Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn, currently teaches courses in behavioral health, leadership and ethics, and the capstone Seminar in Professional Nursing Practice within the ABSN program, among several others. The BW program heads into its fourth year in Fall 2015.

Infectious Disease Lab puts BW Nursing Students in the Spotlight

BW ABSN student Ingrid Zibritovsky practices CDC protocol for donning personal protective equipment

BW’s nursing program is demonstrating leadership in providing proactive training on personal protection and infection prevention measures for nursing students. As the healthcare community in Northeast Ohio responded to the news that a nurse who contracted Ebola from a patient had recently traveled to and from the region, a timely lab for BW nursing students drew all four Cleveland television stations and National Public Radio (NPR) affiliates. Nursing director James Fell and the rest of BW's Accelerated Bachelor of Nursing (ABSN) program faculty quickly set up the special lab on Friday to prepare BW nurses-in-training.

Lab exercises reinforcing the proper sequence for putting on personal protective equipment, as well as CDC guidance for infection prevention, and control recommendations for hospitalized patients with known or suspected Ebola Virus Disease, were highlighted on NPR affiliates WCPN 90.3 ideastream and WKSU, and in televised reports on WEWS-Newschannel 5, WJW-Fox 8,  WKYC-TV,  WOIO/WUAB 19/43 and WVIZ-TV. The 19 Action News report was also aired in markets across the country including Atlanta, Cincinnati and Kansas City. A short version of the WCPN report also aired on NPR News, picked up by affiliates coast to coast.

Fell says BW is keeping up with the latest CDC guidance which is evolving in response to the Ebola cases in Texas. BW has ordered additional personal protective equipment to add to future protocol training, including face shields and neck protection. "Nurses are on the frontline of caring for these patients," Fell says. "It's critical that we equip them with the latest tools and knowledge to stay safe."

Cold Weather No Match For Nursing Students

Winter weather doesn't stop BW nursing students! In spite of today's frigid wind chill warnings, 28 BW Nursing students have been out in hospitals and clinics, along with their faculty mentors, since 6:45 a.m., contributing to quality patient care all over Ohio.

BW BSN Program Director James Fell says BW nursing students will contribute more than 200 hours of care on this date alone. While they are students, and not full-fledged nurses yet, they are providing an important extra set of hands on a severe weather day, when some nursing units are short-handed.

BW Celebrates its First Registered Nurse from the ABSN Program

Lauren Meeks '13 is the first graduate from Baldwin Wallace's new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program to pass the National Council Licensure Examination, officially making her the first Registered Nurse of Baldwin Wallace University. Also sitting for exam and celebrating success were fellow graduates Ashley Wiggers, Nicole Schroeder, Kayla Giannetti, Shana McDade, and Kaleigh Benz, all of whom recently passed their NCLEX.

Lauren Meeks receiving her official school pin from Director Judy Didion