The Carmel Rapper

March 3, 2022

Message from the President

Kathleen Williamson

Happy March!

We’re busily planning for graduation in May and excited about conferring degrees to our graduating nurses, those who are entering the profession for the first time, and those who chose to advance their education to prepare for new challenges and opportunities in professional nursing. All MCCN students and graduates are continuing a storied history of how nursing has positively impacted society and the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities.

It’s important to look back sometimes, to help guide our path forward. Remember when you first applied to attend MCCN? When you were accepted to the College? What drove you to become a nurse? Many of you have told me that caring for others is the driving force behind your decision to become nurses. That may be the single most important quality that we all share. And that has remained a lynchpin in our profession since the era of Florence Nightingale, whom many credit with the founding of formal nursing education.

While the first record of nurses dates all the way back to the Roman Empire, formal nursing education really took hold in the U.S. in the late 1800s.

“The year 1873 was a watershed year in American professional nursing history. In that year, three nurse educational programs—the New York Training School at Bellevue Hospital, the Connecticut Training School at the State Hospital (later renamed New Haven Hospital), and the Boston Training School at Massachusetts General Hospital—began operations. These three programs, all based on ideas advanced by Florence Nightingale, are generally acknowledged to be the forerunners of organized, professional nurse education in the United States.

The success of these first three so-called “Nightingale schools” led to a proliferation of similar nursing schools, or as they were most commonly called nurse training programs. By 1900, somewhere between 400 to 800 schools of nursing were in operation in the country. These programs followed a fairly typical pattern. The school was either affiliated with or owned by a hospital that provided the students with the clinical experience considered necessary for the education of a nurse.”

—American Nursing: An Introduction to the Past

Nearly 150 years have passed and nursing has evolved to become the largest, single profession within the health care field. Nurses have advanced their technical and scientific knowledge, standards and practices, and educational requirements to keep pace with societal needs. Three million nurses working in the US (as of 2020) now practice in a variety of settings:

  • 60% Hospitals
  • 18% Ambulatory healthcare services
  • 7% Nursing and residential care facilities
  • 5% Government
  • 3% Educational services

The need for more nurses is one of the most important issues in health care today. You will help meet that essential need.

Our history – the history of nurses – is important to understand. You are part of that tradition and we are so excited about the next generation of professionals. Be proud of that, as we are of all of you!

Sincerely,

kathleen-williamson

Kathleen Williamson, PhD, MSN, RN
President & Academic Dean, Mount Carmel College of Nursing

mahoney

MCCN Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council Spotlight:
Who is Mary Eliza Mahoney?

In her teens, Mary Eliza Mahoney decided she wanted to become a nurse, so she began working at the New England Hospital for Women and Children. Over the next 15 years, Mahoney worked in a variety of roles, such as janitor, cook, washerwoman, and nurse’s aide. As a nurse’s aide, she was able to learn a great deal about the nursing profession.

At the age of 33, Mahoney was one of 42 students accepted into the hospital’s nursing school. In 1879, she became the first African American in the United States to earn a professional nursing license. Due to the discrimination, she faced in public nursing, Mahoney pursued a career in private nursing where she was able to focus on the needs of individual clients.

Mahoney stayed active in the nursing profession throughout her career. As a member of what would become the American Nurses Association (ANA), she often advocated for the equality of African American nurses. In 1908, she co-founded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN). Mahoney became the director of the Howard Orphanage Asylum for Black children in Kings Park, New York.

Mahoney retired after 40 years in the nursing profession, leaving a legacy of championing African American nurses and women’s equality. Her pioneering spirit continues to be recognized to this day with numerous awards and memorials, including a monument at her gravesite in Massachusetts.

Dr. Regina Williams

Remembering Our Very Own Legend: Dr. Regina Williams

The Mount Carmel family would like to take a moment to remember a legend who graced our very own halls. Dr. Regina Sallee Williams, PhD, RN, FAAN, (’52) was a graduate of the Mount Carmel School of Nursing (MCSN) and a force in the nursing field throughout her career. Below are a few of her accomplishments:

  • In 1949, MCSN was the first nursing school in Columbus, Ohio, to admit African American students; Regina is admitted
  • Graduated from MCSN in 1952
  • Earned her bachelor’s degree from OSU in 1955
  • Served in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps
  • First African American faculty member at Grant Hospital’s Nursing School
  • Earned her master’s in Med/Surg Nursing in 1974
  • Earned her PhD in Higher Education Administration
  • Retired as Head, Department of Nursing, Eastern Michigan University in 2001
  • In 2001, the Regina & Robert Williams Scholarship for Minority Students at MCCN was established
  • In 2010, Dr. Williams created an endowment to fund the scholarship

Sadly, Dr. Williams passed away in May 2021. She had this to say about Mount Carmel: “It’s been a wonderful life and my days at Mount Carmel were among the happiest, that’s why my husband and I established a scholarship there – Mount Carmel gave me my start.”

sdap

SDAP Cohort #15 Celebrates End-of-Program

On February 11, 2022, MCCN hosted an end-of-program celebration for our Second Degree Accelerated Program (SDAP) graduates from the 15th cohort. The 45 new graduating nurses celebrated with a ceremony and fellowship. The graduates not only worked with intensity, but also learned at warp speed to achieve this amazing goal.

“We are so proud of our graduates,” said Dr. Folorunso “Temmy” Ladipo. “They learned their craft under considerable pressure. I am confident to send them off into the workforce to start or continue their nursing career.” Our new nurses secured full-time positions within MCHS, other health care organizations in Columbus, and out of state. Congratulations SDAP Cohort #15!

The next cohort end-of-program celebration is March 4, 2022.

MAC

Mother Angela Club Delivers Valentine’s Day Cards to Fairfield Medical Center Patients

To brighten the day of patients at Fairfield Medical Center, members of the Mother Angela Club at the MCCN-Lancaster campus constructed and delivered more than 100 Valentine's Day cards. The Mother Angela Club is a student-led volunteer club at the MCCN-Lancaster campus whose members share a passion for community service. The club is led by sophomore Makayla Frank, junior Brittany Ledford, and senior Cassidy Brewer. The faculty advisor is Laura Ratliff, MSN, RN, assistant professor.

Making Mount Carmel a Family Tradition

Carlee Pieratt wanted a career in which she could have close relationships with people. She wanted to be able to care for them. Originally from Amanda, Ohio, she lived approximately 10 miles from Fairfield Medical Center (FMC). When she found out that MCCN had a campus at FMC that offered a traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, she thought, “That’s perfect.”

“It was very convenient,” Pieratt said.

Pieratt loved the small class sizes and the one-on-one attention she received from instructors. “You don’t have to be afraid to ask questions,” Pieatt said. “The professors are so open and encourage it!”

“It’s been a very intimate experience,” she said. “I’ve become so close with the other twelve girls with me in the program. It’s like I have twelve new best friends.”

She loved the program so much, she encouraged her cousin, Kay Davis, to apply. In high school, Davis got a job at an assisted living facility and, after caring for patients and seeing the nurses in action, she knew she wanted to be a nurse. Davis was looking at schools and asked Pieratt about MCCN. Pieratt said she loved it.

“I tried my best to talk it up as best I could,” Pieratt said. “I was like ‘I would love for my cousin to go here.’”

Her cousin’s advice didn’t steer Davis wrong. “People are always helping you achieve your goal,” she said. “You’re not by yourself. You have classmates and professors to help you.”

Davis had advice for future students: “You can’t give up,” she said. “Freshman and sophomore years will be the hardest. You have to remember that you’re doing this for a bigger purpose.”

Pieratt advised students to arrive with a “driven mindset.” She said, “At first, it’s not easy, but once you get past the foundational level, it’s amazing being able to apply what you know in clinicals.”

The cousins now spread the word about Mount Carmel, and not just within their own family. “I’m always recruiting people,” Pieratt said. “I’m always telling people from my old high school.” Davis does it, too. “Old friends from high school text me,” she said. “I tell them to come to Mount Carmel!”

Both Pieratt and Davis recommend MCCN to both family members and anyone else considering the nursing profession. Together, they’ve made attending MCCN a deeply purposeful family tradition.

(Submitted by Amanda Page, MFA, Associate Professor)

The Research and Scholarship Strategist

All Mount Carmel students and faculty who hope to achieve long-term or short-term professional goals have access to a Research and Scholarship Strategist.

Although strategy is often thought of in the context of business, politics, and war, more recent definitions describe strategy as a “systematic approach to coordinate tactics and activities to attempt to enable the desired outcome” (McKee, 2021). If you can identify a goal, a strategist will assist you to find the way to that goal.

A strategist is a person who can help to identify a pathway of experiences, skills, and accomplishments that will help to build that path. If becoming a nursing administrator is your goal, it is important to identify opportunities early in your career and continue to build upon those. Activities that would develop and demonstrate your leadership skills would be to:

  • participate in committee work
  • become a chairperson of a committee
  • serve as a mentor to others with a goal of becoming a charge nurse or some other form of patient care leader
  • lead a journal club or staff development activity
  • work with others to develop solutions to problems

Having mentorship and gaining formal education in your area of interest is important to your long-term goal. You will want to identify when you hope to achieve your goal, so that you can identify the most appropriate mentor for your specific needs, and when completing the formal education works for you in your personal life goals. The strategist has had many experiences and can help you to understand the factors that you will want to consider in making these decisions. In other words, the strategist can help you to identify what the pieces to the goal puzzle are and help you to problem solve where the pieces go, what to do when a piece is lost or just doesn’t fit!

All Mount Carmel students and faculty who hope to achieve long-term or short-term professional goals have access to a Research and Scholarship Strategist. Dr. Thelma Patrick would be pleased to hear from you about the abstract or paper that you would like to publish, or the goal that you have set for yourself. Your success is a common goal that we share!

You can reach Dr. Patrick by e-mail at scholarship@mccn.edu.

Library Update

New Library Website

Check out the new Mount Carmel Health Sciences Library website, where you can find information you need faster and easier than ever.

Library Accounts

If you are a student at MCCN, you already have a library account.

  • Username=Last Name
  • Password=Student ID.

If you are still having trouble logging in, contact us.

Why Choose Us

$483,737

scholarship money awarded from the Mount Carmel Foundation in 2023

120

years of educating nurses

30

average class size